The AI market is booming—and it’s here to stay. There are currently 23,209 AI startups in the US, according to startup tracker Tracxn, and the generative AI market is also “poised to explode,” according to a report by Bloomberg Intelligence, which indicates gen AI will become a $1.3 trillion market over the next 10 years. IT Brew caught up with investors to chat about the industry, see what they look for in an AI startup, and learn why having a background in IT is a plus for founders looking to tap in.

What do you look for in an AI startup?

“One of the things, I think, that’s really important is how much change this AI role can actually deliver in the broader world,” Sheila Gulati, the founder and managing director of venture capital (VC) firm Tola Capital, told IT Brew. “We’re looking for founders who are trying to solve real problems now, but also are looking at this arc of time [and saying], ‘Wow, the world could work really differently.’ A lot of these underlying technologies are moving so quickly—what are we going to do with that?”

Read more here.—AF

Do you work in IT or have information about your IT department you want to share? Email [email protected].

Hybrid and remote work is now the norm for many businesses. Employees are able to get the job done wherever they are, on whatever devices and apps work best. But working on unmanaged apps and devices can result in unmanaged risk.

So how can you keep your employees happy and productive while protecting your org at the same time? Simple, just secure every part of access with 1Password^Ⓡ Extended Access Management (XAM).

1Password Extended Access Management helps lock down your security by:

• providing a single universal sign-on to all applications and websites from a single pane of glass
• ensuring the health of all devices, both personal and company owned
• blocking or limiting access attempts from untrusted devices

With extended access management, you’ll be able to secure every sign-in to every application from every device across your org.

Stay on the safe side.

Malicious hackers have taken a “living off the land” approach of surviving on surrounding resources, but not because they’re big fans of Bear Grylls: They’re using a target’s available tools to blend into the background.

Mandiant’s recently published M-Trends study showed continuing popularity of Living off the Land, or LOTL, attacks—what the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) defines as “the abuse of native tools and processes on systems.”

In other words: using what’s around, and not going back and forth to the supermarket where one can be detected.

While the M-Trends 2024 report noted vulnerability exploits and phishing as top initial threat vectors, the M-Trends researchers also saw continuing popularity of LOTL among attackers.

Read more here.—BH

Do you work in IT or have information about your IT department you want to share? Email [email protected].

US and Chinese officials met in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 14, to discuss artificial intelligence, risks, and safety. In the closed-door talks, the US “underscored the importance of ensuring AI systems are safe, secure, and trustworthy in order to realize these benefits of AI, and of continuing to build global consensus on that basis,” National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Adrienne Watson wrote in a statement released by the White House.

Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the US told IT Brew in an email that “China is committed to building a community with a shared future for humanity in the domain of AI and efforts to advocate a people-centered approach.” Liu also said the country seeks to “ensure that AI is safe, reliable, controllable, and capable of better empowering global sustainable development and enhancing the common well-being of all humanity.”

“As leading countries in the development of artificial intelligence, the dialogue and cooperation between China and the United States in this field not only concerns the future of the two countries but also concerns the well-being of all mankind. The two sides have the responsibility to engage in candid dialogue, manage differences, enhance consensus, expand cooperation, and lead the development of global AI,” he also said.

Keep reading here.—AF

Do you work in IT or have information about your IT department you want to share? Email [email protected].

Attacker’s market. Turns out, it’s a great time to be a cybercriminal. With activity on the rise, companies are seeking protection against potentially catastrophic attacks. Grab this report on the current state of DDoS attacks—and how Zayo is helping its customers defend their networks and sites.