TECHNOLOGY : View Posts

The term information technology (IT), sometimes called information and communications technology or ICT, encompasses a vast range of activities. These include:
Computer programming
Computer consultancy
Computer gaming
Computer networking activities
Computing facilities management
Data processing
Data hosting activities
Internet service provision
Telecommunications
Web portals

The sector is highly innovative and subject to constant technological development. It is also the source of dramatic changes in business practices in all other industrial sectors. Consumers and businesses now expect to be able to communicate with each other instantly and IT has driven huge increases in productivity in recent decades. A process of convergence has also been underway for some time between IT and telephony, driven by transforming voice traffic from an analogue signal to a digital packet, indistinguishable from other data packets travelling through a computer network.

Cloud computing services are now providing yet another catalyst for ICT convergence, and a revolution in the way businesses operate. Telecommunications carriers are gradually moving IT systems and internet data centers into the cloud, while uniform standards are being developed to speed rapid cloud development. One of the main advantages of cloud computing for businesses is that they no longer need to buy or maintain expensive and energy-draining servers. IT administration, including licensing issues, software updates, and IT security management, is looked after by the cloud computing provider. Cloud computing also allows a dispersed workforce to work effectively, and collaborate easily, even if they are stretched around the globe.

Companies in this industry provide services such as software support, computer systems design, and data processing facilities management. Major companies include Cognizant, DXC Technology, and the technology consulting arm of IBM (all based in the US), along with Accenture (Ireland); Capgemini (France); and HCL Technologies, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, and Wipro (all based in India).

Worldwide IT spending is projected to reach about $5 trillion in 2023, an increase of 5.1% from 2022, according to Gartner. Demand for IT in 2023 is expected to be strong as enterprises push forward with digital business initiatives. Digital technology initiatives will remain a priority for the industry, driven by the changing work landscape to accommodate complex hybrid work for employees.

The US information technology (IT) services industry includes about 145,000 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of about $445 billion.

THIS PROFILE IS COURTESY OF QFINANCE.COM – CLICK HERE FOR MORE OF THIS PROFILE

Sources: www2.deloitte.com , https://www.schwab.com , https://www.gartner.com , https://www.racksolutions.com , https://www.vault.com , www.dnb.com

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today announced the new iMac, featuring the powerful M4 chip and Apple Intelligence, in its stunning, ultra-thin design. With M4, iMac is up to 1.7x faster for daily productivity, and up to 2.1x faster for demanding workflows like photo editing and gaming, compared to iMac with M1.1 With the Neural Engine in M4, iMac is the world’s best all-in-one for AI and is built for Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system that transforms how users work, communicate, and express themselves, while protecting their privacy. The new iMac is available in an array of beautiful new colors, and the 24-inch 4.5K Retina display offers a new nano-texture glass option.2 iMac features a new 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View, up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports,3 and color-matched accessories that include USB-C. Starting at just $1,299, now with 16GB of unified memory, the new iMac is available to pre-order today, with availability beginning Friday, November 8.

“iMac is beloved by millions of users, from families at home to entrepreneurs hard at work. With the incredible features of Apple Intelligence and the powerful performance of Apple silicon, the new iMac changes the game once again,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. “With M4 and Apple Intelligence, gorgeous new colors that pop in any space, an advanced 12MP Center Stage camera, and a new nano-texture glass display option, it’s a whole new era for iMac.”

Supercharged by M4
The M4 chip brings a boost in performance to iMac. Featuring a more capable CPU with the world’s fastest CPU core,4 the new iMac is up to 1.7x faster than iMac with M1. Users will feel this performance across everyday activities like multitasking between their favorite apps and browsing webpages in Safari. And with an immensely powerful GPU featuring Apple’s most advanced graphics architecture, iMac with M4 handles more intense workloads like photo editing and gaming up to 2.1x faster than iMac with M1. This also enables a smoother gameplay experience in titles like the upcoming Civilization VII. The new iMac comes standard with 16GB of faster unified memory — configurable up to 32GB. The Neural Engine in M4 is now over 3x faster than on iMac with M1, making it the world’s best all-in-one for AI, and accelerating the pace at which users can get things done.

Apple Intelligence ushers in a new era for the Mac, bringing personal intelligence to the personal computer. Combining powerful generative models with industry-first privacy protections, Apple Intelligence harnesses the power of Apple silicon and the Neural Engine to unlock new ways for users to work, communicate, and express themselves on Mac. It is available in U.S. English with macOS Sequoia 15.1. With systemwide Writing Tools, users can refine their words by rewriting, proofreading, and summarizing text nearly everywhere they write. With the newly redesigned Siri, users can move fluidly between spoken and typed requests to accelerate tasks throughout their day, and Siri can answer thousands of questions about Mac and other Apple products. New Apple Intelligence features will be available in December, with additional capabilities rolling out in the coming months. Image Playground gives users a new way to create fun original images, and Genmoji allows them to create custom emoji in seconds. Siri will become even more capable, with the ability to take actions across the system and draw on a user’s personal context to deliver intelligence that is tailored to them. In December, ChatGPT will be integrated into Siri and Writing Tools, allowing users to access its expertise without needing to jump between tools.

Apple Intelligence does all this while protecting users’ privacy at every step. At its core is on-device processing, and for more complex tasks, Private Cloud Compute gives users access to Apple’s even larger, server-based models and offers groundbreaking protections for personal information. In addition, users can access ChatGPT for free without creating an account, and privacy protections are built in — their IP addresses are obscured and OpenAI won’t store requests. For those who choose to connect their account, OpenAI’s data-use policies apply.

Array of Gorgeous New Colors
The new iMac comes in seven vibrant colors, bringing fresh shades of green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, and blue, alongside silver. The back of iMac features bold colors designed to stand out, while the front expresses subtle shades of the new palette so users can focus on doing their best work. Every iMac comes with a color-matched Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse or optional Magic Trackpad, all of which now feature a USB-C port, so users can charge their favorite devices with a single cable.

New Nano-Texture Display Option
The expansive 24-inch 4.5K Retina display on iMac is its highest-rated feature, and for the first time, it’s available with a nano-texture glass option that drastically reduces reflections and glare, while maintaining outstanding image quality.2 With nano-texture glass, users can place iMac in even more spaces, such as a sun-drenched living room or bright storefront.

Enhanced Video Calls with 12MP Center Stage Camera
A new 12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View makes video calls even more engaging. Center Stage keeps everyone perfectly centered on a video call — great for families gathered on FaceTime. Desk View makes use of the wide-angle lens to simultaneously show the user and a top-down view of their desk, which is useful for educators presenting a lesson to students, or creators showing off their latest DIY project. Rounding out the unrivaled audio and video experience is the beloved studio-quality three-microphone array with beamforming and an immersive six-speaker sound system.

Advanced Connectivity
On the new iMac, all four USB-C ports support Thunderbolt 4 for superfast data transfers, so users can connect even more accessories like external storage, docks, and up to two 6K external displays, creating a massive canvas with more than 50M pixels for users to spread out their work.3 iMac also supports both Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. And with the advanced security of Touch ID, users can easily and securely unlock their computer, make online purchases with Apple Pay, and download apps.6 Additionally, Touch ID works with Fast User Switching, so customers can switch between different user profiles with just the press of a finger.

An Unrivaled Experience with macOS Sequoia
macOS Sequoia completes the new iMac experience with a host of exciting features, including iPhone Mirroring, allowing users to wirelessly interact with their iPhone, its apps, and its notifications directly from their Mac.7 Safari, the world’s fastest browser,8 now offers Highlights, which quickly pulls up relevant information from a site; a smarter, redesigned Reader with a table of contents and high-level summary; and a new Video Viewer to watch videos without distractions. With Distraction Control, users can hide items on a webpage that they may find disruptive to their browsing. Gaming gets even more immersive with features like Personalized Spatial Audio and improvements to Game Mode, along with a breadth of exciting titles, including the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Easier window tiling means users can stay organized with a windows layout that works best for them. The all-new Passwords app gives convenient access to passwords, passkeys, and other credentials, all stored in one place. And users can apply beautiful new built-in backgrounds for video calls, including a variety of color gradients and system wallpapers, or upload their own photos.

Better for the Environment
The new iMac with M4 is designed with the environment in mind, with 100 percent recycled aluminum in the stand, and 100 percent recycled gold plating, tin soldering, and copper in multiple printed circuit boards. iMac meets Apple’s high standards for energy efficiency, and is free of mercury, brominated flame retardants, and PVC. New this year, the packaging of iMac is entirely fiber-based, bringing Apple closer to its goal to remove plastic from its packaging by 2025.

Today, Apple is carbon neutral for global corporate operations and, as part of its ambitious Apple 2030 goal, plans to be carbon neutral across its entire carbon footprint by the end of this decade.

Pricing and Availability
Customers can pre-order the new iMac with M4 starting today, October 28, on apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app in 28 countries and regions, including the U.S. It will begin arriving to customers, and will be in Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers, beginning Friday, November 8.
iMac starts at $1,299 (U.S.) and $1,249 (U.S.) for education, and is available in green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver. It features an 8-core CPU, an 8-core GPU, 16GB of unified memory configurable up to 24GB, 256GB SSD configurable up to 1TB, two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad.
iMac with a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU starts at $1,499 (U.S.) and $1,399 (U.S.) for education, and is available in green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver. It features 16GB of unified memory configurable up to 32GB, 256GB SSD configurable up to 2TB, four Thunderbolt 4 ports, Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, and Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad.

About Apple
Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple’s six software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV+. Apple’s more than 150,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth and to leaving the world better than we found it.

Today, AT&T announced their plans to open at least 100 Connected Learning Centers (CLC) by the end of 2027 and celebrates the landmark opening of the 50th CLC in Austin, TX. This milestone is part of the company’s $5 billion commitment to bridge the digital divide and to help 25 million people get and stay connected by 2030, as research shows tens of millions of Americans still lack access to wired or fixed wireless broadband connections.

In Texas alone, almost 2.8 million households and 7 million people lack broadband access, indicating the great need for these connectivity resources across the state, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Today’s Austin CLC opening marks the 14th center AT&T has established in Texas – and the 50th nationwide – over the past three years to establish a connectivity hub in underserved communities.

“Our CLCs are more than just places with internet access—they’re gateways to opportunity,” said Jeff McElfresh, chief operating officer, AT&T. “Students come here to complete their homework, seniors connect with their grandchildren, job seekers find employment. We are proud to open our 50th Connected Learning Center today, and we are thrilled to commit to opening at least 50 more in the next three years to serve as many people as we can.”

