Mediaboss Marketing

More than 100leading experts, post-doctoral researchersand students from around the worldrecently descended upon the University of Toronto to share their quantum research.

The ninth biennialCentre for Quantum Information & Quantum Control (CQIQC) conference, a week-long gathering that wrapped up earlier this month, was held at theFields Instituteon theSt. George campus and was organized by the Faculty of Arts & SciencesCQIQC research nexus.

The conference has always been a wonderful opportunity to bring together leaders and young researchers from all sorts of different sub-areas in the field for a week in Toronto, says University ProfessorAephraim Steinberg ofU of Ts department of physicsand lead organizer of the conference.

It's very exciting for us because we get to talk to people in our own specialty or in different specialties. Its a chance to get a broad view of what's exciting and what's going on in the field.

CQIQC pronounced see-quick is the interdisciplinary umbrella organization for quantum research at U of T. It promotes research collaborations in theoretical and experimental activities; educates and trains students; runs a variety of programs such as post-doctoral fellowships, summer internships for undergrads, visiting professorships and awards; and runs a successful seminar series.

More than a hundred leading experts, post-doctoral researchers and students from around the world met at the ninth biennialCentre for Quantum Information & Quantum Control (CQIQC) conference (photo by Diana Tyszko)

Our members are from science and engineering departments and are working on both fundamental and applied aspects of quantum science and technology, saysDvira Segal, the centres interim director and a professor in the department of chemistry.

The centres ambition is to advance quantum research and education in Canada and establish U of T as a world-class research institute in the quantum field. We foster and facilitate interactions and collaborations between various research groups within the university and internationally, as well as promote partnerships with industry.

The interdisciplinary conference featured five days of invited and contributed talks exploring all topics quantum which are available on theconference website.

Experts from Stanford University, MIT, Harvard University, Duke University and other institutions, as well as scientists and entrepreneurs from startup companies,shared advances theyve made in quantum computing and quantum supremacy aterm used to describe when a quantum computer solves a problem that cant be solved by a classical computer in a reasonable amount of time.

Some talked about the ramifications of quantum advances on the cryptography that protects our digital and network transactions. Some discussed the practical challenges in building quantum computers and the quantum algorithms they run. Others explored more fundamental topics in quantum physics, including the nature of quantum phenomena and what makes them quantum.

Alejandro Perdomo-Ortiz, research director, Quantum AI, at Zapata Computing gives a presentation at the conference (photo by Diana Tyszko)

The conference provided students from around the world with an opportunity to share their research with attendees in discussions and poster sessions, and a chance to network with leading researchers in the field.

Daniela Angulo Murcillo,a graduate student in the quantum optics group in U of Ts department of physics, presented a poster, Measuring the Atomic Excitation Time due to Narrowband Resonant Photons that are Transmitted, that described work she and her collaborators are conducting under the supervision of Steinberg.

I truly enjoyed this conference because of the variety of subjects involved from foundational topics like contextuality to technological applications like quantum computing, says Murcillo.

I was inspired to explore new subjects by passionate scientists telling us about their work;reading about boson sampling is my new hobby! I was also able to discuss my work with other students and professors, and their questions tested me to find different strategies to explain my research.

Frank Corapi, a graduate student in the quantum optics group in the department of physics, participated in the conference poster session(photo by Diana Tyszko)

Frank Corapiis another graduate student in the quantum optics group. He presented a poster, Towards Quantum Simulation with p-Wave Interacting Fermions, describing research he and collaborators conducted under the supervision ofJoseph Thywissen, a professor in the department of physics.

I greatly enjoyed my time at the conference, says Corapi. Discussing my research with some of the other attendees provided me with new perspectives on concepts I'd been thinking about for a long time. The various talks and posters were also quite interesting, and the entire experience left me with many ideas to bring back to the lab.

For Steinberg and others at CQIQC, the conference continues to be one of the ways the centre is fulfilling its mission.

CQIQC has been around for more than 20 years, and weve been running this conference for almost the entire time, says Steinberg.

We're undergoing continued growth and are always bringing in more students and faculty who are pushing the boundaries of this area and were proud the conference has become one of the international mainstays of the quantum information meeting circuit.

