(NewsUSA) - As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to transform the landscapes of our society, the impact on national security must be a top priority.  

Hear from experts about the latest advancements in how AI innovations are impacting national security at the second annual Ash Carter Exchange, an event held concurrently with the first-ever AI Expo for National Competitiveness. The Carter Exchange will take place simultaneously with the AI Expo at the DC Convention Center, but will be a distinct event with its own programming. 

The Ash Carter Exchange honors the vision of Dr. Ash Carter, who served as Secretary of Defense from 2015-2017, and whose forward-thinking recognition of technology’s role in national security guides our preparation today for the emerging challenges of tomorrow. The event is hosted by the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) and Mrs. Stephanie Carter, and is designed as a forum for the exchange of ideas. This year’s Ash Carter Exchange takes place in Washington, D.C., on May 7 and 8, with the goal of building on the groundbreaking discussions and strategic connections made during last year’s event. 

"As we carry forward Dr. Carter's critical mission, we bridge the essential gap between cutting-edge innovation and the safeguarding of our national security," according to Ylli Bajraktari, president and CEO of SCSP. 

“Last year’s Exchange was a testament to the power of collective expertise, bringing together esteemed leaders from the government, industry, and scientific spheres for engaging dialogue. This year, we are poised to delve even deeper into the conversations that shape our national defense.”  

SCSP is a nonprofit and nonpartisan initiative with a goal to make recommendations to strengthen America's long-term competitiveness as artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies reshape national security, the economy, and society. 

Speakers currently scheduled to participate in the Ash Carter exchange include Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. Eric M. Smith, Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, Gen. David W. Allen, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, Dr. William A. LaPlante, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment; Dr. Heidi Shyu, Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Development; LtGen Karsten S. Heckl, Deputy Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps; Gen. James E. Rainey, Commanding General, Army Futures Command; Rear Adm. Kurt J. Rothenhaus, Chief, Office of Naval Research; Doug Beck, Director, Defense Innovation Unit; Dr. Stefanie Tompkins, Director, DARPA; Dr. Catherine Marsh, Director, IARPA; Dr. Evelyn N. Wang, Director, ARPA-E; Dr. Renee Wegrzyn, Director of ARPA-H; Gil Herrera, Director of Research, National Security Agency;  Heidi Shyu, Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering; Gen. James E. Rainey, Commanding General, Army Futures Command; Anne Neuberger, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology; Michael Collins, Acting Chair, National Intelligence Council; Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, KCB, ADC, Chief of the Defence Staff, United Kingdom; Nand Mulchandani, Chief Technology Officer, Central Intelligence Agency; Frank Kendall, Secretary of the Air Force; Gen. Anthony Cotton, Commander, United States Strategic Command; Dr. Jason Kelly, Chair, National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology; Dr. Jason Rathje, Director, Office of Strategic Capital, Department of Defense; Dr. Meghan L. O’Sullivan, Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; Dr. Nadia Schadlow, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute; Alan F. Estevez, Undersecretary of Commerce for Industry and Security; Dr. William LaPlante, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisitio and Sustainment; Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, USMC (Ret.), 19^th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Michele Flournoy, Co-founder and Managing Partner, WestExec Advisors.

Don’t miss two exciting days of demos and dialogue with leading experts and technology enthusiasts who share a vision of solidifying the United States as a leader in critical emerging technologies. Visit scsp.ai for more information.

(NewsUSA) - Palantir Technologies Inc. (NYSE: PLTR), a leading provider of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, will be the lead sponsor of the inaugural AI Expo for National Competitiveness. The Expo is hosted by the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), a non-partisan, non-profit project dedicated to strengthening America’s long-term competitiveness in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. 

“We are thrilled to have Palantir as our lead sponsor at this year’s event,” said SCSP CEO and President Ylli Bajraktari in a press release. “Palantir is a demonstrated leader in AI, and their support for the Expo we’re organizing is phenomenal. This Expo is the first of its kind in Washington, DC, and we’re proud that Palantir has made the decision to partner with us.” 

Additional sponsors of the Expo include Datenna, Groq, Lockheed Martin, Rhombus, Fathom, Strider, With Honor, and Booz Allen. 

The event will take place on May 7-8, 2024, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. 

The goal of the Expo is to bring together leaders from the private sector, research institutions, and the U.S. government, along with key allies and partners. The Expo provides a unique opportunity to exchange ideas, strengthen partnerships, and educate the public on AI innovation and applications in several key areas including national security, the economy, and society.  

