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Spellbinding Solutions: How AI and Automation are Conjuring Up Potential

By MAXX Potential

  • Businesses

Artificial intelligence and automation are today’s spellbinding solutions to help businesses augment their teams. Think of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice in the movie Fantasia – Mickey lugs buckets of water day in and day out up a tall staircase. His life is monotonous. When the Sorcerer sets the source of his magic aside, Mickey seizes the opportunity to get his work done more efficiently.

A few well-placed movements and Mickey had a team of brooms to do his task. In some ways, AI-assisted work, automated and streamlined workflows, threat protection, and workforce transformation feel like the magic of our times. Tools that march forward, completing tasks left and right, AI and automation have already been a big part of workforce innovation, only gaining the mainstream spotlight when ChatGPT was released.


Sorcerer’s Apprentice – Fantasia

In the same way, the movie The Sword and the Stone demonstrates another set of characters, Merlin and Arthur, who lean into the efficiency that magic can offer. Merlin uses a few words and his wand to get dishes to wash themselves. When Arthur exclaims that he’s supposed to do that work, Merlin points out, “No one will notice the difference, son, who cares as long as the work is done?”

Many businesses often face the challenge of lots of work to do and a small team to handle the tasks. When each team member’s time can be optimized to work on high priority tasks while magic, in this case automation or Artificial Intelligence, works in the background to handle time-consuming, repetitive tasks, more high quality work is completed. Small businesses should consider how generative AI can bring more efficiency, threat protection, and team reskilling.

The Enchantment of Efficiency

Both Mickey and Merlin noticed practical applications for the magic at their fingertips. One used magic to complete his own tasks while the other used magic to take over the tasks of Arthur so that Arthur could have another lesson. Artificial intelligence and automation, while not as mysterious as the magic of these movies, have the potential to alleviate monotonous and mundane tasks, freeing up small business teams to prioritize time and effort on essential overview work.

The Magic of AI-Assisted Work

It feels magical when monotonous tasks can be handled by a generative AI assistant. With a few well-worded requests and some emphatic keystrokes, solutions arrive, whether providing an outline for a blog post, code for a task, or response options for a customer service chat. The work gets done.

According to a group of researchers at Stanford’s Digital Economic Laboratory and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, customer support agents who had access to a generative artificial intelligence assistant increased their productivity by 14% on average. The study looked at more than 5,000 agents, and the chat assistant monitored customer service chats, providing real-time recommendations for responses. With that said, the researchers noted that the AI assistant really helped less skilled agents and only minimally helped those who were more experienced.

In Mickey’s case, he optimized his productivity to such an extent that he flooded the Sorcerer’s lair. He worked smarter until he didn’t, and when humans seek increased productivity, they are cautioned to do so with wise oversight of the tools they’re using, whether smarter project management tools, AI writing assistants, data analysis software, cybersecurity systems, or supply chain optimization. When monotonous tasks are automated, humans can lean into creativity, just as Mickey did with his visions of fireworks, dancing stars, and more. It empowers humans to have more focus time for envisioning the future or exploring other creative solutions.

The Speed Spell: Automation in Action

In The Sword and The Stone, Merlin wants to help educate Arthur so that he’s ready to step into the important role of king one day, but Arthur has mountains of dirty dishes to clean. Merlin taps into his magic. The dishes are now washing themselves, and Arthur is freed to pursue his education and growth. The magic of our day is the capabilities of automation to take over arduous tasks so that humans can pursue focused problem-solving time, continued growth, or rest.

Automation brings the magic of efficiency, time saving, and consistency. In some situations, companies are noting that it can also increase accuracy and cost reduction. Moreover, the capabilities of automation and machine learning can deeply assist in data analysis, which allows for faster processing and decision making. Faster processing, automated selection, and reduced human error provide data-driven insights for better decisions and support for complex decision scenarios.

Automation allows for smarter workflows, which means tasks get done and the operations are streamlined. MAXX Potential offers a number of powerful AI tools that can revolutionize different workflows with a wand wave. For example, a private and customizable GPT provides data protection while workers receive generative AI assistance for their tasks. Other tools include a SMART Employee Feedback Automation that simplifies HR feedback analysis, a Q&A Bot that is compliance trained and handles queries, and EvalEcho that streamlines performance reviews and manager insights.

The Hex of Security and Ethical Considerations

When the maid in The Sword in the Stone discovers the dishes are washing themselves, she and her peers call it ‘dark magic,’ and when it comes to automation and artificial intelligence, the idea of dark magic and evil is not far from minds. With many folks keeping important information online and in the cloud, cybersecurity is more important than ever before. Generative AI can be used by both bad actors and cybersecurity specialists. And yet, AI and automation may be the greatest protection against threats.

The Protective Spells of Generative AI in Cybersecurity

Machine learning is a powerful force to be reckoned with when it comes to threat detection because its algorithms recognize suspicious patterns and predict potential threats. Immediate responses mean that business systems remain safer. These predictive enchantments of AI’s ability to anticipate and neutralize threats with automated responses trigger the isolation of infected devices or block malicious traffic, as well as adaptive security measures that learn from threat patterns and automatically update intrusion detection parameters. 

The cybersecurity attacks that seem to stand the test of time continue to be traditional types of attacks such as phishing, malware, and ransomware. The difference is that they too have tapped into the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning. This means that phishing emails have become even more convincing, and bad actors still view humans as the weakest link in cybersecurity. National CIO Review reports that 67% of companies report difficulties combating increasingly sophisticated phishing attacks.

When Mickey used the Sorcerer’s magic to develop his water transportation system via a broom and two buckets, he didn’t include any type of fail-safe to have his system recognize when to pause water transportation. His efficiency plan was faulty. If Mickey could have had an AI assistant at his elbow, this generative AI system could have noted the patterns, recognized the coming problem, and implemented a solution to keep the water from flooding. This is the beauty of the protective opportunities of generative AI in cybersecurity. It has the capability to learn and update its own systems to maintain the values of the overall system.

The Wizardry of Workforce Transformation

What if the maid in The Sword in the Stone noticed the “dark magic” of the dishes magically washing themselves and waited for Merlin to return so she could ask for a little bit of that innovation? Her work life would have been transformed, freeing her to pursue a higher level self-education or castle management. While AI and Automation may be uncanny, these tools are catalysts for so much opportunity.

IBM released an article that states that 40% of the workforce will need to be reskilled due to artificial intelligence, and they point out, “AI won’t replace people–but people who use AI will replace people who don’t.” This idea can be overwhelming, but truthfully, if a worker can use generative AI assistants for their work now, they are already ahead of the learning curve. While some aspects of work will need more in-depth training, a lot of how automation and artificial intelligence shows up in the world is accessible to folks who are willing to explore and learn. The spell of change may have already been released, but it’s available to all.

When it comes to smart training and tools for building stronger teams, MAXX Potential AI solutions support workforce development beyond operations. Teams and individuals can learn through AI-assisted training and work simulation to discover new ways to collaborate and move through daily tasks. MAXX Potential also offers Video Creation for Onboarding & Training that offers scalable onboarding and training videos with custom AI avatar possibilities, consistent quality, and personalized experience capabilities.

Embrace the Sorcery of AI and Automation

Mickey recognized the opportunity of magic to make his life easier, and Merlin implemented magic so that Arthur could pursue further development of his skills and character. In the same way, artificial intelligence and automation offer so many possibilities for workers, and learning to tap into these tools will enable them to delegate repetitive tasks to AI, freeing up time for strategic and creative work. Embracing these tools can lead to career growth and organizational success, as human-machine collaboration paves the way for enhanced productivity.

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Spellbinding Solutions: How AI and Automation are Conjuring Up Potential

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Spellbinding Solutions: How AI and Automation are Conjuring Up Potential

By MAXX Potential

  • Businesses

Artificial intelligence and automation are today’s spellbinding solutions to help businesses augment their teams. Think of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice in the movie Fantasia – Mickey lugs buckets of water day in and day out up a tall staircase. His life is monotonous. When the Sorcerer sets the source of his magic aside, Mickey seizes the opportunity to get his work done more efficiently.

A few well-placed movements and Mickey had a team of brooms to do his task. In some ways, AI-assisted work, automated and streamlined workflows, threat protection, and workforce transformation feel like the magic of our times. Tools that march forward, completing tasks left and right, AI and automation have already been a big part of workforce innovation, only gaining the mainstream spotlight when ChatGPT was released.


Sorcerer’s Apprentice – Fantasia

In the same way, the movie The Sword and the Stone demonstrates another set of characters, Merlin and Arthur, who lean into the efficiency that magic can offer. Merlin uses a few words and his wand to get dishes to wash themselves. When Arthur exclaims that he’s supposed to do that work, Merlin points out, “No one will notice the difference, son, who cares as long as the work is done?”

Many businesses often face the challenge of lots of work to do and a small team to handle the tasks. When each team member’s time can be optimized to work on high priority tasks while magic, in this case automation or Artificial Intelligence, works in the background to handle time-consuming, repetitive tasks, more high quality work is completed. Small businesses should consider how generative AI can bring more efficiency, threat protection, and team reskilling.

The Enchantment of Efficiency

Both Mickey and Merlin noticed practical applications for the magic at their fingertips. One used magic to complete his own tasks while the other used magic to take over the tasks of Arthur so that Arthur could have another lesson. Artificial intelligence and automation, while not as mysterious as the magic of these movies, have the potential to alleviate monotonous and mundane tasks, freeing up small business teams to prioritize time and effort on essential overview work.

The Magic of AI-Assisted Work

It feels magical when monotonous tasks can be handled by a generative AI assistant. With a few well-worded requests and some emphatic keystrokes, solutions arrive, whether providing an outline for a blog post, code for a task, or response options for a customer service chat. The work gets done.

According to a group of researchers at Stanford’s Digital Economic Laboratory and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, customer support agents who had access to a generative artificial intelligence assistant increased their productivity by 14% on average. The study looked at more than 5,000 agents, and the chat assistant monitored customer service chats, providing real-time recommendations for responses. With that said, the researchers noted that the AI assistant really helped less skilled agents and only minimally helped those who were more experienced.

In Mickey’s case, he optimized his productivity to such an extent that he flooded the Sorcerer’s lair. He worked smarter until he didn’t, and when humans seek increased productivity, they are cautioned to do so with wise oversight of the tools they’re using, whether smarter project management tools, AI writing assistants, data analysis software, cybersecurity systems, or supply chain optimization. When monotonous tasks are automated, humans can lean into creativity, just as Mickey did with his visions of fireworks, dancing stars, and more. It empowers humans to have more focus time for envisioning the future or exploring other creative solutions.

The Speed Spell: Automation in Action

In The Sword and The Stone, Merlin wants to help educate Arthur so that he’s ready to step into the important role of king one day, but Arthur has mountains of dirty dishes to clean. Merlin taps into his magic. The dishes are now washing themselves, and Arthur is freed to pursue his education and growth. The magic of our day is the capabilities of automation to take over arduous tasks so that humans can pursue focused problem-solving time, continued growth, or rest.

Automation brings the magic of efficiency, time saving, and consistency. In some situations, companies are noting that it can also increase accuracy and cost reduction. Moreover, the capabilities of automation and machine learning can deeply assist in data analysis, which allows for faster processing and decision making. Faster processing, automated selection, and reduced human error provide data-driven insights for better decisions and support for complex decision scenarios.

Automation allows for smarter workflows, which means tasks get done and the operations are streamlined. MAXX Potential offers a number of powerful AI tools that can revolutionize different workflows with a wand wave. For example, a private and customizable GPT provides data protection while workers receive generative AI assistance for their tasks. Other tools include a SMART Employee Feedback Automation that simplifies HR feedback analysis, a Q&A Bot that is compliance trained and handles queries, and EvalEcho that streamlines performance reviews and manager insights.

The Hex of Security and Ethical Considerations

When the maid in The Sword in the Stone discovers the dishes are washing themselves, she and her peers call it ‘dark magic,’ and when it comes to automation and artificial intelligence, the idea of dark magic and evil is not far from minds. With many folks keeping important information online and in the cloud, cybersecurity is more important than ever before. Generative AI can be used by both bad actors and cybersecurity specialists. And yet, AI and automation may be the greatest protection against threats.

The Protective Spells of Generative AI in Cybersecurity

Machine learning is a powerful force to be reckoned with when it comes to threat detection because its algorithms recognize suspicious patterns and predict potential threats. Immediate responses mean that business systems remain safer. These predictive enchantments of AI’s ability to anticipate and neutralize threats with automated responses trigger the isolation of infected devices or block malicious traffic, as well as adaptive security measures that learn from threat patterns and automatically update intrusion detection parameters. 

The cybersecurity attacks that seem to stand the test of time continue to be traditional types of attacks such as phishing, malware, and ransomware. The difference is that they too have tapped into the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning. This means that phishing emails have become even more convincing, and bad actors still view humans as the weakest link in cybersecurity. National CIO Review reports that 67% of companies report difficulties combating increasingly sophisticated phishing attacks.

When Mickey used the Sorcerer’s magic to develop his water transportation system via a broom and two buckets, he didn’t include any type of fail-safe to have his system recognize when to pause water transportation. His efficiency plan was faulty. If Mickey could have had an AI assistant at his elbow, this generative AI system could have noted the patterns, recognized the coming problem, and implemented a solution to keep the water from flooding. This is the beauty of the protective opportunities of generative AI in cybersecurity. It has the capability to learn and update its own systems to maintain the values of the overall system.

The Wizardry of Workforce Transformation

What if the maid in The Sword in the Stone noticed the “dark magic” of the dishes magically washing themselves and waited for Merlin to return so she could ask for a little bit of that innovation? Her work life would have been transformed, freeing her to pursue a higher level self-education or castle management. While AI and Automation may be uncanny, these tools are catalysts for so much opportunity.

