The Yokohama platform release features teams of preconfigured AI agents designed to deliver immediate productivity gains. These agents operate on a single, unified platform, ensuring seamless integration and coordination across different business functions. The platform also includes capabilities to build, onboard, and manage the entire AI agent lifecycle, making it easier for enterprises to adopt and scale AI solutions.

Data is the lifeblood of AI, and ServiceNow recognises this by expanding its Knowledge Graph with advancements to its Common Service Data Model (CSDM). This expansion aims to break down barriers among data sources, enabling more connected and intelligent AI agents. By unifying data from various sources, ServiceNow’s platform ensures that AI agents can operate with a comprehensive view of the enterprise, driving more informed decisions and actions.

The growing need for ‘Guardian Agents’

According to Gartner, by 2028, 40% of CIOs will demand ‘Guardian Agents’ to autonomously track, oversee, or contain the results of AI agent actions. This underscores the growing need for a coordinated, enterprise-wide approach to AI deployment and management.

ServiceNow’s Yokohama release addresses this need by serving as the AI agent control tower for enterprises. The platform removes common roadblocks such as data fragmentation, governance gaps, and real-time performance challenges, ensuring seamless data connectivity with Workflow Data Fabric.

Unlike other AI providers that operate in silos or require complex integrations, ServiceNow AI Agents are built on a single, enterprise-wide platform. This ensures seamless data connectivity and provides a single view of all workflows, AI, and automation needs.

Amit Zavery, President, Chief Product Officer, and Chief Operating Officer at ServiceNow, commented: “Agentic AI is the new frontier. Enterprise leaders are no longer just experimenting with AI agents; they’re demanding AI solutions that can help them achieve productivity at scale.

“ServiceNow’s industry‑leading agentic AI framework meets this need by delivering predictability and efficiency from the start. With the combination of agentic AI, data fabric, and workflow automation all on one platform, we’re making it easier for organisations to embed connected AI where work happens and both measure and drive business outcomes faster, smarter, and at scale.”

New AI agents from ServiceNow aim to accelerate productivity

ServiceNow’s new AI Agents are now available to accelerate productivity at scale. These agents are designed to drive real outcomes for enterprise-wide use cases. For example:

• Security Operations (SecOps) expert AI agents: These agents transform security operations by streamlining the entire incident lifecycle, eliminating repetitive tasks, and empowering SecOps teams to focus on stopping real threats quickly.
• Autonomous change management AI agents: Acting like seasoned change managers, these agents generate custom implementation, test, and backout plans by analysing impact, historical data, and similar changes, ensuring seamless execution with minimal risk.
• Proactive network test & repair AI agents: These AI-powered troubleshooters automatically detect, diagnose, and resolve network issues before they impact performance.

ServiceNow AI Agent Orchestrator and AI Agent Studio are now generally available with expanded capabilities to govern the complete AI agent lifecycle.

These tools help to streamline the setup process with guided instructions, making it easier to design and configure new AI agents using natural language descriptions. Their expanded performance management capabilities include an analytics dashboard for visualising AI agent usage, quality, and value—ensuring that AI agent performance and ROI can be easily tracked.

At the core of the ServiceNow Platform is Workflow Data Fabric, enabling AI-powered workflows that integrate with an organisation’s data, regardless of the system or source. This fabric allows businesses to gain deeper insights through AI-driven contextualisation and decision intelligence while automating manual work and creating process efficiencies.

The Yokohama release continues to expand ServiceNow’s Knowledge Graph data capabilities with enhancements to its Common Service Data Model (CSDM). CSDM provides a standardised framework for managing IT and business services to accelerate quick, safe, and compliant technology deployments.

Several customers and partners have already seen the benefits of ServiceNow’s AI solutions. CANCOM, Cognizant, Davies, and Sentara have all praised the platform’s ability to drive efficiency, cost savings, and productivity. These organisations have successfully integrated ServiceNow’s AI agents into their operations.

Jason Wojahn, Global Head of the ServiceNow Business Group at Cognizant, said: “At Cognizant, we are helping companies harness the next phase of AI with agentic AI workflows that could bring unparalleled efficiency. We were the first to bring ServiceNow’s Workflow Data Fabric to market and are working to help our clients to seamlessly connect their data with AI.

“With the Yokohama release and the integration of AI agents onto the Now Platform, clients can now operate their agents virtually effortlessly with connected data, driving productivity and ROI across their entire business.”

Darrell Burnell, Group Head of Technology at Davies, added: “Agility is essential for Davies, given our work with clients in heavily regulated markets. We’ve transformed our agent experience with ServiceNow’s generative AI, deploying Now Assist for ITSM in just six weeks to streamline information retrieval and accelerate resolution times.”