AT&T knows internet connectivity makes a difference. In Texas, AT&T invested more than $12.6 million in network infrastructure from 2019-2023 to expand internet access, and now serves more than 4.7 million customer locations in the state. AT&T also offers eligible customers Access from AT&T, which has speeds of up to 100 Mbps for $30 per month.

Bringing Connectivity to Communities
Each CLC receives a $50k contribution from AT&T and is equipped with AT&T internet and technology supplied by corporate partners like Dell Technologies. Each CLC also receives support from AT&T employee volunteers, who help to provide digital literacy and learning workshops in collaboration with the National Parent Teacher Association and Public Library Association. CLCs provide the skills and training that help people safely navigate the online world.

Since the CLC initiative began in 2021, AT&T has established 50 CLCs across 16 states, serving a reported 33,000 people nationwide. Demand for these centers has grown, as nonprofit and corporate partners recognize the need for and benefit of connectivity in their communities. In response to this demand, AT&T plans to open over 50 additional centers, totaling at least 100 CLCs across the country by the end of 2027.

Vital Partnerships in Bridging the Digital Divide
Since the inception of the CLC initiative, Dell Technologies, Inc. has been a key collaborator, providing technology to these centers. As part of its commitment to digital inclusion, Dell donates Dell OptiPlex desktop PCs with integrated audio and webcams for use at CLCs. World Wide Technology, a leading minority supplier of IT services, manages configuration and installation.

“Technology, connectivity and digital literacy skills are foundational needs to access the benefits of our digital society,” said Dennis Hoffman, senior vice president and general manager, Telecom Systems Business, Dell Technologies. “Our longstanding collaboration with AT&T and the Boys & Girls Clubs on the Connected Learning Center initiative is a great example of how we are championing digital inclusion to enable access and opportunity for all.”

Over 123,000 kids and teens are impacted by the access to connectivity through the CLCs established at 20 Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide. An additional 20 of the upcoming CLCs opening by the end of 2027 will also be established within Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide.

“Today, access and connectivity online are critical to ensuring kids and teens can succeed academically,” said Jim Clark, president and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “We are thrilled to honor this milestone with AT&T as we enable even more youth across the nation to achieve great futures.”

“We are grateful to AT&T and Dell for their partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs and for their efforts to provide the critical resource of digital connectivity to our youth,” said Zenae Campbell, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area. “Our mission is to prepare all youth to have great futures, with a strong focus on STEM programming, and the new CLC at our home club in Austin will not only provide our kids with connectivity, but also the skills and understanding they need to leverage technology so they can excel in school, in the workforce, and in their personal lives.”

A Milestone Event
The 50th CLC opened July 19 at Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area’s Home Club at the Sheth Family Campus. The event included remarks from Jeff McElfresh, Chief Operating Officer at AT&T; Dennis Hoffman, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Telecom Systems Business at Dell; Jim Clark, Chief Executive Officer of Boys & Girls Clubs of America; and Zenae Campbell, Chief Executive Officer of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin area.

AMSTERDAM — June 17, 2024 — Monday, at HLTH Europe, the Trustworthy & Responsible AI Network (TRAIN), a consortium of healthcare leaders, announced its expansion to Europe with the objective to help organizations in the region operationalize responsible AI through technology-based guardrails. Organizations that have come together to form the European TRAIN include Erasmus MC (the Netherlands), HUS Helsinki University Hospital (Finland), Sahlgrenska University Hospital (Sweden), Skåne University Hospital (Sweden), Universita Vita-Salute San Raffaele (Italy), and University Medical Center Utrecht (the Netherlands), with Microsoft as the technology enabling partner. Foundation 29, a nonprofit organization that aims to empower patients and transform healthcare through data-driven initiatives and innovative technologies, has also joined European TRAIN. The network is open to other healthcare organizations in Europe interested in joining.rnrnEmerging AI technologies hold significant promise for revolutionizing the healthcare sector in Europe and across the globe. By enhancing patient care outcomes, streamlining processes and reducing costs, AI has the potential to transform the industry. As the technology continues to evolve, robust development and evaluation standards are crucial to ensure responsible and effective AI applications. TRAIN aims to improve the quality, safety and trustworthiness of AI tools implemented in healthcare to help ensure clinicians and patients benefit from this innovative technology.rnrnTRAIN’s initial formation, announced in March 2024, introduced leading healthcare organizations in the U.S. as part of the network. The consortium’s operational objectives include:rnrnProviding technology and tools that enable trustworthy and responsible AI principles to be operationalized at scale.rnWorking in collaboration with other TRAIN members and key stakeholders to enable all organizations, including low-resource settings, to benefit from technology-based responsible AI guardrails.rnSharing best practices related to the use of AI in healthcare settings, including the safety, reliability and monitoring of AI algorithms, and the skillsets required to manage AI responsibly. Data and AI algorithms will not be shared between member organizations or with third parties.rnWorking toward enabling registration of AI used for clinical care or clinical operations through a secure online portal.rnProviding tools to enable measurement of outcomes associated with the implementation of AI, including best practices for studying the efficacy and value of AI methods in healthcare settings and leveraging of privacy-preserving environments, with considerations in both pre- and post-deployment settings. Tools that allow analyses to be performed in subpopulations to assess bias may also be provided.rnWorking toward the development of a federated AI outcomes registry for organizations to share among themselves. The registry will capture real-world outcomes related to efficacy, safety and optimization of AI algorithms.rnFor more information on European TRAIN, join us at HLTH Europe on Tuesday, June 18, from 12:30 to 12:40 p.m. CEST at The Forum stage (H90), where we’ll share more details about the network and its objectives.rnrnTRAIN member quotes:rnrn“Transforming healthcare using AI must be seen as a global challenge that requires worldwide cross-border collaborations. This approach is an important step that enables us to tackle challenges not only at the national level, but also across the EU and globally. To truly warrant bedside adoption, we must work together to ensure AI benefits all. Safeguards built into the technology will improve such equity.” — Dr. Michel van Genderen, attending intensivist at Erasmus Medical Center and co-founder of the Erasmus MC Datahubrnrn“As an NGO dedicated to researching the use of AI in healthcare, Foundation 29 is deeply concerned with ensuring that the use of AI respects patient privacy and security. While high-quality data, often sourced from patients, is essential for advancing AI technologies, it is equally crucial to guarantee responsible use of this data. For us, safeguarding patient data and fostering a trustworthy environment for AI development and deployment in healthcare is of paramount importance.” — Sarah Harmon, president, Foundation 29rnrn“AI has the potential to transform healthcare, but we must remain vigilant about its ethical implications. In TRAIN, we are joining forces across Europe to share knowledge and tools for successful and sustainable implementation of trustworthy and responsible AI into healthcare practices.” — Magnus Kjellberg, head of AI Competence Center, Sahlgrenska University Hospitalrnrn“TRAIN is a role model for joint efforts between the technology industry and healthcare. AI represents a strategy that gives hope for future healthcare effectiveness. The upcoming European TRAIN effort will be an opportunity to take a fundamental step forward to operationalize responsible AI solutions by facilitating the generation and validation of algorithms with patient integrity left intact.” — Professor Stefan Jovings, M.D., Ph.D., president of research and education, Skane University Hospital, Swedenrnrn“TRAIN’s focus on responsible AI principles and privacy-preserving collaboration enforces our strategies to safely and ethically leverage AI technologies. This initiative builds trust, protects patient data, and aligns the participating institutions’ practices to the European healthcare standards.” — Carlo Tacchetti, professor and coordinator, AI strategic program of UniSR and director of Experimental Imaging Center, San Raffaele Scientific Instituternrn“AI in healthcare needs collaborations on a national and an international level to help us use AI’s power for improving patient care and outcomes. We are excited to be part of this collaboration to contribute to the new era of medicine that awaits us.” — Ben Collignon, chief information officer, UMC Utrechtrnrn“The primary goal for TRAIN is to enable individuals and organizations to operationalize responsible AI principles through technology-based guardrails. TRAIN will also enable organizations to collaborate through federated, privacy-preserving approaches. The formation of TRAIN in Europe will help foster trust and confidence in the application of AI in health and ensure that data privacy is maintained.” — David Rhew, M.D., chief medical officer and vice president of healthcare, MicrosoftrnrnAbout the Trustworthy & Responsible AI Network (TRAIN)rnThe Trustworthy & Responsible AI Network (TRAIN) is one of the first health AI networks aimed at operationalizing responsible AI principles. Through collaboration, TRAIN members will help improve the quality, safety, and trustworthiness of AI in health by sharing best practices, enabling registration of AI used for clinical care or clinical operations, providing tools to enable measurement of outcomes associated with the implementation of AI, and facilitating the development of a federated AI outcomes registry for organizations to share amongst themselves.

Palo Alto, – HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) today unveiled a new study with Oxford Economics revealing enthusiasm among global leaders to use technology including AI to advance key impact goals.

The study of business executives and government officials in 10 countries found 3 out of 4 leaders believe technology is key to expanding economic opportunity (76%) and that AI will help drive progress towards sustainability and social impact goals (76%).

Further, business leaders are either already using AI or plan to in the next 1-2 years for goals such as increasing access to digital education (90%), workforce development (89%), and workforce diversity (86%).

“AI’s reach holds great promise to help HP accelerate our sustainable and social impact goals,” said Ernest Nicolas, HP’s Chief Supply Chain Officer. “From how we responsibly build AI PCs for first-time users to data scientists who use our workstations to help local farmers build more resilient businesses, this is the technology that can move businesses and our communities forward.”

Accelerating digital equity for 150 million people by 2030
About one-third of the global population remains offline, costing the world billions of dollars in lost GDP each year. The digital divide has been growing since the advent of technology, and AI could exacerbate these disparities if intentional action isn’t taken.

“Everyone deserves an opportunity to access the tools needed to thrive in the digital economy,” said Michele Malejki, HP Global Head of Social Impact and Director, HP Foundation. “We know technology can be a great equalizer and a powerful tool to drive progress. Yet, to truly narrow the digital divide in our rapidly evolving world, we must also equip individuals with the skills to use technology.”

In its latest Sustainable Impact report released today, HP announced it has accelerated digital equity for more than 45 million people since 2021, bringing the organization nearly a third of the way to its goal of reaching 150 million people by 2030.

