TALLINN (Reuters) - Finland, which holds the rotating EU presidency until the end of the year, said on Tuesday it aims to teach 1% of all Europeans basic skills in artificial intelligence through a free online course it will now translate into all official EU languages.

The European Union is pushing for wide deployment of artificial intelligence across the bloc, to help European companies catch up with rivals in Asia and the United States.

Our investment has three goals: we want to equip EU citizens with digital skills for the future, we wish to increase practical understanding of what artificial intelligence is, and by doing so, we want to give a boost to the digital leadership of Europe, said Finnish Minister of Employment Timo Harakka.

As our Presidency ends, we want to offer something concrete. Its about one of the most pressing challenges facing Europe and Finland today: how to develop our digital literacy, Harakka said in a statement.

The course, conducted by the University of Helsinki and originally launched in 2018, already has enrolled more than 220,000 students from more than 110 countries.

It includes modules on subjects such as machine learning, neural networks, the philosophy of artificial intelligence and using artificial intelligence to solve problems.

The course is available in English, Finnish, Swedish and Estonian so far, and Finland will translate it to all official EU languages next year.

The original goal to educate 1% of Finns, equalling some 55,000 people, was reached in just a few months.

Reporting by Tarmo Virki, editing by Anne Kauranen

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Finland seeks to teach 1% of Europeans basics on artificial intelligence - Reuters UK

By Julien Legrand, Operation Security Manager, Socit Gnrale

Artificial intelligence is a double-edged sword that can be used as a security solution or as a weapon by hackers. AI entails developing programs and systems capable of exhibiting traits associated with human behaviors. The characteristics include the ability to adapt to a particular environment or to intelligently respond to a situation. AI technologies have extensively been applied in cybersecurity solutions, but hackers are also leveraging them to develop intelligent malware programs and execute stealth attacks.

Security experts have conducted a lot of research to harness the capabilities of AI and incorporate it into security solutions. AI-enabled security tools and products can detect and respond to cybersecurity incidents with minimal or zero input from humans. AI applications in cybersecurity have proved to be highly useful. Twenty-five percent of IT decision-makers attribute security as the primary reason why they adopt AI and machine learning in organizational cybersecurity. AI not only improves security posture, but it also automates detection and response processes. This cuts on the finances and time used in human-driven intervention and detection processes.

Organizations use AI to model and monitor the behavior of system users. The purpose of monitoring the interactions between a system and users is to identify takeover attacks. These are attacks where malicious employees steal login details of other users and use their accounts to commit different types of cybercrimes. AI learns the user activities over time such that it considers unusual behavior as anomalies. Whenever a different user uses the account, AI-powered systems can detect the unusual activity patterns and respond either by locking out the user or immediately alert system admins of the changes.

Antivirus tools with AI capabilities detect network or system anomalies by identifying programs exhibiting unusual behavior. Malware programs are coded to execute functions that differ from standard computer operations. AI antiviruses leverage machine learning tactics to learn how legitimate programs interact with an operating system. As such, whenever malware programs are introduced to a network, AI antivirus solutions can immediately detect them and block them from accessing systems resources. This contrasts from signature-based traditional antiviruses which scans a signature database to determine whether a program is a security threat.

Automated analysis of system or network data ensures continuous monitoring for prompt identification of attempted intrusions. Manual analysis is nearly impossible due to the sheer volume of data generated by user activities. Cybercriminals use command and control (C2) tactics to penetrate network defenses without being detected. Such tactics include embedding data in DNS requests to bypass firewalls and IDS/IPS. AI-enabled cyber defenses utilize anomaly detection, keyword matching, and monitoring statistics. As a result, they can detect all types of network or system intrusion.

Cybercriminals prefer email communication as the primary delivery technique for malicious links and attachments used to conduct phishing attacks. Symantec states that 54.6 percent of received email messages are spam and may contain malicious attachments or links. Anti-phishing emails with AI and machine learning capabilities are highly effective in identifying phishing emails. This is by performing in-depth inspections on links. Additionally, such anti-phishing tools simulate clicks on sent links to detect phishing signs. They also apply anomaly detection techniques to identify suspicious activities in all features of the sender. These include attachments, links, message bodies, among other items.

Hackers are turning to AI and using it to weaponize malware and attacks to counter the advancements made in cybersecurity solutions. For instance, criminals use AI to conceal malicious codes in benign applications.They program the codes to execute at a specific time, say ten months after the applications have been installed, or when a targeted number of users have subscribed to the applications. This is to maximize the impacts such attacks will cause. Concealing such codes and information requires the application of AI models and deriving private keys to control the place and time the malware will execute.

