Nine great industry news stories from the past year.
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What did Canada Google about in 2019?
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Why is Toronto called The 6? Why is Fortnite not working? And, who is Greta Thunberg? These are just a few of the questions that Canadians sought answers to in the past year. CBC has compiled a list of the top-searched Google terms across the country in 2019. From Kawhi Leonard to guacamole recipes, the top-ranking terms might surprise you.
The Data Decade: How We Were Bought and Stolen in the 2010s
In the words of Popular Mechanics recent article, "It's been a hell of a decade for your data." Since 2010, your personal information has been sold on the dark web, stolen by foreign nations and used to swing elections. By 2021, cybercrime will be a $6 trillion industry which makes it more profitable than the global trade of all major illegal drugs. This also means that our personal information is now the world's most valuable currency. Reflect on how we got to this point and what the future will hold here.
Innovation in Legal Practice: Why Now?
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Ontario Bar Association lawyers are progressive, change-makers. Colin Stevenson, president of the organization, explained why this matters during his address at the OBA Council Meeting in September. "Lawyers can, and always should, be on the frontlines of social progress, anticipating threats to human rights and advocating for reforms that ensure the law adapts to keep pace with the times." Furthermore, Colin explained that, "In order to excel in our profession, we have to stay current and to see issues from multiple angles. In short, we must be expansive in our thinking and creative in the discharge of our duties as trust advisers." Read his take on why lawyers have been slow to embrace innovation and why now is the time to react on OBA's website.
What do we do about Deepfake Video?
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Barack Obama. Mark Zuckerberg. Nancy Pelosi. All three of these public figures have been victim to deepfake videos. Deepfake content, created using AI-based technology to produce or alter videos, is circulating the internet at an alarming speed. And, as the technology behind it continues to improve, it's becoming harder and harder to distinguish what is real and what isn't. Learn what you need to know about deepfake and the steps you can take to critically evaluate the content you're viewing in The Guardian's June, 2019 article.
The Worst Hacks, Cyberattacks and Data Breaches of 2019
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Via ZDNet
Over the past decade, there has been a constant stream of data breaches that have hit the headlines, ranging from the theft of medical information, account credentials, corporate emails and internal sensitive enterprise data. This past year, hundreds of well-known organizations have fallen victim to these breaches. ZDNet has listed the top hacks and cyberattacks, broken down by month, that are worth learning more about. From Apple FaceTime and Facebook to Burger King and DoorDash, the long list of security incidents have affected millions across Canada and the U.S.
Chatbots Spotlight Machine Learning's Trillion-Dollar Potential
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Love them or hate them, chatbots are here to stay. Tech Crunch has reported that AI could contribute up to $15.7 trillion to the global economy in 2030. That's more than the current output of China and India combined. While it's unknown what exactly the future of AI will hold, one thing is for sure: chatbots provide significant evidence for AI's positive impact on both business growth and employment markets. In fact, the evolution of the cognitive computer science behind conversational chatbots is perhaps one of the best examples of AI technologies driving revenue.
How Companies are Using AI in Practice
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We hear so much about artificial intelligence but aside chatbots (see above), how is this technology being put to use? Forbes has listed the top 10 best instances of how exactly companies are using AI in practice. Examples include:
- Self-driving technology
- Digital voice assistants
- Music and shopping predictions
- Understanding and interpreting the emotional sentiment of writing
- Creating human-like arguments
- And even cloning voices based on just 3.7 seconds of audio samples
Read all of the major ways AI is changing our world and the brands that are leading the way here.
How Tech is Changing the Business of Law
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"Every company is a technology company." In the digital age, law firms need to not only be fluent in business but also tech. Over the past decade, our industry has been fortunate to adopt several innovations that make the lives of lawyers and legal staff easier — BlackBerry, eDiscovery and analytics are just a few examples. Legal Cheek recently published a debrief of a panel that discussed the change in skills required of lawyers in this day and age. Learn what the leading lawyers had to say and why it's important to follow tech trends that are "correct, enforceable and suitable" for the sensitive practice of law.
Top 5 Cybersecurity Trends to Prepare for in 2020
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As we embark on a new decade, it's time to reflect on what's to come. This holds especially true the for the cybersecurity trends that are likely to greet us as early as January. According to Security Boulevard, cloud transformation is about to accelerate, automated attacks will increase non-compliance will be come (even more) costly. Learn what's predicted to come and how you can keep your business ahead of the curve here.