Anna Dyring, CQIQCs quantum strategic initiative lead and one of the conference organizers, says the interest from students and young people, including undergraduate students, wasstriking,as was the large presence of industry representatives and startups.

These outcomes are hopefully a sign of a growing and maturing field, and feels very encouraging for the future.

Follow this link:
Global experts in quantum technologies, research gather at U of T to discuss 'growing and maturing field' - University of Toronto

Supartha Podder, an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Sciences, has received a two-year, $400,000 grant from the Department of Energy to study the power of quantum witnesses.

The grant is part of national $15 million initiative by the DOE to fund basic research to explore potentially high-impact approaches in scientific computing and extreme-scale science.

Podder studies quantum advantages in solving computational tasks; awitness is a piece of data that certifies the answer to a computation. Some problems are easy to verify once a little help regarding the solution is provided, like the sudoku puzzle, and a witness can be thought of as such help.

Quantum computation is a type of computational method that uses quantum bits or q-bits and harnesses the phenomenon of quantum mechanics such as superposition, interference and entanglement to solve problems. Classical computing is the traditional way computer science was developed using binary numbers and is governed by classical Newtonian mechanics.

My work looks to see if quantum computing is better than traditional computing types. We will do this by not only comparing quantum with classical in terms of standard resources such as time and space needed for computation but also in terms of broader and more abstract resources such as computational advice and witness, Podder said. Think of it as solving one piece of the bigger quantum advantage puzzle. The ultimate overall goal is to understand when and why quantum computation outperforms traditional classical computation.

The research will examine quantum witnesses through new perspectives to explore and better understand quantum witnesses. To do this involves designing new quantum algorithms, proving optimality of classical witnesses and investigating many different quantum mechanical properties of quantum witnesses.

Podder hopes that this work will shed light on the mystery of quantum advantage, and which can ultimately lead to having exponential quantum advantage for certain types of practical computational problems. If proven correct, such extreme-scale computing would ultimately save time, energy, and space to solve many of the computational problems worldwide that modern computers have difficulty completing.

Read story "Computer Science Faculty Wins DOE Grant to Study Quantum Computing Advantages" on SBU News

Read more:
Research - Stony Brook University

The tech industry has long been very alluring for young professionals, offering an engaging and potentially lucrative career. Consequently, the technical nature of many roles has started to generate a sentiment that non-technical degrees are not a worthwhile pursuit. Yet with the rate of development of emerging technologies like AI and quantum computing, this is not necessarily accurate.

As the new university year approaches, fewer students will be beginning a degree in arts and humanities subjects than before. Weve seen a fall of 40,000 enrolments over the last decade and Sheffield Hallam University recently suspended its English Literature degree. Members of UK government have been magnifying this belief by speculating about the phasing out of degrees with low-earning potential, with the reasoning that that they dont equip young workers with the necessary skills for our current job market.

In parallel, we are on the brink of a potential quantum age. Quantum computing, with its unprecedented speeds and processing power, promises to transform our computing abilities and further the development of next-gen AI. Naturally, we will need to equip our emerging workforce with complimentary skills, which is driving a rise in popularity for STEM degrees. Acceptances to computer science courses rising by almost 50% in the last decade, and acceptances to the newer AI courses having seen a tremendous 400% rise.

But this isnt the end of humanities degrees, far from it. In fact, humanities degrees are going to be vital in the rapidly advancing world of tech.

Despite once being heralded as technology of movies and science fiction, AI is now a common reality of modern-day life and quantum computing will soon follow suit. Predictions show that by next year, 25% of the Fortune Global 500 will be using some form of quantum computing to gain a competitive advantage. However, many questions remain about what appropriate usage actually looks like.

Regulation in quantum computing and other advancing technologies is going to be key to making sure that they arent being abused or misused. Already, we are facing issues with AI and quantum that need to be addressed for instance, AIs intrinsic bias problem. The effects of bias within datasets are only going to be intensified by quantum computing, and it will become impossible to manually analyse and redress its impact. To deal with the handling and regulation of quantum effectively, we need to be nurturing skills like ethics and decision making valuable skills that arts and humanities degrees intrinsically teach students.

