“The goal of affective computing is to create a computing system capable of perceiving, recognizing, and understanding human emotions and responding intelligently, sensitively, and naturally,” write researchers in the journal Intelligent Computing.

Hitting such a milestone would signal a UX breakthrough with digital applications that were much more instinctive to use, as programs would be able to determine when users are struggling – through emotional insights – and make adaptations.

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A popular approach has been to use wearables fitted with sensors, but making sense of the data is easier said than done. Developers are aware that the physiological response accompanying the emotional response to an event can be the same for different emotions. For example, fear, anger, and excitement can all send heart rates racing. To be effective, affective computing algorithms need to differentiate between such signals.

The good news is that machines have many inputs to draw upon when trying to determine the emotional state of users. Many of the devices we use daily have cameras and microphones, which pave the way for image, gesture, and speech recognition. So, the idea of applying affective computing principles to our devices is by no means far-fetched.

Emotion as a service

Speaking on the topic of affective computing (what is it and why should I care?), Håkan Silfvernagel – a consultant with expertise in human-machine interfaces and robotics – mentions Microsoft’s Emotion API, which is capable of receiving an image of a human face and returning one of eight emotions, including happiness, sadness, fear, and disgust.

Other tech firms such as Amazon and IBM have developed emotion recognition capabilities as well. And, engagement analytics provided by Affectiva – whose co-founder, Rana el Kaliouby, wrote ‘Girl decoded’ to share her quest to reclaim our humanity by bringing emotional intelligence to technology – are popular with many of the world’s largest advertisers.

Considering device applications, Affectiva has applied its so-called Emotion AI to automotive settings using algorithms fed with in-cabin camera footage to detect the state, emotions, and reactions of drivers and other occupants in the context of vehicle environments.

Did you know that with EmbracePlus, part of the FDA-cleared Empatica Health Monitoring Platform, clinical researchers can benefit from 100+ digital measures?#Biomarkers #DigitalBiomarkers #WearableTechnology pic.twitter.com/ks74uEVczB

— Empatica (@empatica) February 23, 2024

It’s not a stretch to imagine soothing music being piped out of a car’s speakers to calm the driver during rush hour traffic – a use case that’s been given to highlight the adaptive properties of affective computing systems.

Lately, advances in AI have provided a major boost to the field – a point made by Rosalind Picard, who wrote the book on Affective Computing and has been working in the area for decades. Sentiment analysis of spoken words and text has never been as straightforward to carry out as it is today, and that information can be fed back into education and training systems to gauge the performance of learners.

Likewise, image recognition and object tracking have come on leaps and bounds thanks to AI advances, and those breakthroughs positively impact affective computing systems.

Apple has found itself having to interpret the expressions of wearers of the Vision Pro to generate what the tech giant dubs personas, which are used as avatars that participate in FaceTime calls.

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The more emotional signals that VR systems can provide, the richer the experience for headset wearers. And affective computing will be key for tempting more business users to participate in the metaverse.

Advances are being made in brain-computer interfaces, which could give developers another perspective on users’ emotional states. As the cost of wearables incorporating EEG measurements comes down, this information will add to the data fusion used by affective computing devices.

Signals gathered from the brain could spotlight signs of fatigue, joy, or frustration – to give just a few examples. Also, beyond making software more user-friendly, virtual assistants programmed using affective computing techniques have been shown to encourage creative problem-solving, which hints at further wins for business users.

The post Affective computing – how to build better digital products appeared first on TechHQ.

If you’re not making use of your smartphone’s multiple eSIM capabilities to save money on international roaming charges, then it’s time to change that. Digital nomads have long known the secret to paying less for mobile internet – as countless travel vlogs reveal. However, many business travelers are still paying over the odds for mobile access to email and other internet services overseas. Activating an international travel eSIM on your smartphone could massively reduce your data roaming charges, based on research by TechHQ.

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For example, customers can face network access charges of more than USD $8 per day if they use their national data plans overseas. But what subscribers may not realize is that they could activate an international travel eSIM instead and switch seamlessly to a data provider offering much more competitive roaming rates at their destination.

Of course, one way of avoiding high data roaming charges is to simply turn off data roaming on your phone. But it’s a big sacrifice to make. You’ll be missing out on all of the benefits that the internet brings to international travel. Having live maps and travel tips at your fingertips makes getting around much easier and – for business travelers – having cellular data will keep you in touch with colleagues and clients while you’re on the move.

How to activate an international travel eSIM

The good news is that not only is an international travel eSIM much more affordable than using your national data plan overseas, it’s straightforward to set up too. In fact, it may be as simple as scanning a QR code using your smartphone camera and applying a couple of device settings.

Today, there are numerous international travel eSIM providers to choose from (see examples in the list below) and users can select travel eSIM plans for an individual country, groups of destinations, or even products with global coverage. Plans are competitively priced by duration – for example, 5, 10, 15, or 30 days – and by the amount of data that customers expect to use.

Also, if users underestimate their mobile data roaming needs, it is straightforward to top up and purchase additional capacity. Travel eSIM customers can log into their accounts and access a dashboard that shows how much data they have consumed so far, the amount remaining, and its expiry date.

Examples of international travel eSIM providers –

• Airalo
• Holafly
• Maya Mobile
• Nomad

Once the eSIM has been added to the mobile device, it needs to be activated, which will require internet access. Typically, travelers will make use of free Wi-Fi at their destination – for example, at the airport. However, you can skip having to search for an access point and avoid the security concerns of using free Wi-Fi by activating the travel eSIM the day before you travel when connected to a trusted router.

Naturally, the smartphone will report that its unable to connect to the target cellular network (because you are at home and the mobile network partner is only active at your destination). But the travel eSIM will now be active and ready to connect to the local cellular data provider as soon as you arrive. The only penalty for doing this is that your plan will now be running, depending on the start date that you’ve selected.