ServiceNow’s Yokohama platform release is a step forward in the evolution of AI for business transformation. By unleashing new AI agents and expanding data capabilities, ServiceNow aims to empower businesses to achieve faster and smarter workflows to maximise impact.

(Image by Thomas Fengler)

See also: Opera introduces browser-integrated AI agent

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

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ARI (Advanced Research & Insights) delivers comprehensive, accurate, and interactive reports within minutes—potentially shaking up the $250 billion management consulting industry.  

You.com claims ARI completes reports that typically require weeks of labour and cost thousands of dollars in just five minutes, at a fraction of traditional expenses.

With the ability to process over 400 sources simultaneously – a figure set to grow as the technology scales – ARI promises to deliver “verified citations and insights 3X faster than other currently available solutions.”

Bryan McCann, Co-Founder and CTO of You.com, said: “ARI’s breakthrough is its ability to maintain contextual understanding while processing hundreds of sources simultaneously.

“When combined with chain-of-thought reasoning and extended test-time compute, ARI is able to discover and incorporate adjacent research areas dynamically as analysis progresses.”

A powerful AI agent for business research

Traditional AI research tools are typically limited to processing between 30 to 40 data sources at a time. ARI stands out by handling hundreds of public and private data streams, ensuring unparalleled accuracy and scope in its analysis. The system doesn’t just stop at summarising data; it enhances user experience by producing rich, interactive graphs, charts, and visualisations for deeper insights.  

Designed to cater equally to high-level professionals and knowledge workers across industries, ARI combines advanced functionality with user-friendly accessibility. This dual-purpose design allows enterprises to deploy it as a personal assistant or as a replacement for expensive research efforts traditionally carried out by consulting firms.

At the heart of ARI is a series of capabilities:

• Simultaneous source analysis: Processes hundreds of data sources, both public and private.  
• Chain-of-Thought reasoning: Dynamically evolves research parameters as insights emerge.  
• Real-time verification: Provides direct validation for every claim and data point.  
• Interactive visualisation engine: Automatically generates and cites graphs and charts to enhance reporting.  
• Enterprise data integration: Analyses a mix of public and private datasets to deliver actionable insights.  

During its initial deployment phase, ARI has demonstrated its versatility and potential for impact across several industries:

• Consulting: By analysing market reports, competitor financials, patent filings, and social sentiment data in hours rather than weeks, ARI supports due diligence with ease.  
• Financial services: With the ability to integrate real-time data from earnings calls, SEC filings, and industry news, ARI helps support faster and more accurate investment decisions.  
• Healthcare: ARI accelerates the synthesis of clinical trials, medical journals, patient data, and treatment guidelines, providing insights that support evidence-based care.  
• Media: From audience data to trending topics and competitor activity, ARI enables the rapid identification of new story angles and anticipates emerging narratives in key markets.  

Dr Dennis Ballwieser, Managing Director and Editor at Wort & Bild Verlag, commented: “The research time has dropped from a few days to just a few hours, and the accuracy across both German and English content has been remarkable.

“What excites me most is the opportunity to democratise access to professional-grade research. With ARI’s ability to analyse hundreds of verifiable sources simultaneously while maintaining accuracy, we can now offer professional insights to organisations of all sizes at a fraction of the traditional cost.”  

Accelerating access to strategic insights  

The potential for technologies like ARI goes beyond time and cost savings. For companies such as global consultancy firm APCO Worldwide, ARI’s capabilities provide a level of quality and personalisation that aligns with the modern needs of clients.

Philip Fraser, CIO at APCO Worldwide, said: “To us, ARI represents a step-change in the quality and alignment to the needs of our clients. We are very excited about working with You.com to integrate the power of ARI into our award-winning, proprietary Margy AI platform.”  

Through such integrations, ARI has the potential to move organisations away from periodic, resource-intensive research projects towards continuous real-time intelligence that drives better decision-making across all levels.  

Richard Socher, Co-Founder and CEO of You.com, added: “When every employee has instant access to comprehensive, validated insights that previously required teams of consultants and weeks of work, it changes the speed and quality of business decision-making. ARI represents a paradigm shift in how organisations operate.”

ARI is the newest addition to You.com’s expanding AI agent ecosystem, which has already seen the development of over 50,000 custom agents since late 2024. The company has raised $99 million in funding from investors such as Salesforce Ventures, NVIDIA, and Georgian Ventures.

With ARI, You.com aims to set a new standard for an enterprise-grade AI research agent as part of broader decision-making systems.

(Photo by Jeremy Beadle)

See also: Endor Labs: AI transparency vs ‘open-washing’

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

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The stakes are high with potentially significant repercussions. According to Cisco’s 2024 AI Readiness Index, only 29% of surveyed organisations feel fully equipped to detect and prevent unauthorised tampering with AI technologies.

