Here’s what you need to know about 5G - Beyond the hype, what are the promises and the risks?

Interesting article By Rebecca Slayton in Washington Post  

( Rebecca Slayton is an associate professor at the Department of Science & Technology Studies and director of the Judith Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, both at Cornell University.) 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/politics/2019/04/18/trump-says-america-must-win-g-race-heres-what-you-need-know/

Here is a summary 

“The race for 5G is on, and America must win.”  Trump announced last week last, announcing new federal initiatives to speed the deployment of 5G networks.

5G is the platform for tomorrow’s economy, transforming “everything from education to AI to medicine, but comes with  security risks. 

Will banning components made by Huawei mitigate those risks? 

5G is an evolutionary — not revolutionary — advance in technology.

5G (“fifth generation”) communications standards will extend rather than replace the current 4G infrastructure. 

5G protocols can improve three kinds of applications.

1. 5G can bring better speed and reliability to mobile broadband,
2. More reliable reliability and low latency (i.e., fast response time) in communication
3. Enables communication between myriad machines ( Internet of Things) providing online control over door locks, lighting, thermostats, cars and literally everything 

Huawei Chairman Eric Xu recently argued that most consumers would notice “no material difference between” 4G and 5G technologies. Many U.S. tech experts share this view, arguing that it doesn’t matter whether the United States lags behind China in its 5G deployment.

The effects of 5G security by hackers will bring new cyber security and hacking dangers, depending on how it’s used.

U.S. and worldwide infrastructure and current telecommunications is as vulnerable as 5G and is  vulnerable to espionage and cyberattacks. 

“such as disruption of a natural gas pipeline for days to weeks,”

5G  may be more secure than 4G. 

The danger is that 5G will control massive numbers of machines — including autonomous vehicles, factory processes and much more. 

This means that hackers could exploit vulnerabilities in 5G or the equipment used to control such systems, doing much more damage than is now possible. 

Imagine, for example, hacked driverless vehicles creating massive pileups on U.S. highways.

Banning Huawei and ZTE will not decrease the security risk of 5G security hacks in fact it would do the opposite!

Finland’s Nokia and Sweden’s Ericsson — manufacture equipment in Chinese factories with partners linked to the Chinese Communist Party, so deploying 5G without some dependence on Chinese suppliers.

Most cyberattacks don’t come from compromised foreign products; instead they exploit known but persistent vulnerabilities, such as unpatched software and people who are easily phished. 

Strategies that focus solely on nations and organizations that may pose a threat, while neglecting the social and technical vulnerabilities that attackers exploit, will inevitably fail.

The 5G hype might obscure the full range of technological options — as well as the full range of potential security threats and vulnerabilities in an increasingly wired and wireless world.

It is shortsighted in having a blanket ban of Huawei 5G products in Australia and worldwide   and here’s why...

It’s not about China hacking into networks - it’s about anybody hacking into networks. One needs to get the best minds and protocols working together to build security. 

Huawei is a major player and should be part of the global team working together with global protocols. 

An RFI microchip in your finger as your business card, credit card and employee number

The Bob Pritchard Column https://bobpritchard.com/ 

In August, 2017, employees at Three Square Market got RFID chips implanted between their thumb and forefinger. Now 20 months later, instead of the backlash that many expected, the staff love it.

The chips are about the size of a grain of rice. The implants use Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, also used in credit cards, and are "passive", which means they hold data that can be read by other devices but cannot read information themselves. They make it easier to do things like get into the office, log on to computers, and buy food and drinks in the company cafeteria. Like many RFID chips, they are passive—they don’t have batteries, and instead get their power from an RFID reader when it requests data from the chip

 

When an employee wants something from the snack food and beverage vending machines they simply wave their hand over the reader and the vending machine immediately deducts money from their account. The  employees have been doing likewise for nearly two years now. Three Square Market is a technology company that provides self-service mini-markets to hospitals, hotels, and company break rooms. In 2017, their employees volunteered to have a chip injected into their hand.

