The Newest Chatbot: Google Bard

In the sphere of technology, conversational Artificial Intelligence has notched up at a rate of knots. One such example is Chat GPT, also known as the heart of Microsoft. It has been in the limelight since it came back in November, 2022. Subsequently, it made waves for Google compelling it to pace up and release its own version of generative AI chatbot known as the Bard. Google Bard has been launched recently in February and in the coming months we will see stiff competition between the two. The two technologies might seem similar superficially, but in a subtle way there are differences in terms of their usage and performance. However, in this blog our focus will be more on Google Bard. 

With conversational AI, Bard has buffed the education sector and many businesses, allowing them to do research in specific areas. It helps them to generate real time information and directs them towards ideation through the latest web crawled data available at that moment. Google is all prepped to upgrade its search capacities. The outcome will be that numerous bytes of data with diverse perspectives will be processed and integrated. The most accurate information will be filtered out for users in the most comprehensible format. By gathering this data from multiple sources, Google's aim is to provide users with knowledge and information through Al applications. Bard makes use of LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications) in order to achieve its purpose.

What segregates Chat GPT from Google Bard are the sources of data on which both these chatbots are trained or gather relevant information from. Bard is one step ahead of Chat GPT from one angle i.e. it efficiently utilizes the prime information from the web and takes the maximum advantage of the latest, real time data. On the other hand, Chat GPT does not incorporate information that is up to the minute. It is attuned and trained on all the data which was available till the end of 2021. 

In the coming months it is expected that Bard chatbot will be released for the public and will be available as an Application Programming Interface (API), after fine tuning and eliminating certain biases. The chatbot will ensure that the conversations are based upon groundedness and the platform is safe and sound for every individual. Furthermore, Bard is trained on several models that boosted its performance. The major ones are as follows:

Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs): These models help in the generation of creative visual and interactive media content. It has two neural networks, one is the generator that creates new content and focuses on accuracy of results. The second one is a discriminator that stresses upon the quality and realism of results produced by the generator. 

Transformer Models: These models are based upon deep learning and are majorly designed to interpret the natural language text. Transformers such as MUM or BERT help to track relationships. These models depict correlation between words and the context in which they are used in a sentence.

Large Language models: These technologies give coherent, logical and realistic answers or responses to users in the form of text. It is trained on huge datasets that can generate responses ranging from stories, essays or articles to programming codes.

The much hyped Google Bard is up and coming. Currently, the tech giant is going through the phase of testing and is open just for the trusted testers. The target of the company is to surpass all the previous models in the market in terms of computational capabilities.

 

 

Techniques used for Secure Coding

We are living in a world that is unceasingly relying on technology and upgraded software for many different activities. This has made it obvious for software engineers to come up with safe, secure and better coding or apps that will forestall the possible threats from attackers. Organizations and individuals are now making financial transactions electronically which is giving rise to security mishaps mainly because of malfunctioning of the application's software. A code which is not well secured means that it will result in considerable harm and companies belonging to various sectors (for example banking, energy, transport, telecom, healthcare etc.) will have to face malpractices in the form of financial losses, damage to property, larceny, physical damage or maneuverings etc.

What is secure coding?

Source code is an essential part of the computer program. It includes a number of instructions or statements which a programmer or coder creates and writes. It is usually written in the form of functions, commands, descriptions etc. which users and programmers can easily read and understand. In secure coding, programmers adhere to stringent rules and principles when it comes to writing, gathering, or setting codes in an application. They adopt a standardized language with an intent to mitigate and preclude the anticipated vulnerabilities i.e. disclosure of sensitive data or harm to a network. Not only this, it also requires a well-managed and highly secure IT infrastructure, efficient hardware and software for best results.

Many renowned companies having all the relevant resources have faced data breaches which reveals how insecure and cumbersome these soft wares are. Secure coding is important for companies that provide software services to people and other businesses because if they are not up to the mark, it will harm company's reputation. Ultimately they will lose customers and their trust because confidential data is their biggest and most valuable asset.

Major techniques involved in secure coding

While working on secure programming coders must ensure that the procedures and practices are simple, also referred to as KISS in computer science. Complex methods brings unfavorable and varying results so they must be avoided. 

Access Control: It grants permission to some individuals and restricts others from having access to the resources based on their login credentials. Authentication is the term used here to verify the identity of individual who tries to access the system. While authorization grants them access to some specific resources based on users attributes. This makes sure that your system is highly secured and well protected.