We can already see a plethora of ethical dilemmas emerging. As the trend of quantum computing explodes, how will we make sure that it's used in a socially responsible manner? How will we enable fair access to quantum computing? How will we stop the monopolisation of quantum by companies? There are many issues we cannot predict, but we do know that we will need strict standards in the technology industry, and we need people to decide and enforce them and these are unlikely to come from the pure tech or scientific community, whose focus tends to be solely on progress.

The inherent fast-paced nature of the tech industry means the needs of the job market are constantly changing. For example, right now software developers are in increasingly high demand. There are over 465,700 software development professionals and programmers in the UK, more than doubling the 224,000 that there were a decade ago in 2011. However, as technology continues to rapidly advance, the advent of practical usage of quantum computing will begin to render these software developers' jobs obsolete as the knowledge required evolves.

It has been suggested that the half-life of a specific technical skill is now only 2.5 years. With the intense speed of technological development, any skills being learned now could be redundant a few years after graduating.

Therefore, instead of exclusively focussing on equipping our workforce with specific technical skills, we need to prepare for the longer-term requirements that will be necessary when technology itself supersedes the rate of human development. Supplementing a tech-minded workforce with non-tech workers with different perspectives, such as those with humanities backgrounds, can bring balance and enable teams to navigate these evolving needs more readily, drawing on knowledge that will not become outdated as the sector advances.

As technology progresses, many tech-skilled roles will become automated. We need to start nurturing the skills that we need for our future tech workforce.

Our future workforce will need to have the soft skills that humanities degrees bring to survive the fast-paced sector of technology. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills will be essential to be able to grapple with unprecedented problems and rapid developments. Communication skills involving public speaking, teamwork, professional writing and leadership skills will be indispensable to working with the many companies and groups that will be beginning to work with quantum computing.

In a future where developers jobs may be significantly reduced, those with skills from humanities degrees will be necessary for the future of technology.

Here is the original post:
The future of tech relies on humanities degrees - IDG Connect

Yuichiro Chino / GettyImages

While the internet has undoubtedly brought new benefits, it's also brought new problems as cyber criminals look to exploit our seemingly ever-growing reliance on connectivity.

Phishing emails, malware and ransomware attacks, or getting your bank details, passwords and other personal information stolen the internet has provided malicious hackers with a variety of new ways to make money and cause disruption. Just look, for example, at how critical infrastructure, schools and hospitals have been affected by cyberattacks.

We're yet to fully secure networks against today's internet threats, yet technology is moving on already, bringing new threats that we must somehow prepare for.

One of the most significant technological breakthroughs heading our way isquantum computing, which promises to be able to quickly solve complex problems that have defeated classical computers.

While this advance will bring benefits to scientific research and society, it will also create new challenges. Most notably, the power of quantum computing could make quick work of cracking the encryption algorithms we've used for decades to secure a range of areas, including online banking, secure communications and digital signatures.

Currently, quantum computing is expensive and the expertise required to develop it is restricted to large technology companies, research institutions and governments. But like any innovative technology, it will eventually become more commercially available and easier to access and cyber criminals will be looking to take advantage of quantum.

"There's some things over the horizon that you can see coming; notably quantum computing being able to crack current encryption algorithms," says Martin Lee, technical lead of security research at Cisco Talos.

"What was an entirely appropriate encryption key length 20 years ago is no longer appropriate".

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has already warned that action must be taken now to help protect networks from cyberattacks powered by quantum computing, particularly those that support critical national infrastructure.

But while disruptive cyberattacks powered by quantum computing are a key cybersecurity threat of the future, quantum computers could themselves be a lucrative target of hackers.

SEE:The stakes 'could not be any higher': CISA chief talks about the tech challenges ahead

Let's think of the specific example of crypto-mining malware. This is a form of malware that attackers install on computers and servers to secretly use the power of someone else's network to mine for cryptocurrency and pocket the profits all without needing to pay for the resources or the power being consumed.

Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, are generated by computers by solving complex mathematical problems the sort of mathematical problems that could be relatively trivial for a network of quantum computers to solve. That means that if cyber criminals were able to plant crypto-mining malware on quantum computers, they could get very rich very quickly at almost no cost to themselves.

