Future Beat: The latest tech and innovation news

Hello there,
As we approach the end of Ramadan, I would be remiss if I didn’t reflect on the various ways we looked at how technology compliments and allows for the themes of the holy month to be amplified.
First off, there’s the theme of connection, where we spoke with those who try to make the world a smaller place through telecoms.
We also made it a point to learn more about spiritual reflection by interviewing the people who created an app used by more than 150 million Muslims around the world.
The topic of community was also a priority, as we looked at how technology is being used to increase civility and bolster a sense of community on social media.
Those are just a few of the many ways we looked at parallels between Ramadan and the future-orientated topics we cover on a day-to-day basis.
We look forward to continuing the journey with you every week through Future Beat.
Be well,

Cody Combs

Future Editor

The Big Story
In brief | Microsoft made news earlier in the week when it announced it would begin splitting its video conferencing and chat app, Teams, away from its flagship product, Office.
Why? It’s trying to get out in front of the European Commission, which is investigating the US-based software giant amid allegations that it’s trying to unfairly stifle competition by bundling various apps together.
It remains to be seen if the move will assuage concerns and complaints from Slack, which protested to the European Commission on the subject. It also remains to be seen if it will effectively calm the concerns of the Commission.
That said, Microsoft, going back to 1998 when it went toe-to-toe with US regulators amid eerily similar allegations, clearly wants to stop the investigation from snowballing.
Meanwhile, another humbling moment for Big Tech made headlines when Google announced it would delete millions of records of users’ browsing activities, following a 2020 class-action lawsuit which accused the search company of collecting data from users while they were in “incognito” mode on Google’s Chrome web-browser.
While the settlement won’t award a payment to the plaintiffs, it is a significant concession from a company that thrives on user data for advertising revenue.
Although Google won’t exactly feel a financial pinch from this settlement, it’s the big picture that’s important.
Why it matters | Just when it looks like the pace and power of big tech can’t be slowed down or contained, there are occasional moments that show these seemingly unstoppable behemoths have to answer to the law just like the rest of us.
Countless analysts have debated whether or not the US Justice Department’s case against Apple will hold up to much scrutiny in court, but those debates miss the point. Litigation is costly, both in terms of financial resources and human resources. It can keep otherwise robust companies tied up for years.
Don’t get me wrong, these technology companies are certainly capable of coming out of courtrooms with legal victories, but even amid such success, they can still lose in the court of public opinion and lose against other competitors who aren’t tied up in litigation. Ultimately, that’s what matters.
Quoted | “There has been a steady drumbeat of complaints, lawsuits, and regulatory action centred on companies collecting or sharing customer data in unexpected ways … The rise of privacy-orientated class action lawsuits and complaints shows consumers are increasingly privacy savvy and taking action”
– Stephanie Liu, a senior analyst at Forrester
Literary divide | How artificial intelligence will deepen the divide between literary masterpieces and cheap reads
Boosting reliability | Microsoft and Quantinuum have announced new technology designed to minimise inaccuracies associated with quantum computing algorithms.
Head of the class | Abu Dhabi’s dedicated AI university has named a new permanent head to help guide its cutting-edge vision for the future of higher education
Gmail turns 20 | If it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t – but in 2004 Google caught everyone off guard with a brilliant marketing tactic and free storage so big it seemed like a joke
Amazon announced it would be removing its cashierless, ‘Just Walk Out’ systems inside its bricks-and-mortar Fresh grocery stores.
The company once heavily touted the technology, which allowed customers to essentially walk in and walk out with various items, all while avoiding any sort of a checkout system or cashier.
‘Just Check Out’ relied heavily on cameras and sensors throughout the store to work properly, but according to various media reports, the technology also relied on hundreds of human workers in India, who would regularly monitor video feeds, to function properly.
This is a signal: Perhaps to the surprise of nobody, artificial intelligence isn’t perfect, and for that matter, neither is technology overall.
To make up for the imperfections, humans are increasingly, and sometimes quietly, being used behind the scenes to make it seem that all is well with new technology implementations, unbeknown to the rest of us using the systems.
Interestingly enough, Amazon promotes a service for this very purpose, Amazon Mechanical Turk, also known as MTurk, which touts “a crowdsourcing marketplace that makes it easier for individuals and businesses to outsource their processes and jobs to a distributed workforce who can perform these tasks virtually”.
“While technology continues to improve, there are still many things that human beings can do much more effectively than computers, such as moderating content, performing data deduplication, or research,” the description of the service continues.
As for the name, Amazon Mechanical Turk, although it seems strange, it’s actually a nod to a once heavily hyped automated chess opponent from the 1770s that could supposedly defeat almost anybody at any time.
The catch? It was actually an elaborate hoax created by a man named Wolfgang von Kempelen, where a highly skilled chess player would hide and control the chess board, unbeknown to the opponent.
I’m not suggesting all these recent technological breakthroughs we’re experiencing and living through are the equivalent of this, but it’s interesting to see a company like Amazon promote something that’s a nod to this idea from the 1770s.
To wrap things up, amid all this talk of automation, expect humans to play a role, and expect debates to rage on.
Inside the race to create the Moon’s own time zone
OpenAI unveils voice-cloning tool but delays release on safety grounds
Abu Dhabi’s ADQ forms new life sciences holding company to focus on health and longevity
Here’s why Taiwan’s earthquake caused damage – but not the widespread devastation seen elsewhere
Opinion: How the UAE has become a global crypto hotspot amid ‘regulatory winter’