Secure management: This is another security policy that businesses must adopt. It comprises of a set of tools used to control and protect your sensitive information or authentication credentials for example password, APIs, or access keys etc. Revealing or uploading such confidential information on the code repositories can be problematic, so it must be kept as a secret. Also make sure your password is strong and complex to deal with common attacks. If a number of incorrect attempts are made to sign in, the system should deny them from entry. 

Strong data encryption: Another way of securing your data is by ensuring it is encrypted properly. You must encode your data in a way that only those users with the right encryption key can have access to it. For this purpose, you can refer to libraries and other sources that will help you to write a custom code.

Auditing, error management and logging: Software related errors can be in the form of bugs or cookies that can make companies vulnerable. To pare down their effect, error management and logging techniques are important. In error management, the errors in the code are detected which can prevent major incidents or failures. Logging helps programmers to diagnose errors in the documents and efficiently deal with it. 

Threat Modeling: In this framework the different threat agents are identified who can pose a threat to the computer system. There are four steps that developers follow here i.e. document, identify threats, address and validate. This process helps them to recognize the attackers or the possible threats that could arise. 

Regular security testing, keeping the system up to date and following these above mentioned guidelines will ensure that your code is secure and free from errors.

 

Is ChatGPT a Game Changer?

Chat GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) has gained significant appreciation from public because of its phenomenal performance since November, 2022. Millions of people are currently using this technology and making the most out of it. Chat GPT chatbot is backed by OpenAI technology and makes use of deep learning in order to come up with conversations and responses just like humans. The artificial neural networks are trained in such a way that it is easy for Chat GPT to imitate human thinking abilities.

Chat GPT has edge over other chatbots in terms of datasets. Since it is trained on large datasets, it can perform a number of activities and tasks belonging to various sectors and fields. It helps in answering questions, follows human guidelines, and generates content in multiple languages through large swathes of data available on the internet. You can give command to Chat GPT to explain the process of photosynthesis or write an essay on human rights and the answer will appear on your screen right there and then. It not only helps businesses to devise strategies but also assists students in completing their assignments/homework by simply signing up for free. However, schools, universities and educational institutions are coming up with plagiarism checking tools that will empower them to detect AI. Interesting, it can also write programming code by analyzing and following the steps that programmers and developer take. Chat GPT does not accept inappropriate requests or commands (For example request that are discriminatory or demeaning). It also helps to conduct research but unlike Google it would not give you links or citations for it.

Whenever a new technology comes into play, people are quick to respond and same goes for Chat GPT. From marketing perspective, Chat GPT is in the stage where public reaches the height of excitement but it cannot take place of humans entirely, though it has been serving marketers in many ways. It can provide exceptional customer service and support by engaging with them, responding to their queries, concerns and FAQ's in a timely and humanly manner. In this way Chat GPT has allowed companies to effectively utilize its resources, directing staff towards more intellectual, demanding and technical tasks that require more human involvement and prudence. Chat GPT can be attuned and trained in different languages, can update or modify the product description and even send personalized messages with creative content to customers, making them feel satisfied through its efficient service.

If there are no human interventions, it will be quite difficult to capitalize on Chat GPT and the customer-company relationship would not be meaningful. Another down side is that the content is not always free from errors or accurate as warned by OpenAI. Though you might find it insightful but sometimes the answers are off the beam and you have to review and edit it so that the information or message is in line with the brand image. Also, too much reliance on Chat GPT can create hurdles in the path of human creativity and thinking ability. Once you come up with an effective marketing strategy it is better to use Chat GPT afterwards just for the sake of idea generation. This is important because without a strong and persuasive marketing strategy company will not have a competitive edge.

Chat GPT has been blowing everyone’s mind through its broad expertise. However, it seems like a bubble and the spark might be short lived since it’s not smart enough to take place of human brain.

 

Internet of Things and Its Applications

Every other day we stumble upon something new and interesting. Another technology, Internet of Things has been backing us in an ingenious way, making the world around us smarter. Recently, in California a new and smart parking system has been introduced for the smooth flow of traffic that leads drivers toward the nearest parking area to park their vehicles. Smart watch, another wearable gadget that relies on IoT technology tracks location, gives reminder and shows notifications to the bearer. Let’s see what IoT really is.

What is Internet of Things?

Internet of things is a subtle term referring to an object or a set of physical objects that has processor, software or sensors embedded in them through which information and data is exchanged or shared with other objects (gadgets or devices) with the help of internet.