“Forums like the SCSP AI Expo are key to fostering the robust and innovative ecosystem needed to maintain our national security and competitive edge,” said Shyam Sankar, CTO at Palantir, in the press release. “We’re excited to support this partnership as a platform to bring latest AI technologies from across the country and create new opportunities across industry, government, and beyond.”  

SCSP also will host the second annual Ash Carter Exchange on Innovation and National Security in conjunction with the Expo. Both the Exchange and the Expo build on the success of last year’s Ash Carter Exchange, and the SCSP’s Global Emerging Technology Summits in 2022 and 2023.  

Tickets to the Expo are free, and the event is open to the public.  

 Visit expo.scsp.ai for more information about registration, exhibiting, and sponsorship.

(NewsUSA) - More than a third of the country’s workforce is working remotely. Business deals are being made virtually, leadership teams recording their all-staff presentations from the home office or hotel room, and social media staff are creating content on the go. Yet, with this flexibility comes significant business challenges. 

Executives want to ensure customer satisfaction in online meeting platforms and training modules as well as provide tools to their teams to create clear, distraction-free content. The challenge remains, how do virtual or hybrid teams maintain consistent quality with work-from-home distractions like dogs, kids, and other noise? For Tel-Aviv-based company, insoundz, generative AI is the answer.

“Generative AI Audio Enhancement is you only better. It is your voice without any of the distractions,” said Emil Winebrand, Co-Founder and CEO of insoundz. “Where predictive AI is trained to get the business the ‘right answer’ for an input. It is trained to be precise and deterministic; sometimes that's not enough. You may want your AI agent to create, without a clear deterministic input. That’s where Generative AI comes in.”

How does it work? As described on indsoundz website, “Our patented solution takes streamed or pre-recorded audio and video, then applies generative AI signal processing to output the same streams with greatly increased studio-like audio sound and proximity effect.”

Winebrand’s team works with businesses to correct any sound environment so companies keep the sound they want and remove everything else. With a longstanding history serving companies in the media and entertainment space, insoundz is now working with more B2B and B2C businesses asking for custom solutions. 

“We have more businesses coming to us because they are interested in improving their communication efficiency and productivity,” said Winebrand. For some, this will look like improved internal meeting presentations developing a deeper connection to remote employees. For others, this has a direct link to sales. Forbes contributor William Arruda said it best: “Despite having years to get good at online meetings and presentations, most salespeople aren’t fully skilled at captivating online.” insoundz believes their generative AI solution is the answer for many sales, executive, and even large-scale SaaS platforms.

Is generative AI the solution for all our remote and hybrid business challenges? Probably not, but like many AI applications it does offer time saving solutions to businesses looking for efficiencies without sacrificing quality. 

(NewsUSA) - Spring is here, with milder weather, more hours of daylight, and many opportunities to gather with family and friends. Spring is the perfect time to savor life’s sweetness — not only the special occasions that come with the season, but also the everyday moments that make memories to cherish for years to come.

Photos are one of the most popular ways to capture memories, and today’s digital tools make the process even smoother. Use these simple strategies to save, access, and share the photos that tell the story of your life so you can savor springtime with family and friends, both now and in the years to come as you revisit past memories.

• Organize your albums. Albums are great way to savor memories. Albums can be based on time (springtime), event (spring break vacation), or theme (baseball, family reunion, etc.). Finding your favorite photos from the sea of digital images on your phone might seem daunting, but Amazon Photos makes this job easy. You can search and find your favorite photos based on several features including Date Taken, Things, People, and Places, then sort them into titled albums for easy access. 
   
• Highlight special events. To preserve a memorable event, the Memories feature on Amazon Photos creates custom slide shows that are easy to view and share. Make a slideshow of your child’s Easter egg hunt, their first spring concert, or simply the wildflowers in bloom during the season’s first thaw.
   
• Travel through time. Want to look back at wedding, graduation, or birthday party memories? Amazon Photos’ “This Day” feature makes it easy to remember and share how you and your loved ones have grown and changed year by year. What graduate wouldn’t appreciate a walk down memory lane looking at all of their first-day-of-school photos?
   
• Share your memories. Not every photo needs to end up on social media — sometimes, you just want to share it with your loved ones. With Amazon Photos, you can create private sharing groups that allow a specific set of people to be able to view and share photos amongst themselves through Groups to gather their photos in one place.

Visit amazonphotos.com to sign up and start organizing, searching, and sharing your photos today. Make the most of your photos and enjoy your memories this spring and beyond. Amazon Prime members get unlimited photo storage and non-Prime members get up to 5 GB of storage for free. The Amazon Photos app is available on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.