Continuous model validation

DJ Sampath, Head of AI Software & Platform at Cisco, said: “When we talk about model validation, it is not just a one time thing, right? You’re doing the model validation on a continuous basis.

“So as you see changes happen to the model – if you’re doing any type of finetuning, or you discover new attacks that are starting to show up that you need the models to learn from – we’re constantly learning all of that information and revalidating the model to see how these models are behaving under these new attacks that we’ve discovered.

“The other very important point is that we have a really advanced threat research team which is constantly looking at these AI attacks and understanding how these attacks can further be enhanced. In fact, we’re, we’re, we’re contributing to the work groups inside of standards organisations like MITRE, OWASP, and NIST.”

Beyond preventing harmful outputs, Cisco addresses the vulnerabilities of AI models to malicious external influences that can change their behaviour. These risks include prompt injection attacks, jailbreaking, and training data poisoning—each demanding stringent preventive measures.

Evolution brings new complexities

Frank Dickson, Group VP for Security & Trust at IDC, gave his take on the evolution of cybersecurity over time and what advancements in AI mean for the industry.

“The first macro trend was that we moved from on-premise to the cloud and that introduced this whole host of new problem statements that we had to address. And then as applications move from monolithic to microservices, we saw this whole host of new problem sets.

“AI and the addition of LLMs… same thing, whole host of new problem sets.”

The complexities of AI security are heightened as applications become multi-model. Vulnerabilities can arise at various levels – from models to apps – implicating different stakeholders such as developers, end-users, and vendors.

“Once an application moved from on-premise to the cloud, it kind of stayed there. Yes, we developed applications across multiple clouds, but once you put an application in AWS or Azure or GCP, you didn’t jump it across those various cloud environments monthly, quarterly, weekly, right?

“Once you move from monolithic application development to microservices, you stay there. Once you put an application in Kubernetes, you don’t jump back into something else.

“As you look to secure a LLM, the important thing to note is the model changes. And when we talk about model change, it’s not like it’s a revision … this week maybe [developers are] using Anthropic, next week they may be using Gemini.

“They’re completely different and the threat vectors of each model are completely different. They all have their strengths and they all have their dramatic weaknesses.”

Unlike conventional safety measures integrated into individual models, Cisco delivers controls for a multi-model environment through its newly-announced AI Defense. The solution is self-optimising, using Cisco’s proprietary machine learning algorithms to identify evolving AI safety and security concerns—informed by threat intelligence from Cisco Talos.

Adjusting to the new normal

Jeetu Patel, Executive VP and Chief Product Officer at Cisco, shared his view that major advancements in a short period of time always seem revolutionary but quickly feel normal.

“Waymo is, you know, self-driving cars from Google. You get in, and there’s no one sitting in the car, and it takes you from point A to point B. It feels mind-bendingly amazing, like we are living in the future. The second time, you kind of get used to it. The third time, you start complaining about the seats.

“Even how quickly we’ve gotten used to AI and ChatGPT over the course of the past couple years, I think what will happen is any major advancement will feel exceptionally progressive for a short period of time. Then there’s a normalisation that happens where everyone starts getting used to it.”

Patel believes that normalisation will happen with AGI as well. However, he notes that “you cannot underestimate the progress that these models are starting to make” and, ultimately, the kind of use cases they are going to unlock.

“No-one had thought that we would have a smartphone that’s gonna have more compute capacity than the mainframe computer at your fingertips and be able to do thousands of things on it at any point in time and now it’s just another way of life. My 14-year-old daughter doesn’t even think about it.

“We ought to make sure that we as companies get adjusted to that very quickly.”

See also: Sam Altman, OpenAI: ‘Lucky and humbling’ to work towards superintelligence

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

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“2025 is shaping up to be a defining year for AI, as organisations transition from experimentation to scaling their AI capabilities,” said Gabie Boko, NetApp’s Chief Marketing Officer.

“Businesses are making significant investments to drive innovation and efficiency, but these efforts will succeed only if global tech executives can address the mounting challenges of data complexity, security, and sustainability.”

The findings of NetApp’s latest Data Complexity Report paints a detailed picture of where businesses currently stand on their AI journeys and the key trends that will shape the technology’s future.

Cost of transformation

Two-thirds of businesses worldwide claim their data is “fully or mostly optimised” for AI purposes, highlighting vast improvements in making data accessible, accurate, and well-documented. Yet, the study reveals that the journey towards AI maturity requires further significant investment.

A striking 40% of global technology executives anticipate “unprecedented investment” will be necessary in 2025 just to enhance AI and data management capabilities.

While considerable progress has been made, achieving impactful breakthroughs demands an even greater commitment in financial and infrastructural resources. Catching up with AI’s potential might not come cheap, but leaders prepared to invest could reap significant rewards in innovation and efficiency.