Check that your phone is unlocked

If your smartphone is tied to a specific carrier then you’ll likely run into problems when trying to setup your international travel eSIM. However, it’s easy to check whether your device is unlocked or not. On an iPhone, simply navigate to Settings>General>About and scroll down to the panel containing ‘Network Provider Lock’ information.

You’ll want to confirm that there are no SIM restrictions in the Network Provider Lock box before going ahead and purchasing an international eSIM. And if your device is carrier-locked then you’ll need to contact your mobile network provider to get that SIM restriction removed.

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Once you can see the new eSIM listed – having either scanned a QR code using your smartphone camera or entering the respective codes manually – you’re ready for the final setup steps.

You may want to keep the default voice line to ‘Primary’ (your original device SIM) as this will mean that you can receive SMS alerts from your bank, which can be useful. Although note that making and receiving calls could still incur a charge from your national provider, if you choose this option.

Switching our attention to data roaming, it’s important to turn this option off for the ‘Primary’ SIM and to turn it on for the newly added international travel eSIM. This means that smartphone will default to the more affordable travel eSIM line for data usage, saving you from the higher cost of using your Primary SIM.

If users have their Primary SIM selected for voice and regular SMS, and a travel eSIM selected for data roaming, they’ll notice a double set of signal strength bars.

Once you’ve got into the swing of using an international travel eSIM there’s no going back to those high data roaming charges. And although devices such as Apple’s iPhone can only have two SIMs in use at one time, it’s still possible to have up to eight registered on the device.

Business travelers can simply switch their installed eSIMs on and off as they make their various journeys. Deleting an eSIM means that you’ll need to scan a new QR code to continue using that data roaming service. Also, it’s worth paying attention to the terms and conditions as some travel eSIMs allow tethering and some don’t – if you’re planning on sharing your data roaming allowance with other users.

The post Install an international travel eSIM and pay less for data roaming appeared first on TechHQ.

• Brussels regulators investigated Apple following a Spotify complaint, leading to a hefty penalty.
• The EU focused on the rule by Apple preventing app developers from linking to outside subscription sign-up pages.
  
• The battle between Spotify and Apple has been ongoing for years – and Apple is expected to vigoroulsy appeal.

A colossal clash has between two industry behemoths – streaming powerhouse Spotify and tech titan Apple – has been unfolding for months. Spotify has leveled charges of anti-competitive behavior against Apple, contending that the Silicon Valley giant employs its market dominance to throttle competition and hobble rival services. But it’s not just the combatants locked in this struggle; European regulators have also stepped onto the battlefield, poised to challenge Apple’s stronghold over its app store empire. 

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Spotify argues that Apple’s strict regulations and steep fees are barriers to competition, stifling creativity and limiting consumer options. The contentious issue of the “Apple tax” looms large – a term coined to describe the substantial commission fees exacted by Apple on in-app purchases. 

For Spotify, this translates to navigating a landscape where every musical note played carries a hefty price tag, jeopardizing its ability to maintain a competitive edge and sustain profitability. Beyond financial concerns, Spotify alleges that Apple’s influence permeates the user experience, with accusations of preferential treatment towards its music streaming service, Apple Music, fueling claims of anti-competitive behavior and igniting industry-wide debate and dissent.

At the forefront of Spotify’s battle is CEO Daniel Ek, who’a spearheading the fight against what he views as Apple’s monopolistic grip on the music streaming sector. In an October 2023 op-ed for the UK’s (avowedly right-wing) Daily Mail, Ek condemned Apple’s imposition of a 30% tax and restrictive regulations on developers, many of whom played pivotal roles in shaping iOS into its current form. Ek also highlighted Apple’s shifting stance towards these developers, now seen as adversaries by the tech giant.

Daniel Ek, Founder & CEO, Spotify, makes progress in his Apple battle. (Photo by Noam Galai/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/Getty Images via AFP).

Frustrated by what he sees as Apple’s anti-competitive practices, Ek has not shied away from taking his concerns public. In a bold move, Spotify filed a complaint with the European Commission in December 2023, alleging that Apple’s behavior violates EU competition law. The legal battle has ever since underscored the high stakes involved. Neither Apple not Spotify has shown a willingness to blink first.

For Ek, the fight against Apple is more than just a business dispute – it’s allegedly a matter of principle, inasmuch as such things can be said to apply to big business. Ek claims to envision a future where innovation flourishes in “a fair and open marketplace,” where consumers have genuine choice, and competition breeds excellence. To achieve this vision, Ek remains steadfast in his commitment to holding Apple accountable for its actions and advocating for a level playing field for all players in the music streaming industry.

This of course should not detract from Spotify’s own pitiful remuneration of artists who appear on the streaming platform. There are matters of principle and matters of profit involved in both companies’ operations – and it’s rare that they can be counted on to intersect.

What is the outcome for Apple and Spotify in the EU?

Before the latest complaint filed in December 2023, Spotify lodged an official antitrust grievance with the European Commission nearly four years ago, citing Apple’s anti-competitive practices that impeded innovation and detrimentally affected developers and consumers globally, especially in Europe. Despite the passage of time, the situation remains essentially unchanged, according to the streaming giant.

Spotify noted that the absence of definitive regulatory intervention has encouraged Apple to persist in its questionable conduct. Despite a growing chorus of advocates clamoring for action, regulators have been slow to act decisively, leaving a palpable frustration among stakeholders.

Before the complaint was filed two months ago, Spotify and seven other companies and organizations in sectors including publishing, audio streaming, dating, communications, and marketplaces sent a joint letter in January 2023 to call for meaningful regulatory action against Apple’s long-standing allegedly anti-competitive European practices.

