This is the first in a series of articles about Information Theory and its relationship to data driven enterprises and strategy. While there will be some equations in each section, they can largely be ignored for those less interested in the details and more in the implications. The early and middle parts of the 20th century saw an explosion in telecommunication technologies and capabilities. In doing so these researchers accidentally built one of the most powerful set of tools applied math has given us for approaching and solving a myriad of otherwise'not so mathy' problems. Over the course of the first few article we'll introduce 5 tools -- Entropy, Mutual Information, Huffman Codes, Kolmogorov Complexity and Fisher Information -- for assessing these and other challenges in both personal and professional life. If you talk to a quantitative professional and ask them how long they've been at it the usual, diplomatic answer involves their number of years since finishing undergrad.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is creating a new frontier in information security. Systems that independently learn, reason and act will increasingly replicate human behavior. Like humans, they will be flawed, but also capable of achieving great things. AI poses new information risks and makes some existing ones more dangerous. However, it can also be used for good and should become a key part of every organization's defensive arsenal. Business and information security leaders alike must understand both the risks and opportunities before embracing technologies that will soon become a critically important part of everyday business.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is creating a new frontier in information security. Systems that independently learn, reason and act will increasingly replicate human behavior. Like humans, they will be flawed, but also capable of achieving great things. AI poses new information risks and makes some existing ones more dangerous. However, it can also be used for good and should become a key part of every organization's defensive arsenal. Business and information security leaders alike must understand both the risks and opportunities before embracing technologies that will soon become a critically important part of everyday business.

But to thrive in the new era, organizations need to reduce the risks posed by AI and make the most of the opportunities it offers. This is the conclusion of a new report from the Information Security Forum aimed at helping business and security leaders to better understand what AI is, identify the information risks posed and how to mitigate them, and explore opportunities around using AI in defense. "AI is creating a new frontier in information security. Systems that independently learn, reason and act will increasingly replicate human behavior -- and like humans they will be flawed, but also capable of achieving great things. AI poses new information risks and makes some existing ones more dangerous," says Steve Durbin, managing director of the ISF.