The rapid progress is a result of innovative partnerships with key organizations that create tailored solutions for communities. HP pursues impactful programs, strategic investments and partnerships that prioritize those mostly likely to experience the digital divide.

In 2023, HP:
Supported digital equity solutions developed by ten organizations in Malaysia, South Africa and Mexico with the Digital Equity Accelerator, such as improvements in digital literacy to access employment, access to educational hardware and software in schools and development of digital platforms to support improved health outcomes. In total, the Accelerator reached 6.4 million people in 2023.
Launched more than 100 Digital Hubs in partnership with World YMCA to support digital programming and literacy. For example, the West Orem Digital Hub, provided by YMCA Houston in Texas aims to increase community access to educational, economic, and social opportunities for young people, support services for families, and digital literacy courses for aging members of the community. More than 500,000 individuals were reached globally in 2023.
Opened two NABU HP Creative Labs in the U.S. and the Philippines, equipping artists and authors with technology to write and illustrate hundreds of books for children in local languages each year. The free books have helped 1.9 million children in 2023 build confidence, connection to culture and literacy skills, a key building block to participation in the digital economy.

Building skills amid the rise of AI
Both business and government officials report lack of skills as a top barrier to meeting key organizational goals, only economic volatility ranked higher.

Skills-building is a core piece of HP’s digital equity approach. As a result, HP is expanding its goal to enroll 2.75 million users in the free skills-building program HP LIFE. The program from the HP Foundation has already enrolled and enabled more than 1.2 million users to access economic opportunities or start businesses.

HP is undertaking new initiatives to expand responsible access and use of AI, the top reported investment area of businesses today:

Expand our free HP LIFE Digital Business Skills courses by releasing a new course on AI skills later this year.
Kick-off the HP AI in Social Impact Award, in collaboration with MIT Solve, which provides technology designed for building and running AI applications to social entrepreneurs and organizations that use AI to advance education, healthcare, and economic opportunities in communities globally.
Debut commercial and consumer Next-Gen AI PCs to market this month, a new category of devices crafted for work and creation.
HP aspires to be the most sustainable and just technology company. HP is committed to continually examining its progress and evaluating further actions to achieve a more equitable and sustainable future.

About the Study
HP commissioned Oxford Economics to conduct independent research on this topic. The survey was conducted October to November 2023 in 10 countries: the U.S., France, India, U.K., Germany, Japan, China, Mexico, Brazil, and Canada. Oxford Economics surveyed 1,036 business leaders (C-suite and direct reports) and government officials in total, approximately 100 per country.

About HP
HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) is a global technology leader and creator of solutions that enable people to bring their ideas to life and connect to the things that matter most. Operating in more than 170 countries, HP delivers a wide range of innovative and sustainable devices, services and subscriptions for personal computing, printing, 3D printing, hybrid work, gaming, and more. For more information, please visit: http://www.hp.com.

About Oxford Economics
Oxford Economics is the world’s foremost independent economic advisory firm. Covering over 200 countries, over 100 industrial sectors and 8,000 cities and regions, we provide insights and solutions that enable clients to make intelligent and responsible business decisions faster in an increasingly complex and uncertain world. For more information, visit https://www.oxfordeconomics.com/

Apple is committed to supporting app creators across the globe and helping them do their best work in service of their users. Through a myriad of online and in-person programs, Apple encourages developers to connect directly with experts to receive guidance on their apps and games and explore the latest in Apple tools, technologies, features, and best practices.

Apple has expanded on opportunities for developers to engage with experts, reaching creators and innovators from over 160 countries in 2023. In advance of WWDC24, Apple has also launched additional avenues to reach developers globally, including updated Apple Developer Forums, Pathways, and more.

“It’s an honor and a privilege for our teams to work directly with developers at every stage of their journeys, from students and hobbyists, to budding entrepreneurs and coding professionals,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “We’re always looking for new ways to support this amazing community as they bring their visions to life and push the boundaries of what is possible.”

Last year, Apple was able to help developers realize their full potential through a variety of learning opportunities. Meet with Apple Experts had nearly 50,000 developer engagements online and in person in 2023. Participants dove into the latest Apple tools and resources to bring their apps to the next level, and connected directly with Apple experts for insight, support, and feedback. Apple Developer Centers in the U.S., China, India, and Singapore have served as homes for a variety of year-round developer engagements, and offer a supportive environment for developers to learn how to grow their businesses and improve their apps. Developers can register for new upcoming sessions, workshops, labs, and one-on-one consultations on an ongoing basis to access support, no matter where they are on their development journey.

Apple Vision Pro developer labs have enabled developers to experience their visionOS, iPadOS, or iOS apps and games running on Apple Vision Pro. Since their launch in June 2023, the labs have seen over 6,000 visits from developers who worked side by side with Apple experts in Cupertino, New York, London, Munich, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo to optimize their apps for the infinite spatial canvas.

Apple Developer Academies and Apple Foundation Programs offer students around the globe the opportunity to explore the essentials of app development and sharpen their coding skills. In 2023, the Developer Academies trained over 1,900 students. Separately, more than 1,800 students went through an Apple Foundation Program. Last year saw the biggest cohort of female students ever in both programs, with women representing 53 percent of students at the Academies and 38 percent of participants of the Foundation Programs.

Apple Entrepreneur Camp is a technology lab that helps entrepreneurs and developers from underrepresented groups create the next generation of cutting-edge apps. Apple hosted another five distinct cohorts in 2023 with founders, engineers, coders, and designers around the world. The program has already supported hundreds of app creators and is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year. Founders and developers who are interested in applying can sign up to be notified about upcoming cohorts.

Ahead of WWDC24 next week, Apple Developer Forums have been updated, connecting developers with more experts and other developers for timely responses to technical questions, and providing code-level support from Apple engineers. The forums have also been reorganized into a streamlined layout by topics, subtopics, and corresponding tags.

Pathways are simple and easy-to-navigate collections of videos, documentation, and resources that can help developers build great apps and games and empower them to take the first step toward developing for Apple platforms. Since its launch in May, over 40,000 developers have accessed content on Pathways for insights into app design, Swift, SwiftUI, game development, visionOS, and distributing on the App Store.

This year, developers can experience WWDC on YouTube for the first time, in addition to the Apple Developer app and website. Developers can visit the Apple Developer channel to subscribe and explore video sessions from the conference.

SANTA FE, N.M.- The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team recently deployed in support of more than 1,000 first responders battling multiple wildfires in New Mexico.

The team delivered Satellite Picocells on Trailers (SPOTs) and multiple other Verizon Frontline solutions to a fire base camp in the Santa Fe National Forest and the Lincoln County (New Mexico) Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to help provide first responders on the front lines of fire response and containment operations with critical voice and data service.

SPOTs are rapidly deployable units that can provide wireless network coverage in remote areas where connectivity can prove challenging, like the large but sparsely populated areas in and around the Santa Fe National Forest.

In addition to the SPOT trailers, the Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team provided on-scene public safety agencies with multiple smartphones and jetpacks to assist with critical voice and data connectivity. The team also delivered a network extender to the Lincoln County EOC to help improve cellular coverage at the command and control node for the incident response.

The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team provides on-demand, emergency assistance during crisis situations to government agencies and emergency responders on a 24/7 basis at no cost to the supported agencies. Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team members set up portable cell sites, Wi-Fi hotspots, charging stations and other Verizon Frontline devices and solutions that enable communications and/or boost network performance.

Verizon Frontline is the advanced network and technology built for first responders – developed over three decades of partnership with public safety officials and agencies on the front lines – to meet their unique and evolving needs.

Just a few weeks into storm season and it’s already been an active start. During this time, the essential need for dependable connectivity becomes especially clear. This is what motivates us to support our Network Disaster Response (NDR) and FirstNet® Response Operations Group (ROG) teams in having the necessary training and resources to respond to any emergency.

With forecasts from our dedicated meteorologists at the AT&T Weather Operations Center predicting an above-average storm season, we’re employing new assets and solutions. Our goal is to keep communities connected throughout the storms. While Mother Nature doesn’t always cooperate, our new equipment and solutions will help communities recover safer and faster when she does strike.

Innovating Disaster Response
For more than three decades, AT&T has been at the forefront of disaster response innovation, with an investment of more than $1 billion in our Network Disaster Recovery (NDR) program over this time period. Past hurricane seasons serve as a reminder of the need for constant innovation. After learning from the team’s experience delivering FirstNet solutions to Sanibel and Pine Island during Hurricane Ian, we’ve introduced a game-changing, 45-foot custom-built landing craft to our maritime fleet. It can transport pickup trucks, FirstNet Compact Rapid Deployables (CRDs), and other essential solutions.

The landing craft also enhances self-sufficiency and reduces our reliance on local communities – this is critically important when resources are already severely constrained. This vessel, alongside the rest of the maritime fleet, is part of the more than 750 pieces of specialized response equipment that traverse land, sea and air and can quickly deploy before, during and after any storm.

Supporting Public Safety
As America’s public safety network, FirstNet, Built with AT&T is focused on reliably connecting first responders in any emergency and disaster. FirstNet ROG – led by former first responders – works in tandem with the AT&T NDR team to make sure recovery assets will be where they are needed the most. Agencies on FirstNet have access to their own dedicated nationwide fleet of more than 180 portable network assets, as well as the benefit of AT&T NDR assets like the new landing craft. This year, ROG has deployed over 500 solutions in response to incidents and disasters.

“We support our nation’s first responders around the clock with a focus on enhancing public safety’s ability to communicate and safely provide emergency response,” said Jim Bugel, President – FirstNet, AT&T. “Through our public-private partnership, public safety has access to their own dedicated fleet of assets and experts as well as industry-leading equipment from AT&T NDR when needed – all at no additional charge. It’s just one more way we provide an unprecedented level of support to help first responders stay mission ready.”

We’ve also recently made critical updates to FirstNet Push-to-Talk and FirstNet Messaging, introducing new features such as discreet listening and enhanced group and interagency coordination. These improvements are designed to strengthen communication among first responders during any circumstance. Additionally, this past February, the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) announced a series of strategic investments that will deliver more coverage, capabilities and capacity for first responders — keeping themselves and our communities safer.

Living Our Purpose
Our NDR and ROG team members are at the heart of every deployment, expertly managing every situation. Each team member truly lives and breathes our purpose, and you see that in the videos below:

The innate ability of the NDR and ROG teams to adapt and innovate is what allows us to respond effectively and support communities when they need it the most. Whether facing hurricanes, wildfires, blizzards, tornadoes, or any other emergency, AT&T is there to keep our communities connected.