 

While the implantation of microchips is foreign to people in the United States, in Sweden, it is not unusual for people get subcutaneous microchips to do a whole range of things. Many Swedes favor convenience over concerns of potential personal data violations. The small implants were first used in 2015 in Sweden and several other countries.  Swedes have gone on to be very active in microchipping, with scant debate about issues surrounding its use, in a country keen on new technology and where the sharing of personal information is held up as a sign of a transparent society.

 

Swedes can use the injected microchip to enter their workplace, use vending machines, provide access to certain equipment in the office, book train tickets, even replaced gym cards.  On trains conductors scan passengers' hands after the tickets are registered on their chip. Citizens have long accepted the sharing of their personal details, registered by the social security system, with other administrative bodies, while people can find out each others' salaries through a quick phone call to the tax authority.

 

Some believe the biggest risk was around the data contained in the chip. The real question is what data is collected and who shares it. For example, if a chip can detect a medical problem, who finds out and when?  Others argue the opposite view, suggesting that if we carried all our personal data on us, we would have better control of its use.

 

Some staff at Three Square Market uses their chips up to 15 times a day. Swiping their hand over an RFID reader plugged into their computer is no different from typing in their password on a keyboard. In fact, when the RFID reader on the vending machine went down a couple of months ago, staff were really upset, feeling inconvenienced because it has become such a part of their routine.

 

The privacy and security of any information stored on the chips is an obvious concern. The information gathered by readers could give lots of details about employees’ comings and goings, and someone could in theory ping your chip with a reader to find out what’s on it. But it can be argued that similar personal information could be stolen from his wallet, too. There’s also the chance that the technology inside the employees’ bodies will become outdated.

 

I guess when that happens you simply get an upgrade.

(Ik:- not sure why the company does not programme the fingerprint into the database and employee can store all relevant information there for company to use?) 

Don’t be afraid of what you don’t know

Great article written by Pita Ellis 

I love hearing about Australian Startups playing the big game and getting noticed. 

Australia Startups tend to shy away from the limelight, it is not our culture to talk about ourselves too much. Aussies can also be harsh on each other, Americans are much better at dishing out high fives and back pats to fellow entrepreneurs having a go.

The downside to keeping quiet when building your empire is that it appears from the outside looking in that there is not much going on in the Australian Startup scene. There is, yet we only hear about a small percentage of people kicking goals. I think it's time we change a few things culturally.

1. Startups and Entrepreneurs need to support each other more. Someone somewhere has come up against the same issue as you at some point, so put it out to your network if you get stuck, and ask for help. I guarantee you will be surprised by the response to contribute. 
2. Don't be afraid of what you don't know. It's a tough gig knowing everything so hook up with complementary skill sets. Between you and your network you should get the answers you need. When people do take the time to explain things - listen and be grateful of the information exchange. Thank them. People actually like to help and no, you won't sound dumb by asking. 
3. Try, fail, try again. Then talk about it. Please talk about it - share what didn't work with someone else. We are aiming to get better at this 'together'. 
4. Be honest. If a friend or someone you know is creating something and asks your opinion, tell them what you really think. Mean? No, Challenging? Yes. It may be uncomfortable for both of you but it's much better to give feedback in testing or idea stage than after they have built it. If they are validating effectively they will ask more people than just you so your feedback should be some of many. 
5. Ditch the fear. Of what people will think. Of failing, of getting stuff wrong, of not achieving your goals, of people stealing your idea, of others being better than you and of not being first to market, or second, or last or whatever place you'd hoped to be. Don't be scared of hard work or setbacks - there will be loads of that. Most of all ditch the fear of being successful, start playing the role of a successful person already and back yourself now because if you don't, who will?