IBM released an article that states that 40% of the workforce will need to be reskilled due to artificial intelligence, and they point out, “AI won’t replace people–but people who use AI will replace people who don’t.” This idea can be overwhelming, but truthfully, if a worker can use generative AI assistants for their work now, they are already ahead of the learning curve. While some aspects of work will need more in-depth training, a lot of how automation and artificial intelligence shows up in the world is accessible to folks who are willing to explore and learn. The spell of change may have already been released, but it’s available to all.

When it comes to smart training and tools for building stronger teams, MAXX Potential AI solutions support workforce development beyond operations. Teams and individuals can learn through AI-assisted training and work simulation to discover new ways to collaborate and move through daily tasks. MAXX Potential also offers Video Creation for Onboarding & Training that offers scalable onboarding and training videos with custom AI avatar possibilities, consistent quality, and personalized experience capabilities.

Embrace the Sorcery of AI and Automation

Mickey recognized the opportunity of magic to make his life easier, and Merlin implemented magic so that Arthur could pursue further development of his skills and character. In the same way, artificial intelligence and automation offer so many possibilities for workers, and learning to tap into these tools will enable them to delegate repetitive tasks to AI, freeing up time for strategic and creative work. Embracing these tools can lead to career growth and organizational success, as human-machine collaboration paves the way for enhanced productivity.

MORE POSTS

How Tech Apprenticeships Deliver Real-World Expertise

Interview with Jasleen Bindra, MAXX Alum and IT Services Analyst

READ MORE

Spellbinding Solutions: How AI and Automation are Conjuring Up Potential

AI-Assisted Work to Augment Your Team

READ MORE

MAXX Potential Celebrates Finalist Nominations in Prestigious Richmond Technology Awards

Director of Emerging Technology, Tucker Mahan, named a finalist for the ELITE (Emerging Leader in Tech) Award

READ MORE

MAXX Potential Celebrates Finalist Nominations in Prestigious Richmond Technology Awards

By MAXX Potential

  • Apprenticeship, Businesses, Education, Press Releases

Richmond, VA – September 19, 2024, MAXX Potential, a leader in tech Apprenticeship and workforce development, is proud to announce its recognition as a finalist in multiple categories at the upcoming Richmond Technology Council awards. The company’s Director of Emerging Technology, Tucker Mahan, has been named a finalist for the ELITE (Emerging Leader in Tech) Award, while MAXX Potential has also secured a finalist position for the Technology Builder Award with its groundbreaking Internship Simulator.

The ELITE Award, a new accolade introduced this year, celebrates technologists under the age of 40 who are making significant contributions to Richmond’s tech landscape. Candidates are chosen based on their demonstrable impact and initiatives that exceed the expectations of their professional roles. Tucker Mahan stands out in this category, recognized for his innovative approaches, dedication to mentorship, and active participation in the local tech community.

Tucker’s achievements include the development of an Apprentice Growth Platform and his continuous efforts to incorporate cutting-edge skills and technologies into MAXX Potential’s Apprenticeship Program. His involvement in the RVAtech board and insightful presentation at RVAsec highlight his commitment to the community.

“Tucker spearheaded the creation of a custom Apprentice development system at MAXX Potential, a pivotal tool that revolutionized how we manage our apprenticeship program. He continually seeks out and implements new strategies to enhance the mentorship experience, ensuring it aligns with the evolving demands of the tech industry,” said Elizabeth Papile, MAXX Potential Marketing Director.

The Technology Builder Award, sponsored by ePlus, recognizes local tech companies that provide innovative solutions to enhance business processes and operational efficiency for clients. Criteria requires nominations to showcase solutions that provide tangible financial or business value. MAXX Potential’s Internship Simulator has been instrumental in achieving this, earning the company its finalist status.

“The Internship Simulator has been a game-changer for our clients, and our nomination for the Technology Builder Award is a reflection of our team’s hard work and ingenuity.” Rob Simms, MAXX Potential Managing Partner, shared, “Recognizing the scarcity of internships for students and job seekers, our Internship Simulator is a targeted solution. Over the years, with the support of our partners, we’ve refined our system, enabling us to offer a multitude of tech internships at the same time.”

Chosen by DARS, YearUp, and CodeRVA, our Internship Simulator at MAXX Potential equips aspiring IT professionals with more than just job experience. Participants emerge with resume-worthy job experience, real-world industry insights, in-demand technical and professional skills, a foundational professional network, and mentorship from experienced IT professionals. 

The company also extends congratulations to fellow Technology Builder Award finalists UDig and Shockoe and to fellow ELITE Award finalists Jessica Allison at CarMax and Sara Conner at Slalom. MAXX Potential looks forward to celebrating the vibrant tech community at the RVAtech/ Gala on September 25th.

In addition to these achievements, MAXX Potential is proud to sponsor the Community Impact Award, recognizing those who leverage technology for the greater good. Congratulations to Finalist Community College Workforce Alliance (CCWA), Finalist AFOI – Assisting Families of Inmates (AFOI), and Finalist Kristen VanderRoest, Teacher at CodeRVA Regional High School.

MAXX Potential is committed to fostering growth and innovation in the tech sector and is honored by these recognitions. The company eagerly anticipates the rvatech/ Gala, where the community will come together to honor the achievements and advancements in technology.

Interested in becoming or working with a MAXX Apprentice? Attend Career Lab or explore MAXX Business Solutions!

MORE POSTS

How Tech Apprenticeships Deliver Real-World Expertise

Interview with Jasleen Bindra, MAXX Alum and IT Services Analyst

READ MORE

Spellbinding Solutions: How AI and Automation are Conjuring Up Potential

AI-Assisted Work to Augment Your Team

READ MORE

MAXX Potential Celebrates Finalist Nominations in Prestigious Richmond Technology Awards

Director of Emerging Technology, Tucker Mahan, named a finalist for the ELITE (Emerging Leader in Tech) Award

READ MORE

MAXX Potential Celebrates Finalist Nominations in Prestigious Richmond Technology Awards

By MAXX Potential

  • Apprenticeship, Businesses, Education, Press Releases

Richmond, VA – September 19, 2024, MAXX Potential, a leader in tech Apprenticeship and workforce development, is proud to announce its recognition as a finalist in multiple categories at the upcoming Richmond Technology Council awards. The company’s Director of Emerging Technology, Tucker Mahan, has been named a finalist for the ELITE (Emerging Leader in Tech) Award, while MAXX Potential has also secured a finalist position for the Technology Builder Award with its groundbreaking Internship Simulator.

The ELITE Award, a new accolade introduced this year, celebrates technologists under the age of 40 who are making significant contributions to Richmond’s tech landscape. Candidates are chosen based on their demonstrable impact and initiatives that exceed the expectations of their professional roles. Tucker Mahan stands out in this category, recognized for his innovative approaches, dedication to mentorship, and active participation in the local tech community.

Tucker’s achievements include the development of an Apprentice Growth Platform and his continuous efforts to incorporate cutting-edge skills and technologies into MAXX Potential’s Apprenticeship Program. His involvement in the RVAtech board and insightful presentation at RVAsec highlight his commitment to the community.

“Tucker spearheaded the creation of a custom Apprentice development system at MAXX Potential, a pivotal tool that revolutionized how we manage our apprenticeship program. He continually seeks out and implements new strategies to enhance the mentorship experience, ensuring it aligns with the evolving demands of the tech industry,” said Elizabeth Papile, MAXX Potential Marketing Director.

The Technology Builder Award, sponsored by ePlus, recognizes local tech companies that provide innovative solutions to enhance business processes and operational efficiency for clients. Criteria requires nominations to showcase solutions that provide tangible financial or business value. MAXX Potential’s Internship Simulator has been instrumental in achieving this, earning the company its finalist status.

“The Internship Simulator has been a game-changer for our clients, and our nomination for the Technology Builder Award is a reflection of our team’s hard work and ingenuity.” Rob Simms, MAXX Potential Managing Partner, shared, “Recognizing the scarcity of internships for students and job seekers, our Internship Simulator is a targeted solution. Over the years, with the support of our partners, we’ve refined our system, enabling us to offer a multitude of tech internships at the same time.”

Chosen by DARS, YearUp, and CodeRVA, our Internship Simulator at MAXX Potential equips aspiring IT professionals with more than just job experience. Participants emerge with resume-worthy job experience, real-world industry insights, in-demand technical and professional skills, a foundational professional network, and mentorship from experienced IT professionals. 

The company also extends congratulations to fellow Technology Builder Award finalists UDig and Shockoe and to fellow ELITE Award finalists Jessica Allison at CarMax and Sara Conner at Slalom. MAXX Potential looks forward to celebrating the vibrant tech community at the RVAtech/ Gala on September 25th.

In addition to these achievements, MAXX Potential is proud to sponsor the Community Impact Award, recognizing those who leverage technology for the greater good. Congratulations to Finalist Community College Workforce Alliance (CCWA), Finalist AFOI – Assisting Families of Inmates (AFOI), and Finalist Kristen VanderRoest, Teacher at CodeRVA Regional High School.

MAXX Potential is committed to fostering growth and innovation in the tech sector and is honored by these recognitions. The company eagerly anticipates the rvatech/ Gala, where the community will come together to honor the achievements and advancements in technology.

Interested in becoming or working with a MAXX Apprentice? Attend Career Lab or explore MAXX Business Solutions!

MORE POSTS

How Tech Apprenticeships Deliver Real-World Expertise

Interview with Jasleen Bindra, MAXX Alum and IT Services Analyst

READ MORE

Spellbinding Solutions: How AI and Automation are Conjuring Up Potential

AI-Assisted Work to Augment Your Team

READ MORE

MAXX Potential Celebrates Finalist Nominations in Prestigious Richmond Technology Awards

Director of Emerging Technology, Tucker Mahan, named a finalist for the ELITE (Emerging Leader in Tech) Award

READ MORE

Is Your Workforce Ready for Generative AI Adversaries?

Defending Against the Deep

By Tucker Mahan, Director of Emerging Technology, with Barbara Brutt

  • Businesses

AI is everywhere, and the quickest history lesson on computers demonstrates that artificial intelligence has been in the works since Turing’s 1950 “Computing Machinery and Intelligence” paper  introduced the conceptual foundations. OpenAI’s first LLM release, GPT-1, came out in 2018 alongside Google’s Bert. In the span of one human life of about seventy years, AI has taken off.

AI everywhere timeline

Ideas around AI have skyrocketed. For example, a commonly believed idea is that “90% of the internet will be AI by 2025 or 2026!” Dig deeper into the source material of this statistic, and it becomes apparent that this information comes from a since redacted quote in a Europol report. Yet, the information still persists because many news organizations used that information, which then fed into what AI knows. If you search for this information online, AI will offer a vague summary, “Some experts predict that as much as 90 percent of online content could be synthetically generated within a few years.”

The ability to analyze information has only become more critical. According to Ernst & Young in “Why AI fuels cybersecurity anxiety, particularly for younger employees,” their 2024 EY Human Risk in Cybersecurity Survey revealed the following:

  • 39% of workers are not confident that they know how to use AI responsibly
  • 91% of employees say organizations should regularly update their training to keep pace with AI
  • 85% of workers believe AI has made cybersecurity attacks more sophisticated

The Threat of Generative AI Adversaries

Google warns that the effectiveness and scale of social engineering and phishing attacks are not only growing but will continue to grow. Generative AI adversaries are here now, and it’s important to learn from the stories of the attacks that we already know of and discover how to educate your workforce.

What happens when one of your employees cannot spot a deepfake scam? Arup, a British multinational design and engineering company can tell you because one of its Hong Kong employees paid out $25 million to fraudsters.

“Unfortunately, we can’t go into details at this stage as the incident is still the subject of an ongoing investigation. However, we can confirm that fake voices and images were used,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. The worker had suspected phishing, but after a video call where the worker recognized colleagues by image and voice, the suspicions of a scam were dropped. It’s rumored that the video call itself included several deepfake streams of company leaders, used to manipulate the employee.

What happens when a threat actor uses social engineering to access important company information? Reuters reports in “Casino giant MGM expects $100 million hit from hack that led to data breach” how the company faced a hack that disrupted their internal systems. The platform Okta used by MGM observed that the threat actor demonstrated novel methods of lateral movement and defense evasion – the actor used deepfake audio to call the support desk to reset admin level credentials.  

While Generative AI adversaries may become more advanced, these types of attacks can be prevented. There are a number of detection opportunities for defenders to consider for cybersecurity. How can companies be prepared for AI-generated media?

Real or AI?

Whether looking online for a news article or scrolling social media, it’s likely that an AI-generated image has been on the screen at some point. Many people use ChatGPT for help with writing, and AI-generated images and videos are becoming more and more popular. A few years ago, it was simple to tell the difference between an AI-generated paragraph and a human-written paragraph, but times are changing.

Can you spot the difference between AI-generated text and human-written text?

Recognizing the difference between real and Artificial Intelligence is becoming challenging, especially if the human that is prompting has carefully developed their ability to prompt well. A skillful prompt can generate text that is almost impossible to detect as AI generated.

Box A was AI-generated, and in our testing we’ve found only 25% of those guessing were able to correctly detect the text as AI. While this example is seemingly harmless, it points to a larger problem when analyzing emails, text messages, or news stories. Even AI detectors are proving faulty in helping with this determination, as they can commit both false-positive and false-negative errors. 

The most helpful techniques remain critical thinking and search skills. A quick Internet search may reveal that other users are reporting a similar suspicious email or text, and this information can help better determine when to disregard. Critical thinking asks questions, analyzes different aspects, and doesn’t jump to conclusions.