"Infecting one of those would allow somebody to start calculating very complex algorithms," says David Sancho, senior antivirus researcher at Trend Micro.

"If you have a crypto miner on a quantum computer, that's going to tremendously speed up your mining capabilities those things becoming a target of trivial cyberattacks, it's a very easy prediction to make."

But quantum computing isn't the only emerging technology that cyber criminals will look to take advantage of: we can expect them to exploit developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), too.

Like quantum computing, AI and ML look set to power innovations in a range of areas, including robotics and driverless cars, speech and language recognition, healthcare and more.

AI that can adapt and learn can be used for good, but ultimately, once it becomes more widely available, it's only a matter of time before cyber criminals are using it to help make cyberattacks more effective.

"We will start seeing malware campaigns, ransomware operations and phishing campaigns being run totally automated by machine-learning frameworks. It hasn't been done yet but it wouldn't be very hard at all to do," says Mikko Hyppnen, chief research officer at WithSecure.

One means of exploiting this technology would be programming a text-based generation algorithm to send out, and reply to, common spam emails or business email compromise (BEC) campaigns.

Rather than needing a human to take time out to write and reply to messages, criminals could rely on an algorithm that can also analyse which responses are most likely to be real victims that are worth replying to, rather than people who remain unconvinced, or those who send prank replies back to the spammer. That reality means in future you could end up being scammed by a bot.

There's also the potential that cyber criminals could use advancements in ML to develop self-programming smart malware which, rather than needing a developer to support it, could update itself by automatically reacting to the cyber defences it meets to have the greatest chance of being effective.

"You could imagine when self-programming programs become more capable than right now where they can finish functions created by humans that sounds great until you give it ransomware," says Hyppnen.

"It could change the code, make it more complex to understand, make it so it's different every time, it could try to create undetectable versions. All of that is technically doable, we simply haven't seen it yet and I think we will," he warns.

SEE:Spy chief's warning: Our foes are now 'pouring money' into quantum computing and AI

But AI being abused to power cyber threats isn't a just a future problem for the internet it's already happening now, with deep learning being used to power deepfakes, which are videos that look like they're real people or events but are actually fake.

They've been used in political misinformation campaigns, pranks to fool politicians and they're already being used to enhance BEC and other fraud attacks, with cyber criminals using deepfake audio to convince employees to authorise significant financial transfers to accounts owned by the attackers.

"We're entering this brave new world around deepfake video that will be used to commit crimes. Not just manipulation, but also in disinformation and misinformation," says Theresa Payton, CEO of Fortalice Solutions and former CIO at the White House.

Take the example of CEOs who are in the public-facing realm. They appear on television, they give speeches, are there are videos of them online, so it's relatively simple to find recordings of what they sound like and it's already possible for scammers to run those resources through deepfake technology to mimic their voice.

After all, if an employee gets a call from the head of the company telling them to do something, they're likely to do it and the cyber criminals behind these attacks know this fact.

"I already know of three cases where deepfake audio was used to successfully convince somebody to transfer money to a place they shouldn't have transferred it. That is stunning to me that as a sample size of one, I already know of three cases," says Payton.

And as the technology behind deepfakes continues to improve, it means that it will only get harder to tell what's real from what's fake.

"I grow increasingly concerned about our lack of ability to really shut down manipulation campaigns," says Payton.

Deepfakes aren't the only area where cyber threats could impact our everyday lives if the future of the internet isn't secured properly. Increasingly, smart Internet of Things (IoT) devices are becoming a bigger part of our daily existence, with a variety of sensors, appliances, wearable devices and other connected products appearing in homes, offices, factories, and more.

While there are certain advantages to connecting IoT devices to our home and workplace networks, this increased level of networking is also creating a larger attack surface for cyber criminals to try to exploit.

"When you add functionality and connectivity into everyday devices, they become hackable. Devices that were unhackable become hackable. It might be very hard. Nevertheless, it is always doable. There is no secure computer. There is no unhackable device," explains Hyppnen.

"This is the thing that's happening now during our time, and there's no stopping it. It doesn't matter what we think about it, it's going to happen anyway, and it's going to be increasingly invisible."