Data silos impede AI success

One of the principal barriers identified in the report is the fragmentation of data. An overwhelming 79% of global tech executives state that unifying their data, reducing silos and ensuring smooth interconnectedness, is key to unlocking AI’s full potential.

Companies that have embraced unified data storage are better placed to overcome this hurdle. By connecting data regardless of its type or location (across hybrid multi-cloud environments,) they ensure constant accessibility and minimise fragmentation.

The report indicates that organisations prioritising data unification are significantly more likely to meet their AI goals in 2025. Nearly one-third (30%) of businesses failing to prioritise unification foresee missing their targets, compared to just 23% for those placing this at the heart of their strategy.

Executives have doubled down on data management and infrastructure as top priorities, increasingly recognising that optimising their capacity to gather, store, and process information is essential for AI maturity. Companies refusing to tackle these data challenges risk falling behind in an intensely competitive global market.

Scaling risks of AI

As businesses accelerate their AI adoption, the associated risks – particularly around security – are becoming more acute. More than two-fifths (41%) of global tech executives predict a stark rise in security threats by 2025 as AI becomes integral to more facets of their operations.

AI’s rapid rise has expanded attack surfaces, exposing data sets to new vulnerabilities and creating unique challenges such as protecting sensitive AI models. Countries leading the AI race, including India, the US, and Japan, are nearly twice as likely to encounter escalating security concerns compared to less AI-advanced nations like Germany, France, and Spain.

Increased awareness of AI-driven security challenges is reflected in business priorities. Over half (59%) of global executives name cybersecurity as one of the top stressors confronting organisations today.

However, progress is being made. Despite elevated concerns, the report suggests that effective security measures are yielding results. Since 2023, the number of executives ranking cybersecurity and ransomware protection as their top priority has fallen by 17%, signalling optimism in combating these risks effectively.

Limiting AI’s environmental costs

Beyond security risks, AI’s growth is raising urgent questions of sustainability. Over one-third of global technology executives (34%) predict that AI advancements will drive significant changes to corporate sustainability practices. Meanwhile, 33% foresee new government policies and investments targeting energy usage.

The infrastructure powering AI and transforming raw data into business value demands significant energy, counteracting organisational sustainability targets. AI-heavy nations often feel the environmental impact more acutely than their less AI-focused counterparts.

While 72% of businesses still prioritise carbon footprint reduction, the report notes a decline from 84% in 2023, pointing to increasing tension between sustainability commitments and the relentless march of innovation. For organisations to scale AI without causing irreparable damage to the planet, maintaining environmental responsibility alongside technological growth will be paramount in coming years.

Krish Vitaldevara, SVP and GM at NetApp, commented: “The organisations leading in advanced analytics and AI are those that have unified and well-cataloged data, robust security and compliance for sensitive information, and a clear understanding of how data evolves.

“By tackling these challenges, they can drive innovation while ensuring resilience, responsibility, and timely insights in the new AI era.”

You can find a full copy of NetApp’s report here (PDF)

(Photo by Chunli Ju)

See also: New AI training techniques aim to overcome current challenges

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

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The report places the UK ahead of its G7 counterparts in terms of AI adoption but also underscores areas ripe for improvement, such as support for SMEs, fostering cross-sector partnerships, and investing in talent development.

Zahra Bahrololoumi CBE, UKI CEO at Salesforce, commented: “Agentic AI is revolutionising enterprise software by enabling humans and agents to collaborate seamlessly and drive customer success.

“The UK AI Readiness Index positively highlights that the UK has both the vision and infrastructure to be a powerhouse globally in AI, and lead the current third wave of agentic AI.”

UK AI adoption sets the stage for agentic revolution

The Index details how both the public and private sectors in the UK have embraced AI’s transformative potential. With a readiness score of 65.5, surpassing the G7 average of 61.2, the UK is establishing itself as a hub for large-scale AI projects, driven by a robust innovation culture and pragmatic regulatory approaches.

The government has played its part in maintaining a stable and secure environment for tech investment. Initiatives such as the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park and risk-oriented AI legislation showcase Britain’s leadership on critical AI issues like transparency and privacy.

Business readiness is equally impressive, with UK industries scoring 52, well above the G7 average of 47.8. SMEs in the UK are increasingly prioritising AI adoption, further bolstering the nation’s stance in the international AI arena.

Adam Evans, EVP & GM of Salesforce AI Platform, is optimistic about the evolution of agentic AI. Evans foresees that, by 2025, these agents will become business-aware—expertly navigating industry-specific challenges to execute meaningful tasks and decisions.

Investments fuelling AI growth

Salesforce is committing $4 billion to the UK’s AI ecosystem over the next five years. Since establishing its UK AI Centre in London, Salesforce says it has engaged over 3,000 stakeholders in AI training and workshops.

