Monthly Archives: November 2023

News

College ramps up community English and Maths sessions for hundreds of adults post-pandemic

COLEG CAMBRIA is working hard to bring education to its communities and support more adult learners than ever post-pandemic.

The college was holding remote essential skills sessions at locations across north east Wales before it was forced to take them online or cease altogether when Covid-19 took hold in the UK.

But now, led by Cambria’s Curriculum Director for Adult and Work-based Learning Skills Claire Howells and Adult Learning Liaison Officer Dean Nolan, a series of English, Maths and Digital Literacy lessons are taking place at community centres, libraries and outreach posts in Wrexham and Flintshire, with new venues being sought in a bid to help more people than ever before.

Following Adult Learners Week in September – when drop-in sessions were held in Shotton, Gwersyllt and Brynteg – Dean is forging new partnerships across the region and thanked Careers Wales, Citizens Advice, and other stakeholders for their guidance and referrals.

“We are seeing a rise in participation and new English and Maths classes have just started at Shotton’s Rivertown URC Church, which have been well received as we didn’t previously deliver lessons there,” he said.

“There are areas where demand is high and we want to support them, as pre-Covid there was a lot of engagement but of course during the pandemic we were unable to do anything in person.

“There is an appetite for these courses, especially among people who want to upskill or move forward in their careers, as they are accredited and can help them progress or secure employment opportunities.”

Dean added: “Sessions are also held in the evenings at Yale in Wrexham and Deeside, for those unable to make it during the day, and there are flexible virtual lessons if people are unable to physically attend.

“They are all fully funded and at present we have up to 250 people in Wrexham and Flintshire taking part, with that number set to rise.”

As well as academic provision, Cambria also hosted ‘Cook, Learn and Save’ events in collaboration with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, teaching basic skills such as how to read ingredients, budgeting, and dietary tips, for those not in work or education.

Claire said there is capacity to increase the number of programmes and locations across the area in the future.

“The fact these subjects are delivered in a warm, welcoming environment in the local area is what’s help to make them so popular,” she said.

“We would like to hear from anyone who wants to further their education and community groups and sites that feel they would benefit them.

“We are looking to expand long-term, address that need in partnership with tutors and external agencies, and all work together to support adult learners in this region.”

Anyone looking to join can call 0300 3030 007 or email skillsforadults@cambria.ac.uk.

For more news and information from Coleg Cambria, and to view prospectuses online, visit the website: www.cambria.ac.uk. 

 

Business, Farming & Agriculture

Accelerating evolution with agri-tech ―a sustainable and profitable path to a better world

Agriculture is a prominent sector of humanity that has been deeply affected by climate change. One of the oldest craft ships is still providing food and fabric, but on a large scale that hasn’t been adjusted in accordance with the demand. The world’s state has changed drastically in the past decades, triggering severe floods, droughts and wildfires. This leaves millions of people without food or living in dangerous conditions, and the situation is expected to expand globally. 

Luckily, technology can help us take a turn and evolve into a better life. It’s called agri-tech, and it shapes the agriculture industry into a developed sector in which resources are used efficiently, farming practices are sustainable, and automation is standard. 

The technology is already here, there’s only the need for experts to step into the game to elevate their businesses and contribution to the world. 

Technologies involved in agri-tech infrastructure 

Blending technology with fieldwork is the only way to bring efficiency within this sector. The piece that’s missing involves funding these innovations because there are more professionals who contribute to the process. For instance, you might need qualitative machine pieces and other products made through structural foam moulding when using automatization and robotics in your agriculture company. This process requires product specifications and specific types of plastic to get the right thing. 

This is also the case for precision agriculture, a method based on data about the soil, weather and crop health that’s used to forecast conditions and requirements to get better crops. Someone who’s working with data must create reports that will be the foundation of a proper strategy for preparing the soil, planning and caring for the crops until they reach maturity. 