There are uncountable applications of Internet of Things that are useful for organizations and individual, some top ones are discussed in this blog. So let’s explore them:

1.     Home Automation: Smart homes might seem a new and unheard technology to many individuals. However, those who are ardently exploring unique features to add into their homes know how useful it is in everyday home activities. The sensors embedded in smartphones or computers controls the lighting (you can turn it on and off through your smartphones), heating and even manages the security systems of the houses through facial recognition technology. The alarm system alerts the residents about the visitors that show up at your gate. Similarly, appliances function and operate through internet switches. Personalized music can also be played according to the persons taste when he/she enters the room.

2.     Uplifting Agriculture: World population is massively growing so innovation in this sector is crucial. Rescaling to uplift the agricultural system is the only solution. Through IoT, sensors keep a check on the level of acidity, carbon dioxide, and the right amount of nutrients that must be present in the soil. All these inputs are responsible for the quality and agricultural yield. Unlike the traditional water distribution system used for fields (i.e. tube wells), smart irrigation system uses IoT to regulate the flow of water to the fields. If the soil gets too dry then IoT system supplies the appropriate amount of water. When a certain moisture level is attained, the water supply is stopped. IoT is also used to keep a track of livestock through RFID chips that are attached to them so shepherd can easily locate their cattle. Their vaccination details, water and food intake can be monitored through predictive images. There are many other areas where IoT is used such as smart greenhouse. The automated system allows experts to manage the amount of light, water and nutrients through an artificial microclimate environment. The crops can be grown in this way without the natural weather obstructing them.

3.     Creative solutions for enterprises: In large organizations there are IT teams who continuously manage and work on improving the IT infrastructure. Security systems with IoT technology helps to prevent attacks from cybercriminals. This system makes use of real time data and come up with strategies to weaken and defeat the attackers in their mission. Moreover, it directs the companies to make smarter decisions through customer analytics.

4.     Advancement in cities: IoT is incorporated almost everywhere in the cities through which many activities are performed quickly and efficiently. Sensors and wireless technology has eased many task for government which helps them to mitigate pollution and manage traffic flow and other resources. These sensors enable environmentalist to keep a check on air quality (measure the level of oxygen, humidity, carbon monoxide, smoke, nitrogen dioxide and other harmful gases which are detrimental to human health) and reduce air pollution by taking effective measures. IoT systems can detect wildfires in forests so that wildlife workers can quickly stop its spread. 

Since there are sensors lodged near traffic signals or on roads, traffic can be controlled and managed by observing the trends in traffic pattern as data is sent directly to the IoT systems through these sensors. Based on this, commuters can take different routes to reach their destination in case of traffic congestion. In terms of managing resources, these sensors are fixed with the water meters so that water usage and water wastage can be tracked and checked. Government can then devise a solution to prevent water wastage by introducing efficient ways to recycle it.

5.     Transforming supply chain: There are multiple procedures and processes involved and continuously taking place in order to produce a final finished product. From procuring raw material to shipping and delivering it to the final customers, IoT assists in every step. While shipping products, large businesses use trackers to monitor the routes. This helps supply chain managers to decide which route they should go for in order to transport the goods, keeping in mind that they are cost effective and saves resources such as fuel. IoT also keeps a check on goods quality, container's temperature and humidity. It keeps the workforce and vehicles in the loop and automatically reports the management in case of delays.

On the whole, government, businesses and industries are all set to invest their time and money in IoT. Many jaw dropping innovations are yet to come which will entirely change our work mode and daily activities.

 

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Technology and Troubleshooting

Technology has numerous benefits but along with those it brings snags too. At times websites get bogged down because of some glitches, technical issues, or other hardware/software related flaws. Such issues can be from customer side or company's side. For example your computer hardware might get heated up. Unknowingly, customers will reach you out because they think that company is responsible for the product or software malfunctioning. You have to guide and inform them in a polite way that they should try to fix the faults in their systems because such issues can be from any side (customer or company). That’s where troubleshooting comes in and saves your time. 

While troubleshooting these technical issues you can focus on the following areas:

1. Refresh page or site: Sometimes technical issues are trivial and require you to refresh or reload your webpage. Simple things like logging out and then again signing in can help in this regard. The system gets slow or stuck because you might have opened too many tabs. In order to optimize it you can clear cache items, junk or cookies, delete unnecessary documents, files, audio or videos that have piled up limiting your storage space. Your data gets saved on the browser because of cookies while cache stocks up some of the page components. Restarting or rebooting your gadgets/ devices also helps at times. If these steps solves your problem then there is no need to follow other guidelines.