I read a great article of the success of Aussie Startup Stackla. When I read founder Damien Mahoney's comment on "Don't be afraid of what you don't know" it struck a chord with me. I used to be afraid of what I didn't know and saw it as a weakness which I hated. I have since learnt to trust my network, ask questions, be grateful of help and always surround myself with smart, like minded people. 

We have some great Startups here in Oz, with the best yet to emerge. I'm keen to see better knowledge exchange and a strong support network in our community.

Ivan’s comment :- hopefully we can assist by creating forums of collaboration , learning and growth. 

Join us at a forum near you and see how you can play a part in this narrative that we call BBG  http://www.bbg.business

The top 4 reasons why startups fail - and the other 16

1. No Market

2. No more Cash

3. Not the right team

4. Got out competed 

And then the rest 

What issues will our children face in 30 years?

Last night we were  having a discussion last night on what life will be like for our children and grandchildren 

Jobs

Sure there will be Autonomous cars and smart phones, but a lot of people are going to lose their jobs - we are not getting ready for it. 

Drivers, people in Call centres, Banks and many professionals will be made redundant - some will be able to be retrained - but the secret is to train  our children and grandchildren to cope with the future .

School curriculums can’t be the same as what has been before  - it’s got to be about learning human skills to learn how to learn.

So much disruption on the way

We need to retrain who we can - bit we need to focus on the next generation - curriculum can’t be same as before - it’s got to be about learning human skills.

The environment 

The biggest issue on our children’s mind is the effects that our abundance is doing to our environment.

Mining, overpopulation, mass production of meat, usage of coal to create power, pollution, global warming. 

If we do not actively take steps to preserve our environment - will Earth  be what we know?

What do you think? 

The workplace of the future

What do you think? 

AI + Entertainment Equals the Dawning of a Trillion-Dollar New Economy

Sandra Ponce de Leon Contributor for Forbes writes about Molly Lavik, Cofounder’s #AIShowBiz Summit -  a series of trailblazer talks, panels, fireside chats, demos, and a screening of a  film

https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/04/08/ai-plus-entertainment/amp/

So what is it?

#AIShowBiz Summit is  a platform for collaboration between investors, industry experts, entrepreneurs and scholars  - to connect and accelerate paradigm-shifting developments in the entertainment industry 

Some of the players 

• Companies include Walt Disney World, Digital Domain, Microsoft, Intel, Accenture,Qualcomm and many more

Keynotes include 

• Jannicke Mikkelsen FNF, Film Director of VR the Champions. for the band Queen,
• Tim Draper and 
• Guy Kawasaki

The entertainment industry gets it - It’s all about you - the customer - and the customer experience. They are the canary in the coal mine - find out what they are doing and the technology will eventually flow into other industries.

Find out how AI helping entertainment companies such as the likes of Disney  to make emotional connections and powerful connections  and experiences with their customers  using chatbots, avatars, robots and an entire new eco-system of sentient beings

Where and when 

This May 3-4, 2019 in Redwood City,

So what is the future of AI and it’s impact on entertainment, impact on work and beyond? 

Here’s what they had to say:

A New Era of Creativity Unleashed

With AI poised to eliminate much manual and repetitive work through automation, we’ll see a shift in jobs to those that require higher skills like critical thinking and creativity. 

At Disney, by mixing chatbots, AI and a bit of pixie dust with their characters - they are able to provide an AI experience providing an  even deeper connection with guests through technology that makes the characters seem more real than Walt Disney could have ever imagined. 

One of the best examples is the Avatar attraction in Florida. The technology includes AI and CGI making guests feel like they are riding Mountain Banshees like in the movie. 

“The combination of CGI and AI is one way Disney provides incredible guest experiences.”

How can this same technology can be applied in different ways in the education industry that help to gain a lifelong competitive advantage,”  

There will be a panel discussing 

“Magical Chatbots: Combining A.I. & Pixie Dust to Create a Magical Customer Service Experience “

The Human Robot Connection

Steve Ardire, a leading AI expert will be moderating the panel 

“Humans, Machines and our Augmented Intelligence Digital Futurem.”