Think about your home appliances: it's increasingly likely they're 'smart' and connected to the internet. Anything from your television to your toothbrush could now be internet-connected.

But for appliance manufacturers, building internet-connected devices is a relatively new phenomenon and many won't have needed to think about cybersecurity threats before. Some vendors might not even think about it in the design process at all, leaving the products vulnerable to hackers.

While hackers coming after your coffee machine or your fish tank might not sound like a concern, it's a point on the network that can be accessed and used as a gateway to attack more important devices and sensitive data.

SEE: Critical IoT security camera vulnerability allows attackers to remotely watch live video - and gain access to networks

While IoT security should (hopefully) improve as it becomes more widespread, there's also another problem to consider. There'salready millions and millions of IoT devices out there that lack security and these might not even be supported with security updates.

Think about how many smartphones can't receive security updates after just a few years. Then scale that reality up to the fast-growing IoT what's going to happen if devices that aren't regularly replaced, such as a refrigerator or a car, can continue to be used for decades?

"There's no software vendor on the planet that would support software written 20 years ago. It's just not happening," says Hyppnen, who suggests that when manufacturers no longer support updates for their devices, they should open source it to allow others to do so.

"You would get the security patches for your old, outdated legacy things by paying for the service just like you pay for any other service."

Connected devices are already becoming ubiquitous throughout society, with no sign of this trend slowing down whole smart cities will become the norm. But if cybersecurity and compliance isn't a key force driving this trend, it could lead to negative consequences for everyone.

"If you don't resolve these issues, you're going to have attacks happen at a scale and speed you've never seen before bad things will be faster. That is incredibly concerning," says Payton, who believes it's only a matter of timebefore a ransomware attack holds a smart city hostage.

"They will be a target and we will experience some level of sustained disruption," she adds.

Despite the potential threats on the horizon, Payton is optimistic about the future of the internet. While cyber criminals are going to be using new technologies to help improve their attacks, those responsible for defending networks will also be deploying the same technologies to help prevent attacks.

"I'm pretty energized about our continuing ability to model nefarious behaviors, then use artificial intelligence, big data, analytics, and different types of machine learning algorithms to continue to refine technology," she explains

"Now, will it block everything? No, because cyber criminals are always adapting their tactics. But I do have a lot of optimism for being able to block more of the basic-to-medium types of threats that seem to get through today."

That sense of optimism is shared by Hyppnen, who looks back on how technology has evolved in recent years. He believes cybersecurity is improving and that even with new technologies on the horizon, it doesn't mean cyber criminals and other malicious hackers will simply have it easy.

"Computer security has never been in better shape than today. That's a controversial comment people on the street would most likely think that data security has never been worse because they only see the failures. They only see the headlines about yet another hack," he says.

"But the fact is, if you compare the security of our computers today and a decade ago, it's like night and day. We're getting much, much better at security attackers have a much, much harder time breaking through."

Let's hope that situation remains the case the future stability of the internet depends on it being true.

Excerpt from:
The scary future of the internet: How the tech of tomorrow will pose even bigger cybersecurity threats - ZDNet

By Mahesh Zurale, Senior Managing Director and Lead Advanced Technology Centres in India, Accenture

1. How does Accenture define metaverse?Today, there are various definitions of the metaverse, and a lot of early efforts are being built with the focus on how to get it right each with different platforms, partners, and technologies at the core. Accenture has a distinct view: the metaverse is a continuum that will entirely transform the way we live and work in the future. Today, we increasingly see the convergence of multiple technologies (ranging from gaming engines to digital twins and extended reality) to address real-world problems in new ways and create transformational business value across the enterprise. That is why we define the metaverse as a continuum, as its evolving and expanding across multiple dimensions and transforming every aspectof business.

2. What are the building blocks of Metaverse?We believe the metaverse will impact every part of every business, and organizations have a unique opportunity to act boldly and compete in tomorrows market. In our latest Technology Vision 2022 report, we have highlighted the four building blocks of the Metaverse Continuum that will be foundational to organizations as they set the stage for the future. The first one is WebMe, which looks at the metaverse as the next evolution of the internet where users can not only browse digitally but also participate in a shared experience spanning across both the physical and virtual worlds.