Article by Corey Anthony AT&T
Corey Anthony, Senior Vice President, Engineering and Operations

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today announced new accessibility features coming later this year, including Eye Tracking, a way for users with physical disabilities to control iPad or iPhone with their eyes. Additionally, Music Haptics will offer a new way for users who are deaf or hard of hearing to experience music using the Taptic Engine in iPhone; Vocal Shortcuts will allow users to perform tasks by making a custom sound; Vehicle Motion Cues can help reduce motion sickness when using iPhone or iPad in a moving vehicle; and more accessibility features will come to visionOS. These features combine the power of Apple hardware and software, harnessing Apple silicon, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to further Apple’s decades-long commitment to designing products for everyone.
“We believe deeply in the transformative power of innovation to enrich lives,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “That’s why for nearly 40 years, Apple has championed inclusive design by embedding accessibility at the core of our hardware and software. We’re continuously pushing the boundaries of technology, and these new features reflect our long-standing commitment to delivering the best possible experience to all of our users.”

“Each year, we break new ground when it comes to accessibility,” said Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives. “These new features will make an impact in the lives of a wide range of users, providing new ways to communicate, control their devices, and move through the world.”

Eye Tracking Comes to iPad and iPhone
Powered by artificial intelligence, Eye Tracking gives users a built-in option for navigating iPad and iPhone with just their eyes. Designed for users with physical disabilities, Eye Tracking uses the front-facing camera to set up and calibrate in seconds, and with on-device machine learning, all data used to set up and control this feature is kept securely on device, and isn’t shared with Apple.

Eye Tracking works across iPadOS and iOS apps, and doesn’t require additional hardware or accessories. With Eye Tracking, users can navigate through the elements of an app and use Dwell Control to activate each element, accessing additional functions such as physical buttons, swipes, and other gestures solely with their eyes.

Music Haptics Makes Songs More Accessible
Music Haptics is a new way for users who are deaf or hard of hearing to experience music on iPhone. With this accessibility feature turned on, the Taptic Engine in iPhone plays taps, textures, and refined vibrations to the audio of the music. Music Haptics works across millions of songs in the Apple Music catalog, and will be available as an API for developers to make music more accessible in their apps.

Pause playback of video: Music Haptics on iPhone 15 Pro
Music Haptics is a new way for users who are deaf or hard of hearing to experience music on iPhone.

New Features for a Wide Range of Speech
With Vocal Shortcuts, iPhone and iPad users can assign custom utterances that Siri can understand to launch shortcuts and complete complex tasks. Listen for Atypical Speech, another new feature, gives users an option for enhancing speech recognition for a wider range of speech. Listen for Atypical Speech uses on-device machine learning to recognize user speech patterns. Designed for users with acquired or progressive conditions that affect speech, such as cerebral palsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or stroke, these features provide a new level of customization and control, building on features introduced in iOS 17 for users who are nonspeaking or at risk of losing their ability to speak.

On iPhone 15 Pro, a screen reads “Set Up Vocal Shortcuts” and prompts the user to choose an action and record a phrase to teach their iPhone how to recognize their voice.

On iPhone 15 Pro, a screen reads “Say ‘Rings’ One Last Time,” and prompts the user to teach iPhone to recognize the phrase by saying it three times.

On iPhone 15 Pro, a user gets an alert from Vocal Shortcuts that says “Open Activity Rings.”

On iPhone 15 Pro, a screen reads “Set Up Vocal Shortcuts” and prompts the user to choose an action and record a phrase to teach their iPhone how to recognize their voice.

With Vocal Shortcuts, iPhone and iPad users can assign custom utterances that Siri can understand to launch shortcuts and complete complex tasks.

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“Artificial intelligence has the potential to improve speech recognition for millions of people with atypical speech, so we are thrilled that Apple is bringing these new accessibility features to consumers,” said Mark Hasegawa-Johnson, the Speech Accessibility Project at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s principal investigator. “The Speech Accessibility Project was designed as a broad-based, community-supported effort to help companies and universities make speech recognition more robust and effective, and Apple is among the accessibility advocates who made the Speech Accessibility Project possible.”

Vehicle Motion Cues Can Help Reduce Motion Sickness
Vehicle Motion Cues is a new experience for iPhone and iPad that can help reduce motion sickness for passengers in moving vehicles. Research shows that motion sickness is commonly caused by a sensory conflict between what a person sees and what they feel, which can prevent some users from comfortably using iPhone or iPad while riding in a moving vehicle. With Vehicle Motion Cues, animated dots on the edges of the screen represent changes in vehicle motion to help reduce sensory conflict without interfering with the main content. Using sensors built into iPhone and iPad, Vehicle Motion Cues recognizes when a user is in a moving vehicle and responds accordingly. The feature can be set to show automatically on iPhone, or can be turned on and off in Control Center.

Pause playback of video: Vehicle Motion Cues on iPhone 15 Pro
Vehicle Motion Cues is a new experience for iPhone and iPad that can help reduce motion sickness for passengers in moving vehicles.

CarPlay Gets Voice Control, More Accessibility Updates
Accessibility features coming to CarPlay include Voice Control, Color Filters, and Sound Recognition. With Voice Control, users can navigate CarPlay and control apps with just their voice. With Sound Recognition, drivers or passengers who are deaf or hard of hearing can turn on alerts to be notified of car horns and sirens. For users who are colorblind, Color Filters make the CarPlay interface visually easier to use, with additional visual accessibility features including Bold Text and Large Text.

The new Sound Recognition feature in CarPlay alerts a user of a potential siren sound.

Updates to CarPlay include Sound Recognition, which allows drivers or passengers who are deaf or hard of hearing to turn on alerts to be notified of car horns and sirens.

Accessibility Features Coming to visionOS
This year, accessibility features coming to visionOS will include systemwide Live Captions to help everyone — including users who are deaf or hard of hearing — follow along with spoken dialogue in live conversations and in audio from apps. With Live Captions for FaceTime in visionOS, more users can easily enjoy the unique experience of connecting and collaborating using their Persona. Apple Vision Pro will add the capability to move captions using the window bar during Apple Immersive Video, as well as support for additional Made for iPhone hearing devices and cochlear hearing processors. Updates for vision accessibility will include the addition of Reduce Transparency, Smart Invert, and Dim Flashing Lights for users who have low vision, or those who want to avoid bright lights and frequent flashing.

The Live Captions experience in visionOS is shown from an Apple Vision Pro user’s point of view.
visionOS will offer Live Captions, so users who are deaf or hard of hearing can follow along with spoken dialogue in live conversations and in audio from apps.

These features join the dozens of accessibility features already available in Apple Vision Pro, which offers a flexible input system and an intuitive interface designed with a wide range of users in mind. Features such as VoiceOver, Zoom, and Color Filters can also provide users who are blind or have low vision access to spatial computing, while features such as Guided Access can support users with cognitive disabilities. Users can control Vision Pro with any combination of their eyes, hands, or voice, with accessibility features including Switch Control, Sound Actions, and Dwell Control that can also help those with physical disabilities.

“Apple Vision Pro is without a doubt the most accessible technology I’ve ever used,” said Ryan Hudson-Peralta, a Detroit-based product designer, accessibility consultant, and cofounder of Equal Accessibility LLC. “As someone born without hands and unable to walk, I know the world was not designed with me in mind, so it’s been incredible to see that visionOS just works. It’s a testament to the power and importance of accessible and inclusive design.”
Additional Updates

For users who are blind or have low vision, VoiceOver will include new voices, a flexible Voice Rotor, custom volume control, and the ability to customize VoiceOver keyboard shortcuts on Mac.

Magnifier will offer a new Reader Mode and the option to easily launch Detection Mode with the Action button.
Braille users will get a new way to start and stay in Braille Screen Input for faster control and text editing; Japanese language availability for Braille Screen Input; support for multi-line braille with Dot Pad; and the option to choose different input and output tables.

For users with low vision, Hover Typing shows larger text when typing in a text field, and in a user’s preferred font and color.

For users at risk of losing their ability to speak, Personal Voice will be available in Mandarin Chinese. Users who have difficulty pronouncing or reading full sentences will be able to create a Personal Voice using shortened phrases.

For users who are nonspeaking, Live Speech will include categories and simultaneous compatibility with Live Captions.

For users with physical disabilities, Virtual Trackpad for AssistiveTouch allows users to control their device using a small region of the screen as a resizable trackpad.

Switch Control will include the option to use the cameras in iPhone and iPad to recognize finger-tap gestures as switches.
Voice Control will offer support for custom vocabularies and complex words.

The new Reader Mode in Magnifier is shown on iPhone 15 Pro.

The Hover Typing experience is shown on iPhone 15 Pro.

The Personal Voice experience is shown in Mandarin Chinese on Mac.

The new Reader Mode in Magnifier is shown on iPhone 15 Pro.

Additional accessibility updates include a new Reader Mode in Magnifier.
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Celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day with Apple
This week, Apple is introducing new features, curated collections, and more in celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day:
Throughout the month of May, select Apple Store locations will host free sessions to help customers explore and discover accessibility features built into the products they love. Apple Piazza Liberty in Milan will feature the talent behind “Assume that I can,” the viral campaign for World Down Syndrome Day. And available year-round at Apple Store locations globally, Today at Apple group reservations are a place where friends, families, schools, and community groups can learn about accessibility features together.

Shortcuts adds Calming Sounds, which plays ambient soundscapes to minimize distractions, helping users focus or rest.

Visit the App Store to discover incredible apps and games that promote access and inclusion for all, including the accessible App Store Award-winning game Unpacking, apps as tools for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and more.

The Apple TV app will honor trailblazing creators, performers, and activists who passionately share the experiences of people with disabilities. This year’s theme is Remaking the World, and each story invites viewers to envision a reality where everyone is empowered to add their voice to the greater human story.

Apple Books will spotlight lived experiences of disability through curated collections of first-person narratives by disabled writers in ebook and audiobook formats.

Apple Fitness+ workouts, meditations, and trainer tips welcome users who are deaf or hard of hearing with American Sign Language, and Time to Walk now includes transcripts in the Apple Podcasts app. Fitness+ workouts always include Audio Hints to support users who are blind or have low vision, as well as modifiers so that users of all levels can participate.

Users can visit Apple Support to learn how their Apple devices can be customized using built-in accessibility features. From adapting the gestures to customizing how information is presented on a device’s screen, the Apple Accessibility playlist will help users learn how to personalize Apple Vision Pro, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac to work best for them.