Greenhouse horticulture is part of sustainable farming and helps reduce waste with accurate data that translates into suitable water and fertiliser usage. Of course, greenhouses might need climate control during colder months, so reaching out to an injection moulding company for heat recovery systems is required. 

Farmers and collaborators need an improved skill set 

Typically, as agriculture requires new methods and strategies for providing more crops and lowering their environmental damage, people must also transform their skill sets and add capabilities valuable in today’s world. For instance, one of the most essential know-how for farmers involves digital literacy to help them use digital tools and advanced machinery, making their work easier and faster. 

Handling data analysis is also essential, although it might not be that easy to master or prioritise. However, a farmer who knows data analysis can easily and rapidly interpret data taken from nature and adapt their approaches and practices immediately. Hence, this skill improved the decision-making process, also known as the DDS (decision support system), in which compound data and microbe data are taken advantage of. 

Of course, working with technology isn’t always easy, so farmers must also develop their problem-solving response to troubleshoot tech issues, for instance. At the same time, interpreting data might be prone to bias, meaning that a strategic decision should be based on more than the raw data. 

Agri-tech and the problem of supply chain management

Indeed, a good-working supply chain is almost impossible to reach in any industry, especially a massive one like agriculture. Sometimes, other sectors’ supply chain scarcity affects agriculture. For instance, current labour shortages lead to unharvested fresh produce, leaving farmers with limited solutions for making any profit. The shortage of raw materials is another challenge for producers since amino acids for livestock feed have become difficult to get. 

Besides, transporting produce from the farm to the customers needs some improvement, for which technological advancements like tracking devices can be implemented. The processing and distribution stages in the agricultural supply chain can be better managed with agri-tech with IoT (Internet of Things), which enables farmers and small businesses to optimise their operations. 

Artificial Intelligence for large-scale and small-scale farming 

AI is already used in numerous industries, from healthcare to education, and it can surely be introduced to agriculture soon when farmers have already mastered the ways of technology and are ready for new challenges. 

A few AI areas can successfully be introduced in agriculture and are already used in some countries. Computer Vision, for instance, is efficient in the following areas:

  • Monitoring of the crop and soil through UAV drones that photograph the area. Computer vision models then analyse the images to make predictions about the yields’ health so the farmer can make better decisions;
  • Automatic wedding is possible by blending computer vision technology to monitor weeds and machine learning tools used to de-weed the areas in need. Hence, this technology reduces manual intervention and costs;

Intelligent sensors have been also introduced in agriculture through aeroponics, a system controlling the crops’ nutrients, temperature parameters and PH. Sensors can also fault detections and correct mistakes remotely, removing the need for the farmer to make constant manual labour. 

AI sensors might efficiently predict crop diseases and apply specific insecticides in the appropriate quantities at the right time. Especially during their early stages, crops are sensitive to pathogen bacteria, viruses and fungi. Still, the possibility of developing a disease depends on the soil’s quality, moisture amount, and extreme temperatures. 

With AI, farmers can seize the symptoms of regular or rare crop diseases in less time and take measures as fast as possible, minimising losses and risks for the disease to spread. So, whether it’s based on satellite-derived data or susceptibility monitoring, crop management is more manageable with AI and could considerably improve the supply of fresh and healthy produce, supporting farmers to continue their work. 

Final considerations 

Agri-tech is the future of agriculture, a future in which there are almost no dead crops, produce is delivered in sustainable ways, and the soil is taken care of without too much effort. The technology is mainly based on automation, taking information from the location and transforming it into valuable data for the farmer to use as a strategy for improving its crops and approaches. 

 

Brecon, Food & Drink, News, Wales

Beacon Foods prepares for major growth following £6m investment

Beacon Foods, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of ingredients and ready-to-eat products, has invested £6 million in a three-year expansion programme.

The investment has doubled both the size of its manufacturing and storage facilities – to 53,000 square feet – and its production capacity in preparation for major business growth.

The Brecon-based company, which has 130 employees, supplies food manufacturers, food service, coffee shops, fast food chains and travel and hospitality industries.