The second trend is called Programmable World, which refers to the infusion of technology into our physical environments. It focuses on how 5G, cloud, and immersive technologies such as augmented reality (AR), extended reality (XR), and virtual reality (VR) are enabling better control, automation, and personalization.

The third trend The Unreal gives an overview of how AI-generated synthetic data and images are blurring the difference between the real and the unreal. While synthetic content will enable more seamless experiences, prioritizing authenticity will be key to preventing deep fakes and malicious attacks. The fourth trend Computing the Impossible is about exploring the outer limit of what is computationally possible and how it is being disrupted as the next generation of machines emerge. These machines quantum, HPC, and biology-inspired will help businesses solve challenges that were deemed impossible earlier.

3. How are AI, quantum computing, Web3, and the metaverse shaping the world of business?AI, quantum computing, Web3, and the metaverse will fundamentally change business processes, including customer interactions, day-to-day operations, working style, and products and services. In fact, 42% of executives surveyed in our Technology Vision 2022 report have cited the metaverse as transformational, whereas 71% believe it will have a positive impact on their organization. Major companies will shift part of their operations to the metaverse to engage with their employees in exciting new ways. At Accenture, we have built what we believe is the largest enterprise metaverse on the planet the Nth Floor to offer new joiners an immersive onboarding experience and employees new ways to learn and collaborate.

Businesses across sectors including retail, consumer products, financial, health, industrial, and manufacturing will use metaverse-related technologies to reimagine and elevate customer experiences. For example, in 2021 Gucci created The Gucci Garden Experience to sell virtual products and sold a virtual-only digital twin of a Gucci purse at a higher price than its real-world counterpart.

4. How can enterprises drive maximum value from the Metaverse?Organizations need to start prioritizing their technology investments to build a foundation in the metaverse. It is important to first identify and close the existing gaps in their digital transformation, whether it is delayed cloud adoption or the lack of a robust security infrastructure. Another area that organizations need to consider is building skills in AI, blockchain, gaming, security, VR, and XR to prepare for the metaverse. The other in-demand skills will include distributed ledger experts and token economists who understand the economics of creating tokenized products. Additionally, strategic partnerships with technology experts will be crucial to support enterprises in their journey towards themetaverse.

5. What are the security measures that companies should incorporate to operate in the Metaverse?As metaverse gains momentum globally, it not only presents new opportunities for businesses to explore, innovate and create new products/services but also brings forth concerns around data, privacy, and safety. Establishing a responsible metaverse from the start is essential to fostering trust in the underlying technology and experiences to drive adoption and user acceptance.

For example, organizations engaging in the metaverse require a comprehensive approach to security. If not, the absence of a standard framework will allow threat actors to take advantage of potential vulnerabilities and gain access to critical user data, which could result in security breaches, ransomware attacks, and identity theft. Organizations need to address the cybersecurity gaps early and proactively map user journeys across the metaverse.

Deploying advanced security solutions that can not only assess the potential risks but also spot and identify threats and breaches will be key to making the new system of place digitally secure. As with any technology, a strategic approach must be taken while deploying solutions in the metaverse to gain the maximum benefit without compromising on security.

6. How Metaverse will change the dynamics of business in the future?Technologies like 5G and cloud that lay the foundation of the metaverse have already proven to deliver improved efficiency, boost operations maturity, and drive business innovation. For instance, Shell, through its AR Remote Assist, enables its workers in the field to get assistance from experienced technicians across the world, allowing real-time, collaborative discussions amongst its teams. This is just one example of how the metaverse will enable the adoption of people-centric technologies to offer new ways of working and collaboration.

With the use of digital twins, companies can create virtual replicas of their physical offices and provide employees the flexibility to work from anywhere. Similarly,extended reality has the potential to make employee learning experiences more immersive, resulting in better retention and improved performance. While the metaverse is still at a nascent stage, it presents immense business potential. Companies need to reimagine their business now to capitalize on the possibilities the future will bring.

See the article here:
Are enterprises ready for the next wave of digital change? - Express Computer