AI Adoption, Outdated Tech, Office Worker Outlook, and AI Legislation in Tech Industry

[00:00:02] It's Wednesday, June 26, 2024, and I'm Dave Sobel. Three things to know today. SMBs embrace AI, NTT data on outdated tech, and office workers' positive AI outlook. From AI channel programs to advanced vision models, some key developments by HPE, Apple, and Microsoft, and EPIC's AI legislation scorecard,

[00:00:26] a tool for evaluating responsible AI standards. This is the Business of Tech. A bit of MSP news before we dive into some AI news. While most SMB owners know AI tools like ChatGPT, there's a gap in understanding their benefits and initiating adoption.

[00:00:45] However, 94% of SMBs plan to incorporate AI into their operations this year, as it can automate tasks like managing employee schedules and tracking key metrics. That data from Shopify. According to NTT's data's 2024 Infrastructure Lifecycle Management Report, 80% of global organizations believe that outdated technology hinders innovation.

[00:01:10] The report emphasizes the need for consistent technology infrastructure management throughout its lifecycle and highlights organizations' challenges in maintaining their technology infrastructure. According to Canalys, partners in the channel are most concerned about project management and automation. A survey revealed that 61% of respondents identified project management and workflow automation

[00:01:35] as their biggest business operations challenge, followed by system integrations and API management. Talent acquisition and retention, evolving cybersecurity threats, and growing competition in the MSP marketplace were also mentioned as significant challenges. A study by Jitterbit reveals that office workers have a positive view of working with AI,

[00:01:58] seeing it as an opportunity for new skills and professional growth. The report shows that 85% of office workers expect AI to improve their roles, with 96% believing it can enhance their professional skills. While some jobs are seen as at risk, there's a growing understanding that AI complements human efforts

[00:02:18] rather than replacing them. And there's more data saying that. According to PwC's survey of 56,600 workers, nearly half of global workers believe that AI will increase their salary and job security. The survey also shows that more workers are exposed to AI, the less they fear it,

[00:02:38] with around 80% of those using AI daily expecting their salary, job security, and efficiency to increase in the next 12 months. Of course, according to a survey by Bain & Company, a majority of US companies are adopting generative AI tools, but are unsure about the value they'll bring.

[00:02:57] The lack of internal expertise is a major obstacle to wider adoption. Concerns about the quality of AI outputs and data privacy and security are also holding businesses back. CEOs need to take ownership of AI implementation and understand how it will contribute to revenue and productivity.

[00:03:16] Why do we care? So that report showing that 80% of global organizations see outdated technology as a hindrance to innovation underscores the critical role of technology infrastructure management. Providers should prioritize offering lifecycle management services that ensure that clients' technologies remain current and capable of supporting those initiatives.

[00:03:39] This involves not just regular updates and maintenance, but also strategic planning for future upgrades and technology adoption. Emphasizing proactive infrastructure management can help clients avoid the pitfalls of those outdated systems and maintain the competitive edge. That's table stakes. Beyond that, while many US companies are adopting AI tools,

[00:04:01] uncertainty about their value and a lack of internal expertise are major barriers. Providers have an opportunity to provide much needed expertise and clarity. By developing and offering specialized AI consulting services, providers can help clients understand and harness the potential of the tools. Addressing concerns about AI output quality,

[00:04:22] data privacy, and security will be crucial. And get your project management house in order. Again, that's table stakes. You're looking for security solutions for your MSP and Bitdefender has new ones for you. With advanced protection, simplified management, 24 by seven analyst-led security, threat hunting, and end-to-end protection options,

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[00:05:03] Just visit bitdefender.com or the link in the show notes. HPE has launched a new AI channel program in collaboration with NVIDIA, offering competencies and additional resources across various areas, including AI, compute, storage, networking, hybrid cloud, sustainability, and HPE GreenLake offerings. The program aims to provide partners

[00:05:28] with the necessary tools and skills to navigate the AI market and tap into its opportunities. HPE has also updated its partner-ready Vantage program, including new competencies and improved integration with HPE GreenLake. Apple has added 20 new core machine learning models and datasets to the collaborative platform Hugging Face,

[00:05:51] focusing on text and image AI. The models include image classification and semantic segmentation, offering capabilities such as removing unwanted backgrounds from photos and identifying objects in foreign languages. This release follows Apple's previous contributions to AI research, including the release of open ELMs and the publication of research papers

[00:06:13] on generative AI animation tools and AI avatars. We also learned why Apple Intelligence will only be available on the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The company explained that older iPhones lack the computational power and RAM to run the AI models effectively.

[00:06:31] While some AI features may be available on MacBooks and iPads with M-series chips, the iPhone 15 Pro offers twice the neural capacity of the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 14 Pro. Microsoft has released a new Vision Foundation model called Florence 2, which can handle various vision and vision language tasks

[00:06:52] such as using a prompt-based representation. The model comes in two sizes and performs well in captioning, object detection, and visual grounding tasks. It aims to provide a unified approach to handle different types of vision applications, potentially saving investments on separate task-specific models. Why do we care?

[00:07:13] We're interested in capabilities of products less than specific AI models. That doesn't mean IT providers shouldn't be aware of the options, making sure that product choices are based in competitive technologies. And partner programs like HPs get you educated. The Electronic Privacy Information Center, or EPIC,

[00:07:35] has published an AI legislation scorecard that can be used to assess the strength of state and federal AI legislation. The scorecard includes minimum standards for responsible AI use and covers aspects such as legal definitions, data minimization requirements, impact assessments, and prohibitions on harmful AI uses.

[00:07:57] It can evaluate comprehensive regulatory AI bills and federal AI proposals. The scorecard emphasizes the importance of strong privacy laws in mitigating AI risks and recommends robust enforcement mechanisms, including private rights of action. EPIC suggests that the scorecard can guide AI developers and organizations deploying AI

[00:08:19] to protect public rights and safety. Why do we care? Well, use EPIC's AI legislation scorecard to review and assess the current AI practices and policies within your org and those of your clients. This can help identify areas where improvements are needed to align with responsible AI standards.

[00:08:38] There's plenty of frameworks, use one. Then conduct workshops and training sessions to educate clients about the legal definitions, requirements, and prohibitions highlighted in the scorecard. That can empower them to make informed decisions about AI deployment and management. Your customers want to be educated. Here's your courseware.

[00:09:00] Today's episode is supported by CoreView. Your customers need your Microsoft 365 expertise and CoreView has the only M365 management platform designed for MSPs. Manage hundreds of tenants, automate manual tasks and monitor compliance, all while intelligently comparing to the baseline. With a no-code control approach, CoreView revolutionizes your Microsoft 365 administration.

[00:09:26] This powerful platform enables automatic reporting and remediation, ensuring optimal performance and security. The best part, you achieve this high level of service without the need for a large workforce, allowing you to focus on growing your business through efficiency. Want to know more?

[00:09:44] Visit coreview.com slash MSP and find out more. Thanks for listening. Today is National Canoe Day and National Chocolate Pudding Day. Chocolate pudding in a canoe perhaps? If you want to help out the show, the number one thing you can do if you enjoy the show

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