Over the last year, we’ve seen how Microsoft Copilot is transforming how people interact with the web. It’s influencing behavioral shifts that are reshaping how businesses of all sizes connect with their audiences. People are making purchase decisions faster, reducing the journey from nearly 30 days to just over 20 when using Microsoft Copilot. In addition, one of our unique ad formats in chat, multimedia ads, has seen triple the click-through rates compared to traditional search engine results pages. The broader momentum we’re seeing for advertising across Microsoft is also being driven, in part, by increased volume and engagement on Microsoft Bing and Edge, and Copilot is playing an integral role. As we just reported in earnings, Bing reached over 140 million daily active users and we once again took share across Bing and Edge.

Through innovation and partnerships, we’re putting all our assets to work to deliver a meaningful alternative and real monetization opportunity for advertisers and publishers in this new era of AI. Microsoft Advertising is continuing to make strides in empowering businesses of all sizes to unlock the power and potential of this technology. We’re excited to share an update on our progress.

Partnering with Axel Springer to accelerate growth in the era of AI
Today, we’re announcing an expanded partnership with Axel Springer, Europe’s leading digital publisher, that will leverage our collective strengths in digital publishing and technology to accelerate growth in the era of AI:

Extending adtech collaboration to the US: Axel Springer will adopt Microsoft Advertising as their ad server solution, expanding their existing partnership from Europe to the US. POLITICO will integrate Microsoft Advertising technology as a comprehensive solution enhanced by Axel Springer’s AdTech management and optimization layer “AdLib.” POLITICO will also be integrated into the Microsoft Advertising Network, allowing advertisers to reach a broader audience.

Powering new AI experiences and monetization: Axel Springer will partner with Microsoft to pilot new innovative AI-driven chat experiences to better inform and engage their users with Axel Springer’s journalistic content. The cooperation will further fuel Axel Springer’s ventures in AI, building on projects such as the AI assistant Hey_, powered amongst others by Azure OpenAI Service. In addition, Axel Springer will leverage Microsoft Advertising’s Chat Ads API for generative AI monetization.

Enhanced content offerings through Microsoft Start/MSN: Axel Springer is expanding their Microsoft Start/MSN partnership to provide users access to more premium content from leading journalistic brands such as Business Insider, POLITICO, BILD and WELT, reaching millions of users across devices and markets.

Microsoft Azure expansion: In addition to extending its use of Azure AI capabilities for AI innovation, Axel Springer will utilize Azure OpenAI PTUs (provisioned throughput units) for scaling on their B2C GenAI productive use cases across several Axel Springer companies. The digital publisher will also transform and migrate its SAP solutions to Microsoft Azure, the trusted and secure cloud platform, to enhance scalability, reliability, and performance across their digital infrastructure.

This multifaceted partnership builds on our mutual commitment to the principles and potential of responsible AI and leverages our breadth of innovation to support independent journalism around the world.

Welcoming our newest Chat Ads API partner
Publishers like Axel Springer, Snapchat and Baidu leverage Microsoft Advertising’s Chat Ads API to monetize their own chat experiences through advertising while allowing media buyers to reach a high value audience demographic with personalized content. These new partnerships continue to bring value to our advertisers as we see growth in mobile click volume and conversion rates across various verticals.

Today, we’re also announcing a new Chat Ads API partner: Direqt. As the first AI chatbot platform built exclusively for publishers, Direqt gives media brands the ability to deliver highly engaging experiences created with their own branded conversational AIs that are trained exclusively on their own content.

Leading media companies including ESPN, The Sun, Cosmopolitan, Men’s Health, The Independent, and more use Direqt to build, grow, and monetize conversational AIs, helping them unlock new revenue opportunities, grow their audience, and deepen reader engagement. Over 90 publishers are already leveraging Direqt to power their chat experiences and reach over 270 million users through Direqt’s chatbot discovery network.

In the coming days, a hand-selected collection of Direqt’s publishers will be able to leverage Microsoft Advertising’s Chat Ads API, with expanded availability across Direqt’s entire network of publishers expected in June.

Bringing Copilot in the Microsoft Advertising Platform to all advertisers
Today, we are excited to announce the general availability of Copilot in the Microsoft Advertising Platform. We developed Copilot in the Microsoft Advertising Platform to be an advertiser’s AI companion for creating high-quality marketing easily and efficiently, while guiding users through campaign creation and answering questions along the way. We believe that generative AI can unlock productivity, boost creativity, and provide a real-time intelligent assistant to help you achieve your advertising goals.

As we began piloting these new capabilities, Copilot in the Microsoft Advertising Platform quickly evolved into an indispensable tool for marketers to keep pace with the intensity of work, allowing them to allocate more time to strategic decision-making, and improving their performance.

Aligned with this launch, we also recently introduced an AI powered sign-up workflow and refreshed user interface for the Microsoft Advertising Platform, with Copilot integrated throughout, including the search bar and help menu, to make it easier to tap into the power of generative AI no matter where you are. We have already seen a 29% reduction in support tickets for the new workflow.

Always-on Support
Copilot in the Microsoft Advertising Platform is improving the advertiser experience by offering 24×7 in-platform conversational chat worldwide.* It provides real-time answers to your support questions, synthesizes relevant information, and provides direct links to where you can take action. Copilot in the Microsoft Advertising Platform is helping new and experienced digital advertisers upskill and get answers instantaneously. If users prefer a more hands-on experience, they can always reach out to their Microsoft Advertising account team or Copilot in the Microsoft Advertising Platform can connect you directly with support agents, ensuring they have the full context to assist you further.

We will soon be unveiling insights scenarios to help advertisers tackle reporting more quickly and easily. For example, in a few weeks, we begin piloting the ability to summarize the performance of a specified campaign directly from conversational chat.

Boosting Productivity
We’ve all been there—staring at a blank screen, waiting for inspiration to strike. With Copilot in the Microsoft Advertising Platform, you never need to start a campaign from scratch. You can invoke Copilot to easily recommend text and image assets for campaigns by simply entering your website URL during campaign creation. Copilot will use your URL to source and draft specific messaging and imagery to populate your asset group. Advertisers always have the flexibility to adjust their assets with built-in tools, like “Refine Recommendations” to swiftly align all assets to a custom theme provided by the user. In addition to images suggested by Copilot in the Microsoft Advertising Platform, our image creation tool enables users to create and add high-quality imagery to campaigns in seconds.

Copilot in the Microsoft Advertising Platform is saving users valuable time and effort. Copilot is currently integrated into the campaign creation flow of Performance Max, Responsive Search Ads, and Audience campaigns, and we will soon be bringing asset recommendations to your display and video ads to make multi-format omnichannel advertising more accessible.

Enhancing Creativity
Copilot in the Microsoft Advertising Platform boosts experimentation and sparks creativity within marketing teams by facilitating ideation and iteration. With Copilot in the Microsoft Advertising Platform, you always have the support of a collaborative partner to take ideas further, iterate on your high-performing campaigns, or develop a new concept from start to finish with the aptitude and agility of AI.

Copilot in the Microsoft Advertising Platform can help users expand the variety of creative assets within campaigns which enables our AI-powered automation to deliver more relevant ads to your target audiences. Copilot in the Microsoft Advertising Platform’s image creation tool empowers anyone to create beautiful images with text-to-image capabilities inside the Asset Library or conveniently integrated into the campaign creation workflow.

Advertisers can also fine-tune their assets either with built-in tools like “Find similar copy,” “Try a different tone,” or “Rewrite” or providing prompts that customize assets to their business objectives and personalize ads for their audiences. In early testing, we’re already seeing more than half of users who engage with Copilot in the Microsoft Advertising Platform to co-create their ad creative are applying their AI-generated assets in their campaigns.2

In a few weeks, advertisers will also be able to refine their existing image assets by customizing background images using generative AI. Advertisers can showcase their products in seasonal and market-specific contexts.

Conversational search is transforming the consumer journey
Every day, Microsoft Copilot is transforming how people search and browse. As search habits shift, the consumer journey within Copilot is evolving and expanding growth opportunities for advertisers and publishers. With more than 5 billion chats and counting, people are using Copilot to explore and make sense of the world’s information through longer, more detailed searches – and by including citations in responses, it’s helping drive traffic directly to advertisers and publishers.

The signals we’re seeing so far show people continue to be actively engaged in this new way of searching with strong growth on PC and accelerated usage on mobile. And in recognition of the transformative impact of AI, Comscore is now including generative AI search in its overall search market measurement analysis. In that report, Comscore stated total market search volume was up more than 5% and saw Bing capturing the lion’s share of growth.1

This indicates the start of a significant change in consumer behavior, and we’ve observed several interesting insights so far:

The volume of consumer journeys that now include Copilot is growing 4 times faster than journeys with only traditional search.

We’re also seeing strong engagement with ads being shown on Copilot compared to standard search ads.
When user journeys incorporate both Microsoft Copilot and traditional Search, there’s a notable 30% lift in aggregate click-through rates (CTR),2 indicating that the synergy between search experiences is driving more value.
Interestingly, 40% of Copilot conversations initiate from a standard search query, indicating a growing interest in transitioning to more engaging AI-driven conversational experiences. Within these interactions, most ad clicks are for non-brand terms, suggesting users are engaging with a wide range of content and exploring new topics within their conversational journeys.

In addition to longer chat prompt queries and chat messages with conversational search, 82% of ad clicks came from short chat communications in less than 60 seconds, suggesting high-visibility strategies can quickly help advertisers deliver an engaging consumer experience.

Importantly, user feedback indicates the integration of ads is not negatively impacting their experience in Copilot, underscoring the power of conversational search to more deeply understand user intent and provide more useful and relevant content.

All these positive signals are just the start of exciting growth opportunities for web publishers and advertisers to effectively engage users in this new era of AI. We look forward to continued collaboration with our partners and customers as we discover what’s possible with better search.

Join us May 15!
Don’t miss the opportunity to propel your advertising strategies to new heights! Register now for Microsoft Advertising’s exclusive virtual event on May 15, where you’ll discover firsthand how to harness the power of Copilot in Microsoft Advertising Platform, unlock the potential of predictive targeting, and optimize your campaigns with Performance Max. Whether you’re aiming to refine your current strategies or explore innovative new tools, this event is a don’t miss. Secure your spot today!