“ AI AR and machines will provide us with new dynamic experiences for consumer entertainment. AI makes possible new types of immersive and multi-sensory experiences that combine technology with powerful storytelling to form a new kind of consumer engagement.

You can apply this to robots and chatbots alike to create compelling storytelling platforms, where consumers can engage with interactive characters and become part of the story itself,”

The impact of AI on entertainment and creative industries and indeed the future of work is inarguable, the question is how much will AI help to further expand and grow the already massive entertainment economy.

Creative industries generate about $3 trillion globally every year, and a huge portion of that revenue is increasingly affected by artificial intelligence.’  said Mark Bünger of InnovationLab.

The Blockchain Effect onEntertainments 

Another fascinating panel taking place will cover how decentralized capital markets will evolve film financing. 

The panel will take a peek into the future to see how the combination of edge computing, blockchain and augmented reality intersect to impact a world using AR for commerce, work, and daily life. 

In the future, we’ll have interfaces that create digital content all around us, which leads to questions like 

• What will the distributed network look like to serve, manage and authenticate that content? 
• How will shared experiences be managed? 
• How will microtransactions of content be serviced?  

The Future is Holographic

Princess Leia may be making an appearance at the #AIShowBiz event as a 3D image that floats in the air. The Princess Leia project developed by Daniel Smalley, of BYU Engineering, has a mission to take the 3D displays of science fiction and make them real. 

This technology advances holograms by creating volumetric images. A holographic display scatters light only at a 2D surface and can’t be experienced at every angle, while a volumetric image displays in 3D through the emission, scattering, or relaying of illumination. For this reason, a volumetric image can be seen from any angle. “This display is like a 3D printer for light,” Smalley, said. “You’re actually printing an object in space with these little particles.”

A  Pitchfest

Prestigious judges will determine the winner of the 3-round #AIShowBiz PitchFest where the recipient will receive a feedback session with Tim Draper, Founder at Draper Associates and Draper University who is also the opening keynote for the summit.

Would be awesome to beam parts of this #aisummit to Australia!!! 

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Is a question of the past!!!

Heather McGowan, who inspired us last year at a BBG innovation forum on the future of work, has written a brilliant piece in Forbes this week.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/heathermcgowan/2019/04/03/what-if-the-future-of-work-starts-with-high-school/amp/

Below are some of the gems :- 

According to research by the Foundation For Young Australians,in the developed world, today’s young people may have upwards of 17 jobs across five different industries in a single generation. 

Many of those jobs do not yet exist and those that do will be rapidly and radically reshaped by technology. 

As a result, we need to think differently  how we prepare the next generation for work.

Future jobs of the future will require  creativity and problem the balance will be lost to automation and outsourcing . The human skills such as empathy, social intelligence, creativity, communication and judgment will be key and we don’t  seem to be reaching them in schools. 

What can we do to  retrain those displaced? (Will we in fact be able to?) 

A key element of work in the future is lifelong learning.

We need to think differently about how we define ourselves beyond a one-time application of skills and knowledge in a single set career.

The mindset of a “profession” or “skill” or “specialisation” ( a degree, job title, company affiliation) will be redundant - a doctor, lawyer or accountant will be done by “Google”

What will be needed  is an identity formed from internal validation rooted in purpose, passion, uniquely human skills, and fundamental literacies.

It’s about self-awareness 

It’s about one’s ability and methods for learning, adaptation, and value creation. 

Knowledge and specialisation will not be an asset. 

Your job will be “augmented” by AI and AR - which will not make mistakes.... (and  in my view - the world will be better off . )

We need to teach our children how to interact with AI and the 4th generation - it’s different to what we taught our children in 1st and 2nd revolutions.

The way we teach high school has to change - and there are some interesting “prototypes”

 Heather identifies a few XQ, the Khan Academy and PACE 

XQ 

In 2015, XQ Institute funded 19 different types of high schools. 