2. Breakdown of information: Technological experts try to discern the issue by getting to the nitty gritty (root cause) of it and see where the actual problem lies. Thus, they break down the problem into simple parts which they can easily comprehend. For example there might be a software bug that produces unexpected results. The results might be different from the ones they expected. For example when using word for writing an article you might expect that the system will automatically save it. However, in actual terms the screen freezes and you might have to shut down and restart the device for it to function properly. You will lose all your data if it was not saved initially.

3. Sum up all the details and report: If you are clear that a problem exists, what you should do next is to report the issue to the relevant department. Customer should reach out to the company's customer care representative if they figure out a fault while the company should report the matter to its development team to sort it out. One must give a detailed report of the issue to minimize further questioning and maximize efficiency. In case the problem still prevails then customers must share the screenshots, screen recordings, faulty messages or console errors on the web browser.

4. Viewing the issue from the perspective of a technical engineer: Technical support teams make up or recreate the glitch themselves to preview it and find out exactly what the issue is and whether it happens again. For example if you visit a website and click to visit another landing page but it does not open, you can report about this big to the tech team and they will look into it by reproducing it and experiencing similar bugs or not. Based on their own findings they will fix that issue.

5. Prepare a bug list for engineers: Here the customers makes a request for changes and improvements for a smooth and big free experience. Customer support teams who sometimes gives them canned replies (you prewrite and formulate common replies to complaints, queries or requests) passes this to the tech department who work on to resolve it. 

In order to set things right, troubleshooting requires clear and effective communication from the customer and company’s side. Only then the process can become faster, efficient and technical mishaps and difficulties can be avoided.

Data Privacy and Ethics in Business

Privacy is terms of protecting data is imperative and with time it is becoming more complex due to the progress made in technology, expansion and changing needs of businesses. Whenever a company gathers the personal data of an individual, ethically it’s their responsibility not to reveal it. Company has to keep their confidential information secure, as customer-business relationship is based on mutual trust and legally they will be accountable if they breach those terms. Preserving the privacy, maintaining ethics and granting security to all the stakeholders are things that are interlinked and form the basic structure for businesses. Violation of any of these means breaking the law which can ruin the relationship and create an unbridgeable gap between the two parties. To avoid these unpleasantries and going up along the tangled path, it is important to stick to a firm privacy and security framework that is based upon ethical grounds.

Information and data collection have their pros and cons. The silver lining is that it gives you a deeper insight of your customers, results in fair trading, communication becomes faster and effective, and ensures transparency in business dealings. The shortcomings are that it is risky when you entrust your staff and vendors with sensitive data to make ethical decisions since companies are prone to cyber-attacks. Data losses or leakage can result in legal implications, break the trust of customers, businesses can lose their credibility and they may face financial downturns.

Below are some practices that businesses can follow to ensure that they correctly adhering to the principles of privacy and staying within the realm of ethics. These will also help them to mitigate the aforementioned drawbacks.

1. Devise a Code of Ethics: All begins from developing and setting a tone within the organization's culture. Training and guiding the employees regarding the policies and procedure is the first step towards building digital trust within and beyond the organization. For this they must keep in mind that they respect the individual behind the data since they are there to serve them. Privacy and security officials must have a clear knowledge of what is expected from them. Unnecessary data that is of no use for the company must not be collected from people. They must adopt a farsighted approach (as to what can happen in future) while utilizing the data and using the analytical tools. Side by side, they should know the way they have used the data in the past and make improvements accordingly. In short, the whole plan should be based on accountability, clarity and auditability.

2. Adopting Ethical Technology: While investing and introducing automation in various business processes, make sure to do proper planning and see how customer will react to certain marketing techniques that you will adopt. For example by knowing the zip code of an individual and keeping in mind how the algorithms regard the inputs, you can do target marketing and focus on specific customer niche in a way that satisfies them. 

3. Take prior consent for data collection and sharing: During the process of data collection and sharing it is essential for companies to get a detailed and informed consent from the individual. As the information is passed on from one department to another a lot changes and becomes different from the context in which the individual gave approval and consent. Proper guidelines and practices must be followed before the disclosure, sharing and manipulation of data to mitigate risks and potential harm. Strong ethical initiatives prevents the non-consensual data sharing and data cannot be misused by those parties who are not given access.

Much of a company's success and reputation depends on the way it uses the data of customers. Customers’ value and demand trust from companies. Using the data ethically and prioritizing consumer/customers privacy, organization's profits can surge as they will gain loyal customers and stakeholder will trust them more.