ABU DHABI, UAE, April 16, 2024 – G42, the leading UAE-based artificial intelligence (AI) technology holding company, and Microsoft Corp. today announced a $1.5 billion strategic investment by Microsoft in G42. The investment will strengthen the two companies’ collaboration on bringing the latest Microsoft AI technologies and skilling initiatives to the UAE and other countries around the world. As part of this expanded partnership Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, will join the G42 Board of Directors.

This expanded collaboration will empower organizations of all sizes in new markets to harness the benefits of AI and the cloud while ensuring they are adopting AI that adheres to world-leading standards in safety and security.

Building on the two organizations’ long-standing collaboration in AI and digital transformation initiatives, Microsoft’s investment deepens the reciprocal commitment to this strategic partnership. G42 will run its AI applications and services on Microsoft Azure and partner to deliver advanced AI solutions to global public sector clients and large enterprises. G42 and Microsoft will also work together to bring advanced AI and digital infrastructure to countries in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa, providing these nations with equitable access to services to address important governmental and business concerns while ensuring the highest standards of security and privacy.

H.H. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of G42, said: “Microsoft’s investment in G42 marks a pivotal moment in our company’s journey of growth and innovation, signifying a strategic alignment of vision and execution between the two organizations. This partnership is a testament to the shared values and aspirations for progress, fostering greater cooperation and synergy globally.”

The partnership will also support the development of a skilled and diverse AI workforce and talent pool that will drive innovation and competitiveness for the UAE and broader region with the investment of $1B in a development fund for developers.

“Our two companies will work together not only in the UAE, but to bring AI and digital infrastructure and services to underserved nations,” said Brad Smith, Microsoft Vice Chair and President. “We will combine world-class technology with world-leading standards for safe, trusted, and responsible AI, in close coordination with the governments of both the UAE and the United States.”

The commercial partnership is backed by assurances to both governments through a first of its kind agreement to apply world-class best practices to ensure the secure, trusted, and responsible development and deployment of AI. Microsoft and G42 will work closely and elevate the security and compliance framework of their joint international infrastructure. Both companies will move forward with a commitment to comply with US and international trade, security, responsible AI, and business integrity laws and regulations. The work on these topics is governed by a detailed Intergovernmental Assurance Agreement (IGAA) between G42 and Microsoft that was developed in close consultation with both the UAE and US governments.

Peng Xiao, Group Chief Executive Officer of G42, said: “Through Microsoft’s strategic investment, we are advancing our mission to deliver cutting-edge AI technologies at scale. This partnership significantly enhances our international market presence, combining G42’s unique AI capabilities with Microsoft’s robust global infrastructure. Together, we are not only expanding our operational horizons but also setting new industry standards for innovation.”

Samer Abu-Ltaif, Microsoft Corporate Vice President and President, Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, added: “Our investment in G42 stands as a testament to the thriving and dynamic tech landscape in the UAE and the broader region. This strategic partnership is well-positioned to ignite opportunities for our customers and partners, accelerate innovation, and fuel economic growth. With G42, we will introduce cutting-edge technologies that will empower countries and markets to advance their digital agendas by harnessing the power of Cloud and AI.”

The collaboration between G42 and Microsoft has expanded through several milestones over the past year. This includes a joint plan announced in April 2023 to develop AI solutions tailored for the public sector and industry, leveraging Microsoft’s extensive partner ecosystem and cloud capabilities. In September 2023, the companies entered into an agreement to introduce sovereign cloud offerings and collaborate on unlocking the potential of advanced AI capabilities on the Azure public cloud platform. Lastly, in November 2023, Microsoft announced the availability of G42’s Jais Arabic Large Language Model on the new Azure AI Cloud Model-as-a-Service offering.

#Ends#

About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

About G42

G42 is a technology holding group, a global leader in creating visionary artificial intelligence for a better tomorrow. Born in Abu Dhabi and operating worldwide, G42 champions AI as a powerful force for good across industries. From molecular biology to space exploration and everything in between, G42 realizes exponential possibilities, today.

To know more visit www.g42.ai

Working alongside healthcare organizations, Microsoft is making the promise of AI real by empowering the industry to tackle its biggest challenges and create a real difference in the lives of clinicians and patients. At the 2024 HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition, we are highlighting how providers are adopting generative AI solutions and the impact the technology is making.

• Stanford Medicine and Microsoft announced the enterprise-wide deployment of Nuance Dragon Ambient eXperience Copilot (DAX Copilot), providing conversational, ambient and generative AI to Stanford Medicine’s clinicians. This deployment aligns with Stanford Medicine’s mission to alleviate physician burnout and enhance patient care by streamlining administrative tasks. Stanford Medicine’s commitment to innovation, coupled with DAX Copilot’s ability to automate clinical documentation, has led to significant improvements in efficiency and patient-focused care. DAX Copilot enables healthcare organizations to adopt AI-powered clinical documentation applications at scale, leveraging existing investments in our trusted and extensible Dragon solutions. Stanford Health Care clinicians who used DAX Copilot reported through a preliminary survey that 96% of physicians stated that it was easy to use, and 78% reported that it expedited clinical notetaking. About two-thirds reported that DAX Copilot saved time.
• WellSpan Health announced its widespread adoption of DAX Copilot, enhancing patient-physician interactions during exam room and telehealth visits. Leveraging generative AI, DAX Copilot automates clinical note drafting, allowing physicians to focus entirely on patients without the distraction of manual documentation. WellSpan’s decision to adopt DAX Copilot builds upon its successful use of Nuance solutions to streamline clinical workflows and improve patient care. Surveys indicate high satisfaction among physicians and patients, with DAX significantly improving the quality of interactions and reducing documentation burdens. This initiative reflects WellSpan’s commitment to delivering exceptional care experiences and addressing physician burnout by providing innovative tools to enhance efficiency and personalize care delivery.
• Providence and Microsoft announced a strategic collaboration aimed at accelerating AI innovation in healthcare. Leveraging Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare and Azure as a standard platform, the collaboration focuses on delivering AI-powered applications to improve interoperability, generate clinical insights and enhance care delivery. Past successes from this relationship include Providence’s migration to cloud solutions and the adoption of AI-powered applications like Nuance’s DAX Copilot. By leveraging their combined expertise, the collaboration aims to rapidly scale existing solutions and create more personalized experiences for patients and clinicians. Through this initiative, Providence aims to transform healthcare delivery and improve outcomes by harnessing the power of the cloud and advanced AI technologies.

Reinforcing our commitment to Responsible AI

As incredible as AI – and all its potential – is, the important role clinicians play in determining its use and enabling responsible AI guidelines is vital. That’s why we remain steadfast in our commitment to our Responsible AI principles, which help to ensure safe, fair and responsible use of the technology. As part of this ongoing commitment, Microsoft has joined a consortium of healthcare leaders to announce the formation of the Trustworthy & Responsible AI Network (TRAIN), creating one of the first health AI networks aimed at operationalizing responsible AI principles to improve the quality, safety and trustworthiness of AI in health.

Serving as the technology-enabling partner for TRAIN, Microsoft is working with members that include AdventHealth, Advocate Health, Boston Children’s Hospital, Cleveland Clinic, Duke Health, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Mass General Brigham, MedStar Health, Mercy, Mount Sinai Health System, Northwestern Medicine, Providence, Sharp HealthCare, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and Vanderbilt University Medical Center – to share best practices and provide tools to enable measurement of outcomes associated with the implementation of AI. Additionally, OCHIN, which serves a national network of community health organizations with solutions, expertise, clinical insights and tailored technologies, and TruBridge, a partner and conduit to community healthcare, will work with TRAIN to help ensure that every organization, regardless of resources, has access to the benefits the network offers.

Additionally, we continue to take the necessary steps to ensure healthcare organizations can implement technology in compliance with the highest levels of security and privacy in mind. We recently announced the preview of healthcare data solutions in Microsoft Fabric, which enables healthcare organizations to break down data silos and harmonize their disparate healthcare data in a single unified store where analytics and AI workloads can operate at-scale. We are also pleased to share that Fabric now supports HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliance, allowing our U.S. healthcare industry customers and partners to compliantly use Fabric to store, process and analyze data.

Driving innovation through the Microsoft partner ecosystem

Microsoft’s unmatched global ecosystem of trusted partners is one of the key components that helps drive our innovation forward. This week, Cognizant announced that its TriZetto Assistant on Facets will leverage Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and Semantic Kernel to provide access to generative AI within the TriZetto user interface. This new collaboration will help increase productivity and efficiency for healthcare payers and providers, while ensuring timely responses and improved care for patients.

Additionally, Microsoft for Startups announced a new collaboration with the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Physician Innovation Network. The Physician Innovation Network is a powerful match-making tool developed by the AMA to connect physicians, care team members, business liaisons and entrepreneurs in a shared mission to enhance healthcare. The collaboration extends the reach of the Physician Innovation Network to all startup founders in the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, so whether they’re driven to improve healthcare, collaborate with industry leaders or learn from healthcare experts, they will have access to a unique space for connection and innovation.

Without a doubt, these are incredibly exciting times, and we are proud to see our customers and partners adopting Microsoft’s generative AI solutions and putting them to use in the real world to make a meaningful impact in the lives of clinicians and patients.  We look forward to continuing to play a leading role in fostering innovation with generative AI, and empowering healthcare providers and partners across the entire health and life sciences industries with leading-edge and responsible AI technologies that contribute to better experiences and outcomes in healthcare.

LONDON – Residents from Lancashire, West Midlands and West Yorkshire can take the first steps toward career opportunities in cyber security by enrolling in the award-wining Cyber Ready programme from CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the information technology (IT) industry and workforce.

CompTIA announced today it is accepting applications for three Cyber Ready classes scheduled to begin 17 April 2024. A total of 45 individuals, 15 students per class, will be chosen to participate in the free, six-month programme.

Cyber Ready helps socially and economically disadvantaged people enter the cyber security profession. It is designed to increase diversity in the cyber security sector by openly encouraging people from backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented in the sector. This includes women, parents, people from an ethnic minority background, and the neurodiverse.

“There is a great need for cyber security professionals in virtually every industry and locale across the country,” said Zeshan Sattar, senior director, industry relations, EMEA, CompTIA. “Cyber Ready helps people with some IT job role experience gain the knowledge, skills and professional certifications for employment as cybersecurity analysts and related job roles.”

Since its debut in 2018, 85% of Cyber Ready participants have transitioned into cyber security careers.

Funded in part by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Cyber Ready was named the Best Professional Training or Certification Programme at the 2022 SC Awards Europe. The six-month programme offers access to the latest industry-standard content on cyber security. Instruction is led by trainers with real world experience in cyber security.

