The Israeli spyware maker NSO Group has been on the US Department of Commerce "blacklist" since 2021 over its business of selling targeted hacking tools. But a WIRED investigation has found that the company now appears to be working to stage a comeback in Trump's America, hiring a lobbying firm with the ties to the administration to make its case. As the White House continues its massive gutting of the United States federal government, remote and hybrid workers have been forced back to the office in a poorly coordinated effort that has left critical employees without necessary resources--even reliable Wi-Fi. And Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) held a "hackathon" in Washington, DC, this week to work on developing a "mega API" that could act as a bridge between software systems for accessing and sharing IRS data more easily. Meanwhile, new research this week indicates that misconfigured sexual fantasy-focused AI chatbots are leaking users' chats on the open internet--revealing explicit prompts and conversations that in some cases include descriptions of child sexual abuse.

A World-Changing Company At Palantir, we're passionate about building software that solves problems. We partner with the most important institutions in the world to transform how they use data and technology. Our software has been used to stop terrorist attacks, discover new medicines, gain an edge in global financial markets, and more. If these types of projects excite you, we'd love for you to join us. The Role Data Engineers at Palantir work directly with customers to quickly understand their greatest problems and design and implement solutions to use data against them.

Jose-Marie Griffiths is a commissioner on the National Security Commission on Artificial ... [ ] Intelligence. Jose-Marie Griffiths was born and raised in London where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Physics, a PhD in Information Science and a Post Doctorate in Computer Science and Statistics. She has taught at University of California, Berkeley, done research for various US government agencies and is now president of South Dakota's Dakota State University. She was named a commissioner on the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence in 2019. At the commission, Dr. Griffiths heads a line of effort focused on raising understanding of AI in the federal government and streamlining the government's hiring practices to make it easier to bring young AI practitioners into national security roles.

The Defense Department is seeking tech experts to help manage its Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC), the cornerstone of the department's efforts to develop A.I. technologies and share them with other defense agencies. The JAIC is seeking "highly technical" contract personnel from up to two small businesses to provide software architecture, operations and systems analysis, technical writing, and subject matter expertise, according to an April 23 request for information. The turnaround time on this opportunity is short: small businesses have only until April 30 to submit a response. There is an immediate need for 18-40 contract personnel in fiscal year 2020, all of whom will be required to hold a Top Secret security clearance. Interim security clearances are available.

We seek a Computer Scientist with a focus in in applied mathematics, computer science, or information sciences who has a passion for applying their research and development skills to challenging problems. We need people to join a team focused on working with experts in machine learning and analytics across Sandia and universities to adapt and design innovative algorithms. In addition, we are looking for a candidate with strong software design and development skills and experience, with the ability to think broadly and deeply in the design and implementation of software applications and to apply machine learning techniques to enterprise applications, including mobile applications. Successful staff are expected to demonstrate technical leadership and the ability to work with experts across Sandia. The ability to interact and cooperate with a diverse set of colleagues is a strong advantage in this position.

OK, let's start from the beginning: I just read that in 2018 the US government announced a new security clearance program - including for individuals in civilian roles - which would run "continuous evaluations" of all applicants, thanks to machine learning technology. The article itself highlights the obvious risks of such a system "going off the rails", but the really interesting questions here are: At least in certain cases, we may never know the answer to the first question because, as the article says, certain systems "offer little to no insight as to how their highly accurate predictions are actually made". But hey, we are only talking of national security, no big deal right? So let's focus on the second question. The article does correctly acknowledge my first thought when I read its title: "if the system works, it might actually generate deeper problems still".

Advancements in artificial intelligence software in the commercial space have gained traction in recent years. From Watson assisting with diagnoses in doctors' offices to the computer programs running risk analysis for banks making lending decisions, AI has permeated many facets of our lives. However, the federal government's use of AI has received far less attention, despite directly impacting most citizens across the country. The term "artificial intelligence" has been co-opted for a wide array of applications. The definition often includes everything from marginally automated systems to advanced machine learning programs that make decisions independently of a human operator.

With approximately 450,000 background investigations in inventory and an executive order shifting its operations under the Defense Department, the National Background Investigations Bureau is optimistic about its future. The agency this year has made significant progress in churning through its backlog, which reached 725,000 at its peak in April 2018, said NBIB Director and Acting Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency Director Charles Phalen in a roundtable interview. As Phalen assured progress would continue, he was quick to note that the agency operates in a steady state with thousands of cases in its working inventory. The backlog, in a sense, will never be eliminated. "When you think about what our goal here is, it is never to get to zero because that just will never work out. Our working inventory that allows us to stay timely is roughly 200,000," he said.

When it comes to security clearances, the federal government has reached a crossroads. High priority positions in areas like cybersecurity and defense are going unfilled as the security clearance backlog surpasses 710,000 cases. The delay is impacting every aspect of the federal government from national security to IT modernization efforts, and its far-reaching impact continues to expand as the backlog grows. Though the string of high-profile security clearance challenges making headlines has shined a light on the fact that our security clearance process is outdated, and according to the GAO, high risk, it's something those within the federal government have seen coming for years and needs action now. The good news is that a solution to this challenge exists.

Regional airports are ramping up their internal security measures as they say the most dangerous threats in today's aviation world come from within. Artificial intelligence will play a major role in staff clearance in cities like Dubai and Jeddah in the coming years as it will ensure swift analysis and predictions of potential criminal or terrorist behaviour, a security forum heard on Monday. "The concept of security has completely changed," said Farah Al Ansari, head of airport security at Dubai International Airport. "The threats used to be in restricted areas but now they've moved and affect people and government as they're more spread, like what happened in Brussels and Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, so we're upgrading our systems to be in line with modern technologies." The airport is currently working on staff entrance to ensure greater control by introducing biometrics, more advanced face recognition and artificial intelligence, as opposed to only CCTV cameras and police monitoring now.