A number of quizzes exist online where individuals can test their abilities in recognizing AI-generated media, whether its video, voice, image, or words. Interested in testing your ability to recognize AI in media? Take this Tidio quiz or try Which Face Is Real.

Unsurprisingly, individuals who have more access and experience with AI-generated content are often better at recognizing AI versus human content.

Understanding the Limitations of Artificial Intelligence & Empowering Your Workforce

AI is everywhere, and it still has limitations. Anyone who uses ChatGPT or another AI often knows that to receive great content they must craft a great prompt, and beyond that, some common limitations of Artificial Intelligence include content length, input quality, data privacy, and resource intensiveness. These limitations are important to know. 

AI can do a lot, but when it comes to creating a long piece of content, whether text, audio, or video, it has a case of the hiccups. No matter the medium, when AI works on creating a longer piece of content, it runs into a number of problems such as repeating itself, losing flow, changing audio accent, altering the speed, strange distortions, or using incorrect physical motions that don’t match. Each medium deals with different AI-generated problems that need to be monitored and corrected by a human.

Another limitation with AI deals with input quality as well as content length. A 10-second clip of someone saying “Hello? Hello? Anyone there? Hello?” can be used to train AI for an audio voice; however, that clip doesn’t offer the breadth of accent and tone that a longer conversation would. The resulting audio clip will sound stilted and fake.

Some newer releases of AI have celebrated their ability to respond in real-time, and while some are decent, many leave us hanging for a while. Humans typically want the information they’re seeking as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, there’s the issue of resource intensiveness; while lower cost, effective models are coming out, the environmental impact is unknown.

AI often seems like the answer to every problem, and it’s also easy to get caught up in the idea that artificial intelligence will replace every job. Despite its impressive capabilities, the real strength in using AI lies in the user’s judgment. It’s the human ability to discern when and how to use AI that determines its effectiveness. By leveraging AI as a tool rather than a solution in itself, users can maximize its potential while maintaining the critical thinking and adaptability that only humans can provide.

Building AI Awareness

As shared earlier, individuals who interact with artificial intelligence often are more likely to recognize AI-generated content than those who don’t. We tested this internally, and we discovered a moderate positive relationship between familiarity with generative AI on our AI detection quiz. The correlation is not considered strong, but it does demonstrate that familiarity helps though it’s not necessarily the sole determinant. Familiarity helps. Consider finding ways to allow employees to build familiarity with artificial intelligence. Working with AI can even be gamified so that workers enjoy the process of understanding AI.

Continuous Learning & Adaptation

Again and again, you’ll hear that people will not be replaced by AI, but the replacement will be a person who uses the tool of AI. Lean into learning about AI and finding ways to bring it into your work role. As Gino Wickman says, “Systemize the predictable so you can humanize the exceptional.”

Balance Demos with Hands On Experience

Watching videos and live presentations have their place in helping people be educated about artificial intelligence, and each person will learn so much more by diving into the content on their own. The best thing to offer workers is access to hands-on experience with AI, alongside the knowledge of what responsible use looks like. Empower your employees to be up to date and prepared for AI-generated adversaries.

The introduction of artificial intelligence into the tech industry and the rest of the world has altered so much of the internet even now, and the changes will keep coming. Preparing your workforce for AI-generated adversaries starts with working with artificial intelligence and learning about what it’s capable of through all types of media. AI will continue to evolve, and so must we. 

 

At MAXX Potential, our team is committed to staying at the forefront of technology, artificial intelligence, and automation. If you are interested in talking to us about a project that your team is working on, please reach out to MAXXpotential.com/contact. 

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Is Your Workforce Ready for Generative AI Adversaries?

Defending Against the Deep

By Tucker Mahan, Director of Emerging Technology, with Barbara Brutt

  • Businesses

AI is everywhere, and the quickest history lesson on computers demonstrates that artificial intelligence has been in the works since Turing’s 1950 “Computing Machinery and Intelligence” paper  introduced the conceptual foundations. OpenAI’s first LLM release, GPT-1, came out in 2018 alongside Google’s Bert. In the span of one human life of about seventy years, AI has taken off.

AI everywhere timeline

Ideas around AI have skyrocketed. For example, a commonly believed idea is that “90% of the internet will be AI by 2025 or 2026!” Dig deeper into the source material of this statistic, and it becomes apparent that this information comes from a since redacted quote in a Europol report. Yet, the information still persists because many news organizations used that information, which then fed into what AI knows. If you search for this information online, AI will offer a vague summary, “Some experts predict that as much as 90 percent of online content could be synthetically generated within a few years.”

The ability to analyze information has only become more critical. According to Ernst & Young in “Why AI fuels cybersecurity anxiety, particularly for younger employees,” their 2024 EY Human Risk in Cybersecurity Survey revealed the following:

  • 39% of workers are not confident that they know how to use AI responsibly
  • 91% of employees say organizations should regularly update their training to keep pace with AI
  • 85% of workers believe AI has made cybersecurity attacks more sophisticated

The Threat of Generative AI Adversaries

Google warns that the effectiveness and scale of social engineering and phishing attacks are not only growing but will continue to grow. Generative AI adversaries are here now, and it’s important to learn from the stories of the attacks that we already know of and discover how to educate your workforce.

What happens when one of your employees cannot spot a deepfake scam? Arup, a British multinational design and engineering company can tell you because one of its Hong Kong employees paid out $25 million to fraudsters.

“Unfortunately, we can’t go into details at this stage as the incident is still the subject of an ongoing investigation. However, we can confirm that fake voices and images were used,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. The worker had suspected phishing, but after a video call where the worker recognized colleagues by image and voice, the suspicions of a scam were dropped. It’s rumored that the video call itself included several deepfake streams of company leaders, used to manipulate the employee.

What happens when a threat actor uses social engineering to access important company information? Reuters reports in “Casino giant MGM expects $100 million hit from hack that led to data breach” how the company faced a hack that disrupted their internal systems. The platform Okta used by MGM observed that the threat actor demonstrated novel methods of lateral movement and defense evasion – the actor used deepfake audio to call the support desk to reset admin level credentials.  

While Generative AI adversaries may become more advanced, these types of attacks can be prevented. There are a number of detection opportunities for defenders to consider for cybersecurity. How can companies be prepared for AI-generated media?

Real or AI?

Whether looking online for a news article or scrolling social media, it’s likely that an AI-generated image has been on the screen at some point. Many people use ChatGPT for help with writing, and AI-generated images and videos are becoming more and more popular. A few years ago, it was simple to tell the difference between an AI-generated paragraph and a human-written paragraph, but times are changing.

Can you spot the difference between AI-generated text and human-written text?

Recognizing the difference between real and Artificial Intelligence is becoming challenging, especially if the human that is prompting has carefully developed their ability to prompt well. A skillful prompt can generate text that is almost impossible to detect as AI generated.

Box A was AI-generated, and in our testing we’ve found only 25% of those guessing were able to correctly detect the text as AI. While this example is seemingly harmless, it points to a larger problem when analyzing emails, text messages, or news stories. Even AI detectors are proving faulty in helping with this determination, as they can commit both false-positive and false-negative errors. 

The most helpful techniques remain critical thinking and search skills. A quick Internet search may reveal that other users are reporting a similar suspicious email or text, and this information can help better determine when to disregard. Critical thinking asks questions, analyzes different aspects, and doesn’t jump to conclusions.

A number of quizzes exist online where individuals can test their abilities in recognizing AI-generated media, whether its video, voice, image, or words. Interested in testing your ability to recognize AI in media? Take this Tidio quiz or try Which Face Is Real.

Unsurprisingly, individuals who have more access and experience with AI-generated content are often better at recognizing AI versus human content.

Understanding the Limitations of Artificial Intelligence & Empowering Your Workforce

AI is everywhere, and it still has limitations. Anyone who uses ChatGPT or another AI often knows that to receive great content they must craft a great prompt, and beyond that, some common limitations of Artificial Intelligence include content length, input quality, data privacy, and resource intensiveness. These limitations are important to know. 

AI can do a lot, but when it comes to creating a long piece of content, whether text, audio, or video, it has a case of the hiccups. No matter the medium, when AI works on creating a longer piece of content, it runs into a number of problems such as repeating itself, losing flow, changing audio accent, altering the speed, strange distortions, or using incorrect physical motions that don’t match. Each medium deals with different AI-generated problems that need to be monitored and corrected by a human.

Another limitation with AI deals with input quality as well as content length. A 10-second clip of someone saying “Hello? Hello? Anyone there? Hello?” can be used to train AI for an audio voice; however, that clip doesn’t offer the breadth of accent and tone that a longer conversation would. The resulting audio clip will sound stilted and fake.

Some newer releases of AI have celebrated their ability to respond in real-time, and while some are decent, many leave us hanging for a while. Humans typically want the information they’re seeking as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, there’s the issue of resource intensiveness; while lower cost, effective models are coming out, the environmental impact is unknown.

AI often seems like the answer to every problem, and it’s also easy to get caught up in the idea that artificial intelligence will replace every job. Despite its impressive capabilities, the real strength in using AI lies in the user’s judgment. It’s the human ability to discern when and how to use AI that determines its effectiveness. By leveraging AI as a tool rather than a solution in itself, users can maximize its potential while maintaining the critical thinking and adaptability that only humans can provide.

Building AI Awareness

As shared earlier, individuals who interact with artificial intelligence often are more likely to recognize AI-generated content than those who don’t. We tested this internally, and we discovered a moderate positive relationship between familiarity with generative AI on our AI detection quiz. The correlation is not considered strong, but it does demonstrate that familiarity helps though it’s not necessarily the sole determinant. Familiarity helps. Consider finding ways to allow employees to build familiarity with artificial intelligence. Working with AI can even be gamified so that workers enjoy the process of understanding AI.

Continuous Learning & Adaptation

Again and again, you’ll hear that people will not be replaced by AI, but the replacement will be a person who uses the tool of AI. Lean into learning about AI and finding ways to bring it into your work role. As Gino Wickman says, “Systemize the predictable so you can humanize the exceptional.”

Balance Demos with Hands On Experience

Watching videos and live presentations have their place in helping people be educated about artificial intelligence, and each person will learn so much more by diving into the content on their own. The best thing to offer workers is access to hands-on experience with AI, alongside the knowledge of what responsible use looks like. Empower your employees to be up to date and prepared for AI-generated adversaries.

The introduction of artificial intelligence into the tech industry and the rest of the world has altered so much of the internet even now, and the changes will keep coming. Preparing your workforce for AI-generated adversaries starts with working with artificial intelligence and learning about what it’s capable of through all types of media. AI will continue to evolve, and so must we. 

 

At MAXX Potential, our team is committed to staying at the forefront of technology, artificial intelligence, and automation. If you are interested in talking to us about a project that your team is working on, please reach out to MAXXpotential.com/contact. 

MORE POSTS

How Tech Apprenticeships Deliver Real-World Expertise

Interview with Jasleen Bindra, MAXX Alum and IT Services Analyst

READ MORE

Spellbinding Solutions: How AI and Automation are Conjuring Up Potential

AI-Assisted Work to Augment Your Team

READ MORE

MAXX Potential Celebrates Finalist Nominations in Prestigious Richmond Technology Awards

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Who Owns My AI-Generated Clone?

A Professional's Look at AI Ethics

By Tucker Mahan, Director of Emerging Technology

  • Businesses

AI-generated video clones, once a thing of the future, are now here. For the past few months, I’ve been exploring the possibilities of AI-generated clones. I’ve learned how to help my clone have a wider spectrum of emotion and pronounce words correctly. It’s been an adventure.

When I helped my Mother-in-Law clone herself, I ran into security measures with my chosen AI video content creator, HeyGen (Affiliate link). It prompted a question: who owns my AI-generated clone?

I want to say that I own my AI-generated clone, but let’s talk about tech advancements, ethical implications, legal landscape, and the current industry perspective.

Advancements of AI

AI is reshaping the landscape of technology as we know it. We’ve watched the rapid evolution of machine learning algorithms, enabling systems to process vast datasets and learn patterns. This deep learning has empowered AI models to simulate human-like neural networks. They comprehend complex data structures. It’s insane.

The tech advancements we’re seeing in AI includes Natural Language Processing (NLP), which helps machines to understand and generate human language; AI robotics, which means intelligent automation in several industries; and AI-powered recommendation systems, which provides image recognition and smart suggestions.

AI can generate a virtually indistinguishable likenesses of a human from a photograph for AI videos, and this means that it’s easier than ever before to impersonate famous individuals. Advancements in AI means that we need our ethics, legal landscape, and industry perspective to keep up.

What are the Ethical Implications of AI Video Clones?

Copyright misinformation, privacy, misuse – there are a lot of ethical issues to consider. Any innovative technology is going to raise concerns. It’s part of the process. 

Now what are the downstream effects? For some areas, like copyright and intellectual property concerns, there’s this conversation about originality and ownership. When AI systems are generating video clones that mimic a person, or are inspired by a person, who holds the copyright to that AI-generated creation? What if an AI-generative clone company went off the wire and started using me as a widely available clone?

On a personal level, who owns the HeyGen clone of me that I made?

HeyGen is clear, stating, “In any case where we find out an individual’s image, likeness or voice is used without their permission, we will take down the relevant content and take appropriate action against the user that engaged in the unauthorized use.”

I like to think that my likeness is mine. I don’t want to see myself saying stuff that I haven’t approved, especially when it’s hard to tell if it’s actually me or not. HeyGen assures users that, “We only use our user’s data to improve our models with the user’s consent and user videos are private by default.” There is also a licensing fee to be able to use the model they built using my video, which can feel weird at first, like “I pay them to use myself in videos?” However, I recognize it is an advanced model that requires resources to run, generate, store, and don’t get too hung up over the cost.