Key investment focuses include creating a regulatory bridge between the EU’s rules-based approach and the more relaxed US approach, and ensuring SMEs have the resources to integrate AI. A strong emphasis also lies on enhancing digital skills and centralising training to support the AI workforce of the future.

Feryal Clark, Minister for AI and Digital Government, said: “These findings are further proof the UK is in prime position to take advantage of AI, and highlight our strength in spurring innovation, investment, and collaboration across the public and private sector.

“There is a global race for AI and we’ll be setting out plans for how the UK can use the technology to ramp-up adoption across the economy, kickstart growth, and build an AI sector which can scale and compete on the global stage.”

Antony Walker, Deputy CEO at techUK, added: “To build this progress, government and industry must collaborate to foster innovation, support SMEs, invest in skills, and ensure flexible regulation, cementing the UK’s leadership in the global AI economy.”

Agentic AI boosting UK business productivity 

Capita, Secret Escapes, Heathrow, and Bionic are among the organisations that have adopted Salesforce’s Agentforce to boost their productivity.

Adolfo Hernandez, CEO of Capita, said: “We want to transform Capita’s recruitment process into a fast, seamless and autonomous experience that benefits candidates, our people, and our clients.

“With autonomous agents providing 24/7 support, our goal is to enable candidates to complete the entire recruitment journey within days as opposed to what has historically taken weeks.

Secret Escapes, a curator of luxury travel deals, finds autonomous agents crucial for personalising services to its 60 million European members.

Kate Donaghy, Head of Business Technology at Secret Escapes, added: “Agentforce uses our unified data to automate routine tasks like processing cancellations, updating booking information, or even answering common travel questions about luggage, flight information, and much more—freeing up our customer service agents to handle more complex and last-minute travel needs to better serve our members.”

The UK’s AI readiness is testament to the synergy between government, business, and academia. To maintain its leadership, the UK must sustain its focus on collaboration, skills development, and innovation. 

(Photo by Matthew Wiebe)

See also: Generative AI use soars among Brits, but is it sustainable?

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

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The report reveals a stark contrast in how the C-suite and V-suite view the potential of generative AI. While the C-suite focuses on visible use cases such as customer experience, service, and sales, the V-suite sees opportunities across various functional areas, including operations, HR, and finance.

Risk perception

The divide extends to risk perception as well. Fifty-one percent of C-level respondents expressed more concern about the risk and ethics of generative AI than other emerging technologies. In contrast, only 23 percent of the V-suite shared these worries.

Simon James, Managing Director of Data & AI at Publicis Sapient, said: “It’s likely the C-suite is more worried about abstract, big-picture dangers – such as Hollywood-style scenarios of a rapidly-evolving superintelligence – than the V-suite.”

The report also highlights the uncertainty surrounding generative AI maturity. Organisations can be at various stages of maturity simultaneously, with many struggling to define what success looks like. More than two-thirds of respondents lack a way to measure the success of their generative AI projects.

Navigating the generative AI landscape

Despite the C-suite’s focus on high-visibility use cases, generative AI is quietly transforming back-office functions. More than half of the V-suite respondents ranked generative AI as extremely important in areas like finance and operations over the next three years, compared to a smaller percentage of the C-suite.

To harness the full potential of generative AI, the report recommends a portfolio approach to innovation projects. Leaders should focus on delivering projects, controlling shadow IT, avoiding duplication, empowering domain experts, connecting business units with the CIO’s office, and engaging the risk office early and often.

Daniel Liebermann, Managing Director at Publicis Sapient, commented: “It’s as hard for leaders to learn how individuals within their organisation are using ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot as it is to understand how they’re using the internet.”

The path forward

The report concludes with five steps to maximise innovation: adopting a portfolio approach, improving communication between the CIO’s office and the risk office, seeking out innovators within the organisation, using generative AI to manage information, and empowering team members through company culture and upskilling.

As generative AI continues to evolve, organisations must bridge the gap between the C-suite and V-suite to unlock its full potential. The future of business transformation lies in harnessing the power of a decentralised, bottom-up approach to innovation.

See also: EU introduces draft regulatory guidance for AI models

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

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The Granite 3.0 lineup includes a range of models designed for various applications:

• General purpose/language: 8B and 2B variants in both Instruct and Base configurations
• Safety: Guardian models in 8B and 2B sizes, designed to implement guardrails
• Mixture-of-Experts: A series of models optimised for different deployment scenarios

IBM claims that its new 8B and 2B language models can match or surpass the performance of similarly sized offerings from leading providers across numerous academic and industry benchmarks. These models are positioned as versatile workhorses for enterprise AI, excelling in tasks such as Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), classification, summarisation, and entity extraction.

