Central Illinois' IT Experts

Nowadays, it’s worth asking if comparing the two was the right call; rather, industry professionals think that collaboration between AI and human workers is more preferable compared to competition.

Turing’s Standard May Have Produced Economic Inequities

At the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, director Erik Brynjolfsson claims that advances in AI have created serious issues, economic inequality among them. In the Spring 2022 issue of Dædalus, a journal produced by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he writes that the goal of AI swiftly became a mission to overtake the capabilities of the human mind. All of that to say that this mission was not the appropriate way to handle the development of this technology. Brynjolfsson’s work illustrates that this fixation on creating human-like machines has made wage inequality worse.

Brynjolfsson’s argument is that the development of AI has simply removed the need for human employees, and while productivity can increase as a result, the benefits of that productivity are only really reaped by business owners and leaders within organizations. This divide further increases the rift between workers and the rich, increasing the wage gap and creating what is known as “the Turing Trap.”

The creation of AI is just another example of humans attempting to ascend from humanity to become something different entirely, a creator of life in their own image. There are countless examples of this ranging from the golem of Jewish folklore, the automatons built by Daedalus of ancient Greek tales, or the inventors from early Islamic kingdoms and the European Renaissance. Modern popular culture and media does little to separate AI from these stories, as they paint AI as human-like entities seeking to become even more human-like.

If this is the wrong approach, then what is the right one?

According to Brynjolfsson, AI Would Be Better Used as “Augmentation”

Human employees and AI employees are both capable of doing things well, but it’s critical to note that the things they do well are not the same. Therefore, the key to making the most good out of AI is for humans to supplement their shortcomings with it. In essence, humans are “partnering” with AI to produce better results.

Unfortunately, it’s seen as easier to replace rather than integrate AI, simply because there is no true precedent for doing so. Other research has shown that there are various tasks that people would prefer to do themselves rather than AI, so there will always be things that people want to do themselves that AI can, but should not, do. People are worried that automation will replace the human worker, but there are other proponents who argue that AI can only feasibly cover a small portion of the various duties associated with human work.

AI is a Tool, Not Competition

We urge you to think of AI not as an excuse to cut workers, but more of a tool they can use to bring about success for your organization. To discuss your options, give us a call at 217-475-0226.

Let’s consider a recent step that one of these big names recently took that shows particular promise for a passwordless future.

Enter the Passkey, and Google’s Embrace of It

The concept of a passkey is a simple one—basically, it’s another stored credential, but in this case, it is stored on the device and is exchanged with the website directly. This way, all obligations for the user to remember any credentials is eliminated.

The passkey is, on almost all counts, a superior means of authentication—and it’s all because it eliminates the need for a password text box at all. Instead of relying on the user to provide a form of authentication, passkeys are automatically generated and are inherently more secure than any user-generated form of authentication.

The trouble is, in order for passkeys to work, support for them will need to become standard. As in, every website, every browser, and every password manager will need to implement them. In addition to this, passkeys will require the user to have their phone handy and to use a Bluetooth connection to allow the phone to talk to the device in use. This localization, while helping protect your accounts, will also eliminate the capability of most desktops to utilize it.

Google, and Many Others, are Enthusiastic about Passkeys

Apple, Google, the FIDO Alliance, and Microsoft have all put their support behind the idea, with Google launching betas on both Chrome and Android, and iOS version 16 implementing it.

Google’s beta—which you can sign up for through Play Services—allows you to create passkeys on your Android devices, and passkeys are now supported in Chrome Canary, with more stable versions promised soon.

Google’s plan is to utilize its Password Manager to store these passkeys. The mobile device will have the user pick the correct account, then use a biometric proof to authenticate their identity. The phone will send over the authentication via Bluetooth, the browser sends the passkey to the website, and you’re in. Of course, if you’re actively logging in to something on your phone, the Bluetooth step is skipped.

We look forward to seeing how this technology develops and the prospect of using it as a means of potentially simplifying user authentication, without shortchanging security as a result. While there’s still some work to be done, the promise is there. In the meantime, reach out to us at 217-475-0226 to find out how we can help you manage your current cybersecurity and user authentication needs.

Let’s examine some of the findings of this report, and what they tell us about the state of cybersecurity.

Here’s the Hard Truth: Different Types of Scams are More Effective with Different Age Demographics

According to the FTC, scams are universally effective. However, one form of scam may be more effective to one generational subset, while another might impact a different one.

For instance, the FTC’s research saw that younger generations were far more prone to online shopping fraud, investment scams, and job scams. Meanwhile, older generations were more successfully targeted by tech support scams and sweepstakes scams.

It also needs to be said that different scam victims are frequently targeted using different means, as well. Younger Millennials and members of Generation Z are frequently successfully targeted by scams that begin on social media, while Generation X and Baby Boomers are frequently victimized by phone scams.

It Doesn’t Matter What Age Someone Is, They’re Just as Vulnerable to Cyberattacks and Scams

With so many scams out there, utilizing different mediums and platforms to target their intended victims, it’s important that everyone is prepared to spot potential threats and react to them appropriately…and this is all the more important in the business.

Fortunately, businesses in Illinois can turn to the professionals at Decatur Computers Inc. for assistance in preparing their teams to deal with assorted cybersecurity threats. Give us a call at 217-475-0226 to learn more about our cybersecurity services.