Bigger picture, always check the terms and conditions with the platform you choose to use for AI-generated content, videos, audio, clones. The ownership rights generally may be retained by the user, especially if the AI tool is used for personal purposes.

What about Copyright and AI-Generated Content?

The higher level viewpoint of copyright concerns is these natural language processing models were trained on datasets. They may reproduce copyrighted material without attribution. If AI-generated content uses copyrighted material without citing the source, that’s a lawsuit. 

When ChatGPT was originally rolled out, it was much freer in its responses, and as the platform existed longer and started picking up a larger user count, the early adopters noticed changes in how the AI would respond to certain questions.

AI continues to evolve, and we’re starting to see a new content licensing approach. Part of designing a large language model includes deciding what corpus or body of text to use to train the model. Licensing allows these models to utilize content in that corpus, but it also introduces complexities around ownership and copyright of the output. When an AI generates content, such as text, images, or music, it often does so based on the vast amounts of data it was trained on. This raises questions about who holds the copyright to the generated content: the developers of the AI, the owners of the original data used for training, or the users who prompted the AI to generate the content.

The legal landscape for copyright law is still adapting to these challenges. As everyone navigates this new territory, I think it’s crucial for anyone involved in the creation or use of AI generated content to stay informed about the latest legal developments.

What’s the Legal Landscape for AI-Generated Clones?

We’ve already discussed the issues of consent and privacy, and it’s important that we keep talking about the problem of replicating someone’s image or voice without permission. Two main thoughts seem to be in play: regulate AI-generated content with explicit consent or reconsider intellectual property laws. Intellectual property rights, including copyright and trademark considerations, help shape legal frameworks. 

As technology advances, let’s keep considering the liability for malicious use or unintended consequences. It’s important that the laws don’t fall behind tech advancements, and yet, it is possible that they will. On a company level, the best thing to do is to establish clear guidelines that balance innovation with the protection of individual rights. 

I think this can happen if legal experts, industry stakeholders, and policymakers collaborate on a legal framework that ensures responsible development and use of AI-generated video clone technology, while balancing the interests of content creators, AI developers, and end users.

Here are a few things to keep in mind if you’re using AI-generated video clones:

  • Respect Intellectual Property Rights
  • Obtain explicit permission to use someone’s likeness
  • Pay attention to ongoing legal regulations for AI
  • Use best practices when it comes to AI ethics

As the Director of Emerging Technology at MAXX Potential, I’m interested in continuing to explore the possibilities of AI, and we build automated workflows to help your team get more work done. Reach out about your project.

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Who Owns My AI-Generated Clone?

A Professional's Look at AI Ethics

By Tucker Mahan, Director of Emerging Technology

  • Businesses

AI-generated video clones, once a thing of the future, are now here. For the past few months, I’ve been exploring the possibilities of AI-generated clones. I’ve learned how to help my clone have a wider spectrum of emotion and pronounce words correctly. It’s been an adventure.

When I helped my Mother-in-Law clone herself, I ran into security measures with my chosen AI video content creator, HeyGen (Affiliate link). It prompted a question: who owns my AI-generated clone?

I want to say that I own my AI-generated clone, but let’s talk about tech advancements, ethical implications, legal landscape, and the current industry perspective.

Advancements of AI

AI is reshaping the landscape of technology as we know it. We’ve watched the rapid evolution of machine learning algorithms, enabling systems to process vast datasets and learn patterns. This deep learning has empowered AI models to simulate human-like neural networks. They comprehend complex data structures. It’s insane.

The tech advancements we’re seeing in AI includes Natural Language Processing (NLP), which helps machines to understand and generate human language; AI robotics, which means intelligent automation in several industries; and AI-powered recommendation systems, which provides image recognition and smart suggestions.

AI can generate a virtually indistinguishable likenesses of a human from a photograph for AI videos, and this means that it’s easier than ever before to impersonate famous individuals. Advancements in AI means that we need our ethics, legal landscape, and industry perspective to keep up.

What are the Ethical Implications of AI Video Clones?

Copyright misinformation, privacy, misuse – there are a lot of ethical issues to consider. Any innovative technology is going to raise concerns. It’s part of the process. 

Now what are the downstream effects? For some areas, like copyright and intellectual property concerns, there’s this conversation about originality and ownership. When AI systems are generating video clones that mimic a person, or are inspired by a person, who holds the copyright to that AI-generated creation? What if an AI-generative clone company went off the wire and started using me as a widely available clone?

On a personal level, who owns the HeyGen clone of me that I made?

HeyGen is clear, stating, “In any case where we find out an individual’s image, likeness or voice is used without their permission, we will take down the relevant content and take appropriate action against the user that engaged in the unauthorized use.”

I like to think that my likeness is mine. I don’t want to see myself saying stuff that I haven’t approved, especially when it’s hard to tell if it’s actually me or not. HeyGen assures users that, “We only use our user’s data to improve our models with the user’s consent and user videos are private by default.” There is also a licensing fee to be able to use the model they built using my video, which can feel weird at first, like “I pay them to use myself in videos?” However, I recognize it is an advanced model that requires resources to run, generate, store, and don’t get too hung up over the cost.

Bigger picture, always check the terms and conditions with the platform you choose to use for AI-generated content, videos, audio, clones. The ownership rights generally may be retained by the user, especially if the AI tool is used for personal purposes.

What about Copyright and AI-Generated Content?

The higher level viewpoint of copyright concerns is these natural language processing models were trained on datasets. They may reproduce copyrighted material without attribution. If AI-generated content uses copyrighted material without citing the source, that’s a lawsuit. 

When ChatGPT was originally rolled out, it was much freer in its responses, and as the platform existed longer and started picking up a larger user count, the early adopters noticed changes in how the AI would respond to certain questions.

AI continues to evolve, and we’re starting to see a new content licensing approach. Part of designing a large language model includes deciding what corpus or body of text to use to train the model. Licensing allows these models to utilize content in that corpus, but it also introduces complexities around ownership and copyright of the output. When an AI generates content, such as text, images, or music, it often does so based on the vast amounts of data it was trained on. This raises questions about who holds the copyright to the generated content: the developers of the AI, the owners of the original data used for training, or the users who prompted the AI to generate the content.

The legal landscape for copyright law is still adapting to these challenges. As everyone navigates this new territory, I think it’s crucial for anyone involved in the creation or use of AI generated content to stay informed about the latest legal developments.

What’s the Legal Landscape for AI-Generated Clones?

We’ve already discussed the issues of consent and privacy, and it’s important that we keep talking about the problem of replicating someone’s image or voice without permission. Two main thoughts seem to be in play: regulate AI-generated content with explicit consent or reconsider intellectual property laws. Intellectual property rights, including copyright and trademark considerations, help shape legal frameworks. 

As technology advances, let’s keep considering the liability for malicious use or unintended consequences. It’s important that the laws don’t fall behind tech advancements, and yet, it is possible that they will. On a company level, the best thing to do is to establish clear guidelines that balance innovation with the protection of individual rights. 

I think this can happen if legal experts, industry stakeholders, and policymakers collaborate on a legal framework that ensures responsible development and use of AI-generated video clone technology, while balancing the interests of content creators, AI developers, and end users.

Here are a few things to keep in mind if you’re using AI-generated video clones:

  • Respect Intellectual Property Rights
  • Obtain explicit permission to use someone’s likeness
  • Pay attention to ongoing legal regulations for AI
  • Use best practices when it comes to AI ethics

As the Director of Emerging Technology at MAXX Potential, I’m interested in continuing to explore the possibilities of AI, and we build automated workflows to help your team get more work done. Reach out about your project.

MORE POSTS

How Tech Apprenticeships Deliver Real-World Expertise

Interview with Jasleen Bindra, MAXX Alum and IT Services Analyst

READ MORE

Spellbinding Solutions: How AI and Automation are Conjuring Up Potential

AI-Assisted Work to Augment Your Team

READ MORE

MAXX Potential Celebrates Finalist Nominations in Prestigious Richmond Technology Awards

Director of Emerging Technology, Tucker Mahan, named a finalist for the ELITE (Emerging Leader in Tech) Award

READ MORE

I Taught My Mother-In-Law How to Clone Herself

A Professional’s Tools for AI-Generated Videos

By Tucker Mahan, Director of Emerging Technology

  • Apprenticeship, Businesses

AI is more user-friendly than ever before.

If AI makes it possible for anyone to write up an article or create a video, it stands to reason that we’re about to see so much more content online. A report from Europol stresses the need to prepare for an increase in synthetic media and the rise of disinformation possibilities.

With that said, these tools can be used for good. AI tools are user friendly and intuitive, enabling people who are not tech-savvy to use them, which brings me to how I taught my mother-in-law to use an AI tool to clone herself.

Cloning My Mother-in-Law

In a recent conversation with my mother-in-law, we were discussing AI and my latest blog post “What are the Biggest Concerns and Best Benefits about Deepfake Technology?” came up. Her immediate reaction, “Oh my gosh, you have to clone me!” 

The plan was that I would take her video and voice recordings, set up her account, and start creating webinars for her. It was a good plan. I’ve been working with HeyGen (affiliate link) AI-generated videos for a while, and I’d be able to get her up and running pretty quickly, with plenty of time before her upcoming meetings.

I set up her account and completed most of the steps. And then I hit a problem I didn’t foresee, but I can’t even be mad about it.

One of the steps for cloning via HeyGen requires the person to upload a video with a consent script that contains a secure token. I didn’t think it would be a problem to use FaceTime. I was wrong. It didn’t work, and I couldn’t just go to her house because I was sick.

So there I am, training my mother-in-law to do technology over a phone call because she has to be the one to make the video, read the script, and upload it immediately to HeyGen.

Sure, I was frustrated that I couldn’t just do what I had intended, without an elevated account tier. I had her permission, but HeyGen made sure of it. They demonstrated that they’re keeping consent and privacy at the forefront of their product development.

That’s just one reason why I like HeyGen.

The HeyGen tool is user-friendly, and it’s been cool to explore. Use our affiliate link to sign up for a HeyGen account.

Training the Audio of My Mother-in-Law’s Clone

I encouraged my mother-in-law to read her script with a wide range of emotions. As with most Generative AI tools, higher quality input will produce higher quality results. If you train a voice clone with a very natural, no excitement voice tone, it’s not going to be able to express a wide range of emotions. Any clone will speak just like the provided sample, and adding cues like “said excitedly” or “said emphatically,” will flex as far as your sample did. 

We experimented with ElevenLabs, which is focused on Multilingual Voice AI such as Text to Speech or Speech to Speech. In general, Voice AI is getting better at lifelike speech, being able to clone human voice samples with less data and produce quality results. In fact, utilizing some of these tools, emotions, pauses, and pronunciation guidance can be incorporated in a text transcript, and the effects will come through in the audio.

Another tip I shared with my mother-in-law was to consider keeping her voice sample relevant to the material she intended to produce, using any industry specific terms that may come up often in her webinar script. Doing so will help the AI better replicate how you pronounce specific words or phrases, although there are methods to fix those errors later using the in transcript prompting. For example, I know without a doubt whenever I’m typing “MAXX Potential” to be spoken by AI, I should use “m a x” instead of “m a x x” to avoid issues. 

Choosing the AI Clone Video

When my mother-in-law and I were hatching the idea of developing her AI clone for her webinars, we had a choice for her AI video: the video clone avatar and photo avatar.

For video clone avatars, these are created using video footage and then can lip-sync the audio text whereas photo avatars will animate a still image with lip syncing to the audio text. We opted to use a Fine-Tuned video clone avatar, as the results are typically much more realistic. That said, being able to animate a person’s picture into a video is beyond useful and a much faster solution. 

In the end, we created an AI video for my mother-in-law that had her in it sharing the information that her audience wanted, and it was without needing my mother-in-law to spend hours in a filming studio. 

Tucker’s Top Key Takeaways for AI

  • Understand AI capabilities, and you can make yourself more efficient.
  • AI is the most user-friendly that it’s ever been.
  • Responsible use of AI means protecting privacy.
  • Garbage in; garbage out AKA Learn better AI prompting.

Explore AI Clone Capabilities

AI has dominated the conversation in the tech industry for the last year, and it’s here to stay. This tech revolution means that each of us can have an AI sidekick to get tasks done, bring virtual personalities to life, and solve problems. If you’re not exploring the AI capabilities for your business, it’s time to start.

As the Director of Emerging Technology at MAXX Potential, I’m interested in continuing to explore the possibilities of AI, and we build automated workflows to help your team get more work done. Reach out about your project.

Resources

MORE POSTS

How Tech Apprenticeships Deliver Real-World Expertise

Interview with Jasleen Bindra, MAXX Alum and IT Services Analyst

READ MORE

Spellbinding Solutions: How AI and Automation are Conjuring Up Potential

AI-Assisted Work to Augment Your Team

READ MORE

MAXX Potential Celebrates Finalist Nominations in Prestigious Richmond Technology Awards

Director of Emerging Technology, Tucker Mahan, named a finalist for the ELITE (Emerging Leader in Tech) Award

READ MORE

I Taught My Mother-In-Law How to Clone Herself

A Professional’s Tools for AI-Generated Videos

By Tucker Mahan, Director of Emerging Technology

  • Apprenticeship, Businesses

AI is more user-friendly than ever before.

If AI makes it possible for anyone to write up an article or create a video, it stands to reason that we’re about to see so much more content online. A report from Europol stresses the need to prepare for an increase in synthetic media and the rise of disinformation possibilities.

With that said, these tools can be used for good. AI tools are user friendly and intuitive, enabling people who are not tech-savvy to use them, which brings me to how I taught my mother-in-law to use an AI tool to clone herself.