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After much back and forth between regulators and the tech giants, on February 19, 2024, the bloc announced its intention to fine Apple for allegedly breaching EU law concerning access to its music streaming services. This historic penalty marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing battle between regulatory authorities and Silicon Valley giants, underscoring the EU’s commitment to enforcing fair competition practices in the digital realm.

The EU’s decision to impose its first-ever fine on Apple also sends a clear message to the tech industry: compliance with EU regulations is non-negotiable. Reports indicate that this development follows a protracted investigation by EU authorities, drawing on insights from five individuals intimately familiar with the case. Their direct knowledge sheds light on the intricate details of the long-running probe, revealing the meticulous scrutiny of Apple’s business practices.

“In a closed-door meeting between EU officials and Apple in June last year, the tech firm told regulators it had already addressed any possible competition concerns arising from Spotify’s complaint,” a report by Bloomberg reads. For Apple, although accustomed to navigating complex regulatory landscapes, this fine represents a significant setback. 

When contacted for comment, Bloomberg also noted that Apple referred to a previous statement, which said that the “App Store has helped Spotify become the top music streaming service across Europe.” The translation of that terse statement is that Apple is expected to vigorously challenge the fine, using its formidable legal and financial resources to defend its practices. Nevertheless, the EU’s unwavering stance underscores the imperative of upholding fair competition principles to safeguard consumer choice and innovation within the digital ecosystem. 

This decision has broader implications for the tech industry. As the tech landscape continues to evolve, this fine against Apple is a poignant reminder of the regulatory challenges confronting industry titans. With the EU leading the charge in enforcing antitrust laws, the repercussions of this decision will surely reverberate across the global tech industry, shaping the future of digital competition and regulation for years to come.

The post EU fines Apple €500m in Spotify showdown appeared first on TechHQ.

• Tesla launches Fleet API. What does it do?
• Will third-party developers take to Tesla Fleet API – and what might they do with it?
• Does Fleet API represent a major turning point in automotive development?

Automaker Tesla has released its first official public API (Application Programming Interface) program after years of running unofficial API documentation. Known as Fleet API, this long-awaited API will introduce new possibilities for Tesla owners, marking a transformative, innovative time in the automotive industry where software and motor vehicles unite.

Tesla owners are now able to access and manage various features in their vehicles via API, enabling them to personalize and customize their driving experience. According to Tesla, “Fleet API is a RESTful data and command service providing access to Tesla vehicles and energy devices. Partners can interact with their own devices, or devices to which they have been granted access by a customer.”

These technological innovations will undoubtedly have far-reaching implications for the automotive industry and third-party app developers. Yes, developers have previously utilized the unofficial API for mobile apps, but this official release provides improved documentation and accessibility. This could be the beginning of a revolutionary period, changing how drivers interact with their vehicles forever.

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The future of automotive technology may be here

We could be at a significant moment in the electric vehicle and motor industry as a whole. Now Tesla has opened its API to developers, it paints a picture of a future where cars are more than mere vehicles; where they become personalized, customizable “experiences.” We have been on a road to more personalized driving experiences for years, but this release connects drivers with their vehicles more than ever before, allowing them to tailor driving experiences to meet their own preferences.

From tracking charging patterns and integrating various smart devices to improved safety features and superior navigation frameworks, the future of driving could be very different to what we know now.

There are further implications to consider. The automotive industry as a whole could be revolutionized, as developers continue to explore the vast possibilities APIs offer. The next few years and beyond promise to be an exciting time when innovative applications are born and implemented for everyday driving experiences. Automotive technology is destined to be driven by APIs, creating new advancements that will benefit not only car owners, but the automobile industry in its entirety.

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Tesla Fleet API explained

A RESTful data (data that adheres to the principles of Representational State Transfer (REST)) and command service, Fleet API allows access to Tesla vehicles and other energy devices. Through this API, collaborators can engage with their personal devices or those provided by a customer, resulting in improved integration and customization.

Tesla has operated an unofficial API for years, but in late 2023, the automotive developer made its API available to developers. That gave them the tools to forge third-party apps, expanding Tesla’s app landscape. While other car manufacturers, including BMW and Ford released APIs before Tesla, this is considered an important moment in the automotive industry, as Tesla expands its technological footprint further.

Some personalizations are more personal than others.

As the name suggests, Fleet API is mainly focused on fleet management, optimizing efficiency, safety, and overall operational effectiveness. But Tesla has teased that it may release a software developer kit (SDK) for third-party apps, something that would enhance the features and capabilities of its cars.

Fleet API is fully documented, allowing developers the chance to produce fresh, customized experiences for Tesla drivers.

As far back as 2016, Tesla CEO Elon Musk discussed a plan to transition from phone app mirroring to the center console, rather than releasing a complete API. So this recent API release suggests a strategic shift and a dedication towards developers.

To ensure Fleet API works efficiently, users must use the correct geographical region for their needs, as it is only available regionally. When accessing the API, an authentication token is required by the endpoints. Altogether, two token types can be created – third-party tokens (used on behalf of customers), and partner authentication tokens – both of these tokens act as security for authorized access to the Fleet API.

The partner authentication token allows a customer to give access to their Tesla (both vehicles and devices). Developers can trigger the authorization code flow and guide the customer through an authorized request to create an authentication token for partners.

One crucial feature Fleet API offers is the possibility to retrieve a Tesla business account’s session data and charging history. This can help owners analyze their charging patterns, making for more convenient motoring. Developers can also access information associated with a user account summary, the car’s region, and any active orders. That means they can tailor applications to individual user preferences.

There are also various active membership tiers with Fleet API, each offering unique features and functionality. These tiers give developers greater flexibility, making it easier to select the most appropriate access level for specific requirements.

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The release of Fleet API marks an exciting time for drivers, developers, and the automotive industry. Developers can introduce their own third-party apps that integrate seamlessly with Tesla vehicles, while Tesla owners can enjoy new features and apps that promise to enhance their overall driving experience and give valuable insights into how their vehicle is performing.

