This interactive Tableau dashboard that I created visualises the capital flow, trend and key application areas driving the AI industry.

Here are some key insights from the data:
1. AGI research received more funding than any other area within AI from 2019-2024.
2. AI chips, autonomous trucks and autonomous delivery each received $600 in funding during the same period.
3. Investment funding in AI startups increased from $810 million in 2020 to $6.22 billion in 2024.

View the interactive dashboard here: https://lnkd.in/eZubrMpm

 Cybersecurity Breach Dashboard — Data You Can Act On

I created an interactive Power BI dashboard that uncovers key Cybersecurity trends and risks:
- Breach trends over time, showing shifts since 2017
- Total breaches and records exposed — billions affected
- Sector impact highlights the most vulnerable industries
- Attack methods reveal common ways data is compromised
- Top breached entities spotlight major players

Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/e2wFW9vj

Cloud Security: Shared Responsibility or Shared Confusion?

Here is a recent webinar I did in regard to the topical issue of the Shared Responsibility model within Cloud Security. Take a listen when you get the chance! We cover topic like Identity Access Management and Access Controls in detail. You may find it interesting and informative!

Phishing detection

 Phishing has become an increasingly problematic cyber threat for many people and organisations across  the world. With the volume of email that most of us get on a daily basis now, this is a problem that is likely to become even more prevalent. Many hackers are becoming increasingly savvy about how they lure their victims in with seemingly genuine looking emails. Tragically, many people fail to see through the deception and end up losing their money or reputation. In response to this headache, I have created an app that uses smart AI to detect the likelihood of an email being a phishing scam. Check out my app and let me know what you think! 

The Future of Cloud

 Here is a recent podcast I took part in with the D2 collective. In this podcast I discuss the main Cloud models, the top Cloud Service providers, Cloud security and best practices. 

Working remotely

According to a recent article in Silicon Republic, remote working will rival fixed office locations by 2025. Job listing search engine Indeed, found that the number of Irish people searching for jobs including the word ‘remote’ surged by 171% in late 2017. There is no question about the fact that employers across the board need to adopt a more flexible approach toward employees, particularly toward those who are parents of young children. Adopting a flexible attitude toward allowing employees to work from home will certainly boost employee morale by allowing employees to reduce their daily commute. In a day and age when global warming poses a serious threat to the future of our planet, any initiative that helps reduce our carbon footprint can only be a bonus. On top of being able to spend more time with their children, employees who work from home can dress however they want and have more time to exercise. With the rise of Artificial Intelligence and robotics, the twenty first century will witness significant changes across all industries. Any corporation that wishes to remain competitive must learn to embrace change. Becoming flexible in regard to working from home is a key step in this regard. 

Sophia, the first robot citizen

The sci-fi film "Ex Machina" very adroitly addresses the idea of a robot passing the Turing test and actually entering human society looking just like any other human being. Although somewhat unsettling, the film is extremely compelling and intellectually stimulating. The concept depicted in "Ex Machina" may actually become a reality much sooner than we think. Hong Kong based company Hanson Robotics has recently produced a robot called Sophia who became a Saudi Arabian citizen in October 2017. This marks an historical moment as Sophia is the first robot ever to be awarded citizenship of any country. Could this be a portent of things to come? Very likely. Given the enormous strides being made within AI and machine learning, we are likely to see many more robots like Sophia enter our society. This raises a number of very important matters relating to fundamental human rights. After all, should robots like Sophia be given the very same rights as human beings? Some would say yes, others would say no. These issues will need to be addressed before we progress with releasing robots into our society. However, one thing is for sure. Robots will play an integral role within our future economy. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen. The video below on Sophia is well worth watching to get an idea of what to expect!

Keyless houses

As we move toward an increasingly cashless society via Smartphones and Bitcoin, another significant change is brewing that will profoundly change how we live. Silicon Valley is currently focusing heavily in technologies relating to keys and building access. Venture capitalists are investing heavily in finding a digital alternative to metal keys. Virtual keys will provide users with information about who accesses their homes and when. Users will also be able to revoke keys instantly in case of emergency. This article in Techcrunch gives a lucid overview of what to expect in coming years. Virtual keys will play an important in facilitating eCommerce developments i.e. home deliveries will be much easier when customers do not have to wait at home to open the door. Virtual keys will be able to provide one-time access or limited access. Virtual keys will also provide and electronic audit trail of who exactly accessed the premises at what time.This will make for better cybersecurity practises. No doubt, challenges remain in regard to the development and implementation of virtual keys. But we can expect to see exciting developments within this area very soon. Google's Nest smart thermostat subsidiary is planning to roll out a video doorbell called the Nest Hello next year. Amazon is also exploring smart doorbells. Metal keys may not become obsolete just yet, but virtual keys will certainly change the real estate industry very soon. 

Future trends within Data Analytics

Data Analytics is reshaping every industry by providing insights that are often surprising and counterintuitive. As the technology economy continues to evolve, Data Analytics will continue to play a critical role in the development of each industry sector. Here is a list of trends that we can expect to see within Data Analytics in the coming years:

1. The algorithmic economy

Algorithmic approaches from machine learning, deep learning and natural language processing (NLP) will be crucial for dealing with the colossal tsunamic of data we will see in coming years.