XQ’s mission is to fuel America’s collective creativity to transform high school so every student succeeds—no matter their race, gender or zip code.

In the words of cofounder Russlynn Ali, “In the last 100 years we have gone from the typewriter to the touch screen and from the silent movie to virtual and augmented reality yet our high schools remain frozen in time. 

(A full list of the schools can be found here.) 

All 19 schools include 

Foundational Knowledge, to place information in proper context; 

Fundamental Literacies, including digital and computational proficiencies, to navigate this complex new world; 

Generous Collaborators, to work in cross cultural and trans-disciplinary teams; and 

Original Thinkers to create new value while serving our world’s most pressing challenges, cognizant that all students must become 

Learners For Life.

Khan Academy 

In 2014, Salman Khan of the Khan Academy launched the experimental Khan Lab School(K-12) where students  move through competencies rather than seat time or tests, each student is responsible to teach as well as learn to reinforce their capabilities, and each student has a passion project in addition to their core competencies and teaching responsibilities. 

Students were  engaged inspired and enthused ant he energy was electric .

PAST Innovation Lab 

Annalies Corbin founded PAST Innovation Lab in Ohio which in 2016,  - testing the boundaries of the work/school interface. 

By fully embedding teaching and learning in industry R&D, startup and launch we saw exponential growth in students grasp of what is possible. When no longer constrained by the limits of traditional high school, students in the PAST lab excelled — they found the connections between industries and application, and they are able to contribute to solving real-world challenges in real time as full active members of design teams — our kids are only constrained by the limits of their own knowledge, which grows daily.”

Inspired by  Heather E. McGowan - a Future of Work Strategist and Keynote Speaker. More information about her work can be found at www.heathermcgowan.comand www.futureislearning.com

How IOT works

The Internet of Things (IoT) has not only impacted the way we live but also the way we work.

“Internet of Things is the network of devices that are connected with each other and exchange data by interacting with each other.” 

All the devices and objects used are connected to an IoT Platform which integrates the data from all the devices and analyses it to share valuable information. Robust IoT platforms can tell which information is useful and detect  relevant patterns.

IoT has altered the way we interact with the things around us and has led to exponential growth in opportunities in many industries including agriculture, infrastructure, heavy industry, transportation, oil and gas, mining and healthcare.

How IoT is playing the role of catalyst for various industries? 

IoT Platforms have helped various organizations to reduce costs by improving the efficiency of the processes, utilizing assets in a better way and increasing productivity. With the real-time monitoring of assets and an improved tracking system, better and quicker business decisions can be taken.

Smart wearables and smart devices have been a major byproduct of IoT. Using real-time data  systems have become more responsive. Data plays a crucial role in IoT, hence having a large storage capacity is very important.

Many threats can be avoided with the help of real-time alerts using IoT. With real-time updates of the workers at a site,  safety is improved. Smart cities using IoT have more efficient traffic, transportation and water management services.

IoT is a major part of Industry 4.0, the 4th industrial revolution, which is improving all our lives by helping us make better quality decisions more cost effectively, both personal and business.

To succeed with their IoT projects, CIOs and business leaders should thoroughly examine and understand how IoT works.

By Sanjeev Verma

Sanjeev is the CEO  of Biz4Intellia, responsible for leading Biz4Intellia’s global business strategy and operations. He has been an Internet of Things (IoT) enthusiast from the beginning of his professional career. Sanjeev loves to read and write articles related to disruptive technologies

Gender Diversity - is mentoring a pathway to leadership advancement?

At BSI we believe that a major driver to Innovation is Diversity and Inclusion. As a result - this blog will include whitepapers and stories related to this topic. 

Richard Sterling - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardsterling1 hosted a forum of 26 leaders of Australia’s largest companies around gender diversity and lack of leadership opportunities for women - resulting in some interesting observations .

Mentoring as a key pathway to leadership opportunities - is it?  