(NewsUSA) - Small businesses in rural America face challenges their urban counterparts don’t. This sector is an important part of the U.S. economy and provides critical support to rural communities. A major obstacle is limited access to high-speed internet. Consider the many ways a business might depend on internet access for success. Here are some example functions:

• Transaction processing: This is important for everyone—from small retail outlets to remote tourist destinations.
• E-commerce: Rural small businesses export everything from specialty foods to niche industrial products, and connectivity can help them reach customers anywhere.
• Global sourcing of needed components: Robust rural connectivity can open small businesses to global markets and help them find the best products and prices for value-added operations.
• Online learning or training: Rural populations are often far removed from formal training facilities, and high-speed internet can help people learn important skills by watching instructional videos on platforms like YouTube.
• Customer Wi-Fi: This is an important service to customers in a waiting area at a doctor’s office or auto repair shop.
• Tracking shipments: Given their remote location, small rural businesses often rely on deliveries—both sending and receiving—even more than urban ones.
• Customer communication: Clients and customers everywhere increasingly expect timely business communications.
• Booking a table at a restaurant: Tourism is a major economic driver for rural areas, and the businesses that make transactions low friction have a competitive advantage.

Conventional options for connectivity—like fiber optics, cable, or 5G—are often not available in rural areas. The build-out for these services requires a population density and subscriber base that will justify the costs. Rural communities generally don’t meet the requirements and, thus don’t receive access.

Hughesnet has satellite connectivity solutions for rural small businesses that are both affordable and reliable. The Hughesnet Select Pro and Elite Pro service plans deliver high-speed internet with unlimited data wherever businesses operate, no matter how remote. Plus, with tasks that require significant bandwidth and computing power, like cloud-based or collaboration applications, businesses can now stay connected with Hughesnet Fusion Pro, which combines satellite and wireless technology for low-latency connectivity.

And just as important as a primary connectivity hookup, it’s crucial to have internet continuity through a backup in case that primary source goes down from weather or accidents. For rural businesses that already have a primary internet provider but are looking for additional options, Hughesnet Internet Continuity is an internet backup service for rural businesses that is ideal for when a primary connection is lost or interrupted.

Running a small business in rural America can be challenging, and a reliable, affordable connectivity solution can help expand business capabilities and position them for stronger growth.

(NewsUSA) - The United States is at the opening of a critical window in time: between now and 2030 a constellation of emerging technologies including AI will continue to transform our national security, economy, and society. Is America ready?

Be part of the conversation at the second annual Ash Carter Exchange, an event concurrent with the first-ever AI Expo for National Competitiveness.

The Ash Carter Exchange honors the impact of Dr. Ash Carter, who served as Secretary of Defense from 2015-2017. Dr. Carter’s visionary recognition of technology’s role in national security guides our preparation for the emerging challenges. The event is hosted by the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) and Mrs. Stephanie Carter, and is designed to promote the exchange of ideas. This year’s Ash Carter Exchange takes place in Washington, D.C., on May 7 and 8, and is set to continue the extraordinary discussions and connections made during last year’s unforgettable gathering.

Attend this year’s event and become part of a dynamic environment for an exchange of groundbreaking ideas, formation of strategic collaborations, and to learn about the advancements that are transforming our security landscape.

“As we carry forward Dr. Carter’s critical mission, we bridge the essential gap between cutting-edge innovation and the safeguarding of our national security,” according to the SCSP.

“Last year’s Exchange was a testament to the power of collective expertise, bringing together esteemed leaders from the government, industry, and scientific spheres for engaging dialogue. This year, we are poised to delve even deeper into the conversations that shape our national defense.”

Last year’s lineup of experts included Charles Q. Brown, Jr., Frank Kendall, Eric Smith, Robert M. Gates, Leon Panetta, Condoleezza Rice, Eric Schmidt, Michele Flournoy, H.R. McMaster, Mark Milley, Jen Easterly, Anne Neuberger, Nate Fick, Alex Younger, Kathleen Hicks, Doug Beck, Will Roper, Kim Budil, Robert O. Work, Shirley Ann Jackson, and Maria Zuber.

SCSP is a nonprofit and nonpartisan initiative with a goal to make recommendations to strengthen America's long-term competitiveness as artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies reshape national security, the economy, and society.

For more information, visit scsp.ai.

(NewsUSA) - Advanced networks – the highways of cyberspace and artificial intelligence (AI) – remain a globally contested technology sector, according to experts at the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), a bipartisan nonprofit organization.

Although the People’s Republic of China (PRC) continues to lead the United States in key metrics of fifth-generation (5G) mobile network production and deployment, the U.S. holds the edge in areas such as satellite connectivity and cloud computing.

