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From 2020, Brighter will start to expand into more contemporary technologies and their implications on businesses and society. Our goal is to share important and fascinating perspectives on the trends that could impact you.

In this edition, we provide a primer on the Internet of Things and a perspective on the thorny activities of Clearview AI.

Clearview AI claims to have a database of three billion images made up of photos and personal data skimmed from Facebook, YouTube, Venmo and other websites. Without any public and political scrutiny, over 600 law enforcement agencies in the U.S. have signed up to access the database in 2019.

Should government bodies start to question and set legal boundaries for the use of the Clearview AI?

In the next twelve months, it is expected that for every human being on earth, six devices (excluding smartphones or computers) will be connected to the internet. This network of connected physical objects is the Internet of Things.

We have put together an introduction to the Internet of Things and how to benefit from it through big data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Hello, Brighter readers! Have you got 3 minutes?

We are proud to be a company of firsts and have been doing it for 50 years! Over these 50 years we have helped many organisations throughout Australia, and we hope to continue to do so with renewed vigour for at least 50 more. Join us on a nostalgia trip and check out our celebration video.

Things we've seen. Things we haven't.

There is an adage that technology changes faster than regulation can keep pace. For the decade so far, there are technological issues bubbling from advancements long known and those suddenly emerging from totally unplanned events.

• Facial Recognition and Biometrics, a beneficial technology in many instances is seeing rising concerns about its use in general surveillance and law enforcement. Situations in Australia, the UK, Europe, Russia and even Kenya point to concerns about the need for regulation. The city of San Francisco has no doubts; government departments are banned from using it. Meanwhile, Illinois saw Facebook settle in court over the use of customer biometric details from features introduced in 2011. All the while, China continues to use its mass surveillance to keep an eye on…
• COVID-19, a new strain of coronavirus not previously seen in humans. Chinese facial recognition software claims to identify individuals with elevated temperatures and detect those not wearing masks in public places. With customers and employees staying home, businesses brace for bad times ahead. So much so that…
• Apple downgraded earnings guidance, both the result of Chinese production and demand limitations. Some estimate iPhone shipments can fall by 4 million units in the first quarter of 2020. To avoid the spread of the virus, multiple tech events have been cancelled. However, there is some upside...
• Samsung's bet on manufacturing phones in Vietnam might pay off as they avoid the supply limitation of Chinese-manufactured competitors. And if you’re in the personal protection business, demand for face masks and hand sanitising liquid is booming.

The Upshot

The benefits of technology are inherently human. Whether to entertain, to communicate, to profit, to make able or to inform, technological advancements become human advancements. The success or failure of technology companies can be shaken by unplanned legislation or exogenous external events. In the case of coronavirus, the overall effects on the world remains to be seen.

In a B2B context, a number of questions should be asked. Is your business prepared for or able to adjust to changing circumstances? Are your partners able to continue providing what may be crucial services to your business’s livelihood? Can they show that they’re thinking not only of what’s ahead but also planning for what could potentially be? If answers to these questions don’t come easily, it may be time to assess how your partnerships are creating value for you and your business.

During the last year, Tesla reached a market cap greater than each of Volkswagen, GM, Mercedes Benz and Ford, while selling only a fraction of the cars. The world thinks they’re onto something.

The top four most downloaded apps of the (last) decade are owned by Facebook. The US IRS is now saying, you owe us $9b.

The MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory have developed self-assembling robotic cubes. These blocks can identify each other, follow simple directions and track light.

AI has been used to upgrade a 125-year-old film into 4K through a set of publicly available algorithms. The same creator has applied the same process to lunar rover footage from 1972.