january

Last Month Today – January 2023 in review

Shutterstock shows the responsible way to content creation by introducing generative AI

Shutterstock, Inc., the world’s leading creative platform for transformative brands and media companies, announced the launch of its AI image generation platform, available to use by all Shutterstock customers globally in every language the site offers. The text-to-image technology converts prompts into larger-than-life, ethically created visuals ready for licensing.

“Shutterstock has developed strategic partnerships over the past two years with key industry players like OpenAI, Meta, and LG AI Research to fuel their generative AI research efforts, and we are now able to uniquely bring responsibly-produced generative AI capabilities to our own customers,” said Paul Hennessy, Chief Executive Officer at Shutterstock.

“Our easy-to-use generative platform will transform the way people tell their stories — you no longer have to be a design expert or have access to a creative team to create exceptional work. Our tools are built on an ethical approach and on a library of assets that represents the diverse world we live in, and we ensure that the artists whose works contributed to the development of these models are recognized and rewarded.”

Shutterstock supports a responsible AI-generation model that pays artists for their contributions. The company has built in mitigations against the biases that may be inherent in some datasets, while new ways are being continuously explored to fairly depict underrepresented groups.

2023 Deloitte Global Marketing Trends report outlines opportunities in uncertain times

With a new year comes new challenges, but also opportunities as business leaders and marketers set their sights on embracing trends and solutions that can set them up for success. Curated through surveys and in-depth conversations with more than 1,000 C-suite executives, Deloitte’s 2023 Global Marketing Trends report offers guidance through uncertainties that business leaders may face, while presenting meaningful approaches to consider which may help propel businesses forward.

According to the report, going into 2023 marketers should focus on investing in digital technologies, platforms, new markets, and customer personalization. In addition, sustainability efforts should be improved within internal marketing practices, and long-term commitments should be established. More room for creativity can be made by bringing the rest of the organization along for the ride. Finally, the report suggests the time has come to lay the foundation for metaverse or blockchain adoption.

Amid fluctuating and uncertain economic indicators of 2023, marketers are focusing on investments that can help their organizations be resilient in the face of rapid change. As new platforms disrupt existing digital marketing models and slipping consumer confidence requires focused attention on customer loyalty and innovating new growth opportunities, the report offers inspiration and motivation to help bring considerable, creative, and lasting impact.

NASA and DARPA will test nuclear engine for future Mars missions

NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced a collaboration to demonstrate a nuclear thermal rocket engine in space, an enabling capability for NASA crewed missions to Mars. “With the help of this new technology, astronauts could journey to and from deep space faster than ever – a major capability to prepare for crewed missions to Mars,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

Using a nuclear thermal rocket allows for faster transit time, reducing risk for astronauts. Reducing transit time is a key component for human missions to Mars, as longer trips require more supplies and more robust systems. Maturing faster, more efficient transportation technology will help NASA meet its Moon to Mars Objectives.

Other benefits to space travel include increased science payload capacity and higher power for instrumentation and communication. In a nuclear thermal rocket engine, a fission reactor is used to generate extremely high temperatures. The engine transfers the heat produced by the reactor to a liquid propellant, which is expanded and exhausted through a nozzle to propel the spacecraft. Nuclear thermal rockets can be three or more times more efficient than conventional chemical propulsion.

The development of advanced nuclear thermal propulsion technology is scheduled to begin as soon as 2027.

High penetration of mobile devices and increasing mobile platforms fuel IoT security sector

According to the Internet of Things (IoT) Security Market – Forecasts from 2022 to 2027 report by ResearchAndMarkets.com, the growing adoption of connected devices and networks has also increased the concern related to cyber threats. IoT involves adding internet connectivity to a system of interrelated devices and digital machines. This complex integration and interconnectivity of systems have also led to a rise in cyberattacks on devices to gather confidential data. As such, the demand for IoT security solutions is augmenting worldwide in order to detect, resist, and recover various IoT devices from different malicious attacks.

The increase in cyberattacks on IoT devices is accelerating at an unprecedented rate, with more than 2.5 billion global events till 2019. Geopolitical motivation also leads to a rise in the number of cyberattacks globally. Cyber attackers are constantly using malware to take control of IoT devices or connected machines and conducting malware activities across industries such as BFSI, retail, and healthcare. Since these industries have critical and confidential data stored, it is crucial to adopt IoT security solutions.

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