2. Evolving Data Analytics architecture

     AI, BI, Cloud, data at rest and data in transit, in-memory spinning disk all must co-exist in the new economy. Data Analytics architectures will need to adapt in order to accommodate these broad and diverse data types. Approximately 95% of all data is unstructured so Data Analytics tool will need to evolve to cope with large, unstructured data sets.

3. Speed

Customers in this day and age demand instant gratification and speed will be of the utmost importance for Data Analytics systems to be able to deliver real value to corporations. Data Analytics platforms will need to deliver results in real-time.

4. Collaboration

Data Analytics platforms will need to adapt analytic innovation with security, scalability and availability. Everyone within corporations will need to have access to Data Analytics insights, regardless of their technical acumen. This will facilitate effective and strategic collaboration throughout large organisations.

One thing is certain, Data Analytics will be a very exciting area to watch in the next few years. Big, exciting changes can be expected!

The rise of the robots

This blog has previously addressed the future of robotics. One book that has recently been published that addresses this topic very well is "Rise of the robots" by Martin Ford. Ford carefully examines the rise in robotics and AI and addresses the likely impacts on the future of the professions. One point he drives home is that robotics will not simply disrupt blue-collar jobs i.e. factories, manufacturing, but also white-collar jobs i.e. accountancy and dentistry. Robotics will revolutionise the world as we know it. But although this will bring many desired changes, it will also pose a threat to the future of our economy. For instance, when robotics disrupts the global economy and millions of jobs are threatened, how will we respond as a society? Will we simply bury our heads in the sand and hope the problem goes away or will we be proactive in terms of helping people whose jobs are threatened, find employment within the new economy? One thing is for sure. Robotics and AI will lead to huge career opportunities for coders in the likes of R or Python. Data analysts will also be highly sought after. Training and upskilling people for careers in these areas will certainly help some people to remain employed. But not everyone wants to be a Python coder or a Data scientist. What roles will those individuals fulfil in the new economy? This question has yet to be adequately addressed but it is one we must tackle as we move forward with technology. Ultimately, technology is about making people's lives better. But we cannot achieve this goal if we do not carefully assess the negative impact of future technology and seek a viable solution. "Rise of the robots" is strongly recommended for anybody interested in this area.

10 big European tech stories

Ten big European tech stories occurred recently that could have significant repercussions over the coming year. These were:

1. Barcelona based Smartphone games developer Social Point was acquired by Take-Two for $250 million.

2. European lawmakers agreed to cap the wholesale charges mobile service operators pay each other, thus paving the way for the abolition of roaming fees in Europe in June of this year. This could open more opportunities for Smartphone developments.

3. Spotify has considered delaying its IPO until 2018.

4. UK-based Zoopla has agreed to buy data company Hometrack for £120 million.

5. Uber has announced a partnership with German firm Daimler, maker of Mercedes-Benz cars and trucks. Daimler plans to produce its own self-driving Mercedes-Benz into Uber's fleet.

6. U.S event management platform Eventbrite has acquired Amsterdam-based Ticketscript to strengthen its European presence.

7. Spotcap has announced a new partnership with New Zealand's Heartland bank.

8. A German consumer group has sued Whatsapp in Berlin over the collection and transfer of user data on the platform.

9. U.S recruitment software company SmartRecruiters has acquired job search company Jobspotting.

10. Lego has launched a new app for under-13s called Lego Life.

The future of coding

There is no doubt that coding will play an integral role in the technology economy of the future. In his excellent book "The industries of the future", author Alec Ross predicts that in the coming years, coding languages like Python will be taught in schools to children starting from an early age. This is already happening in one country - Estonia. This tiny Eastern European country radically transformed itself in the mid-1990s from an ex-Soviet backwater to one of the most tech savvy nations on earth.The Estonians demonstrated extraordinary prescience by teaching their children how to write software code. This greatly helped Estonia develop the skilled workforce it required in order to build its competence and reputation. Could this become a feature of all schools worldwide in the future? Possibly. But it will take time for education departments to latch on. Certainly this would be a judicious move by any forward-thinking country, to invest in teaching young children how to code. However, it will take a huge amount of convincing to make education departments make a radical change to their curriculum. But software coders will be a highly sought-after commodity in the future and the more we can do to meet this need the better.  

Japanese robots

Robots will play a critical role in the future, of that there is no doubt. But certain countries will be more reliant upon robots than others. One country that will rely very heavily upon robots is Japan. In recent decades, the birth rate in Japan has steadily decreased. For many different socioeconomic reasons, increasing numbers of young Japanese couples have chosen not to have children. This alarming trend does not bode well for the future of the Japanese economy. As Japan's population ages, there will be fewer and fewer grandchildren to support their grandparents. This will be of particular concern in the healthcare profession. Elderly people need young, able-bodied nurses to assist them through the day. With fewer and fewer young people  in Japan, the number of nurses and care assistants in Japan will decrease significantly. Added to this, Japan has one of the tightest immigration policies in the world, so it's extremely unlikely that Japan will benefit from an influx of young people from other parts of the world. This, coupled with the declining birth rate means that the future Japanese economy will urgently require some means of supporting its elderly population or the country will run into severe problems. Thankfully, there is some reason for cautious optimism.