A key differentiator for the Granite 3.0 family is IBM’s commitment to open-source AI. The models are released under the permissive Apache 2.0 licence, offering a unique combination of performance, flexibility, and autonomy to both enterprise clients and the broader AI community.

IBM believes that by combining a compact Granite model with proprietary enterprise data, particularly using their novel InstructLab alignment technique, businesses can achieve task-specific performance rivalling larger models at a fraction of the cost. Early proofs-of-concept suggest potential cost savings of up to 23x less than large frontier models.

According to IBM, transparency and safety remain at the forefront of its AI strategy. The company has published a technical report and responsible use guide for Granite 3.0, detailing the datasets used, data processing steps, and benchmark results. Additionally, IBM offers IP indemnity for all Granite models on its watsonx.ai platform, providing enterprises with greater confidence when integrating these models with their own data.

The Granite 3.0 8B Instruct model has shown particularly promising results, outperforming similar-sized open-source models from Meta and Mistral on standard academic benchmarks. It also leads across all measured safety dimensions on IBM’s AttaQ safety benchmark.

IBM is also introducing the Granite Guardian 3.0 models, designed to implement safety guardrails by checking user prompts and LLM responses for various risks. These models offer a comprehensive set of risk and harm detection capabilities, including unique checks for RAG-specific issues such as groundedness and context relevance.

The entire suite of Granite 3.0 models is available for download on HuggingFace, with commercial use options on IBM’s watsonx platform. IBM has also collaborated with ecosystem partners to integrate Granite models into various offerings, providing greater choice for enterprises worldwide.

As IBM continues to advance its AI portfolio, the company says it’s focusing on developing more sophisticated AI agent technologies capable of greater autonomy and complex problem-solving. This includes plans to introduce new AI agent features in IBM watsonx Orchestrate and build agent capabilities across its portfolio in 2025.

See also: Scoring AI models: Endor Labs unveils evaluation tool

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

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Commissioned by Prove AI and conducted by Zogby Analytics, the report polled over 600 CEOs, CIOs, and CTOs from large companies across the US, UK, and Germany. The findings show that 96% of organisations are already utilising AI to support business operations, with the same percentage planning to increase their AI budgets in the coming year.

The primary motivations for AI investment include increasing productivity (82%), improving operational efficiency (73%), enhancing decision-making (65%), and achieving cost savings (60%). The most common AI use cases reported were customer service and support, predictive analytics, and marketing and ad optimisation.

Despite the surge in AI investments, business leaders are acutely aware of the additional risk exposure that AI brings to their organisations. Data integrity and security emerged as the biggest deterrents to implementing new AI solutions.

Executives also reported encountering various AI performance issues, including:

• Data quality issues (e.g., inconsistencies or inaccuracies): 41%
• Bias detection and mitigation challenges in AI algorithms, leading to unfair or discriminatory outcomes: 37%
• Difficulty in quantifying and measuring the return on investment (ROI) of AI initiatives: 28%

While 95% of respondents expressed confidence in their organisation’s current AI risk management practices, the report revealed a significant gap in AI governance implementation.

Only 5% of executives reported that their organisation has implemented any AI governance framework. However, 82% stated that implementing AI governance solutions is a somewhat or extremely pressing priority, with 85% planning to implement such solutions by summer 2025.

The report also found that 82% of participants support an AI governance executive order to provide stronger oversight. Additionally, 65% expressed concern about IP infringement and data security.

Mrinal Manohar, CEO of Prove AI, commented: “Executives are making themselves clear: AI’s long-term efficacy, including providing a meaningful return on the massive investments organisations are currently making, is contingent on their ability to develop and refine comprehensive AI governance strategies.

“The wave of AI-focused legislation going into effect around the world is only increasing the urgency; for the current wave of innovation to continue responsibly, we need to implement clearer guardrails to manage and monitor the data informing AI systems.”

As global regulations like the EU AI Act loom on the horizon, the report underscores the importance of de-risking AI and the work that still needs to be done. Implementing and optimising dedicated AI governance strategies has emerged as a top priority for businesses looking to harness the power of AI while mitigating associated risks.

The findings of this report serve as a wake-up call for organisations to prioritise AI governance as they continue to invest in and deploy AI technologies. Responsible implementation and robust governance frameworks will be key to unlocking the full potential of AI while maintaining trust and compliance.

(Photo by Rob Thompson)

See also: Scoring AI models: Endor Labs unveils evaluation tool

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

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Research from Keeper Security finds that, despite the implementation of AI-related policies, many organisations remain inadequately prepared for AI-powered threats.

84% of IT and security leaders find AI-enhanced tools have exacerbated the challenge of detecting phishing and smishing attacks, which were already significant threats. In response, 81% of organisations have enacted AI usage policies for employees. Confidence in these measures runs high, with 77% of leaders expressing familiarity with best practices for AI security.