The stakes of global leadership in network and telecommunications technology have never been higher, and SCSP’s experts outline how the U.S. compares to China on several network technology fronts.

Broadband and Fiber Optics Deployments and Production: Fiber optic cables and wireline technologies remain a core backbone of connectivity. Although the U.S. is laying more fiber optic cabling thanks to federal financing, China’s broadband mix includes a far larger share of fiber optic cabling and offers top-level broadband speeds.

Subsea Cables: U.S. firms remain competitive in this increasingly important battleground in the networking sector.

Mobile Networks and Spectrum: The quality of China’s 5G networks is marginally higher than those of the United States, but neither country has taken a clear lead in 5G applications in areas like autonomy.

Satellite Technology: The United States has long led in global space technology, and U.S. commercial satellite connectivity technology demonstrated clear national security value in Ukraine.

Looking ahead, SCSP’s experts offer advice to the U.S. government on how to reassert U.S. leadership in advanced network technology.

Think big: Set moonshot technology goals, such as increasing broadband for all households, and planning networks for smart communities and smart industries that integrate domains such as logistics, public safety, healthcare, and the military.

Strengthen the chain: Develop and build stronger network supply chains to upscale production of network components and identify reliable sources for other components as needed.

Unleash applications: Fund challenge grants for network applications with commercial potential, and also release more spectrum for private sector use.

Shape international networks: Don’t underestimate the ability of the U.S. to have an impact on global network technology by managing export opportunities and developing partnerships to compete with China in developing countries.

Visit scsp.ai for more information.

(NewsUSA) - As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes entrenched in many businesses, people are talking about what AI means for the workforce.

Ramsay Brown, CEO of Mission Control, a machine learning governance platform for accelerating quality velocity and trust in artificial intelligence, shared some ideas with the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), a bipartisan nonprofit organization, in a podcast.

Some of his key points are summarized here.

Brown’s company has coined the term “synthetic labor” to describe a way to think about AI in the workforce. In the near future, tools such as ChatGPT will go from being assistants to being more directly involved in business processes, Brown explained.

As AI shifts from being a tool to being a laborer, AI in different companies may take on names, AI-generated faces, and “a variety of competencies that make them more like a labor force and less like a tool like Microsoft Word or Google Sheets,” Brown said.  “That shift of moving from AI as a tool to AI as a laborer capable of performing business tasks on its own is going to represent one of the most fundamental labor transformations in human history,” he added. “Our organization's goal is to build the ideas to help us navigate that with security and resilience and our values in life,” he said.

Ways in which AI has integrated into today’s workforce go beyond easily automated tasks such as flipping burgers or collecting trash:

- Support services. AI does not mean that a robot doctor will set your wrist in the hospital emergency room. Instead, “it's that every person that doctor used to rely on, such as administrators, accounts receivable clerks, and data analysists, will increasingly be intelligent software,” Brown said. Not all jobs will disappear, but prepare for extensive unemployment among those whose main job focus is support, such as using Microsoft Office, he cautioned.

- Creative codes. AI may be able to write a poem or symphony. However, there will always be “a place where we break something new out of the soul and the human spirit,” Brown said. “The problem is that most people are listening to top 40 music and top 40 is quite automatable. That's already mostly software and coding.”

“The evolution of AI into the workforce is not all doom and gloom,” Brown emphasized.

“Think of our greatest challenges, such as aging, or whether we can become a spacefaring civilization, and think of 100 million fresh minds trained in the state of the art to work on a problem nonstop,” he said. “That is the future; we are at the doorstep, and that is why organizations like mine and other people working on AI and artificial general intelligence are so excited about this.”

Visit scsp.ai for more information.

(NewsUSA) - AI systems continue to enable a range of economic, social, and defense opportunities. However, the same AI characteristics that allow for new and transformative opportunities also present risks to national security, according to experts at the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), a bipartisan nonprofit organization.

Well-intentioned AI developers, deployers, and users of an AI system must assess and consider risks to national security posed by their particular system, the SCSP experts warn. This risk goes beyond AI systems involved in national security and extends to commercial entities.

SCSP offers several examples of how commercial AI has the potential to threaten national security.

Misuse: Misuse can occur when an AI system developed for non-national security purposes is accidentally or purposefully used in a way that causes harm to national security. This threat is especially relevant for small and medium-sized enterprises developing new systems or applications. For example, unrelated AI systems can be linked to reveal sensitive data about strategic infrastructure, populations, or other subjects that are relevant to national security and could be manipulated by adversaries.