For many years, Japan has been a world leader within the field of robotics. Japanese scientists and developers have been at the forefront of robotics research, particularly robots aimed at consumers. It is entirely conceivable that Japan will be able to mass-produce reliable robotic nurses and carers to support it's ageing population. Robots at your service are likely to become a key feature of Japanese society in the future. This short video below provides some insight into the kinds of developments currently underway within Japanese robotics. This is an exciting area to keep on eye on for the coming years. What is happening in Japan is likely to spread throughout the rest of the world. 

Edtech

Education has become a hot topic these days. The web has irrevocably changed education by providing unfettered access to voluminous mountains of information to millions of people worldwide. Millions of people now take online courses every day to earn degrees or upgrade their skillsets in order to make a career change. Classrooms of the future will be very different to what they are today. Classrooms will be much more engaging and interactive and there will be AI programs that function as teachers/lecturers. Edtech is attracting enormous interest globally and is likely to do so for the immediate future. Nobody knows what exactly the future of education will look like. But what we can say for sure is that traditional schools and universities are about to undergo a radical rehaul. The video below features an interview with the CEO of Bibblio. It gives some idea of what to expect within Edtech. 

Biometrics, the future of passwords?

The field of biometrics is growing exponentially. One very practical application of biometrics is in regard to password security. As this article on Finextra makes clear, this could have significant effects within payment technology. Nobody wants to type in a password whenever they need to authorise a payment, so biometrics could help facilitate smoother payments. 'Paying by selfie' could become the new norm, with eCommerce giants like Alibaba and Amazon expressing interest in it. Huge advances are also being made in relation to sensory technology i.e. voice, heartbeat and vein recognition technology. But as biometrics advances, so too will security concerns. Hackers will become more adept at creating duplicates for biometrics. Therefore, biometrics will need to stay one step ahead of hackers in regard to keeping consumers safe. The video below provides some interesting information on the future of behavioural biometrics. 

The future of eCommerce

What is the future of eCommerce? Here are some things to expect.

1. Retail spaces will effectively become showrooms. Shopping centres of the future will be quite different to what they are now. Rather than loading up shopping trollies with goods, consumers will sample goods in shopping centres that they are interested in. They will then scan and purchase them with their Smartphones and have them delivered home within hours. 

2. Curation and personalisation will be a huge part of eCommerce in the future. These will facilitate a more direct relationship with consumers. The fashion industry will probably account for one third of all eCommerce.

3. Mobile commerce will be central to eCommerce. Companies that understand mobile commerce the best will reap the biggest returns.

4. Content marketing will be key. This will include video, Social Media, reverse guest blogging, newsletters and infographics.

5. Near Field Communication may become the future of eCommerce. NFC technologies like Google Wallet enable consumers to tap their phone with their credit card to pay for an item. Technologies like these will make for smoother and faster eCommerce transactions. Expect to see exciting developments in NFC technology.

Intel's virtual reality lab

Intel has invested heavily in Virtual Reality technology. This short video gives an overview of some of the exciting developments we can expect to see in this space in coming years.

Climate Smart Agriculture

One area of industry that is being revolutionised by technology is agriculture. With the human population expected to reach 9.7 billion by the year 2050, the demand for agricultural produce has never been greater. However, agriculture will need to deal with anthropogenic climate change. Agriculture must be eco-friendly in order to ensure food safety for all the countries of the world. Many agragrian societies have yet to adopt modern technology, but this is changing. Much work remains to be done, but exciting developments are underway. The short video below by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, gives an overview of what we can expect to see happen.

An online Magna Carta

The web has been referred to the largest unregulated social experiment of all time. This is both a positive and a negative thing. One of the great things about the web is the simple fact that nobody owns it. But this is also its greatest challenge. Although the web has brought great transparency to our society, many people feel that it is too intrusive and invasive of privacy. Other people feel that the web protects criminals via the dark web. Some people have called for an online Magna Carta that would protect and enshrine the independence of the web and its users. One of the godfathers of the web, Tim Berners-Lee, has been an advocate of an online Magna Carta. In this short TED talk below, he addresses some of the most important reasons why a Magna Carta, or Bill of Rights is needed for the web. We may think the web is vast right now. But current prognostications by digital experts indicated that it will grow at a mind-boggling rate in the coming years as we enter the age of the Internet of Things. As digital technology marches forward, there is a need for certain rules and regulations to ensure that basic human rights and safety are protected.

Self-driving Tesla cars

Self-driving cars are becoming more and more part of our lives. Elon Musk has just announced that every new Tesla car will drive itself. The video below illustrates how the cars will have a 360 degree as they drive along. Although this represents a terrific advancement in automobile technology, caution must be exercised as these cars are developed. Cars that run on software will be vulnerable to hackers. As this blog as previously stated, cybersecurity is critically important for the coming digital age. But one thing is for sure, driving as we now understand it is about to change radically!