We’ve shifted gear into a new era, one driven by API and the notion of experience personalization while behind the wheel.

The post Tesla unveils Fleet API, but how will it affect the motor industry? appeared first on TechHQ.

• Ultimately, Meta wants to break free from Nvidia’s AI chips while challenging other tech giants making their silicon.
• Meta expects an additional US$9 billion on AI expenditure this year, beyond the US$30 billion annual investment.
• Will Artemis mark a decisive break from Nvidia, after Meta hordes H100 chips?

A whirlwind of generative AI innovation in the past year alone has exposed major tech companies’ profound reliance on Nvidia. Crafting chatbots and other AI products has become an intricate dance with specialized chips largely made by Nvidia in the preceding years. Pouring billions of dollars into Nvidia’s systems, the tech behemoths have found themselves straining against the chipmaker’s inability to keep pace with the soaring demand. Faced with this problem, industry titans like Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft are trying to seize control of their fate by forging their own AI chips. 

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After all, in-house chips would enable the giants to steer the course of their own destiny, slashing costs, eradicating chip shortages, and envisioning a future where they offer these cutting-edge chips to businesses tethered to their cloud services -creating their own silicon fiefdoms, rather than being entirely dependent on the likes of Nvidia (and potentially AMD and Intel).

The most recent tech giant to announce plans to go solo is Meta, which is rumored to be developing a new AI chip, “Artemis,” set for release later this year. 

The chip, designed to complement the extensive array of Nvidia H100 chips recently acquired by Meta, aligns with the company’s strategic focus on inference—the crucial decision-making facet of AI. While bearing similarities to the previously announced MTIA chip, which surfaced last year, Artemis seems to emphasize inference over training AI models. 

H100 Tensor Core GPU. Source: Nvidia.

However, it is worth noting that Meta is entering the AI chip arena at a point when competition has gained momentum. It started with a significant move last July, when Meta disrupted the competition for advanced AI by unveiling Llama 2, a model akin to the one driving ChatGPT. 

Then, last month, Zuckerberg introduced his vision for artificial general intelligence (AGI) in an Instagram Reels video. In the previous earnings call, Zuckerberg also emphasized Meta’s substantial investment in AI, declaring it as the primary focus for 2024. 

2024: the year of custom AI chips by Meta?

In its quest to empower generative AI products across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and hardware devices like Ray-Ban smart glasses, the world’s largest social media company is racing to enhance its computing capacity. Therefore, Meta is investing billions to build specialized chip arsenals and adapt data centers. 

Last Thursday, Reuters got hold of an internal company document that states that the parent company of Facebook intends to roll out an updated version of its custom chip into its data centers this year. The latest iteration of the custom chip, codenamed ‘Artemis,’ is designed to bolster the company’s AI initiatives and might lessen its dependence on Nvidia chips, which presently hold a dominant position in the market. 

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 31, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/Getty Images via AFP).

If successfully deployed at Meta’s massive scale, an in-house semiconductor could trim annual energy costs by hundreds of millions of dollars, and slash billions in chip procurement expenses, suggests Dylan Patel, founder of silicon research group SemiAnalysis. The deployment of Meta’s chip would also mark a positive shift for its in-house AI silicon project. 

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In 2022, executives abandoned the initial chip version, choosing instead to invest billions in Nvidia’s GPUs, dominant in AI training. The upside of that strategy is that Meta is poised to accumulate many coveted semiconductors. Mark Zuckerberg revealed to The Verge that by the close of 2024, the tech giant will possess over 340,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs – the primary chips used by entities for training and deploying AI models like ChatGPT. 

Additionally, Zuckerberg anticipates Meta’s collection to reach 600,000 GPUs by the year’s end, encompassing Nvidia’s A100s and other AI chips. The new AI chip by Meta follows its predecessor’s ability for inference—utilizing algorithms for ranking judgments and user prompt responses. Last year, Reuters reported that Meta is also working on a more ambitious chip that, like GPUs, could perform training and inference.

Zuckerberg also detailed Meta’s strategy to vie with Alphabet and Microsoft in the high-stakes AI race. Meta aims to capitalize on its extensive walled garden of data, highlighting the abundance of publicly shared images and videos on its platform and distinguishing it from competitors relying on web-crawled data. Beyond the existing generative AI, Zuckerberg envisions achieving “general intelligence,” aspiring to develop top-tier AI products, including a world-class assistant for enhanced productivity.

The post Meta is gearing up to join the AI chips race appeared first on TechHQ.

Just because introducing AI into the restaurant industry paves the way for greater automation doesn’t mean that every kitchen is going to be run by robots (although some might be in the future, and a tiny handful are already). “At the end of the day, it’s a people business,” Zhong Xu – CEO and co-founder of Deliverect, a provider of food ordering software – told TechHQ. What’s more universal is the need for food outlets to build a presence online and convert that audience into sales, and that’s a big part of how AI is transforming the restaurant industry.

Xu has been helping restaurants to go digital since a young age and that journey led him to co-found Deliverect. The Belgium-based tech firm’s software platform not only abstracts away the complexity of receiving food orders online and via social media, it gives restaurant owners the opportunity to personalize their offerings to customers, and brings a wealth of analytics.

Deliverect CEO and co-founder, Zhong Xu.

Today, the company has offices in major cities around the world and has helped clients process 500 million meal orders in five years. Food ordering and fulfilment software enables restaurants to become omni-channel operations, much like how retail platforms have transformed brick-and-mortar stores into more versatile digital shopping hubs.

Digital tools support customers who want to dine in, those who’d like to pick up their orders at the restaurant, as well as integrating well-known delivery partners such as Uber Eats, Deliveroo, DoorDash, and Hungry Panda – to give just a few examples.