The company has greatly increased production volumes, capabilities and packaging options. New state-of-art machinery includes kettles, a char griller and spiral oven and new packaging equipment to supply sachets and dip pots.

A 50 per cent increase in orders for garlic puree this year has forced the company to introduce a new production line to satisfy growing customer demand.

Aiming to boost its sustainability credentials, Beacon Foods has also invested in 1,428 solar PV panels which will produce up to 500,000 kilowatts of electricity. Beacon Foods will use the majority of the generated electricity within its facilities and potentially export to the National Grid at weekends

The increased production capacity has also prompted the company to upgrade its waste water treatment processing plant.

Two new storage tanks, with more than 430 cubic litres capacity, a new aeration system to increase the biological process and new filters that will increase potential discharge capacity to 150 cubic litres per day have been installed.

Chairman Edward Gough believes Beacon Foods is now perfectly placed to secure new business opportunities.

“We have doubled our manufacturing capacity, invested in state-of-the-art machinery, enhanced our reputation for quality, safe products and personal customer service and have already secured more business this year, so the future looks very promising,” he said.

“We also believe that we are unique in being able to offer UK produced, bespoke recipes of ready to eat, IQF (individual quick frozen) char grilled and roasted vegetables, which are both proving to be extremely popular with customers

“With the new, additional equipment, we are able to offer our customers products packed in small sachets and dip pots.

“We have around 6,000 different recipes, which appeals to customers in different markets, and have many years of experience which makes us stand out from competitors.”

Established in 1993, Beacon Foods is the UK’s leading specialist producer of garlic, ginger and chili puree, roasted and char grilled vegetables and fruit ranges, relishes, chutneys, sauces and fruit compotes.

The ingredients go into literally thousands of products, including sandwiches, ready meals, pizzas, soups, drinks and desserts, which can be found on supermarket shelves, airlines, restaurant chains and coffee shops.

Picture caption:

Edward Gough, Beacon Foods chairman.

HR, HR News, Human Resources, News

New research shows societal and workplace impacts on UK and US HR strategies

  • 69% HR’s have created or adjusted HR strategies in the last 12 months
  • 39% say it’s challenging to create HR strategies that are adaptable/flexible for a continuously changing landscape
  • Employee Experience strategies are at the top of the HR agenda
  • Future of Work strategies have seen the biggest year-on-year change

 

New research of 400 UK and US HR professionals shows how their actions reflect work and societal changes. Seventy five percent of HR respondents have created or adjusted their HR strategies over the last year, while 72% are considering purchasing a service or product to assist with their HR strategies or initiatives in the next year.

PR in HR’s report deep dives into HR’s strategies on Employee Experience, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB), Talent, Future of Work and Organisational Design.

 

The HR Strategies and Buying Decisions report finds that Employee Experience strategies are currently getting the most attention, with 42% of respondents saying they’ve created or adjusted strategies in the last year, while 35% say they’ll be considering buying a service or product to assist those initiatives in the next year. Employee Experience initiatives support recruitment, retention and engagement and may include, for example, onboarding, workplace culture, processes, management, teams and tasks.

Forty-one percent of respondents say they have adjusted their DEIB strategies in the last year. While 32% plan to buy products or services to assist their strategies in the next year to help attract and retain diverse talent, and support collaboration and understanding.

 

Talent issues are also on HR’s strategic agenda. Thirty-three percent of respondents say this is a likely buying need in the next 12 months, highlighting the ongoing need to find, hire and retain the right people.

Organisational design appears to be less on HR’s radar, with just a quarter (25%) expressing this as a focus when it comes to buying considerations.

 

Kay Phelps, Director and Founder of PR in HR, experts in getting HR suppliers heard in the complex HR sector, said, “The HR sector is endlessly fascinating. It’s all about the shifting needs of organisations and their people. HR’s drivers, whether UK or US based, are impacted by societal and workplace changes, so they are tuned into a multitude of issues that may impact their organisation and its people. Current mainstream topics of conversation include wellbeing and emotional health, artificial intelligence, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, cost of living, menopause, skills gaps, productivity, flexible work, balancing family care and so much more.