Gap between AI cybersecurity policy and threats preparedness

More than half (51%) of security leaders view AI-driven attacks as the most severe threat to their organisations. Alarmingly, 35% of respondents feel ill-prepared to address these attacks compared to other cyber threats.

Organisations are deploying several key strategies to meet these emerging challenges:

• Data encryption: Utilised by 51% of IT leaders, encryption serves as a crucial defence against unauthorised access and is vital against AI-fuelled attacks.

• Employee training and awareness: With 45% of organisations prioritising enhanced training programmes, there is a focused effort to equip employees to recognise and counter AI-driven phishing and smishing intrusions.

• Advanced threat detection systems: 41% of organisations are investing in these systems, underscoring the need for improved detection and response to sophisticated AI threats.

The advent of AI-driven cyber threats undeniably presents new challenges. Nevertheless, fundamental cybersecurity practices – such as data encryption, employee education, and advanced threat detection – continue to be essential. Organisations must ensure these essential measures are consistently re-evaluated and adjusted to counter emerging threats.

In addition to these core practices, advanced security frameworks like zero trust and Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions can bolster an organisation’s resilience.

Zero trust demands continuous verification of all users, devices, and applications, reducing the risk of unauthorised access and minimising potential damage during an attack. PAM offers targeted security for an organisation’s most sensitive accounts, crucial for defending against complex AI-driven threats that aim at high-level credentials.

Darren Guccione, CEO and Co-Founder of Keeper Security, commented: “AI-driven attacks are a formidable challenge, but by reinforcing our cybersecurity fundamentals and adopting advanced security measures, we can build resilient defences against these evolving threats.”

Proactivity is also key for organisations—regularly reviewing security policies, performing routine audits, and fostering a culture of cybersecurity awareness are all essential.

While organisations are advancing, cybersecurity requires perpetual vigilance. Merging traditional practices with modern approaches like zero trust and PAM will empower organisations to maintain an edge over developing AI-powered threats.

(Photo by Growtika)

See also: King’s Business School: How AI is transforming problem-solving

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

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The report found that nearly half (46%) of Wazoku’s 700,000-strong network of problem solvers had utilised generative AI (GenAI) to work on innovative ideas over the past year. This network – known as the Wazoku Crowd – comprises a diverse group of professionals including scientists, pharmacists, engineers, PhD students, CEOs, start-ups, and business leaders.

Perhaps more strikingly, almost a quarter (22%) of respondents reported using GenAI or LLM tools such as ChatGPT and Claude for at least half of their idea submissions, with 8% employing these technologies for every single submission. Of those using GenAI, 47% are leveraging it specifically for idea generation.

The Wazoku Crowd’s collective intelligence is harnessed to solve ‘challenges’ – requests for ideas submitted by enterprises – with an impressive success rate of over 80%.

Simon Hill, CEO of Wazoku, commented on the findings: “There’s an incredible amount of hype with GenAI, but alongside that there is enormous curiosity. Getting immersed in something and being curious is an innovator’s dream, so there is rich potential with GenAI.”

However, Hill also urged caution: “A note of caution, though – it is best used to generate interest, not solutions. Human ingenuity and creativity are still best, although using GenAI can undoubtedly make that process more effective.”

The study revealed that the most common application of GenAI was in research and learning, with 85% of respondents using it for this purpose. Additionally, around one-third of the Wazoku Crowd employed GenAI for report structuring, writing, and data analysis and insight.

The research was conducted in partnership with Oguz A. Acar, Professor of Marketing and Innovation at King’s Business School, King’s College London. Professor Acar viewed the study as a crucial first step towards understanding AI’s potential and limitations in tackling complex innovation challenges.

“Everyone’s trying to figure out what AI can and can’t do, and this survey is a step forward in understanding that,” Professor Acar stated. “It reveals that some crowd members view GenAI as a valuable ally, using it to research, create, and communicate more effectively.”

“While perhaps it’s no surprise that those open to innovation are curious about new tools, the survey also shows mixed opinions. Most people haven’t used GenAI tools yet, highlighting that we’re only beginning to uncover AI’s potential in innovative problem-solving.”

Wazoku collaborates with a range of customers, including Sanofi, A2A, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and numerous global enterprise businesses, government departments, and not-for-profits, to crowdsource ideas and innovation.

Recently, Wazoku launched its own conversational AI to aid innovation. Dubbed Jen AI, this digital innovation assistant has access to Wazoku’s connected innovation management suite—aimed at accelerating decision-making around innovation and enhancing productivity to deliver consistent, scalable results.

“The solutions to the world’s problems are complex, and the support of AI brings vast benefits in terms of efficiency, creativity, and insight generation,” explained Hill.