Writing social media posts and taking orders

Highlighting how AI is transforming the restaurant industry, algorithms help users to prepare their social media posts and launch promotions around specific events. Menus can be changed dynamically – for example, to reflect that a major soccer match or a music concert is taking place near one of the outlets in a medium to large chain of restaurants.

Deliverect is a Meta partner, which enables the food ordering software provider to integrate its solutions with massive social networks such as Instagram and WhatsApp. Consumers can browse their Instagram feed and order directly from an Instagram story that appeals to them – a feature that has a very high conversion rate of clicks to food sales, according to Xu.

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Menus can also be adjusted on the fly. If a menu item is going out of stock, it can be snoozed until more food supplies arrive – avoiding having to deal with disappointed diners and enabling a better customer experience. The food ordering software gives restaurants the opportunity to tailor their offerings to different audiences and run multiple menus at the same time – naturally, only showing one to each of the segments.

On TechHQ, we’ve written about how AI enables firms to create a digital personal shopper for each of their customers on a huge scale. And this strategy plays out in the restaurant industry too. Food outlets have the opportunity to remember their customers’ favourite orders and make recommendations based on those analytics.

AI is transforming the restaurant industry by streamlining menu adjustments at busy times – for example, when fewer staff are on shift, the number of options can be reduced. Complicated menu items can be paused at busy times. Alternatively, pricing can be adjusted dynamically. Xu points out that raising prices during busy times might mean that you lose a few potential orders, but it’s an opportunity for food outlets to capitalize on their popularity.

Data insights can be a game changer for restaurant owners. Digital tools can quickly highlight which menu items are the most profitable and put them in front of more eyeballs. Conversely, analytics help chefs to identify which meals need to be revised or dropped from the menu.

An operational helping hand on wheels.

Describing the benefits of these various operational helping hands begin to show how AI is transforming the restaurant industry. And being able to digitalize and appeal to the tastes of a new online audience without needing any specialized tech skills has helped businesses to survive.

AI has also meant that software providers such as Deliverect, which typically market themselves to mid-size and larger restaurant chains, can support smaller customers too – by integrating the latest automation tools for onboarding and fielding support calls.

Returning to the topic of robot kitchens, it could be something that will catch on if it’s made part of the show – restaurant dining is experience-based, after all. However, the design would need to be significantly more entertaining than a giant vending machine to tempt this author to the table.

The post How AI is transforming the restaurant industry appeared first on TechHQ.

Wearables such as the Apple Watch can nudge their wearers towards healthier lifestyles – telling them when to stand up and displaying progress towards exercise goals. At the same time, multifunctional wearable sensors are paving the way for personalized healthcare. But it’s not just humans that can benefit from these advances. Plant wearables could help growers to better look after their plants by leveraging the benefits of smart sensors and mobile apps.

The World Economic Forum (WEF), which has a good track record in highlighting innovations destined for big things, placed wearable plant sensors on its top 10 list of emerging technologies in June last year. Satellites and drones have long provided eyes in the sky to enable precision agriculture, but plant wearables can gather even more targeted data.

“Wearable plant sensors promise to improve plant health and increase agricultural productivity,” write the authors of the WEF report. “Data from plant sensors can optimize yields, reduce water, fertilizer and pesticide use, and detect early signs of disease.”

The goal is to ramp up food production to keep pace with population growth; making the best of available resources. And at the cutting edge of plant wearables are flexible sensors patterned with microneedle arrays, which can extract various chemical signals from leaves. For example, volatile organic compounds are emitted by plant leaves in response to stress and disease and can forewarn of trouble ahead.

However, the technology doesn’t have to be this complex to make a meaningful impact. Various developers are showing how simpler designs of plant wearables, with fewer sensing inputs, can still provide major insights to growers. What’s more, these affordable plant sensing kits, which connect to smartphones and feature companion apps, help to spread hi-tech growing knowledge more widely – beyond the confines of agribusiness users.

“It’s science applied to small-scale gardeners, whether that be for house plants or produce people,” explains Ashley Esakin – a soil scientist based in Canada who’s been working with EarthOne on a connected plant monitor.

What data do plant wearables provide?

Plant monitors such as the EarthOne measure environmental conditions such as ambient temperature, relative humidity, and light intensity, as well as collecting soil moisture and pH readings. And while that may not sound revolutionary at first, those inputs go a long way in determining what plants need and whether they’ve been placed in their optimum location.

Plant wearables and mobile apps are a powerful combination. For example, using a smartphone camera, the software can identify the plant and retrieve fine-tuned growing recommendations. From the main dashboard, users can quickly determine the basics of whether their plants need watering and are receiving sufficient light.

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Things become more interesting still when those raw inputs are turned into plant growth metrics such as cumulative growing degree days (GGDs) and vapor pressure deficit (VPD). Cumulative GDD data can be thought of as a running sum of available energy for plants to develop.

“You can picture the relationship between how fast a plant develops and average temperature as a straight line, at least until you get to the very high temperatures,” wrote Betty Klepper – a pioneer in plant physiology and former Research Leader at the United States Department of Agriculture. “The warmer it is, the faster the plant will develop.”

Taking the example of cereal plants, which – on average – produce a leaf for every 100 GDDs, Klepper explained that farmers would be expecting to see a third leaf on their crop developing after the number of GDDs had passed 275 – assuming that all’s well.

VPD, which is calculated based on temperature and humidity, influences plant behavior on multiple levels. Specifically, it affects the amount of stomata opening that occurs on a plant’s leaves, transpiration, carbon dioxide uptake, nutrient intake at the roots, and plant stress.

“VPD is a very powerful tool in the grower’s toolbox,” comments Pulse Grow – another developer of plant monitoring hardware and software. “To get the best results you need to find the correct VPD sweet spot for the plant’s stage of growth.”