Cloning My Mother-in-Law

In a recent conversation with my mother-in-law, we were discussing AI and my latest blog post “What are the Biggest Concerns and Best Benefits about Deepfake Technology?” came up. Her immediate reaction, “Oh my gosh, you have to clone me!” 

The plan was that I would take her video and voice recordings, set up her account, and start creating webinars for her. It was a good plan. I’ve been working with HeyGen (affiliate link) AI-generated videos for a while, and I’d be able to get her up and running pretty quickly, with plenty of time before her upcoming meetings.

I set up her account and completed most of the steps. And then I hit a problem I didn’t foresee, but I can’t even be mad about it.

One of the steps for cloning via HeyGen requires the person to upload a video with a consent script that contains a secure token. I didn’t think it would be a problem to use FaceTime. I was wrong. It didn’t work, and I couldn’t just go to her house because I was sick.

So there I am, training my mother-in-law to do technology over a phone call because she has to be the one to make the video, read the script, and upload it immediately to HeyGen.

Sure, I was frustrated that I couldn’t just do what I had intended, without an elevated account tier. I had her permission, but HeyGen made sure of it. They demonstrated that they’re keeping consent and privacy at the forefront of their product development.

That’s just one reason why I like HeyGen.

The HeyGen tool is user-friendly, and it’s been cool to explore. Use our affiliate link to sign up for a HeyGen account.

Training the Audio of My Mother-in-Law’s Clone

I encouraged my mother-in-law to read her script with a wide range of emotions. As with most Generative AI tools, higher quality input will produce higher quality results. If you train a voice clone with a very natural, no excitement voice tone, it’s not going to be able to express a wide range of emotions. Any clone will speak just like the provided sample, and adding cues like “said excitedly” or “said emphatically,” will flex as far as your sample did. 

We experimented with ElevenLabs, which is focused on Multilingual Voice AI such as Text to Speech or Speech to Speech. In general, Voice AI is getting better at lifelike speech, being able to clone human voice samples with less data and produce quality results. In fact, utilizing some of these tools, emotions, pauses, and pronunciation guidance can be incorporated in a text transcript, and the effects will come through in the audio.

Another tip I shared with my mother-in-law was to consider keeping her voice sample relevant to the material she intended to produce, using any industry specific terms that may come up often in her webinar script. Doing so will help the AI better replicate how you pronounce specific words or phrases, although there are methods to fix those errors later using the in transcript prompting. For example, I know without a doubt whenever I’m typing “MAXX Potential” to be spoken by AI, I should use “m a x” instead of “m a x x” to avoid issues. 

Choosing the AI Clone Video

When my mother-in-law and I were hatching the idea of developing her AI clone for her webinars, we had a choice for her AI video: the video clone avatar and photo avatar.

For video clone avatars, these are created using video footage and then can lip-sync the audio text whereas photo avatars will animate a still image with lip syncing to the audio text. We opted to use a Fine-Tuned video clone avatar, as the results are typically much more realistic. That said, being able to animate a person’s picture into a video is beyond useful and a much faster solution. 

In the end, we created an AI video for my mother-in-law that had her in it sharing the information that her audience wanted, and it was without needing my mother-in-law to spend hours in a filming studio. 

Tucker’s Top Key Takeaways for AI

  • Understand AI capabilities, and you can make yourself more efficient.
  • AI is the most user-friendly that it’s ever been.
  • Responsible use of AI means protecting privacy.
  • Garbage in; garbage out AKA Learn better AI prompting.

Explore AI Clone Capabilities

AI has dominated the conversation in the tech industry for the last year, and it’s here to stay. This tech revolution means that each of us can have an AI sidekick to get tasks done, bring virtual personalities to life, and solve problems. If you’re not exploring the AI capabilities for your business, it’s time to start.

As the Director of Emerging Technology at MAXX Potential, I’m interested in continuing to explore the possibilities of AI, and we build automated workflows to help your team get more work done. Reach out about your project.

Resources

MORE POSTS

How Tech Apprenticeships Deliver Real-World Expertise

Interview with Jasleen Bindra, MAXX Alum and IT Services Analyst

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Spellbinding Solutions: How AI and Automation are Conjuring Up Potential

AI-Assisted Work to Augment Your Team

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MAXX Potential Celebrates Finalist Nominations in Prestigious Richmond Technology Awards

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What are the Biggest Concerns and Best Benefits about Deepfake Technology?

Understanding the Deepfake Landscape

By Tucker Mahan, MAXX Potential Director of Emerging Technology

  • Businesses

Playlist

11 Videos

All content above is AI generated, aside from the blog excerpt. Some translations may be inaccurate but are provided for learning purposes of technology’s current capabilities.

Have you ever needed to be filmed and when you watched the video back you were cringing? I have. With deepfake technology, you could skip the filming and still bring your face and voice to the content that you’re creating – maybe without some of those awkward gestures and mannerisms.

A few years ago, deepfake was a possibility only available to the people who understood what was going on behind the scenes. Now deepfake technology programs make it far more user-friendly though it still requires some technical skill.

So what is deepfake? Deepfake technology uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create, edit, modify, and alter video and audio, allowing the image or sound to become more believable and real. This means that technology can now mimic real humans both in image and sound fairly accurately.

Like any other advancement, deepfake tech offers opportunity and concern. While the general population gets a kick out of impersonating famous celebrities, bad actors are tapping into super convincing phishing content, such as vishing (voice impersonation) or smishing (sms impersonation).

With every new capability of deepfake comes the need for smart protection for your company, yourself, and your tech.

Want to skip the read? Allow “Tucker” to narrate for you:

Biggest Concerns in Deepfake Technology

Do bad actors adopt technology like this faster than the general public? It’s possible because most tech advancements take a minute to digest, understand, and determine an action plan. 

If bad actors are learning deepfake technology alongside enterprises, it’s very possible that enterprises are still vulnerable to malicious attacks – not to mention social engineering since most people are unaware of this new technology for phishing.

Bad actors are most likely to target people who are unaware of deepfake technologies, meaning that companies, communities, and schools need to start educating people about the possibility of deepfake-based attacks.

When it comes to my biggest concerns for deepfake technology, I see three main categories: misinformation and manipulation; social engineering attacks; and identity theft and fraud.

Misinformation and Manipulation

We often rely on the phrase “seeing is believing;” however, deepfake technology is making it even more difficult to discern real content from fabricated content. I see it a lot on social media where someone will reshare an image, believing the product to be real, and a quick image search reveals that the product is fake. If you look closely, you may be able to spot the AI-generated bloopers in the photo, but it’s becoming harder and harder.

Deepfake technology can already generate celebrity lookalike videos, and now AI-created “virtual influencers” are on the rise. I have more questions than answers on what we’ll see next, but I expect a lot of repercussions in the form of changing copyright laws, lawsuits, and governance acts through these uncertain times.

Social Engineering

Social engineering is all about using what you know or can find out to be able to break confidentiality. Deepfake social engineering attacks elevate the risk because now bad actors can impersonate trusted contacts of their target using voice clone and face swap. 

For example, there was a season of time where companies were being targeted by bad actors who were impersonating the CEO to email or text employees, asking them to buy gift cards. The urgency of the text along with the authority of the company CEO likely worked on a lot of people. Deepfake will make these attacks even more sophisticated.

Identity Theft and Fraud

Tech experts warn that deepfake technology could be used by bad actors to bypass biometric authentication in scenarios where a face scan is used. This could give bad actors access to crucial information, secure areas, or devices.

Sumsub published its Identity Fraud Report in November 2023, and it found that deepfakes accounted for most of the AI-powered fraud attacks. In fact, AI-powered techniques were among the top five tools used in fraud online in 2023.

Potential Benefits of Deepfake Technology

It’s up to personal opinion whether or not the benefits of deepfake technology outweigh the security risks; however, opportunity is there for dope advancements. Companies will be able to upgrade their security systems to fight threats, red team detrimental issues, accommodate people with hearing loss, and receive better translations.

I’d break the benefits of deepfake technology into three different categories: Interpersonal, security, and media.

Interpersonal Possibilities

I was at a conference a couple of years ago where one of the speakers was hypothesizing on the potential use cases of deepfake technology, and he presented the idea of using your last saved voicemail of your grandfather with deepfake technology so that you could hear his voice again. That idea seemed super cool, and deepfake could help us remember our loved ones better.

Another company is exploring what deepfake can do for sms, iMessage, and WhatsApp where users could set their chosen language and then all incoming messages would be automatically translated.

Security Measures

Deepfake and generative AI technology can create powerful training grounds for security teams to red team specific situations in order to make security advancements. Companies will be able to better protect their data as attacks become more refined.

We already know that deepfakes have the potential to be used to circumvent biometric authentication security, so it’s important for companies to use this information to find more holes in the security systems.

Media Madness

Channel 1 News shocked people with the possibilities by promising a platform that would individualize news to you. They promise personalization powered by generative AI with its full launch in 2024, think TikTok meets Hacker News.

For content creators, the deepfake possibilities are super beneficial because they could create a deepfake version of themselves that could do their educational content, advertising, and so much more. Again, this sounds great to me, as I’d love to never be in front of a camera again.

Lip sync dubbing will improve so much from deepfake technology. It will be possible for movies in other languages to have actors who appear to be speaking the dubbed language rather than lips that move to the original filmed language.

Recognizing Deepfakes

Spotting deepfakes will become a necessary skill for most people, especially in scenarios where a bad actor could be seeking sensitive information. 

When it comes to social engineering, you can have the best security system in place, but if your company and team are not educated on recognizing deepfake phishing attempts, then your company is vulnerable. Train your people.

Some of the best ways to recognize deepfake impersonations are with attention to detail and critical thinking.

  • Where’s the emphasis on audio voices?
  • Is the pitch variation off from a normal cadence?
  • What’s the pause length between words and sentences?
  • Does the accent match the person you know?
  • Are there odd blinking patterns?
  • Do hand gestures line up with the content?
  • Are the mannerisms right for the person you know?

People’s voices fluctuate according to the situation. If you’re happy, that adjusts the tone, pitch, and emphasis of how someone speaks. Take a clip of someone who’s happy and use it in a deepfake tool where you’re trying to be threatening, the tone might not match the message. 

Humans also quickly pick up on accents from other areas, so a voice clone won’t always match the accent of a person without a large sampling of how they speak. While I’m not a linguist, accommodation within language is fascinating, as it suggests humans adjust their speech to mirror one another in order to inspire better collaboration. Voice cloning isn’t good enough to pick up this nuance.

One of the best ways to recognize deepfakes is to interact with deepfakes in video and audio often. With so much of our day-to-day being in the digital realm, it’s time to realize that all digital content could now be fake.

Conclusion

The possibilities of deepfake are great, and with that great power comes specific responsibility to be smart around deepfake security and use cases.

If you’re not excited about the possibilities of deepfake technology, look it up. I honestly believe that deepfake will bring some advanced attacks from bad actors to our companies, and it’s worth knowing about. Don’t get caught off guard. 

Do you think Deepfake is a Threat or an Opportunity? Tell us your thoughts!

Click here

Some of My Recent Reads:

MORE POSTS

How Tech Apprenticeships Deliver Real-World Expertise

Interview with Jasleen Bindra, MAXX Alum and IT Services Analyst

READ MORE

Spellbinding Solutions: How AI and Automation are Conjuring Up Potential

AI-Assisted Work to Augment Your Team

READ MORE

MAXX Potential Celebrates Finalist Nominations in Prestigious Richmond Technology Awards

Director of Emerging Technology, Tucker Mahan, named a finalist for the ELITE (Emerging Leader in Tech) Award

READ MORE

What are the Biggest Concerns and Best Benefits about Deepfake Technology?

Understanding the Deepfake Landscape

By Tucker Mahan, MAXX Potential Director of Emerging Technology

  • Businesses

Playlist

11 Videos

All content above is AI generated, aside from the blog excerpt. Some translations may be inaccurate but are provided for learning purposes of technology’s current capabilities.

Have you ever needed to be filmed and when you watched the video back you were cringing? I have. With deepfake technology, you could skip the filming and still bring your face and voice to the content that you’re creating – maybe without some of those awkward gestures and mannerisms.

A few years ago, deepfake was a possibility only available to the people who understood what was going on behind the scenes. Now deepfake technology programs make it far more user-friendly though it still requires some technical skill.

So what is deepfake? Deepfake technology uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create, edit, modify, and alter video and audio, allowing the image or sound to become more believable and real. This means that technology can now mimic real humans both in image and sound fairly accurately.

Like any other advancement, deepfake tech offers opportunity and concern. While the general population gets a kick out of impersonating famous celebrities, bad actors are tapping into super convincing phishing content, such as vishing (voice impersonation) or smishing (sms impersonation).

With every new capability of deepfake comes the need for smart protection for your company, yourself, and your tech.

Want to skip the read? Allow “Tucker” to narrate for you:

Biggest Concerns in Deepfake Technology

Do bad actors adopt technology like this faster than the general public? It’s possible because most tech advancements take a minute to digest, understand, and determine an action plan. 

If bad actors are learning deepfake technology alongside enterprises, it’s very possible that enterprises are still vulnerable to malicious attacks – not to mention social engineering since most people are unaware of this new technology for phishing.

Bad actors are most likely to target people who are unaware of deepfake technologies, meaning that companies, communities, and schools need to start educating people about the possibility of deepfake-based attacks.

When it comes to my biggest concerns for deepfake technology, I see three main categories: misinformation and manipulation; social engineering attacks; and identity theft and fraud.

Misinformation and Manipulation

We often rely on the phrase “seeing is believing;” however, deepfake technology is making it even more difficult to discern real content from fabricated content. I see it a lot on social media where someone will reshare an image, believing the product to be real, and a quick image search reveals that the product is fake. If you look closely, you may be able to spot the AI-generated bloopers in the photo, but it’s becoming harder and harder.