Notwithstanding, hackers can predefine an application feature as an AI trigger for executing cyber-attacks. The features can range from authenticating processes through voice or visual recognition to identity management features. Most applications used today contain such features, and this provides attackers with ample opportunities of feeding weaponized AI models, deriving a key, and attacking at will. The malicious models can be present for years without detection as hackers wait to strike when applications are most vulnerable.

Besides, AI technologies are unique in that they acquire knowledge and intelligence to adapt accordingly. Hackers are aware of these capabilities and leverage them to model adaptable attacks and create intelligent malware programs. Therefore, during attacks, the programs can collect knowledge of what prevented the attacks from being successful and retain what proved to be useful. AI-based attacks may not succeed in a first attempt, but adaptability abilities can enable hackers to succeed in subsequent attacks. Security communities thus need to gain in-depth knowledge of the techniques used to develop AI-powered attacks to create effective mitigations and controls.

Also, cyber adversaries use AI to execute intelligent attacks that self-propagate over a system or network. Smart malware can exploit unmitigated vulnerabilities leading to an increased likelihood of fully compromised targets. If an intelligent attack comes across a patched vulnerability, it immediately adapts to try compromising a system through different types of attacks.

Lastly, hackers use AI technologies to create malware capable of mimicking trusted system components. This is to improve stealth attacks. For example, cyber actors use AI-enabled malware programs to automatically learn the computation environment of an organization, patch update lifecycle, preferred communication protocols, and when the systems are least protected. Subsequently, hackers can execute undetectable attacks as they blend with an organizations security environment. For example, TaskRabbit was hacked compromising 3.75 million users, yet investigations could not trace the attack. Stealth attacks are dangerous since hackers can penetrate and leave a system at will. AI facilitates such attacks, and the technology will only lead to the creation of faster and more intelligent attacks.

Disclaimer: CISO MAG does not endorse any of the claims made by the writer. The facts, opinions, and language in the article do not reflect the views of CISO MAG and CISO MAG does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same. Views expressed in this article are personal.

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Artificial Intelligence as Security Solution and Weaponization by Hackers - CISO MAG

SINGAPORE, Dec. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chinese Association for Artificial Intelligence (CAAI) is the only state-level Science and Technology organization in the field of Artificial Intelligence under the Ministry of Civil Affairs in the People's Republic of China. The 6th IEEE International Conference on Cloud Computing and Intelligence Systems is held from 19 December to 21 December 2019 at Carlton Hotel Singapore and is hosted by the CAAI, IEEE Beijing Section, co-organised by Tsinghua University, National University of Singapore, Shenzhen University of China,Pensees Pte Ltd and AI Pharos Pte Ltd.

Experts and scholars from various places will jointly host a feast of academic exchanges. At this conference, Professor Fuchun Sun from the Department of Computer Science and Technology of Tsinghua University, Dr. Wang Bin, Director of Xiaomi's AI Lab, and Provost's Chair Professor Ng Hwee Tou of the National University of Singapore are special guest speakers to discuss and share the latest academic trend.

CCIS 2019- Industry Track

For the first day of the conference on 19 December 2019, an Industry Track program with the theme, "Driving Industry Transformation with Intelligent Systems", is now open for public registration. In order to expand international exchanges and cooperation in the field of cloud computing and intelligent science and technology, and to enhance academic influence in this field, the Industry Track program focuses on in-depth research and discussion on cutting-edge technologies and hot issues in the fields of cloud computing, big data, computer vision, and artificial intelligence, thus to promote the development of related technologies and industries.

Industry Track Co-Chairs and Keynote speakers include:

CCIS 2019 - Industry Track is co-organised by AI Pharos Pte Ltd, a Deep Tech Community entity in Singapore. Tickets for CCIS 2019 - Industry Track is now available on https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ccis-2019-conference-industry-track-tickets-82770403505

CCIS 2019 Details:

Time: December 19, 2019Location: CARLTON Hotel, Bugis, Singapore

SOURCE AI Pharos Pte Ltd

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Chinese Association of Artificial Intelligence is hosting the 6th IEEE International Conference on the AI Pharos Pte Ltd co-organised Cloud Computing...

This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here. Current subscribers can log in and read the report here.

New technology is disrupting legacy automakers' business models and dampening consumer demand for purchasing vehicles. Tech-mediated models of transportation - like ride-hailing, for instance - are presenting would-be car owners with alternatives to purchasing vehicles.