Plants cannot speak up to ask for water when they are thirsty. Now, scientists have developed plant wearables to measure water loss. Read details in #CropBiotechUpdate: https://t.co/rd3LwTMUOT pic.twitter.com/ev8fXBha8H

— ISAAA Inc. (@isaaa_org) May 16, 2022

Things start to click once you picture VPD in terms of the capacity of the surrounding environment to absorb plant moisture. Plants ‘pump’ – or more correctly, transpire – water into the air to regulate their temperature, remove waste, and enable nutrient transport, to list just a few critical processes at work.

If VPD is either too high or too low, grower risk either working their plants to hard or constraining development. Pulse Grow reports that ideal VPD conditions can boost yields by 20%.

It might be a stretch to draw such a comparison between plant wearables and smartwatches, but both devices help to keep targets ‘in the zone’. For example, a smartwatch will help the wearer to exercise more efficiently – within a given heart rate band – and, thanks to growth metrics such as VPD, plant health can be optimized too.

If we could listen to plants, what would they say?

Despite all of the progress in plant wearables, there’s much more scope for listening in to try and decipher the needs of plants. For a glimpse of the future, it’s worth brushing up on developments in fungal computing, which exploits spiking electrical signals – analogous to patterns of neurons firing in the brain – passed by mushrooms through their roots.

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Some researchers in the field of fungal computing, writing in the recently published book Fungal Machines, argue that the complexity of fungi’s spiking communications rivals, or even exceeds, that of European spoken languages. The thinking here is that such complexity would be required for fungal root structures – mycelium filaments – to satisfy what’s believed to be their key role as a communication network linking plants, insects, and animals.

Whatever the reality of fungal communications, there’s a growing belief that IoT-enabled food and plant sensors are strong prospects for empowering sustainability. “As technology progresses and costs decrease, the widespread adoption of these sensors is poised to revolutionize the agriculture and food industries, fostering more efficient, resilient, and sustainable food systems,” conclude researchers reporting on this theme in the journal Advanced Intelligent Systems towards the end of 2023.

The post Plant wearables – a growing technology trend appeared first on TechHQ.

• TikTok plans to invest US$1.5 billion in Indonesia, to gain control of an e-commerce unit within the GoTo Group.
• Its aim is to revive its online shopping business in Indonesia, which regulators in the region halted.
• The partnership will start with a pilot period, closely supervised and consulted with the relevant regulators.

In a strategic play to revive its e-commerce presence in Southeast Asia’s largest economy, TikTok is making significant waves in Indonesia. Just two months after suspending its online shopping features (TikTok Shop) due to regulatory requirements, the popular social media platform is set to invest over US$1.5 billion and acquire a 75% stake in Tokopedia, Indonesia’s leading e-commerce platform. This move marks a substantial investment and signals TikTok’s determination to re-enter the booming Indonesian e-commerce market.

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The strategic alliance, since announced, has been capturing the attention of the digital landscape in Indonesia. The idea that TikTok Shop and Tokopedia are joining forces may well redefine the e-commerce scene in the country.

TikTok’s decision to temporarily shut down its e-commerce services in Indonesia in October reflects the complex interplay between regulatory compliance, market dynamics, and strategic investments. 

But the social media giant did say it would recalibrate its approach to navigate the evolving regulatory landscape that’ll allow for its ‘Shop’ operations to continue. This dynamic collaboration promises to reinvigorate TikTok’s online shopping features and reshape the way Indonesian consumers engage with e-commerce.

Recalibrating with a shotgun, TikTok outflanks Indonesian rules.

When the Indonesian government mandated TikTok to halt its e-commerce services temporarily in October this year, the move was solely to ensure a level playing field for local merchants and protect their interests within the fiercely competitive e-commerce sector. For TikTok, it was a detrimental move, especially for TikTok Shop, considering Southeast Asia is the app’s biggest market in terms of users, and Indonesia, the region’s biggest economy and most populous nation, is the most significant market for the platform. 

In fact, Indonesia was so key to TikTok, it was the first country to pilot the app’s e-commerce arm, TikTok Shop. The country of 278 million people was supposed to act as a template for a global expansion from the US to Europe. When talks on the new ruling were making waves, TikTok argued that separating social media and e-commerce would hamper innovation and hurt millions of merchants and consumers. 

According to the country’s Director General of Public Information and Communications of the Ministry of Communications and Informatics, Usman Kansong, Tiktok Indonesia has two permits from his ministry. “There are two permits: social media and e-commerce. But with Minister of Trade Regulation No. 31 of 2023, Tiktok must separate social media from e-commerce,” he added.

Indonesia’s Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan poses during the launch of social media video sharing app TikTok and Indonesia’s leading e-commerce site Tokopedia’s Buy Local Campaign in Jakarta on December 12, 2023. (Photo by Yasuyoshi CHIBA / AFP).

TikTok resorted to a new partnership to reignite its e-commerce ambitions in Indonesia

When TikTok unveiled its strategic move on Monday, it said the plan was to invest US$1.5 billion in a unit of Indonesia’s GoTo, aiming to salvage its shopping business following regulatory challenges in the country. In a letter to investors, GoTo disclosed that TikTok will secure a controlling 75.01% stake in Tokopedia, an e-commerce unit within the GoTo umbrella. 

As a part of this transaction, Tokopedia is set to acquire TikTok Shop’s Indonesia business for US$340 million, expanding its footprint in the dynamic Indonesian e-commerce landscape. “As part of the agreement, Tokopedia and TikTok Shop Indonesia’s businesses will be combined under the existing PT Tokopedia entity, in which TikTok will take a controlling stake. The shopping features within the TikTok app in Indonesia will be operated and maintained by the enlarged entity,” GoTo’s statement reads.