It was noted that mentoring is a key tool for men and  women aspiring to senior leadership roles, however there is no evidence that being mentored  was a pathway to leadership for women, but there was clearly a correlation between leadership advancement and mentoring for men. 

Why??

Sponsors and Specific Intent seems to be key 

The difference seems to be that with male executives who are being mentored, there seems to be the specific intent (even an informal intent) of achieving a promotion. The Catalyst study refers to this as Sponsorship.

Sponsors are defined by Catalyst as being advocates in positions of authority who use their influence intentionally to help others advance. Mentors on the other hand provide advice, feedback and coaching which can all be quite unstructured and lacking clear objectives.

It is this difference which makes mentoring a road block to promotion and a significant source of frustration for many up and coming female executives. As several female executives commented to me, “…. it is a way of keeping women in their place.”

Perhaps this is harsh, but the sentiment is nevertheless very real, and the net result is that talented women simply stop seeking career progression with their current employer in favour of seizing opportunities with other companies or even competitors.

A Change of Intent

So what are the barriers that prevent or at least slow women down in securing senior leadership positions?

If there is the intent to promote talented women to senior positions, then this intent must be reflected in the career development programs offered. 

Progressive companies are now providing Sponsorship programs and Mentoring programs as two distinctive streams.

Sponsorship programs have the specific intent of increasing the number of women being promoted. This means that a greater effort is placed on identifying the most talented women to be sponsored and it requires the active and positive participation of the company’s senior executives.

Merit Doesn’t Go Away

A Sponsorship program is not a guarantee of a promotion, but it provides women with crucial access to career making help and seems to level off the playing field. 

Merit will continue to play a significant role, but the principles of merit need to be challenged. The Australian federal government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency provides a couple of examples of challenging the principles of merit: 

(a) making a dedicated effort to identify unconscious bias in recruitment and promotion;

 (b) using an executive search firm to find candidates from non-traditional pools as opposed to searching the usual networks.

From a corporate perspective Sponsorship programs need to be viewed as a serious investment in developing and retaining the best talent.

Finding talent, nurturing talent and providing career advancement should be seen in the context of being ahead of your competition. 

If women are not winning senior executive and leadership roles within their current company, then that company is putting itself at a major disadvantage. 

The realisation of which may come when it is too late to implement a solution.

10 Steps for Getting More Women into Leadership

According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, Australia is making progress on many aspects of gender equality. However it notes that female representation in leadership continues to be a cause for concern.

Women remain underrepresented at every stage of the career pipeline in Australia, with poor representation at the C-suite and CEO levels.

In the 2017-18 Workplace Gender Equality Agency survey, only 17% of CEOs were women. Research shows that most CEO appointments come from line roles such as Chief Operating Officer and that approximately 30% of key management positions are held by women in Australia today.”

The Business Council of Australia, McKinsey & Company and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency teamed up to undertake a study using three years of Workplace Gender Equality Agency data as well as interviews.

The result, 

‘ Women In Leadership: Lessons from Australian Companies Leading The Way’, 

This report provides an evidence-based recipe for dismantling barriers to women’s participation at senior levels. Based on the observations of leading practice made for the report, 10 steps for getting more women into leadership was designed.

1. Build a strong case for change
2. Role-model a commitment to diversity, including with business partners
3. Redesign roles and work to enable flexible work and normalise uptake across levels and genders
4. Actively sponsor rising women
5. Set a clear diversity aspiration, backed up by accountability
6. Support talent through life transitions
7. Ensure the infrastructure is in place to support a more inclusive and flexible workplace
8. Challenge traditional views of merit in recruitment and evaluation
9. Invest in frontline leader capabilities to drive cultural change
10. Develop rising women and ensure experience in key roles

Each of these steps comes with detailed explanation and case studies.

 You can download the full report here.

#diverseworkforce #diversityintheworkplace #diversity #mentorshipmatters #mentor100kwomen#coaching