Participants are expected to complete a minimum of 12 hours of self-study each week and meet monthly for Saturday workshops to help them to consolidate learning, prepare for next challenges, gain insight from industry guest speakers, and network with their peers.

Participation in the new Cyber Ready classes is open to residents from:

Lancashire (Saturday workshops in Preston)

West Midlands (Saturday workshops in Birmingham)

West Yorkshire (Saturday workshops taking in Bradford)

Participants who complete the program can earn two professional certifications: CompTIA Security+, a globally recognised credential that validates the baseline skills needed to perform core cybersecurity functions; and CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+), a certification for cyber professionals tasked with incident detection, prevention and response through continuous security monitoring.

Visit https://www.comptia.org/content/lp/cyber-ready to apply for the programme and for more information.

About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the world’s leading information technology (IT) certification and training body. CompTIA is a mission-driven organization committed to unlocking the potential of every student, career changer or professional seeking to begin or advance in a technology career. Millions of current and aspiring technology workers around the world rely on CompTIA for the training, education and professional certifications that give them the confidence and skills to work in tech. https://www.comptia.org/

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. – CompTIA, the world’s leading information technology (IT) certification and training body, today unveiled an ambitious 2024 product vision that extends its learning and certifications portfolio to serve even more students and career professionals.

CompTIA will introduce multiple new products over the next 12 months, with the first coming to market in Q1 2024. Five existing CompTIA certifications will be refreshed with significant updates to both exam objectives and learning programs.

“Our mandate is clear,” said Todd Thibodeaux, president and CEO, CompTIA. “Equipping workers to thrive in an ever-demanding future world of work means building depth and breadth of skills through competency-based learning and agile pathways.”

The new products span four categories.

CompTIA Essentials
AI Essentials
Business Essentials
Soft Skills Essentials

CompTIA a+ Series (little a+)
a+ Linux
a+ Coding
a+ Data

CompTIA Pro Series
AWS Practitioner Pro
Full Stack Pro
AutoCode Pro

CompTIA Xpert Series
DataX

Two common threads are present in CompTIA’s product development plans. First, digital fluency is a universal need in almost every profession. Some level of understanding is required to be conversant, especially with technology at the core of most business operations. Second, technology solutions do not work in a vacuum but are dependent on each other to operate effectively. The same is true for technology skills. A specialist in cloud computing, cybersecurity or data analytics must understand how different elements complement each other to achieve a desired outcome.

Each CompTIA product category corresponds to a learner’s progression in attaining tech skills and competencies.

CompTIA Essentials boost technological competence across a range of job roles, both tech-specific positions and in adjacent occupations that rely on technology. Learning modules in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, office productivity software, business acumen and financial literacy can be mixed and matched with employment essentials, such as communication, collaboration and critical thinking, to achieve digital fluency.

CompTIA a+ Series (little a+) expands access to tech careers and encourages more people to explore employment options through a modular collection of technical learning and certificate programs. This approach creates more efficient pathways to tech careers while still providing the support a student needs to pursue an entry-level tech job role training. Two programs, a+ Cyber and a+ Network, are currently available through Coursera.

CompTIA Pro Series offers hands-on learning with vendor tools and technologies that are required as tech careers progress. These programs differ from CompTIA Plus (+) certifications programs in two significant ways. They are centered on the learning experience, not on a CompTIA certification, and some are aligned with third-party, product or vendor certification programs.

CompTIA Xpert Series is a set of expert-level certification exams with related learning products and training curricula. Individual exams are not necessarily vendor-neutral and represent a “step up” from existing CompTIA certification programs in data, cybersecurity and IT infrastructure. Planned for launch in 2024 is the new DataX certification and learning program aimed at data scientists. Aligning with this new vision, the current CompTIA CASP+ certification will be updated and rebranded as SecurityX this year.

Refreshes within the CompTIA Plus (+) Series include 2024 updates to Network+, Cloud+ and PenTest+. In addition, IT Fundamentals (ITF+) will be updated and rebranded as CompTIA Tech+. More information on specific launch dates and product details will be announced in the coming weeks.

About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the world’s leading information technology (IT) certification and training body. CompTIA is a mission-driven organization committed to unlocking the potential of every student, career changer or professional seeking to begin or advance in a technology career. Millions of current and aspiring technology workers around the world rely on CompTIA for the training, education and professional certifications that give them the confidence and skills to work in tech. https://www.comptia.org/

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. – Technology sector companies in the aggregate added workers for the month while employers throughout the economy reduced tech occupation staffing, analysis by CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the information technology (IT) industry and workforce reveals.

Within the tech sector, employers increased employment by 12,643 positions, according to CompTIA’s analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics #JobsReport data. Employment growth was led by new hiring in IT and custom software services and systems design (+10,400) and cloud infrastructure, data processing and hosting (+5,800).

Tech occupations throughout the economy declined by 189,000 positions.[1] The unemployment rate for tech occupations rose slightly to 2.1%, moving directionally with the increase in the national unemployment rate to 3.8%.

“The usual caveats of monthly fluctuations in labor market data apply,” said Tim Herbert, chief research officer at CompTIA. “The seesawing between strong and lagging tech jobs reports is undoubtedly confusing, but the overall macro trend of growth in the depth and breadth of the tech workforce remains steady.”

Employer job postings for future tech hiring totaled nearly 208,000 in August, a slight decline of 1.4% from the previous month.[2] Job postings for information security analysts increased 19% from July to August, to more than 12,000 postings. Other in-demand occupations include software developers, tech support specialists, computer systems analysts and data scientists.

Denver, Washington, Phoenix, Tampa, Philadelphia and Baltimore led metropolitan areas with the largest increases in the number of tech job postings from July to August. Lansing, MI, Colorado Springs, CO, Denver, Tampa, Phoenix, Huntsville, AL and San Diego saw notable increases on a percentage change basis.

By industry, employers in the professional, scientific and technical services, administrative support and manufacturing sectors has the largest share of tech job postings came from

Positions in emerging technologies or jobs requiring emerging tech skills accounted for 23% of all tech jobs postings in August. Within emerging tech job postings, 37% were associated with artificial intelligence (AI). California, Texas, New York, Massachusetts and Virginia had the highest numbers of AI-related job postings.

The “CompTIA Tech Jobs Report” is available at https://www.comptia.org/content/tech-jobs-report.

About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the world’s leading information technology (IT) certification and training body. CompTIA is a mission-driven organization committed to unlocking the potential of every student, career changer or professional seeking to begin or advance in a technology career. Each year CompTIA, directly and through its global network of partners, provides millions of people with training, education and certification. To learn more visit https://www.comptia.org/

PALO ALTO, Calif. – HP announced new global research conducted by Morning Consult revealing the serious actions many parents are taking due to climate change, from everyday decisions to long-term family planning. 

The study among parents in India, Mexico, Singapore, United Kingdom and United States found that 91% of parents are concerned about the climate crisis, leading to changes that are reshaping their lives and purchasing habits. More than half (53%) say it has impacted their perspective on having more children. Forty-three percent of respondents said they had reconsidered working for a company based on its commitment to environmental and social issues.  

The research also found many parents favor companies that are taking action to address climate change. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of parents prefer products that are sustainably sourced and 60% say sustainable company practices play a large part in their purchasing habits. That is despite the findings that the vast majority of parents (84%) acknowledge the cost of living is rising and more than half (57%) believe engaging in environmentally friendly practices takes up a lot of time. 

“Families, like all our customers, rely on HP to connect them to the things that matter most, be it work, entertainment or loved ones,” said Michele Malejki, Global Head of Social Impact. “It’s one of the reasons parents are top of mind for us. And like every generation before them, today’s parents have their own unique pressures, especially the climate crisis. It’s why we’re going beyond our business impact to make our business better for people and the planet.” 

While parents are taking personal action, most also believe key players in the corporate world must act, too. Most parents (51%) believe that companies have “a lot” of responsibility in holding themselves accountable on climate action, as opposed to customers (36%). 

“Our research correlates to what we see in our business: we are keeping customers, winning new sales, and attracting talent because of our Sustainable Impact initiatives and sustainable products,” said James McCall, Chief Sustainability Officer. “If we are serious about changing the trajectory of the climate crisis, industry must go beyond, changing the mindset of ‘do no harm’ to ‘do more good.’” 

The findings come as HP releases its annual Sustainable Impact report for the twenty-second year. The report details the company’s progress toward comprehensive and bold environmental and social goals. HP has: 

Reduced its absolute carbon footprint by 18% since 2019. This brings the company closer to its goal to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040 – end to end. 
Reduced single-use plastic packaging by 55% compared to 2018. 
Counteracted deforestation for 32% of all paper used in HP products and services toward goal of 100%. 
Accelerated digital equity for more than 21 million people on path to 150 million by 2030. 
Committed to building a pipeline of diverse talent, with 46% of U.S. new hires last year from racial or ethnic minorities. 

HP aspires to be the most sustainable and just technology company. In 2021, HP set aggressive Sustainable Impact goals in three areas where the company believes it can make the most difference – Climate Action, Human Rights and Digital Equity. The 2022 report details progress toward all three focus areas including a net zero carbon value chain, giving back more to forests than we take, creating a more circular economy, building a culture of equality and empowerment, and accelerating digital equity around the world to enable traditionally excluded communities to thrive in a digital economy.

About the Study
HP commissioned global research firm Morning Consult to conduct independent research on this topic. It was conducted between May 18-26, 2023 among a sample of 5,007 adults in the U.S., United Kingdom, India, Mexico and Singapore. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

About HP
HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) is a global technology leader and creator of solutions that enable people to bring their ideas to life and connect to the things that matter most. Operating in more than 170 countries, HP delivers a wide range of innovative and sustainable devices, services and subscriptions for personal computing, printing, 3D printing, hybrid work, gaming, and more. For more information, please visit: http://www.hp.com.

PALO ALTO, Calif. – HP announced new global research conducted by Morning Consult revealing the serious actions many parents are taking due to climate change, from everyday decisions to long-term family planning. 

The study among parents in India, Mexico, Singapore, United Kingdom and United States found that 91% of parents are concerned about the climate crisis, leading to changes that are reshaping their lives and purchasing habits. More than half (53%) say it has impacted their perspective on having more children. Forty-three percent of respondents said they had reconsidered working for a company based on its commitment to environmental and social issues.  