Deepfake technology can already generate celebrity lookalike videos, and now AI-created “virtual influencers” are on the rise. I have more questions than answers on what we’ll see next, but I expect a lot of repercussions in the form of changing copyright laws, lawsuits, and governance acts through these uncertain times.

Social Engineering

Social engineering is all about using what you know or can find out to be able to break confidentiality. Deepfake social engineering attacks elevate the risk because now bad actors can impersonate trusted contacts of their target using voice clone and face swap. 

For example, there was a season of time where companies were being targeted by bad actors who were impersonating the CEO to email or text employees, asking them to buy gift cards. The urgency of the text along with the authority of the company CEO likely worked on a lot of people. Deepfake will make these attacks even more sophisticated.

Identity Theft and Fraud

Tech experts warn that deepfake technology could be used by bad actors to bypass biometric authentication in scenarios where a face scan is used. This could give bad actors access to crucial information, secure areas, or devices.

Sumsub published its Identity Fraud Report in November 2023, and it found that deepfakes accounted for most of the AI-powered fraud attacks. In fact, AI-powered techniques were among the top five tools used in fraud online in 2023.

Potential Benefits of Deepfake Technology

It’s up to personal opinion whether or not the benefits of deepfake technology outweigh the security risks; however, opportunity is there for dope advancements. Companies will be able to upgrade their security systems to fight threats, red team detrimental issues, accommodate people with hearing loss, and receive better translations.

I’d break the benefits of deepfake technology into three different categories: Interpersonal, security, and media.

Interpersonal Possibilities

I was at a conference a couple of years ago where one of the speakers was hypothesizing on the potential use cases of deepfake technology, and he presented the idea of using your last saved voicemail of your grandfather with deepfake technology so that you could hear his voice again. That idea seemed super cool, and deepfake could help us remember our loved ones better.

Another company is exploring what deepfake can do for sms, iMessage, and WhatsApp where users could set their chosen language and then all incoming messages would be automatically translated.

Security Measures

Deepfake and generative AI technology can create powerful training grounds for security teams to red team specific situations in order to make security advancements. Companies will be able to better protect their data as attacks become more refined.

We already know that deepfakes have the potential to be used to circumvent biometric authentication security, so it’s important for companies to use this information to find more holes in the security systems.

Media Madness

Channel 1 News shocked people with the possibilities by promising a platform that would individualize news to you. They promise personalization powered by generative AI with its full launch in 2024, think TikTok meets Hacker News.

For content creators, the deepfake possibilities are super beneficial because they could create a deepfake version of themselves that could do their educational content, advertising, and so much more. Again, this sounds great to me, as I’d love to never be in front of a camera again.

Lip sync dubbing will improve so much from deepfake technology. It will be possible for movies in other languages to have actors who appear to be speaking the dubbed language rather than lips that move to the original filmed language.

Recognizing Deepfakes

Spotting deepfakes will become a necessary skill for most people, especially in scenarios where a bad actor could be seeking sensitive information. 

When it comes to social engineering, you can have the best security system in place, but if your company and team are not educated on recognizing deepfake phishing attempts, then your company is vulnerable. Train your people.

Some of the best ways to recognize deepfake impersonations are with attention to detail and critical thinking.

  • Where’s the emphasis on audio voices?
  • Is the pitch variation off from a normal cadence?
  • What’s the pause length between words and sentences?
  • Does the accent match the person you know?
  • Are there odd blinking patterns?
  • Do hand gestures line up with the content?
  • Are the mannerisms right for the person you know?

People’s voices fluctuate according to the situation. If you’re happy, that adjusts the tone, pitch, and emphasis of how someone speaks. Take a clip of someone who’s happy and use it in a deepfake tool where you’re trying to be threatening, the tone might not match the message. 

Humans also quickly pick up on accents from other areas, so a voice clone won’t always match the accent of a person without a large sampling of how they speak. While I’m not a linguist, accommodation within language is fascinating, as it suggests humans adjust their speech to mirror one another in order to inspire better collaboration. Voice cloning isn’t good enough to pick up this nuance.

One of the best ways to recognize deepfakes is to interact with deepfakes in video and audio often. With so much of our day-to-day being in the digital realm, it’s time to realize that all digital content could now be fake.

Conclusion

The possibilities of deepfake are great, and with that great power comes specific responsibility to be smart around deepfake security and use cases.

If you’re not excited about the possibilities of deepfake technology, look it up. I honestly believe that deepfake will bring some advanced attacks from bad actors to our companies, and it’s worth knowing about. Don’t get caught off guard. 

Do you think Deepfake is a Threat or an Opportunity? Tell us your thoughts!

Click here

Some of My Recent Reads:

MORE POSTS

How Tech Apprenticeships Deliver Real-World Expertise

Interview with Jasleen Bindra, MAXX Alum and IT Services Analyst

READ MORE

Spellbinding Solutions: How AI and Automation are Conjuring Up Potential

AI-Assisted Work to Augment Your Team

READ MORE

MAXX Potential Celebrates Finalist Nominations in Prestigious Richmond Technology Awards

Director of Emerging Technology, Tucker Mahan, named a finalist for the ELITE (Emerging Leader in Tech) Award

READ MORE

Demystifying Spooky AI Technology Fears

How AI Technology Benefits Employees and Companies

By MAXX Potential

  • Apprenticeship, Businesses

From science fiction to reality, Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology evokes many emotions in humans, whether it is fear or intrigue. AI technology has become a part of our daily lives from the in-home speakers that answer our questions to chatGPT and other LLMs that have revolutionized software’s generative capabilities. It’s exciting and terrifying.

Tech professionals guess at what these advancements will mean for humans, and some people experience so much fear about what AI could mean for our world. We wanted to talk about some of those spooky AI technology fears and do our best to demystify them.

Body Snatching: AI will replace human jobs

As language learning models, automation, and machine learning advances, it’s no surprise that workers fear for their jobs. Common questions circulate: Will machines replace humans? How can I protect my job? What can I do to work with AI now?

Some version of automation has been in use since the 1700s to handle repetitive tasks, and yet, the skill of automation now can be seen as scary. Automation and machines should replace workers who may face dangerous scenarios every day where a machine would be better equipped and safer to handle the work. 

“While I do believe that years later AI will take away some jobs I do believe that it will open many other types of job opportunities that could be more technical or something that we never would have thought of before.” Says James Stanley, MAXX Apprentice, in “From Hobby to Innovation: Exploring AI Passion Projects.”

The truth is that AI technology is inspiring workers to reimagine job roles.  AI allows humans to focus on higher-level responsibilities that use skills like critical thinking, creativity, and empathy. AI can enable workers to be more productive, take on more fulfilling responsibilities, and create entirely new types of jobs. With thoughtful implementation, AI can be harnessed to create positive economic and workforce impacts.

Poltergeist Prejudice: Perpetuated Bias, Ethical Concerns, and Irresponsibility

AI technology speeds up tasks like sorting through resumes for a job opening or tracking data. With that said, AI systems can inherit and amplify existing societal biases. This raises a number of concerns as more and more organizations turn to AI technologies for the automation capabilities. 

A National Institute of Standards and Technology report shared a study of 189 facial recognition algorithms and how most of them demonstrated bias. The researchers reported that the technology falsely identified Black and Asian faces 10 to 100 times more often than they did white faces. Women were also more often falsely identified.

Governments seek to determine best ways to regulate AI with New York City being the first to pass a law in 2021 with rules enforced this July. Thoughtful design and smart governance frameworks are required to ensure that AI doesn’t perpetuate societal problems. Companies and governments deploying AI must audit for biases, ensure transparency, evaluate use cases carefully, and institute human oversight measures.

In a “New Regulatory Approach to Facial Recognition,” Jason Schultz, a professor at the New York University School of Law, believes that facial recognition companies must consider new, consent-based approaches to their image gathering as right-of-publicity claims gain momentum. As technology advances so too must the guiding principles and frameworks to protect privacy, avoid bias, and disrupt irresponsibility.

AI Data Voodoo: Protecting User Data While Leveraging AI

Data breaches are scary, and bad actors are discovering new ways to use AI technologies to access user information, such as the AI-controlled botnet data breach with TaskRabbit in 2018 or the more recent and accidental Microsoft AI researchers data leak. Protecting private information alongside the use of AI is important.

Three possible solutions to protecting user data include federated learning, differential privacy, and encrypted data. Federated learning trains AI models with decentralized data stored on user devices while differential privacy anonymizes data by adding controlled noise. End-to-end encryption also helps keep information secure. 

Let’s not forget that AI and automation are powerful tools in cybersecurity, and they have demonstrated accelerated data breach identification and containment, saving companies as much as USD 1.8 million in data breach costs according to the Cost of a Data Breach 2023 global survey.

With deliberate effort, companies can find ways to benefit from AI while also earning user trust through robust privacy protections. Establishing oversight groups and following frameworks like the EU’s GDPR can guide policies that give users more control over their data. Being transparent, providing opt-out options, and restricting data usage are key principles.

Bewitching: AI Dependence vs. AI Assistance

Artificial Intelligence can be scary because some view it as a complete replacement of humans across the board; however, that skips the fact that humans have a unique ability to make decisions based on data as well as external factors. AI technologies can be a great tool, but they work best with a human manager. The goal of AI should be to augment, not replace, human intelligence.

One article observes that “the fear of AI often boils down to the fear of loss – loss of control, loss of privacy, and loss of human value.”

Some solutions for preventing overreliance include having humans remain “in the loop” for consequential decisions rather than fully automating them. Companies and governments deploying AI should also conduct impact assessments to anticipate risks. Additionally, requiring transparency and explanation from AI systems can build understanding and trust in their capabilities.

AI can be viewed as a powerful collaborative tool rather than a decision-making authority. While AI dependence is a valid concern, keeping humans ultimately in control can allow society to reap the benefits of AI assistance without surrendering our agency or discernment. The ideal future combines the strengths of human and artificial intelligence.

The key is shaping policies, education, incentives, and labor models to focus AI on enhancing humans rather than replacing them. With forethought, humans and AI can positively co-evolve. Truth is that AI is not even ready or able to completely replace humans.

 

Interested in learning about how AI can cut business costs and boost company productivity? Reach out to MAXXpotential.com about your interest in optimizing your back office capabilities.

MORE POSTS

How Tech Apprenticeships Deliver Real-World Expertise

Interview with Jasleen Bindra, MAXX Alum and IT Services Analyst

READ MORE

Spellbinding Solutions: How AI and Automation are Conjuring Up Potential

AI-Assisted Work to Augment Your Team

READ MORE

MAXX Potential Celebrates Finalist Nominations in Prestigious Richmond Technology Awards

Director of Emerging Technology, Tucker Mahan, named a finalist for the ELITE (Emerging Leader in Tech) Award

READ MORE

Demystifying Spooky AI Technology Fears

How AI Technology Benefits Employees and Companies

By MAXX Potential

  • Apprenticeship, Businesses

From science fiction to reality, Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology evokes many emotions in humans, whether it is fear or intrigue. AI technology has become a part of our daily lives from the in-home speakers that answer our questions to chatGPT and other LLMs that have revolutionized software’s generative capabilities. It’s exciting and terrifying.

Tech professionals guess at what these advancements will mean for humans, and some people experience so much fear about what AI could mean for our world. We wanted to talk about some of those spooky AI technology fears and do our best to demystify them.

Body Snatching: AI will replace human jobs

As language learning models, automation, and machine learning advances, it’s no surprise that workers fear for their jobs. Common questions circulate: Will machines replace humans? How can I protect my job? What can I do to work with AI now?

Some version of automation has been in use since the 1700s to handle repetitive tasks, and yet, the skill of automation now can be seen as scary. Automation and machines should replace workers who may face dangerous scenarios every day where a machine would be better equipped and safer to handle the work. 

“While I do believe that years later AI will take away some jobs I do believe that it will open many other types of job opportunities that could be more technical or something that we never would have thought of before.” Says James Stanley, MAXX Apprentice, in “From Hobby to Innovation: Exploring AI Passion Projects.”

The truth is that AI technology is inspiring workers to reimagine job roles.  AI allows humans to focus on higher-level responsibilities that use skills like critical thinking, creativity, and empathy. AI can enable workers to be more productive, take on more fulfilling responsibilities, and create entirely new types of jobs. With thoughtful implementation, AI can be harnessed to create positive economic and workforce impacts.

Poltergeist Prejudice: Perpetuated Bias, Ethical Concerns, and Irresponsibility

AI technology speeds up tasks like sorting through resumes for a job opening or tracking data. With that said, AI systems can inherit and amplify existing societal biases. This raises a number of concerns as more and more organizations turn to AI technologies for the automation capabilities. 

A National Institute of Standards and Technology report shared a study of 189 facial recognition algorithms and how most of them demonstrated bias. The researchers reported that the technology falsely identified Black and Asian faces 10 to 100 times more often than they did white faces. Women were also more often falsely identified.

Governments seek to determine best ways to regulate AI with New York City being the first to pass a law in 2021 with rules enforced this July. Thoughtful design and smart governance frameworks are required to ensure that AI doesn’t perpetuate societal problems. Companies and governments deploying AI must audit for biases, ensure transparency, evaluate use cases carefully, and institute human oversight measures.

In a “New Regulatory Approach to Facial Recognition,” Jason Schultz, a professor at the New York University School of Law, believes that facial recognition companies must consider new, consent-based approaches to their image gathering as right-of-publicity claims gain momentum. As technology advances so too must the guiding principles and frameworks to protect privacy, avoid bias, and disrupt irresponsibility.