Scaling: Leveraging large amounts of data creates opportunities for new business models and increases the efficiency of existing models. However, extreme scaling also creates the potential for rapid introduction and adoption of new systems and use cases not previously encountered, predicted, or evaluated. For example, the aggregation of cell phone data enables the identification of cell phones associated with regular visits to sensitive facilities.

Generative AI: The advancement and adoption of generative AI already has resulted in unintended consequences. For example, text, voice, image, and/or video generation technology designed for entertainment purposes can be used to create information campaigns or deepfakes to spread misinformation and disinformation, incite political violence, and generally undermine public trust.

Corrupted Data or Software: Large AI systems typically rely on external software components, but the prevalence of these components in machine learning introduces risks of intentionally and unintentionally corrupted versions being unknowingly incorporated in critical systems. For example, a facial recognition system that may be manipulated to include a “trigger,” such as an unusual hat, that prompts it to perform not as intended, perhaps by authorizing unintended access.

To help mitigate the potential national security risks associated with AI, the SCSP recommends educating stakeholders and incentivizing practices to promote cooperation.

In addition, public-private partnerships between stakeholders and national security entities are needed to help all stakeholders understand requirements, policies, and standing documents.

The SCSP experts also call on the U.S. government to create an AI tested where technologies can be objectively evaluated. This mechanism would support the exploration of AI systems to identify risks that have not previously occurred.

Visit scsp.ai to learn more.

(NewsUSA) - Homeowners are facing the latest post-COVID reality resulting from the confluence of two mounting trends that together threaten to financially and physically “put the squeeze” on families in increasingly crowded households nationwide.

Recent 2023 research from the National Association of Realtors uncovered a “Post-COVID Surge in Multigenerational Home Buying,” citing multi-generational buying is back near an all-time high exceeding 1 in 10 homes purchased – at 15% for first-time buyers and 14% for repeat buyers. 

Plus, there is increased demand due to our post-pandemic “hybrid home” dynamic. According to the recent EY Future Workplace Index, 87% of employers reported that most or all employees worked from the office pre-pandemic versus just 29% today.  

The good news is that families can prevent a utility bill blitz by following a few simple tips. With home heating and cooling accounting for more than half (54%) of home energy use, small steps can go a long way.

• Leverage the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act:The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act is a landmark legislation that encourages Americans to transition towards a new era of energy efficiency and decarbonization. It offers households tax credits for related improvements that save money in the long run, such as highly efficient heating and cooling appliances like heat pumps. Households can claim a tax credit for 30% of the costs of buying and installing a heat pump, up to $2,000 including support for any electric system upgrades needed to make the home heat-pump-ready. 
   
• Ease Into Electric: According to Columbia University’s Earth Institute, electric systems are a solution to decarbonize home climate control.  Among the most energy-efficient heating and cooling products, electricity-powered ductless mini-split systems, offered by companies including Fujitsu General America, can save as much as 25% on energy bills. Mini-splits use thin copper tubing to pump refrigerant from an outdoor compressor directly into an indoor air-handling unit, where the air is qui­etly distributed to the interior space.
   
• Get “Smart" About Climate Control: When it comes to home tem­perature control, there are Smart HVAC Systems and Smart Thermostats. Smart HVAC systems have built-in Internet capability and can be controlled directly without additional equipment. Smart Home Thermostats create “smart” sys­tems by enabling remote temperature control via a mobile or Internet-con­nected device or voice-operated home automation system. 
   
• Voice Your Preference: Most HVAC manufacturers offer apps that enable systems to be controlled from anywhere using a mobile device. Voice-control capability uses digital assistants, like Amazon Alexa or Google Home, to ver­bally dictate home temperatures. Easily controlling the temperature allows homeowners to be more comfortable and improve energy savings.
   
• Find Your Efficient Comfort Zone: Many of us live in homes designed for bigger families but have yet to downsize. If you find yourself using a fraction of your home, consider upgrading to a zoned ducted, or ductless system, allowing you to save energy heating and cooling spaces where you don’t spend much time. You’ll multiply savings by needing less cooling and gaining a more efficient system in the spaces you use.
   
• Try Low-tech Fixes: Try to use heat-producing appliances – stoves, irons and dryers – at night or early morning.  Switch to LED light bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs – which consume 90% more power. Seal air leaks around windows, doors, and places where pipes and wires come through walls. Check existing caulking and weather-stripping for gaps or cracks.

Promote multigenerational hybrid home harmony this season with a climate control system that will keep your family cool without tempers heating up.  To learn more or find a contrac­tor nearby, visit www.constantcomfort.com.