In fact, a study by ride-hailing giant Lyft found that in 2017, almost 250,000 of its passengers sold their own vehicle or abandoned the idea of replacing their current car due to the availability of ride-hailing services.

This will enable automakers to take advantage of what will amount to billions of dollars in added value. For example, self-driving technology will present a $556 billion market by 2026, growing at a 39% CAGR from $54 billion in 2019, per Allied Market Research.

But firms face some major hurdles when integrating AI into their operations. Many companies are not presently equipped to begin producing AI-based solutions, which often require a specialized workforce, new infrastructure, and updated security protocol. As such, it's unsurprising that the main barriers to AI adoption are high costs, lack of talent, and lack of trust. Automakers must overcome these barriers to succeed with AI-based projects.

In The AI In Transportation Report, Business Insider Intelligence will discuss the forces driving transportation firms to AI, the market value of the technology across segments of the industry, and the potential barriers to its adoption. We will also show how some of the leading companies in the space have successfully overcome those barriers and are using AI to adapt to the digital age.

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THE AI IN TRANSPORTATION REPORT: How automakers can use artificial intelligence to cut costs, open new revenue - Business Insider India

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Whistle, the leading guest messaging platform in the hospitality industry, announced today artificial intelligence (AI) and workflow automation modules for its Whistle guest text messaging platform. Adding AI capabilities to its platform can further improve hotel and lodging customer service and increase operational efficiency already afforded by the Whistle platform. The modules are already being piloted at a major hotel chain.

Recognizing that hotels and lodging environments generally receive a set of common guest requests or questions, Whistle developed a homegrown conversational AI and machine learning (ML) model. Whistle is one of the first companies to create AI data analyses algorithms and message classification programs for the hospitality industry.

With the AI module, the Whistle guest messaging platform can categorize guest messages and, in some instances, automatically prompt the appropriate response back to the guest. For questions that do not have a definitive answer, Whistle is able to route the message to the appropriate hospitality team member, and even provides a set of suggested responses that the team member can choose between to be sent back immediately.

Workflow Automation for Fast ResponseWith Whistles AI functionality, hotels can automate workflow of many repetitive hotel and lodging tasks. The platform is designed to recognize a guest request and auto-prompt service requests and work orders to internal departments for quick completion.

Great customer service is a key differentiator to our customer base of quality hotel and lodging professionals, said Christopher Hovanessian, Whistle cofounder and CEO. Whistles AI and workflow modules streamline maintenance and housekeeping tasks. This remedies routine customer issues very quickly, freeing up hotel employees to focus on more complex customer service requests, thereby delivering exceptional customer service and building brand loyalty.

The module currently has over 90 percent and rising prediction accuracy, allowing it to understand many common guest messages and intents. The AI module applies to all hospitality departments including concierge, engineering, housekeeping, front office, spa, food and beverage, security, and more.

Guest Sentiment Heads Off Service ProblemsLeveraging Amazon Comprehend, a natural language processing (NLP) service from Amazon Web Services (AWS) that uses ML to find insights and relationships in text, the Whistle AI module is able to recognize the sentiment or intent of a guest message. Using this information, Whistle can escalate a guest message to the appropriate hospitality team member for efficient service recovery when needed. This information also allows Whistle to provide operational analytics to managers, with robust information on how particular hotel departments are performing.

The ability to virtually interact with customers can be a wonderful tool, but this creates a lot of data that can be difficult to make sense of, said David Peller, Global Head, Travel and Hospitality, Amazon Web Services, Inc. Amazon Comprehend allows users to organize and understand that data to enable actionable tasks and powerful analytics. The Whistle platform is a great example of how this tool can be used for customer success.

The AI module will be available as a part of select Whistle plans and services. For more information, visit https://www.trywhistle.com/blog/2019-12-02-conversational-messaging-in-hospitality-comes-to-life-with-artificial-intelligence/.

About Whistle

Whistle is the number-one rated Guest Messaging Platform. With over 85% of travelers carrying their smartphone, Whistle allows hotels and guest to communicate via SMS Text Messaging and Mobile Messaging pre, during, and post-stay. Whistle enhances customer service through real-time guest engagement, helping boost service scores while streamlining internal communication and operations through team messaging.

For more information, please visit: http://www.TryWhistle.com

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Whistle Adds Artificial Intelligence and Workflow Automation to Guest Messaging Platform for Improved Hotel and Lodging Customer Service and Increased...