AI Data Voodoo: Protecting User Data While Leveraging AI

Data breaches are scary, and bad actors are discovering new ways to use AI technologies to access user information, such as the AI-controlled botnet data breach with TaskRabbit in 2018 or the more recent and accidental Microsoft AI researchers data leak. Protecting private information alongside the use of AI is important.

Three possible solutions to protecting user data include federated learning, differential privacy, and encrypted data. Federated learning trains AI models with decentralized data stored on user devices while differential privacy anonymizes data by adding controlled noise. End-to-end encryption also helps keep information secure. 

Let’s not forget that AI and automation are powerful tools in cybersecurity, and they have demonstrated accelerated data breach identification and containment, saving companies as much as USD 1.8 million in data breach costs according to the Cost of a Data Breach 2023 global survey.

With deliberate effort, companies can find ways to benefit from AI while also earning user trust through robust privacy protections. Establishing oversight groups and following frameworks like the EU’s GDPR can guide policies that give users more control over their data. Being transparent, providing opt-out options, and restricting data usage are key principles.

Bewitching: AI Dependence vs. AI Assistance

Artificial Intelligence can be scary because some view it as a complete replacement of humans across the board; however, that skips the fact that humans have a unique ability to make decisions based on data as well as external factors. AI technologies can be a great tool, but they work best with a human manager. The goal of AI should be to augment, not replace, human intelligence.

One article observes that “the fear of AI often boils down to the fear of loss – loss of control, loss of privacy, and loss of human value.”

Some solutions for preventing overreliance include having humans remain “in the loop” for consequential decisions rather than fully automating them. Companies and governments deploying AI should also conduct impact assessments to anticipate risks. Additionally, requiring transparency and explanation from AI systems can build understanding and trust in their capabilities.

AI can be viewed as a powerful collaborative tool rather than a decision-making authority. While AI dependence is a valid concern, keeping humans ultimately in control can allow society to reap the benefits of AI assistance without surrendering our agency or discernment. The ideal future combines the strengths of human and artificial intelligence.

The key is shaping policies, education, incentives, and labor models to focus AI on enhancing humans rather than replacing them. With forethought, humans and AI can positively co-evolve. Truth is that AI is not even ready or able to completely replace humans.

 

Interested in learning about how AI can cut business costs and boost company productivity? Reach out to MAXXpotential.com about your interest in optimizing your back office capabilities.

MORE POSTS

How Tech Apprenticeships Deliver Real-World Expertise

Interview with Jasleen Bindra, MAXX Alum and IT Services Analyst

READ MORE

Spellbinding Solutions: How AI and Automation are Conjuring Up Potential

AI-Assisted Work to Augment Your Team

READ MORE

MAXX Potential Celebrates Finalist Nominations in Prestigious Richmond Technology Awards

Director of Emerging Technology, Tucker Mahan, named a finalist for the ELITE (Emerging Leader in Tech) Award

READ MORE

The Synergy of Humans and Machines in Modern Cybersecurity

By MAXX Potential

  • Businesses

Modern cybersecurity invokes an intricate dance between humans and machines, especially in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. The music that holds this dance together is the Security Operations Center (SOC). 

The SOC team monitors the entire IT infrastructure, including applications and communication, of a business every hour of the day. The team, along with their cybersecurity software tools, detects cyber threats in real time and addresses them. The teamwork between human and machine optimizes the process.

As machines gain more abilities through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Language Learning Models (LLMs), it’s crucial for humans and companies to keep up with these changes. At the forefront of these advancements are those teams who implement cybersecurity with the aid of smart technology to keep information safe.

Machines Scale; Humans Synthesize

One of the fundamental aspects of the human-machine partnership in cybersecurity is the ability of machines to process vast amounts of data at lightning speed. Machines excel at tasks that require sifting through massive datasets, identifying anomalies, and flagging potential threats. This computational prowess is unmatched by human capabilities.

“The need for Cybersecurity in the first place is because of malicious actors trying to get into other people’s systems.” MAXX Apprentice Sherlene Eke points out.

Sherlene works alongside the SIEM tool, QRadar to protect against cyber threats. Used mainly for Security Logging and Incident Response, QRadar streamlines the generation of identified security threats and triggers alerts from various other security tools. Sherlene responds to alerts and determines next steps with her team when needed.

Cybersecurity software tools are important to protecting information, and at the end of the day, we need humans to maintain and work alongside these tools. Sherlene says it best. “Every software can have glitches and requires constant updates/patching not just to make it secure but also to keep up with new technologies.” 

SOC professionals shine in their ability to synthesize information delivered by their cybersecurity software. Through intuition and context, humans discern patterns and recognize the broader implications of the data processed by machines. While machines can identify anomalies, it’s often the human who determines whether an anomaly is a legitimate threat or a false positive.

Adaptability in a Changing Landscape & Learning Together

The cybersecurity landscape is in a constant state of flux, with cyber threats advancing at an alarming pace. The solution to staying ahead of cyber threats is through the adaptability of teamwork between humans and machines.

Humans possess the remarkable ability to adapt to new and unforeseen challenges. The capacity for critical thinking and problem-solving allows them to stay ahead of bad actors who are constantly devising new tactics. 

“Many tactics used in malicious messages still slip past the automated systems.” Julia Brigden, MAXX Apprentice, shares. She works with Mimecast, an advanced phishing and fraud detection security tool. 

“I think we all want to assume the automated system will prevent problematic messages from getting through, but the fact of the matter is I still have to investigate and remove dozens of malicious emails daily.” Julia said.

In the face of ongoing and smarter cyber threats, the dynamic partnership between humans and automation is key to staying resilient and managing cybersecurity.

Embrace the Power of Organization

A great cybersecurity team is not only supported by security software, but they also are made up of individualized teams with specific roles. An organization’s cybersecurity team includes an incident response team, global support team, risk team, app security team, and the physical security team. Each team has a role to play in protecting the business. When a business faces a cyber threat, these teams band together to eliminate the threat.

In incidents involving data breaches or cyberattacks, the human element becomes crucial in managing the impact on the company, the workers, and the individuals. People are the ones who work together with their security tools to eliminate the security threat and determine further solutions.

“There will always be a human element,” Sherlene shared. “Maybe not fully involved in the day to day but in the background of it.”

The Future of Cybersecurity is Human and AI Partnership

It’s not a matter of choosing one over the other but rather recognizing the complementary strengths that humans and AI bring to the table.

“The major takeaway is human vigilance is a very important and necessary part of cybersecurity.” Julia shared.

In a holistic approach to security, humans and machines work hand in hand. Machines process vast amounts of data and identify potential threats, while humans apply their intuition, adaptability, and emotional intelligence to make informed decisions. This synergy creates a formidable defense against the ever-evolving landscape of cyber threats.

Partner with MAXX Potential on your next project at MAXXpotential.com/contact.

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The Synergy of Humans and Machines in Modern Cybersecurity

By MAXX Potential

  • Businesses

Modern cybersecurity invokes an intricate dance between humans and machines, especially in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. The music that holds this dance together is the Security Operations Center (SOC). 

The SOC team monitors the entire IT infrastructure, including applications and communication, of a business every hour of the day. The team, along with their cybersecurity software tools, detects cyber threats in real time and addresses them. The teamwork between human and machine optimizes the process.

As machines gain more abilities through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Language Learning Models (LLMs), it’s crucial for humans and companies to keep up with these changes. At the forefront of these advancements are those teams who implement cybersecurity with the aid of smart technology to keep information safe.

Machines Scale; Humans Synthesize

One of the fundamental aspects of the human-machine partnership in cybersecurity is the ability of machines to process vast amounts of data at lightning speed. Machines excel at tasks that require sifting through massive datasets, identifying anomalies, and flagging potential threats. This computational prowess is unmatched by human capabilities.

“The need for Cybersecurity in the first place is because of malicious actors trying to get into other people’s systems.” MAXX Apprentice Sherlene Eke points out.

Sherlene works alongside the SIEM tool, QRadar to protect against cyber threats. Used mainly for Security Logging and Incident Response, QRadar streamlines the generation of identified security threats and triggers alerts from various other security tools. Sherlene responds to alerts and determines next steps with her team when needed.

Cybersecurity software tools are important to protecting information, and at the end of the day, we need humans to maintain and work alongside these tools. Sherlene says it best. “Every software can have glitches and requires constant updates/patching not just to make it secure but also to keep up with new technologies.” 

SOC professionals shine in their ability to synthesize information delivered by their cybersecurity software. Through intuition and context, humans discern patterns and recognize the broader implications of the data processed by machines. While machines can identify anomalies, it’s often the human who determines whether an anomaly is a legitimate threat or a false positive.

Adaptability in a Changing Landscape & Learning Together

The cybersecurity landscape is in a constant state of flux, with cyber threats advancing at an alarming pace. The solution to staying ahead of cyber threats is through the adaptability of teamwork between humans and machines.

Humans possess the remarkable ability to adapt to new and unforeseen challenges. The capacity for critical thinking and problem-solving allows them to stay ahead of bad actors who are constantly devising new tactics. 

“Many tactics used in malicious messages still slip past the automated systems.” Julia Brigden, MAXX Apprentice, shares. She works with Mimecast, an advanced phishing and fraud detection security tool. 

“I think we all want to assume the automated system will prevent problematic messages from getting through, but the fact of the matter is I still have to investigate and remove dozens of malicious emails daily.” Julia said.

In the face of ongoing and smarter cyber threats, the dynamic partnership between humans and automation is key to staying resilient and managing cybersecurity.

Embrace the Power of Organization

A great cybersecurity team is not only supported by security software, but they also are made up of individualized teams with specific roles. An organization’s cybersecurity team includes an incident response team, global support team, risk team, app security team, and the physical security team. Each team has a role to play in protecting the business. When a business faces a cyber threat, these teams band together to eliminate the threat.

In incidents involving data breaches or cyberattacks, the human element becomes crucial in managing the impact on the company, the workers, and the individuals. People are the ones who work together with their security tools to eliminate the security threat and determine further solutions.

“There will always be a human element,” Sherlene shared. “Maybe not fully involved in the day to day but in the background of it.”

The Future of Cybersecurity is Human and AI Partnership

It’s not a matter of choosing one over the other but rather recognizing the complementary strengths that humans and AI bring to the table.

“The major takeaway is human vigilance is a very important and necessary part of cybersecurity.” Julia shared.

In a holistic approach to security, humans and machines work hand in hand. Machines process vast amounts of data and identify potential threats, while humans apply their intuition, adaptability, and emotional intelligence to make informed decisions. This synergy creates a formidable defense against the ever-evolving landscape of cyber threats.

Partner with MAXX Potential on your next project at MAXXpotential.com/contact.

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Building Bot Builders: RPA Accelerates Learning and Saves Businesses Time

RPA Development, Automation Anywhere, & Streamlining Processes

By MAXX Potential

  • Businesses
Sam Ardis, MAXX Apprentice, pictured here who's been working with RPA

“[Robotic Process Automation (RPA)] allows for so much work to get done in a short period of time and doesn’t require a lot of learning new languages or frameworks.” Sam Ardis, MAXX Apprentice, shares. “You can just hit the ground running a lot faster using RPA and because of that, I will always prefer RPA Development.”

Sam has worked on a RPA project for an Enterprise Customer for the last 9 months, and we had a chat with him. 

Let’s jump into the interview.

MAXX Potential: What were your initial thoughts about RPA? How has your perception of RPA changed over time, and what aspects of the process do you particularly appreciate?

Sam: When I first learned about the opportunity for an RPA assignment, I researched it and had reservations about whether delving into it would divert me from my established path or if it would truly involve coding. 

Once on the contract with the Customer, I was able to look through the code base for different projects and watch other developers code using RPA. I was surprised by how much could actually be done using RPA and how much easier it is to understand the code. 

I really appreciate how fast it is to have a request come in for a new bot, then outline, build, test, and push the bot into production within 1-3 months. That’s true even for beginner RPA Developers. 

MAXX Potential: Can you provide specific examples of tasks or processes that you successfully automated using RPA’s Automation Anywhere?

Sam: Recently I was tasked with developing a bot that does the formatting, balancing, and file management for the one of the Customer’s internal finance team. 

Basically the Bot takes deposits from customer policies and formats all of that data into excel spreadsheets based on certain criteria.

This bot is over 700 lines of code and took about 2-3 months for me to complete and get it running smoothly in production. It saves about 2 hours per business day and only takes 15 minutes or less to run each day.

MAXX Potential: What are some of the benefits that you have experienced as a developer through working with RPA’s Automation Anywhere?

Sam: Using Automation Anywhere has lots of benefits like a quick learning curve, fast development time, code ready at all times, and no complicated setup process just to name a few off the top of my head.

MAXX Potential: Can you talk about your interests before working on an RPA project? What sparked your curiosity to break into tech?

Sam: I have followed an untraditional path to get into the tech field. I started out in a completely different career path and soon realized it wasn’t going to provide me with the environment I wanted to be in. I started to rethink what I really wanted to do. 

I started putting together my love for technology, research, math, problem solving, and creativity. That led me to software development eventually in my early 20s. I immediately dove head first into all the websites, YouTube videos, and learning resources I could find. That led me to joining a full stack web development bootcamp called Lambda school (now called Bloom Institute of Technology). I completed that bootcamp after 40 hours per week for 9 months! 

I was ready to get a job at that point but I struggled to land any positions due to my experience. So I joined a college and started learning more about computer science and software development through that avenue. I also joined an IT program, ShiftUp, that helped me learn a lot of skills for other tech positions. 

Right after that I heard about Maxx Potential and was able to skip right into the interview process. And about 11 months later, here I am.

MAXX Potential: How do you compare your experience with RPA to more traditional development methods?

