In recent years, we've seen how rising costs, disrupted supply chains, and lockdowns can adversely affect businesses of any size. But there are some solutions that, if followed, can reduce your risk and help make turbulent times a little easier. This week on Let's Talk, our experts share their tips that will help you address the risks and prepare your business for any supply chain shocks. "There are several tactics that Australian business leaders can adopt to prepare for and address the aftershocks of shipment delays and stock unavailability. "Rather than relying on the just in time approach, which can be risky when there are supply shortages or shipping delays, the just in case approach is recommended. This approach focuses on forecasting demand to proactively secure sufficient supplies ahead of time. For this to work, a robust business management solution which grants to timely data which provides insight into incoming orders versus available stock is a key requirement. The just in case approach can boost profitability, while preventing wastage. "Having up-to-date industry data like procurement lead times, stock levels and order volumes can allow business owners to manage potential vulnerabilities in the supply chain and optimise efficiencies within. Finance teams can leverage this data allowing them to create more accurate financial forecasting models to save on supply chain costs and inventory management."

The European Commission has published (28 September 2022) proposals for adapting civil litigation rules in European Union Member States – and in the European Economic Area – to reduce perceived difficulties in claiming non-contractual damages for harm caused by artificial intelligence (AI). The proposal sits alongside wider reforms to the product liability regime. Both are closely intertwined with the EU's proposed AI Act. The AI liability reforms are aimed at making it less burdensome for claimants to secure compensation, with the intention of promoting trust in this increasingly pervasive technology. Claimants in civil law systems (typically without common law-style disclosure obligations) often have much less information than the defendant about the events that they believe have caused harm to them.

On October 7, 2022, the Biden administration announced a new export controls policy on artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor technologies to China. These new controls--a genuine landmark in U.S.-China relations--provide the complete picture after a partial disclosure in early September generated confusion. For weeks the Biden administration has been receiving criticism in many quarters for a new round of semiconductor export control restrictions, first disclosed on September 1. The restrictions block leading U.S. AI computer chip designers, such as Nvidia and AMD, from selling their high-end chips for AI and supercomputing to China. While the reasoning in this criticism is sound, it does not imply that the Biden administration's actions are self-defeating. Rather, it shows how the policy as disclosed in September was incomplete. A policy like this would not make sense if that is the only step the administration planned to take. Clearly something was missing, and industry experts have been waiting for the other shoe to drop ever since.

A Ukraine official has accused Iran of responsibility for the "murders of Ukrainians" after Russia attacked cities with what Kyiv called "kamikaze drones" made in the Islamic Republic and allegedly sold to Moscow. Ukraine has reported a barrage of Russian air attacks using Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones in recent weeks. Iran denies supplying the drones to Russia, while the Kremlin has not commented. Last month President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the accreditation of the Iranian ambassador was revoked as a result of Russian forces using Iranian drones to attack Ukraine. "Iran is responsible for the murders of Ukrainians," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter on Monday.

A new wave of deadly Russian air strikes on Ukraine has killed more than 25 people and wounded over 100, according to authorities in Kyiv, in the most extensive attacks since the early days of the war. The current strikes, which began on October 10, have targeted at least 10 regions across the country and have been carried out using Russian missiles as well as Iranian-made drones, Ukrainian authorities have said. Swarms of explosive-laden, unmanned aircraft called "kamikaze" drones targeted Kyiv on Monday, killing at least four people and targeting energy facilities. Among the victims was a young couple expecting a baby in three months, according to the mayor of Kyiv. The Ukrainian Air Force said it destroyed at least 37 drones in one day.

The evolution of cloud computing and artificial intelligence are growing in parallel, and the complexity of the cloud is driving the need for AI. In addition, the complexity of AI is also creating the need for it to work better in the cloud environment with efficiency, transparency and control. Organizations are taking a more data-driven approach, where artificial intelligence can be used to detect and proactively provide alerts on weaknesses and vulnerabilities both that are being exploited right now, or that might be exploited in the future. This is being done by analyzing data coming in and out of protected endpoints, both detecting threats based on known behavior, and spotting yet known threats based on predictive analytics. Join this interactive presentation and be sure to stick around for Q&A with Melvin!

Ai-Da, the world's first ultra-realistic humanoid AI robot artist, has made history once again due to her appearance in the House of Lords, the second chamber of the UK Parliament, where she addressed the question of whether creativity is under attack in today's ever-changing, technology-driven world. Ai-Da's address to members of the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee was part of the House of Lords' inquiry into the future of the creative industries. During her speech, she explored the topic of AI and how this new technology is pushing the boundaries of how we think about creativity. We are entering a new era of machine creativity that presents new possibilities of creativity and technology beyond what humans can do. Ai-Da's creativity, which is driven by AI, sparks an in-depth conversation on what it means to be human in a post-human society, at a time when technology is fostering creativity like never before.

The use by Russia of Iranian drones in its war against Ukraine makes clear the weaknesses of its domestic industry and Tehran's growing claim on the market for unmanned aircraft, experts say. Washington believes Iran has delivered hundreds of drones, which Ukrainian officials say are now being used in strikes like those launched against cities and energy infrastructure on Monday. So far two models of Iranian drone have been identified in Ukraine's skies, built for two different purposes. One of them, the Shahed 136, is a relatively low-cost "kamikaze drone" that can be programmed to fly automatically to a set of GPS coordinates with a payload of explosives. "It flies quite low, striking a target that must be stationary at a range of a few hundred kilometres," said Pierre Grasser, a researcher tied to Paris' Sorbonne University.

Early Monday morning, as families were preparing to start their week, waves of explosive drones struck Ukraine's capital. The blasts echoed across Kyiv, setting buildings ablaze and sending people scurrying to shelters. At least three people were killed. Exactly how many drones were used in the attack on the capital was not immediately clear. According to the Associated Press, the drones appeared to include Iranian-made Shaheds, though Iran's government has denied this.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: The Synthetic Party, a new Danish political party with an artificially intelligent representative and policies derived from AI, is eyeing a seat in parliament as it hopes to run in the country's November general election. The party was founded in May by the artist collective Computer Lars and the non-profit art and tech organization MindFuture Foundation. The Synthetic Party's public face and figurehead is the AI chatbot Leader Lars, which is programmed on the policies of Danish fringe parties since 1970 and is meant to represent the values of the 20 percent of Danes who do not vote in the election. Leader Lars won't be on the ballot anywhere, but the human members of The Synthetic Party are committed to carrying out their AI-derived platform. Leader Lars is an AI chatbot that people can speak with on Discord.