“This report sheds a light on HR’s strategies and buying decisions. For instance, Future of Work strategies have seen the biggest shift when it comes to what products or services HR is buying to assist strategies or initiatives. The number of HR professionals who said they bought a product or service increased by 14 percentage points within the last year, compared to the year previously. Interestingly, in the US, the number increased by 19 percentage points, and in the UK, it increased by 9 percentage points.

 

More interesting UK and US comparisons:

 

  • The UK has been most concerned with DEIB with 37% making changes to their HR strategies and least concerned with Organisational Design (27%), likely because many experienced so much change after the pandemic.
  • The US has been most concerned with Employee Experience – 41% of respondents stated they have changed this strategy. They, too, were least concerned with Organisational Design (19%).
  • Generally, more UK respondents intend to purchase new products and services across at least 1 of the 5 HR areas. Seventy three percent of UK respondents say this, compared to 62% of US respondents.

 

PR in HR’s report is downloadable here. It also provides HR suppliers with information and guidance on what sources are most likely to influence their perception and trust in a brand.

 

HR, Leadership, News, Thought Leadership, Wellbeing, Wellbeing at Work

Some top tips for ensuring employee and business wellbeing in 2024, from Fiona Armstrong, Chief People Officer, Moneypenny

Moneypenny, leaders in outsourced calls and communications has been consistently recognised for its people strategy, and its leadership team firmly believes that employee wellbeing and satisfaction is central to achieving business success in 2024 and beyond.

Fiona Armstrong, Chief People Officer for Moneypenny comments, “As we near the end of the year, it’s a natural time to reflect, reinvent, re-energise and refresh your wellbeing initiatives and ensure they are more than an exercise in box-ticking.” 

Here are Fiona’s top tips for ensuring employee wellbeing:

 

  • Build a safe, comfortable culture.

At Moneypenny we’re recognised for our culture, and for creating a place where people feel at home, safe, comfortable, and a part of something; creating a positive environment where people can thrive, enables companies to thrive.

Wellbeing is neither a standalone function nor a one-off event, it should be ever-present in a business’s DNA. At our company we call it ‘Moneypenny Love’ and every day we empower, tailor our approaches to different communities, and make sure that our teams feel valued, safe, and listened to.

 

  • Responsibility is a team game.

Leaders need to lead by example, communicate clearly and create an environment where people feel comfortable to speak up. It is the role of HR leaders to steer the agenda, the management team to ensure that everyone is set up to succeed, the line managers to listen and spot any signs of problems, and employees themselves to participate.

 

  • Recognise success.

There is a powerful connection between recognition and wellbeing – it leads to increased engagement and productivity but also to employees feeling more valued, supported and less stressed, which in turn improves wellbeing. And this applies to recognition from above, but also from your peers and for those giving recognition. Recognition encourages everyone to feel empowered to be their best, and it fosters belonging and inclusion.

Ensure that recognition is fair, personalised and happens at all levels, from WOW chats to handwritten thank-yous, team meals, parties, random acts of kindness and much more.

 

  • Reward success.

After recognition comes reward. At Moneypenny we offer PennyPerks: a Pick n Mix of benefits tailored to individual needs. We also offer free breakfasts and healthy subsidised lunches, as well as counselling, annual flu jabs and much more.  This Christmas, for a bit of fun, we’re turning our treehouse meeting room into a giant snowball pit, where every week different teams will take out a ball which represents a fun prize, such as a free air fryer, cuddly toy or a weekend away for the whole team, to reward them for their hard work throughout the year. And the reward for business is a happy, healthy and productive team.

 

  • Turn your people into advocates.