As the adoption of AI in innovation processes continues to grow, it’s clear that – while these tools offer significant potential – they are best used to augment rather than replace human creativity and problem-solving skills.

(Photo by Ally Griffin)

See also: Ivo Everts, Databricks: Enhancing open-source AI and improving data governance

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

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The whitepaper, titled “Unlocking Data, Unlocking People: Harnessing the Power of AI to Transform Your Business,” launched today at Scale Space White City in London’s White City Innovation District. It argues that AI can actually be a catalyst for growth, rather than a threat to jobs.

Despite evidence to the contrary, the study also reveals a lingering fear of AI among UK business leaders. 

A YouGov survey commissioned by Automated Analytics found that over half of senior decision-makers still believe AI will eliminate more jobs than it creates. Only 17% believe AI will create more jobs than it eliminates. 

This hesitancy, the report warns, could have serious consequences for the UK economy. As US firms increasingly embrace AI, British businesses risk being left behind. Mark Taylor, CEO of Automated Analytics, argues that the UK needs to shift its focus from regulation to innovation in order to remain competitive.

“AI is not about replacing jobs; it’s about enhancing productivity and creating new opportunities,” says Taylor. “Our whitepaper provides concrete examples of how AI can drive growth, efficiency, and competitiveness. The UK cannot afford to lag behind in this critical area.”

The whitepaper highlights several case studies demonstrating the positive impact of AI on businesses:

• British Gas’ Dyno-Rod: AI helped to halve the number of service calls by improving understanding of customer journeys, providing franchise operations with 100% visibility.
• Pizza Hut (US): Restaurant Management Group, the fourth-largest US franchisee, used AI to reduce recruitment costs by $1 million and increase hires by 42%.
• Fourth (UK): The hospitality recruitment firm saw a 220% increase in candidate flow and a drastic reduction in cost-per-application within 30 days of implementing its AI-driven TalentTrack software.

Taylor also expressed concern over the cultural differences between the US and UK in embracing new technologies. 

“The US is leading the charge in AI adoption, while the UK remains overly focused on regulation. This whitepaper demonstrates that many fears surrounding AI are unfounded and that it can play a crucial role in driving the UK’s economic growth.”

The whitepaper serves as a call to action for UK businesses to embrace AI as a vital tool for driving innovation and competitiveness in the global market. While it’s clear that businesses must adopt AI responsibly, the whitepaper should help to dispel fears of mass job losses.

A copy of the whitepaper can be found here (registration required.)

(Photo by Ruthson Zimmerman)

See also: UK signs AI safety treaty to protect human rights and democracy

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

The post Whitepaper dispels fears of AI-induced job losses appeared first on AI News.

The survey of 1,260 global technology decision-makers revealed that two-thirds (68%) are concerned that the speed of AI advancements is outstripping the industry’s ability to safeguard products, devices, and services. This apprehension is driving a surge in edge computing adoption, with 85% believing that security concerns will push more AI use cases to the edge.

Edge computing – which processes data locally on devices instead of relying on centralised cloud systems – offers inherent advantages in efficiency, security, and privacy. However, this shift to the edge necessitates a heightened focus on device security.

“There is an important interconnect between AI and security: one doesn’t scale without the other,” cautions David Maidment, Senior Director, Market Strategy at Arm (a PSA Certified co-founder). “While AI is a huge opportunity, its proliferation also offers that same opportunity to bad actors.”

Despite recognising security as paramount, a significant disconnect exists between awareness and action. Only half (50%) of those surveyed believe their current security investments are sufficient.  Furthermore, essential security practices, such as independent certifications and threat modelling, are being neglected by a substantial portion of respondents.

“It’s more imperative than ever that those in the connected device ecosystem don’t skip best practice security in the hunt for AI features,” emphasises Maidment. “The entire value chain needs to take collective responsibility and ensure that consumer trust in AI driven services is maintained.”

The report highlights the need for a holistic approach to security, embedded throughout the entire AI lifecycle, from device deployment to the management of AI models operating at the edge. This proactive approach, incorporating security-by-design principles, is deemed essential to building consumer trust and mitigating the escalating security risks.

Despite the concerns, a sense of optimism prevails within the industry. A majority (67%) of decisionmakers believe their organisations are equipped to handle the potential security risks associated with AI’s surge. There is a growing recognition of the need to prioritise security investment – 46% are focused on bolstering security, compared to 39% prioritising AI readiness.

“Those looking to unleash the full potential of AI must ensure they are taking the right steps to mitigate potential security risks,” says Maidment. “As stakeholders in the connected device ecosystem rapidly embrace a new set of AI-enabled use cases, it’s crucial that they do not simply forge ahead with AI regardless of security implications.”

(Photo by Braden Collum)

See also: The AI revolution: Reshaping data centres and the digital landscape 

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

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