The research also found many parents favor companies that are taking action to address climate change. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of parents prefer products that are sustainably sourced and 60% say sustainable company practices play a large part in their purchasing habits. That is despite the findings that the vast majority of parents (84%) acknowledge the cost of living is rising and more than half (57%) believe engaging in environmentally friendly practices takes up a lot of time. 

“Families, like all our customers, rely on HP to connect them to the things that matter most, be it work, entertainment or loved ones,” said Michele Malejki, Global Head of Social Impact. “It’s one of the reasons parents are top of mind for us. And like every generation before them, today’s parents have their own unique pressures, especially the climate crisis. It’s why we’re going beyond our business impact to make our business better for people and the planet.” 

While parents are taking personal action, most also believe key players in the corporate world must act, too. Most parents (51%) believe that companies have “a lot” of responsibility in holding themselves accountable on climate action, as opposed to customers (36%). 

“Our research correlates to what we see in our business: we are keeping customers, winning new sales, and attracting talent because of our Sustainable Impact initiatives and sustainable products,” said James McCall, Chief Sustainability Officer. “If we are serious about changing the trajectory of the climate crisis, industry must go beyond, changing the mindset of ‘do no harm’ to ‘do more good.’” 

The findings come as HP releases its annual Sustainable Impact report for the twenty-second year. The report details the company’s progress toward comprehensive and bold environmental and social goals. HP has: 

Reduced its absolute carbon footprint by 18% since 2019. This brings the company closer to its goal to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040 – end to end. 
Reduced single-use plastic packaging by 55% compared to 2018. 
Counteracted deforestation for 32% of all paper used in HP products and services toward goal of 100%. 
Accelerated digital equity for more than 21 million people on path to 150 million by 2030. 
Committed to building a pipeline of diverse talent, with 46% of U.S. new hires last year from racial or ethnic minorities. 

HP aspires to be the most sustainable and just technology company. In 2021, HP set aggressive Sustainable Impact goals in three areas where the company believes it can make the most difference – Climate Action, Human Rights and Digital Equity. The 2022 report details progress toward all three focus areas including a net zero carbon value chain, giving back more to forests than we take, creating a more circular economy, building a culture of equality and empowerment, and accelerating digital equity around the world to enable traditionally excluded communities to thrive in a digital economy.

About the Study
HP commissioned global research firm Morning Consult to conduct independent research on this topic. It was conducted between May 18-26, 2023 among a sample of 5,007 adults in the U.S., United Kingdom, India, Mexico and Singapore. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

About HP
HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) is a global technology leader and creator of solutions that enable people to bring their ideas to life and connect to the things that matter most. Operating in more than 170 countries, HP delivers a wide range of innovative and sustainable devices, services and subscriptions for personal computing, printing, 3D printing, hybrid work, gaming, and more. For more information, please visit: http://www.hp.com.

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) and AT&T* announced new solutions to enhance connectivity and advance the calling landscape for hybrid workforces. Whether on the shop floor, the top floor, at the branch office, the home office, or the commute in between, the modern workforce is not tethered to a single space, device, or geography. With the new offerings, including Cisco’s Webex Calling and SD-WAN solutions alongside AT&T mobile network, businesses of any size can offer employees a simple, secure, consistent experience to thrive in any setting.

Seamless, Flexible and Native Integration with Webex Calling

The companies today announced plans that will help ensure a seamless and reliable mobile-first collaboration experience, allowing users the flexibility to take calls across multiple devices while traveling for work, running errands, and more.

With the dramatic increase in the use of mobile phones as the primary business device, enterprises need connectivity solutions that are easy to manage, secure, and provide the flexibility and reliability desired for work from anywhere. This integration addresses this need with key features including:

Single number mobile identity: Combining the capabilities of an AT&T wireless smartphone with the native integration of Webex Calling will provide greater functionality and flexibility for on-the-go communication.
Reduce costs: This integration helps enterprise customers lower costs by reducing or eliminating the need for traditional fixed business lines.
Crystal clear voice: AT&T Cloud Voice with Webex Go allows users to securely make and receive business calls using AT&T’s fast, reliable nationwide mobile network and seamlessly elevate calls to a fully immersive Webex collaboration experience across the Webex App and devices1, with capabilities like closed captioning, noise removal, and white boarding.
Fast, efficient, and secure collaboration: AT&T and Cisco’s joint solution will increase the ability to effectively and securely collaborate no matter the location, resulting in improved knowledge sharing and faster decision making.
AT&T Cloud Voice with Webex Go2 will be available for all Webex Calling users from Cisco partners in the United States later this year.

SD-WAN Connectivity without Compromise

Demand for unified experiences over secure connectivity to the cloud and site-to-site continues to surge. Cisco and AT&T are working together to bring secure on-demand connectivity for SD-WAN with add-on services that may include mobile 5G and fiber broadband to businesses of every size.

For small and medium businesses, AT&T is launching a new self-service option to simplify and accelerate SD-WAN deployment. Businesses can now easily connect, protect, manage, and scale their networks using AT&T Business Wi-Fi with Cisco Meraki.

For larger enterprises, AT&T SD-WAN with Cisco is a fully managed connectivity solution with embedded security and analytics. Enterprises can now confidently connect a user or device to any application in their multicloud using a secure access service edge (SASE)-enabled architecture. This delivers integrated security and application optimization for end-to-end visibility.

Cisco will also provide the ability to embed AT&T wireless connectivity into Cisco devices enabling zero touch provisioning for Cisco and AT&T customers, through AT&T Control Center powered by Cisco.

“The network is at the core of the modern workforce. The ability to get things done is no longer reliant on where you are, but how you are connected,” said Jonathan Davidson, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Cisco Networking. “Hybrid work only works when there is a seamless, consistent, and secure experience for workers, regardless of location. Together with AT&T, we are giving businesses what they need to securely connect everything and everyone—wherever they are. Because when everything is connected, then anything is possible.”

“Mobility is key to enabling hybrid work. Businesses want a seamless and reliable communication experience,” said Mike Troiano, Senior Vice President, Business Products, AT&T. “At the heart of our collaboration with Cisco is a shared vision to empower organizations with secure connectivity, unmatched reliability, and deep network expertise. By deeply integrating our technology, businesses can be assured their communications are built on a solid foundation. Together we are unlocking new levels of productivity, agility, and connectivity— enabling teams to thrive in the modern work landscape.”

1Requires compatible device; not available in all areas.

2Customers will need to procure and pay for the required AT&T Wireless CRU Plan from AT&T or authorized AT&T partner and Webex Calling License and required Webex GO-M SKU from Webex Reseller/VAR.

About AT&T
We help more than 100 million U.S. families, friends and neighbors, plus nearly 2.5 million businesses, connect to greater possibility. From the first phone call 140+ years ago to our 5G wireless and multi-gig internet offerings today, we @ATT innovate to improve lives. For more information about AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), please visit us at about.att.com. Investors can learn more at investors.att.com.

About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that securely connects everything to make anything possible. Our purpose is to power an inclusive future for all by helping our customers reimagine their applications, power hybrid work, secure their enterprise, transform their infrastructure, and meet their sustainability goals.

BANGKOK, Sept. 19, 2022 — Huawei’s flagship startup event, Spark Founders Summit (SFS), will be held 20 – 21 September during Huawei Connect 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand. The two-day event will bring together startup founders, policymakers, enterprises and investors to discuss unleashing digital to empower startup ecosystem.

Huawei Spark is an acceleration platform launched in 2020 by Huawei Cloud for tech startups. The purpose is to incubate and accelerate startups to become tomorrow’s scale-ups. Initially launched in Asia Pacific, Huawei Spark is now also in Latin America and will soon be in Africa, Europe and Middle East in the coming year as the program is going global to help more enterprises grow and scale efficiently with the cloud.

Zhang Ping’an, CEO of Huawei Cloud, announced on September 15 in Shenzhen that Huawei Cloud will provide support for at least 10,000 promising startups around the world over the next three years, with support including cost optimization, technical support, entrepreneurship training, and other business resources.

At this year’s Spark Founders Summit, a key highlight will be the tri-party panel on the 20th of September, involving representatives from Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia governments speaking on their respective countries’ startup ecosystem strategies and programs.

The speaker line-up will also feature regional unicorns such as Patrick Cao, the President of GoTo, venture capitalists such as Lee Kai Fu, Chairman of Sinovation Ventures, and Yutong Zhang, Managing Director of GSR Ventures.

For more information on SFS, please visit: https://www.sparkfounderssummit.com/#hsfs-our-partner

SOURCE Spark Founders Summit

CONTACT: Xing Gao, gaoxing18@huawei.com

RESTON, Va., Aug. 9, 2022 — The Internet Society Foundation has launched a second round of grants to advance Internet access and connectivity around the world. Now in its second year, the The Building Opportunities/Leveraging Technologies (BOLT) grant program supports teams of creatives, technologists, and researchers to develop solutions to Internet connectivity, particularly among communities where current technologies are unavailable or inaccessible. US$200,000 grants will be awarded to organizations for projects lasting up to 12 months.

“The Internet Society Foundation is committed to using our funding to address the challenges that prevent people from accessing the Internet, in line with our vision that the Internet is for everyone. With almost half of the world population still offline, these grants aim to bolster the development of imaginative and sustainable solutions that will promote greater Internet access and connectivity for communities around the world”, noted Sarah Armstrong, Executive Director of the Internet Society Foundation.

The BOLT program builds on the Internet Society Foundation’s commitment to support innovative solutions to Internet connectivity. Organizations currently implementing projects around the world through the program include: Digital Empowerment Foundation, Digital Harbor Foundation Inc., Fundación Sole Colombia and the Research and Education Network for Uganda (RENU).

BOLT is open for applications between 8 August and 2 September and the grantees will be announced in October. Applying teams must ensure that their lead organization is a legally registered 501(c)(3) or equivalent.

See grant details and application process.

About The Internet Society Foundation:

The Internet Society Foundation was established in 2019 to support the positive difference the Internet can make to people everywhere. Guided by our vision of an Internet for Everyone, the Foundation champions ideas and enables communities to unlock the Internet’s potential to tackle the world’s evolving challenges. Focusing in five program areas, the Foundation awards grants to Internet Society Chapters as well as non-profit organizations and individuals dedicated to providing meaningful access to an open, globally connected, secure and trustworthy Internet for everyone.

SOURCE Internet Society Foundation

CONTACT: Media contact: Mabel Gunda, Internet Society Foundation, gunda@isocfoundation.org.