Engagement makes your people your advocates, and has a somewhat synergistic relationship with wellbeing, with one enabling the other. Employee engagement means positive culture, increased retention, better long-term relationships, and a healthier bottom line.  Knowing your people as the individuals is key to this, and at Moneypenny we like to hear everyone’s views. We have airy open-plan offices and an open door policy and use Workplace by Meta to ensure all our people are updated regularly and that anyone can post their views. We also have a Business Counsel and Little Things Committee where we meet for lunch, or drinks in our onsite pub, to share ideas and brainstorm new ones.

 

  • Provide opportunities.

People are generally happier if they feel they have opportunities to grow and progress. This includes promotion, education (internally and externally), and also opportunities for secondments, and experiences internationally. At Moneypenny, we offer placements in our US office and vice-versa to support our culture and share knowledge and experiences.

 

  • Ensure a healthy work-life balance for all.

Work-life balance seems to have been around for eons. To support employees and help them achieve true balance in their lives, offer flexible working arrangements, encourage breaks, tailor your support to communities and generations, and the same goes for providing resources, setting realistic deadlines, and most importantly, leading by example.

 

Fiona concludes: “Invest in these principles and you’ll setup yourself and your people to succeed in the business landscape of the future. Happy people equals happy clients, equals happy bottom line.”

—

Picture is of Wendy Swash, Chief Operating Officer at Moneypenny and Fiona Armstrong, Chief People Officer in the Moneypenny meeting room which for 6 weeks has been turned into a giant snowball pit, where every week different teams will take out a ball which represents a fun prize, such as a free air fryer, cuddly toy or a weekend away for the whole team, to reward them for their hard work throughout the year.

Energy, News, Property

National Association Of Property Buyers Calls For More Efficient Rules On Energy Regulations

LANDLORDS want “clearer” rules on energy efficiency regulations, a leading property association has said.

A new survey released last week by the Social Market Foundation – a cross party think tank – found an overwhelming majority (79%) of landlords believe they should be subject to stricter energy efficiency regulations.

Private sector landlords are in fact more supportive of raising the MEES to grade C than the general population, with only 11% opposed to such a move.

 

Commenting on the findings, Jonathan Rolande, spokesman for the National Association of Property Buyers, said: “Even if it involves expensive improvements, landlords just want clarity – not goalpost moving.

“Improvements such as double glazing, insulation and efficient boilers last decades so are in effect a one-off cost.

“Landlords should be accepting of them – they can be deducted for tax, wiping off up to half of the outlay, and they make tenants, who cannot do such work themselves, more comfortable and better off. And that’s before we consider environmental benefits.

“With everybody worried about high heating costs this winter, landlords should not expect their tenants to have to live in a property that is not as well insulated as their own home.”

 

In September, Rishi Sunak scrapped plans to require all landlords to upgrade their properties to at least EPC C by 2028, citing the need to protect tenants from unfair price hikes in rent due to the cost of renovations.

Finance and Banking, News

Nucleus Commercial Finance Secures Up To £200m In New Funding from NatWest

The funding will allow the fintech lender to support thousands more SMEs with their recently introduced Nucleus Business Loan product

Nucleus Commercial Finance (NCF) has announced up to £200m in new funding from NatWest to bolster its core unsecured lending product, the Nucleus Business Loan (NBL).

NatWest’s funding brings Nucleus’ total funding to £900m, helping them inch ever closer to surpassing their £3 billion lent milestone since launching 12 years ago. This new funding line from NatWest will enable NCF to continue supporting the UK’s economic backbone through its short and long-term unsecured loan product, with 2,000+ small and medium-sized businesses potentially benefiting directly from this new funding facility alone.

SMEs across the UK can access up to £2m through a Nucleus Business Loan and receive a decision in minutes thanks to the fintech lender’s AI-powered automated underwriting system. With insolvencies at the highest level since 2009, this could prove a genuine lifeline for UK SMEs.

Nucleus will use the facility with NatWest to increase its flexibility and drive innovation, offering more competitively priced funding to UK SMEs at speed while providing the structure businesses need to withstand downside risks and adverse market conditions.