Sam: I think traditional development methods have advantages like more flexibility in how things are coded, more powerful and up to date systems, maybe better performance at times, and is best used towards interactive applications. 

RPA is specifically used for automating processes that are typically done manually by a human. Things that you would frequently do in a business or other profession that would save time if it was automated. Those are the main differences with traditional vs RPA development.

MAXX Potential: Do you have any final thoughts you want to share about RPA?

Sam: You can do pretty much anything you need to and all the tools are at your disposal. It’s really only limited by your coding skills, logic, and creativity.

I have learned a lot from using RPA and being able to help a large business save time and money, become more efficient, and reduce human error. I will always look to automate anything I can in the future.

Ready to partner with MAXX Potential on your next RPA project? We believe in transforming talent strategies and streamlining processes to drive efficiency and productivity. The future of your business awaits, and we are excited to be your trusted partner on this remarkable expedition. Contact us today at MAXXpotential.com/contact.

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Building Bot Builders: RPA Accelerates Learning and Saves Businesses Time

RPA Development, Automation Anywhere, & Streamlining Processes

By MAXX Potential

  • Businesses
Sam Ardis, MAXX Apprentice, pictured here who's been working with RPA

“[Robotic Process Automation (RPA)] allows for so much work to get done in a short period of time and doesn’t require a lot of learning new languages or frameworks.” Sam Ardis, MAXX Apprentice, shares. “You can just hit the ground running a lot faster using RPA and because of that, I will always prefer RPA Development.”

Sam has worked on a RPA project for an Enterprise Customer for the last 9 months, and we had a chat with him. 

Let’s jump into the interview.

MAXX Potential: What were your initial thoughts about RPA? How has your perception of RPA changed over time, and what aspects of the process do you particularly appreciate?

Sam: When I first learned about the opportunity for an RPA assignment, I researched it and had reservations about whether delving into it would divert me from my established path or if it would truly involve coding. 

Once on the contract with the Customer, I was able to look through the code base for different projects and watch other developers code using RPA. I was surprised by how much could actually be done using RPA and how much easier it is to understand the code. 

I really appreciate how fast it is to have a request come in for a new bot, then outline, build, test, and push the bot into production within 1-3 months. That’s true even for beginner RPA Developers. 

MAXX Potential: Can you provide specific examples of tasks or processes that you successfully automated using RPA’s Automation Anywhere?

Sam: Recently I was tasked with developing a bot that does the formatting, balancing, and file management for the one of the Customer’s internal finance team. 

Basically the Bot takes deposits from customer policies and formats all of that data into excel spreadsheets based on certain criteria.

This bot is over 700 lines of code and took about 2-3 months for me to complete and get it running smoothly in production. It saves about 2 hours per business day and only takes 15 minutes or less to run each day.

MAXX Potential: What are some of the benefits that you have experienced as a developer through working with RPA’s Automation Anywhere?

Sam: Using Automation Anywhere has lots of benefits like a quick learning curve, fast development time, code ready at all times, and no complicated setup process just to name a few off the top of my head.

MAXX Potential: Can you talk about your interests before working on an RPA project? What sparked your curiosity to break into tech?

Sam: I have followed an untraditional path to get into the tech field. I started out in a completely different career path and soon realized it wasn’t going to provide me with the environment I wanted to be in. I started to rethink what I really wanted to do. 

I started putting together my love for technology, research, math, problem solving, and creativity. That led me to software development eventually in my early 20s. I immediately dove head first into all the websites, YouTube videos, and learning resources I could find. That led me to joining a full stack web development bootcamp called Lambda school (now called Bloom Institute of Technology). I completed that bootcamp after 40 hours per week for 9 months! 

I was ready to get a job at that point but I struggled to land any positions due to my experience. So I joined a college and started learning more about computer science and software development through that avenue. I also joined an IT program, ShiftUp, that helped me learn a lot of skills for other tech positions. 

Right after that I heard about Maxx Potential and was able to skip right into the interview process. And about 11 months later, here I am.

MAXX Potential: How do you compare your experience with RPA to more traditional development methods?

Sam: I think traditional development methods have advantages like more flexibility in how things are coded, more powerful and up to date systems, maybe better performance at times, and is best used towards interactive applications. 

RPA is specifically used for automating processes that are typically done manually by a human. Things that you would frequently do in a business or other profession that would save time if it was automated. Those are the main differences with traditional vs RPA development.

MAXX Potential: Do you have any final thoughts you want to share about RPA?

Sam: You can do pretty much anything you need to and all the tools are at your disposal. It’s really only limited by your coding skills, logic, and creativity.

I have learned a lot from using RPA and being able to help a large business save time and money, become more efficient, and reduce human error. I will always look to automate anything I can in the future.

Ready to partner with MAXX Potential on your next RPA project? We believe in transforming talent strategies and streamlining processes to drive efficiency and productivity. The future of your business awaits, and we are excited to be your trusted partner on this remarkable expedition. Contact us today at MAXXpotential.com/contact.

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How to Diversify my IT Team

Unlocking the Potential of Diversity to Drive Tech Innovation

By MAXX Potential

  • Businesses

Are you ready to drive innovation through diversity in your IT team? Diversity in tech is the key to unlocking untapped ideas and enhancing problem-solving capabilities.

In today’s fast-paced world, prioritizing diversity within your company benefits your entire organization from profitability to out-of-the-box solutions. Developing a diverse tech team requires consideration to celebrating employee diversity and recognizing potential cultural communication barriers.

What Does Tech Diversity Look Like

A diverse IT team brings together individuals from various backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. This diversity of thought allows for a more comprehensive approach to problem-solving, as different viewpoints can lead to creative solutions that may have otherwise been overlooked.

Diversity in the IT industry has been shown to increase profitability and revenue. A study conducted by McKinsey found that companies with diverse executive teams have a 25% higher likelihood of experiencing above-average profitability. Diverse teams have a wider range of skills and insights, enabling better connection with unique customer bases to drive business growth.

By embracing diversity in tech, companies can ignite innovation and position themselves for success.

5 Practical Steps to Diversify Your IT Team

To achieve diversity in tech and reap the benefits, your company needs more than to just hire people from all backgrounds and demographics. The point is to have a team that works well together, and that means developing a space where every voice is heard and barriers are mitigated.

Curate a Safe Space for Ideas

Psychological safety opens the doors to untapped ideas that can shape the future of technology. It encourages individuals to challenge the status quo, think outside the box, and push boundaries. By embracing diverse perspectives in the brainstorming process, companies can harness the full potential of their IT team and drive innovation forward.

Another mentality that can help companies with diverse teams win is promoting the concept that the “best idea at the table wins.” Expertise takes a backseat to creativity. This collaborative culture gives every voice equal weight during a brainstorming phase.

Celebrate Employee Diversity

Creating a diverse and inclusive team is not just about ticking boxes or meeting quotas; it’s about celebrating the vibrant tapestry of talent and perspectives that each individual brings. In the world of diversity in tech, embracing employee diversity and encouraging everyone to bring their whole selves to work changes problem solving in beneficial ways.

By valuing and recognizing employee contributions, we create an environment where everyone feels seen, heard, and empowered to make a difference.

Identify and Solve Communication Barriers

In the book Outliers by Max Gladwell, he shares a story of how cultural backgrounds and communication norms caused plane crashes. Communication matters. When multiple people from different cultures, societies, and backgrounds work together, they may all be talking, but they are likely relying on different norms.

Diverse people create diverse solutions, so to work together, companies must identify and address any barriers that inhibit actual understanding between parties. This could mean providing resources and support for individuals who might have language differences, and it also may mean developing a script for passing information between coworkers.

Develop Clear Work Expectations and Flexible Arrangements

Setting clear work expectations and boundaries can help ensure that everyone on the team feels respected and included. This includes understanding and accommodating diverse cultural practices and allowing for flexible work arrangements when possible. When employees and managers are clear on work goals and measurements, everyone succeeds.

By establishing consistent practices and expectations, diversity in tech can thrive as each individual is given an equal chance to contribute, regardless of their position or background. This mitigates power imbalances and ensures equitable opportunities for all team members. 

Build External Partnerships and Networks

Building external partnerships and a diverse tech talent pipeline expands your connection to communities and resources outside of your company. External partnerships allow you to collaborate with organizations that are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in the tech industry. Access mentorship programs, workshops, and events that focus on increasing diversity in tech.

Networking with diverse individuals and communities can also help you build a more inclusive IT team. By reaching out to underrepresented groups, attending industry conferences and events, and actively engaging with diverse communities, you interact with talented individuals who may bring unique perspectives and skills to your team.

Diversify Your Tech Team with a MAXX Potential Partnership

At MAXX Potential, we believe in the power of diversity in tech. We understand that by partnering with organizations like ours, you can take a significant step towards creating an inclusive and innovative IT team. Our mission is to support businesses in diversifying their tech workforce and reaping the benefits that come with it.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to partner with MAXX and take your IT team to new heights of diversity and success. Together, we can create a future where inclusivity is the driving force behind innovation in the tech industry.

Ready to partner with MAXX Potential? Reach out today at MAXXpotential.com/contact.

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How to Diversify my IT Team

Unlocking the Potential of Diversity to Drive Tech Innovation

By MAXX Potential

  • Businesses

Are you ready to drive innovation through diversity in your IT team? Diversity in tech is the key to unlocking untapped ideas and enhancing problem-solving capabilities.

In today’s fast-paced world, prioritizing diversity within your company benefits your entire organization from profitability to out-of-the-box solutions. Developing a diverse tech team requires consideration to celebrating employee diversity and recognizing potential cultural communication barriers.

What Does Tech Diversity Look Like

A diverse IT team brings together individuals from various backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. This diversity of thought allows for a more comprehensive approach to problem-solving, as different viewpoints can lead to creative solutions that may have otherwise been overlooked.

Diversity in the IT industry has been shown to increase profitability and revenue. A study conducted by McKinsey found that companies with diverse executive teams have a 25% higher likelihood of experiencing above-average profitability. Diverse teams have a wider range of skills and insights, enabling better connection with unique customer bases to drive business growth.

By embracing diversity in tech, companies can ignite innovation and position themselves for success.

5 Practical Steps to Diversify Your IT Team

To achieve diversity in tech and reap the benefits, your company needs more than to just hire people from all backgrounds and demographics. The point is to have a team that works well together, and that means developing a space where every voice is heard and barriers are mitigated.

Curate a Safe Space for Ideas

Psychological safety opens the doors to untapped ideas that can shape the future of technology. It encourages individuals to challenge the status quo, think outside the box, and push boundaries. By embracing diverse perspectives in the brainstorming process, companies can harness the full potential of their IT team and drive innovation forward.

Another mentality that can help companies with diverse teams win is promoting the concept that the “best idea at the table wins.” Expertise takes a backseat to creativity. This collaborative culture gives every voice equal weight during a brainstorming phase.

Celebrate Employee Diversity

Creating a diverse and inclusive team is not just about ticking boxes or meeting quotas; it’s about celebrating the vibrant tapestry of talent and perspectives that each individual brings. In the world of diversity in tech, embracing employee diversity and encouraging everyone to bring their whole selves to work changes problem solving in beneficial ways.

By valuing and recognizing employee contributions, we create an environment where everyone feels seen, heard, and empowered to make a difference.

Identify and Solve Communication Barriers

In the book Outliers by Max Gladwell, he shares a story of how cultural backgrounds and communication norms caused plane crashes. Communication matters. When multiple people from different cultures, societies, and backgrounds work together, they may all be talking, but they are likely relying on different norms.

Diverse people create diverse solutions, so to work together, companies must identify and address any barriers that inhibit actual understanding between parties. This could mean providing resources and support for individuals who might have language differences, and it also may mean developing a script for passing information between coworkers.

Develop Clear Work Expectations and Flexible Arrangements

Setting clear work expectations and boundaries can help ensure that everyone on the team feels respected and included. This includes understanding and accommodating diverse cultural practices and allowing for flexible work arrangements when possible. When employees and managers are clear on work goals and measurements, everyone succeeds.

By establishing consistent practices and expectations, diversity in tech can thrive as each individual is given an equal chance to contribute, regardless of their position or background. This mitigates power imbalances and ensures equitable opportunities for all team members. 

Build External Partnerships and Networks

Building external partnerships and a diverse tech talent pipeline expands your connection to communities and resources outside of your company. External partnerships allow you to collaborate with organizations that are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in the tech industry. Access mentorship programs, workshops, and events that focus on increasing diversity in tech.

Networking with diverse individuals and communities can also help you build a more inclusive IT team. By reaching out to underrepresented groups, attending industry conferences and events, and actively engaging with diverse communities, you interact with talented individuals who may bring unique perspectives and skills to your team.

Diversify Your Tech Team with a MAXX Potential Partnership

At MAXX Potential, we believe in the power of diversity in tech. We understand that by partnering with organizations like ours, you can take a significant step towards creating an inclusive and innovative IT team. Our mission is to support businesses in diversifying their tech workforce and reaping the benefits that come with it.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to partner with MAXX and take your IT team to new heights of diversity and success. Together, we can create a future where inclusivity is the driving force behind innovation in the tech industry.

Ready to partner with MAXX Potential? Reach out today at MAXXpotential.com/contact.

MORE POSTS

How Tech Apprenticeships Deliver Real-World Expertise

Interview with Jasleen Bindra, MAXX Alum and IT Services Analyst

READ MORE

Spellbinding Solutions: How AI and Automation are Conjuring Up Potential

AI-Assisted Work to Augment Your Team

READ MORE

MAXX Potential Celebrates Finalist Nominations in Prestigious Richmond Technology Awards

Director of Emerging Technology, Tucker Mahan, named a finalist for the ELITE (Emerging Leader in Tech) Award

READ MORE