The arrangement will allow TikTok and GoTo to serve Indonesian consumers and MSMEs comprehensively. “GoTo will benefit from the growth of the enlarged entity and will remain an ecosystem partner to Tokopedia through its digital financial services via GoTo Financial and on-demand services via Gojek. GoTo will also receive an ongoing revenue stream from Tokopedia commensurate with its scale and growth,” GoTo noted.

What will unfold next?

TikTok Indonesia’s executive director of e-commerce Stephanie Susilo (R), Tokopedia’s president Melissa Siska Juminto (L) and Indonesia’s Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan pose during the launch of the Buy Local campaign in Jakarta on December 12, 2023. (Photo by Yasuyoshi CHIBA / AFP).

According to both companies, the commencement of the strategic partnership will kick off with an initial pilot period conducted in close collaboration with and under the supervision of relevant regulators. The Beli Lokal initiative’s inaugural campaign will launch on December 12, aligning with Indonesia’s National Online Shopping Day (Harbolnas) — a government initiative to foster the country’s digital economy by bolstering local MSMEs. 

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“This campaign, accessible on both TikTok and Tokopedia, will spotlight a diverse array of merchants, placing a significant emphasis on Indonesian products. Going forward, TikTok, Tokopedia, and GoTo will transform Indonesia’s e-commerce sector, creating millions of new job opportunities over the next five years,” GoTo added. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024.

The coming months will unveil how TikTok’s bold moves will shape the narrative of e-commerce partnerships and regulatory compliance in this dynamic market.

In case the back and forth between the Indonesian government and TikTok reminds you of anything – it’s probably this. And in case you’re not sure who’s who, there’s only one billionaire tech mogul in the scene… And we’re pretty sure TikTok has a Hulk.

The post TikTokopedia? A closer look at the resurrection of TikTok Shop in Indonesia appeared first on TechHQ.

• Epic winning in its battle with Google.
• The federal courts rule in games developer’s favor.
• this is just round one in a longer process.

The highly lucrative online payment process in the two leading app stores for mobile operating systems has been dealt a potential shake-up by a San Francisco court. After three hours of deliberation following a four-week trial, a jury found that anti-competitive practices protect Google’s Play Store.

Epic Games, a company best known for Fortnite and its litigious approach to app stores, has brought cases against both the Apple App Store and Google’s Play Store. The issue for Epic is the levy taken by both stores from purchases made in-app by players, amounting to between 15% and 30% of any purchase.

Although Apple came out best in the US federal courts and elsewhere, it’s a win currently under review by the US Supreme Court. Google will also appeal its decision after the court’s full ruling, which is due to appear in January 2024.

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There are some differences between the Play Store and Apple’s App Store policies affecting in-app payments, primarily that Android phone users can obtain their apps from sources other than the official Play Store. Therefore, any in-app purchases made in so-called sideloaded apps will go 100% to the developer. However, Apple’s iOS makes the sideloading of apps practically impossible, meaning that app developers always suffer a standard 30% cut in potential post-download revenues.

Google’s practices are, therefore, in theory, slightly less monopolistic than Apple’s, yet Google has found itself at the wrong end of the San Francisco court’s decision. Epic winning against Alphabet and Google makes the current tally of court rulings 1-1, with plenty of extra time added as the rulings escalate and are appealed.

Before the trial began, Google attempted to change the proceedings so a jury would not decide the verdict, a move dismissed pre-trial by presiding judge James Donato. The unanimous verdict and the mere three hours of deliberation show that Google was correct in assuming a single judge’s ruling would stand a better chance of being in its favor.

Epic winning in subscription models

Many apps available on both app stores are written by household-name technology companies that offer free apps but whose service is subscription-based. Disney and Netflix, for example, run a business model analogous to Epic’s Fortnite, where games are free to play, but players can buy perks and upgrades in-app. It’s assumed that companies as large as Disney reach separate agreements with Apple and Google to pay set fees for the privilege of having their apps available, as in their cases, subscriptions go straight to the media streamers. Therefore, the monetary exchange is between consumer and provider (or watcher and streamer), removing the possibility of a 30% cut taken by the app stores’ operators.

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In these cases, it’s mutually advantageous for both parties to hammer out a deal: the likes of HBO and Sky need their apps in the two major app stores for maximum subscriber numbers, and the app stores need to offer the apps that consumers expect, regardless of whether they can be monetized in the way that the likes of Epic’s Fortnite is.

Epic winning for lawyers

Legal machinations are only to be expected as software producers like Epic find themselves running multi-billion dollar companies and expect the same considerations to be shown to them as to, say, Netflix and Amazon. Epic Games’s CEO Tim Sweeney has been publicly vociferous when discussing his issues with Google and Apple, stating in typically subjective language, “Victory over Google!” on an X post after the federal court’s recent decision.

Like all matters of law as they affect the obscenely wealthy, there is a great deal of incentive for Apple and Google to protract the legal arguments, regardless of the final decisions. Despite lawyers being an expensive commodity, their total bills do not exceed the revenues flowing from apps to the app stores, which continue to accrue while the world’s courts go through due process.

Epic losing for end-users

Google and Apple’s battles are not, it should be noted, in the interests of gamers or app users, despite Sweeney’s company-wide post that hailed the court’s ruling as, “a win for all app developers and consumers.” If, by some stroke of fate, or after decades of costly legal battles, Apple and Google were forced to stop levying their 15%-30% payment taxes, would end-users begin to see their $10 in-app purchases for a Fortnite skin suddenly reduced to $7? Perhaps on the same day, we can expect to see Satan himself ice-skating to the office.

Epic winning round 1 of a philosophical and financial battle on apps.

Should Epic or other app developers win the right to allow software to be installed on devices from any source the end-user prefers, it would be a great leap forward for phone users. The current situation is that, in 99% of cases, we spend around $1,000 on a portable device, yet we can only install software that its OSes’ creators allow.

Sideloading apps on Android is often portrayed as a security issue, which it potentially is. It’s worth noting that it’s potentially possible to be mowed down on your way work by an ice-skating Satan, too.

There are few alternatives to the Play Store as a reliable source of mainstream apps, and Google’s approach to those few is aggressively litigious. Apps on both ‘official’ stores are bound by Terms and Conditions, which mandate a levy on all payments. Whether that situation creates an anti-competitive situation (ie, a monopoly) is a question making lawyers richer and Tim Sweeney progressively more angry.

The post Lawyers win as Epic levels up against Google appeared first on TechHQ.

Free tools such as Google Drive, and numerous other SaaS apps, help us to collaborate like never before. And this is a good thing for business productivity. However, there is a cautionary side to the tale, as Metomic explains in its recent whitepaper on the risks of storing sensitive data in Google Drive. The big takeaway for firms is that enabling Google Drive data loss prevention is a must.

“It’s scary how easy it is to upload sensitive data to Google Drive and share these files and folders with other people – not just within your company, but potentially beyond that too,” writes Metomic, which has developed a data breach finder to check if Google Drive is leaking sensitive information.

Analysis of more than 600 Google Drives revealed that 40% of the scanned files contained sensitive data, which ranged from confidential employee contracts to spreadsheets with passwords. Hundreds of thousands of these files turned out to be accessible to anyone on the Internet. And a large number of these files (18,000) – which Metomic ranked as ‘critical’ – contained highly sensitive data or had permissions that weren’t applied securely.

Fostering a security culture using Google Drive data loss prevention tools

Over time, Metomic’s Google Drive data loss prevention tool – which also works with other SaaS apps such as Slack, Jira, Github, MS One Drive, Trello, Salesforce, and more – establishes what the company refers to as the human firewall. And there are parallels here with how proactive cybersecurity training firms make a lasting impression on users enrolled in their awareness programs.

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On TechHQ we’ve written about how cybersecurity training must be more than a one-off event to provide a robust defense against bad actors. And the same goes for keeping data privacy front of mind as companies do business.

Using AI to detect sensitive data automatically, the Google Drive data loss prevention application can block outbound links, emails, or messages, which violate privacy policies. The tool will also notify the sender to flag that it’s found something potentially sensitive, which helps educate staff and establish the so-called human firewall through ongoing training delivered at memorable moments.

The more that staff resonate with an organization’s security culture, the stronger the defense. At the same time, it’s wise to have a safety net to catch errors and mishaps, given that humans are not machines. Staff get tired and can be preyed upon by bad actors, which is why having data loss prevention tools for Google Drive and other SaaS apps is a must-have.

How to set up Google Drive data loss prevention

If the number of available solutions is a measure of the scale of the issue, companies could be facing considerable risk from oversharing business information stored in the cloud.

Examples of DLP solutions –

• BetterCloud
• GAT (General Audit Tool) labs
• Lepide
• Metomic
• Netkiller
• Netskope
• Nightfall AI
• Polymer
• Varonis
• Voltage by OpenText

Google Workspace users can activate data loss prevention policies from the admin console under Security > Data Protection. However, there are a few details worth noting, such as having to wait up to 24 hours for a data loss protection policy to take effect. Also, larger file sizes may not be scanned in their entirety, with triggers based instead on a portion of the content as well as the title and any labels.

Third-party scanners are able to scour through company assets to look for mentions such as ‘project’, ‘NDA’, and a huge number of other tell-tale signs that information is sensitive in nature. Labels can then be added to documents (and other file types) to help Google Drive and other data loss prevention tools keep business details in the right hands.

Four steps that firms can take to secure their SaaS data

Metomic’s advice to companies, based on the contents of its whitepaper, is as follows:

1. Tighten access controls.
2. Implement multi-factor authentication (so that even if staff are duped by phishing scam, losing a password doesn’t give adversaries keys to the kingdom).
3. Build the human firewall by fostering a security culture through training delivered at the most memorable moments.
4. Include a DLP tool in the data privacy and security workflow.

Done right, locking down data doesn’t have to get in the way of employees being able to do their jobs. For example, picking up on the human firewall theme, security reminders can help staff to make a habit of not sharing public links and switch to adding email-based read permissions instead.

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As good data privacy practice becomes second nature, and with the right tools in place, tasks shouldn’t take any longer to complete. And if they do, it might be worth shopping around for a different security solution.

Richard Vibert, CEO and co-founder of Metomic is a panellist in ‘The SaaS Security Paradox: Balancing Productivity with Data Security’ – one of the upcoming afternoon sessions at BlackHat Europe 2023. And for those unable to attend, he’s shared his top five data security predictions for the year ahead.

“It’s a difficult balance to maintain and manage a large-scale SaaS ecosystem,” Vibert points out. “On one hand, you want to make sure your employees have the technology tools they need to be as productive as possible, but you also must monitor these platforms to make sure sensitive data—things like personally identifiable information (PII), login credentials or confidential company information—are not flooding into collaborative work tools, or being stored there for too long, putting company data at risk.”

How does DLP work in Google Workspace? Learn everything you need to know https://t.co/3MxzR8XkFt #dlp #datalossprevention #dataloss

— Aware (@Aware_HQ) November 17, 2023

He predicts that CISO’s will demand better visibility over where sensitive data is being shared and stored in SaaS applications. Also, as data security becomes ever more important in an organization’s overall security strategy, Vibert sees data security posture management adoption rates climbing.

Tools will increasingly help businesses visualize high-level risk behavior as well as educate teams on safer ways of sharing data. Plus, approaches will encompass generative AI platforms so that proprietary data remains within the guardrails and companies don’t inadvertently overshare their business intentions.

The post Enabling Google Drive data loss prevention is a must for firms appeared first on TechHQ.