Nucleus Commercial Finance CEO, Chirag Shah, comments: ‘There has been a significant funding gap in the UK for several years, leaving SMEs struggling to meet their full potential through lack of access to financing.

“With innovation a top priority for fintech lenders, businesses are now finally able to seamlessly secure the funding they need to thrive. Through investments in tech, including embracing AI and the Open Banking/Open Accounting initiatives, we’ve managed to overhaul our entire lending process and now 96% of our decisions are made in under one minute.

‘Nucleus Business Loans provide a viable and accessible alternative, delivering the finance SMEs need to grow, with the speed and terms suited to their needs. Our straightforward approach to securing funding means that we can work with SMEs to provide the financial boost required to unlock their ambitions, by ensuring that they have the right finance in place for the future.

‘This funding is also fantastic news for Nucleus as a business, as well as our customers. It reinforces our role as a true alternative to high street banks, opening the potential to work with more businesses across sectors and sizes and to branch into the support of larger businesses, which we believe are currently underserved.”

Klaus Fister, Managing Director, Speciality Finance at NatWest:

“NatWest is very pleased to support Nucleus Commercial Finance (NCF) in their new stage of business development through this transaction. We are happy to see that this lending facility contributes towards NatWest’s purpose to support small and medium sized businesses in the UK to grow and thrive, along with the wider UK economy.”

 

Benefits, Healthcare, Insurance, News

Aon report: UK is in an unprecedented era for private medical cover

  • 2024 Global Medical Trend Rates Report is based on insights from 113 Aon offices that broker, administer or advise on employer-sponsored medical plans
  • Report forecasts the average medical trend rate for 2024 to be 15 percent; up from 8.5 percent in 2023

 

Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, has released its 2024 Global Medical Trend Rates Report based on insights from 113 Aon offices that broker, administer or advise on employer-sponsored medical plans.

The findings reflect the medical trend expectations of Aon professionals based on their interactions with clients and carriers represented in the portfolio of the firm’s medical plan business in each location. In the UK, the report forecasted the average medical trend rate for 2024 to be 15 percent, up from 8.5 percent in 2023.

The trend rate figures represent the percent increase in the cost of private health care – insured and self-insured – that are anticipated to be required to address projected price inflation, technology advances in the medical field and plan utilisation patterns.

The top medical conditions driving medical plan costs in the UK are:

  • Musculoskeletal and Back Issues
  • Cancer and Tumour Growth
  • Mental Health

Rui Silva, vice president and medical trend leader in Health Solutions for Multinationals at Aon, said: “We have been in a period of remarkable inflationary conditions and economic volatility. The series of shocks affecting economies around the world after the COVID-19 pandemic continue to create an unstable environment for the health care market, despite continued signs of improvement. Volatile conditions will persist.

“Despite uncertainty on how long global inflationary pressures will last, it is clear from the locations surveyed that the medical trend rate will see a sharp rise in 2024 among employer-sponsored medical plans.”

Rachel Western, technical lead, Health Solutions at Aon in the UK, said: “The UK is in an unprecedented era. Private medical cover has always been positioned to work alongside the National Health Service (NHS), but the NHS has its own well documented difficulties, both from a primary and secondary care perspective. At the same time, health awareness, following the pandemic, is at an all-time high. Therefore, there is increased usage of private medical services, both on a self-pay basis and through private medical schemes.

“Utilisation of virtual GPs is also increasing, further exacerbating the pathway as more are recommending private treatment. It is compounded by significant increases in cost of treatment for certain conditions (especially around cancer) due to technological and clinical advancements and people claiming for more complex states of treatment, partly due to the after-effects of treatment delayed by the pandemic.

“All of these contribute to medical inflation, in addition to general inflationary costs driven by the current economic climate. We are at an all-time high trend rate, and this currently shows little or no signs of reducing.”

Western continued:
“With rising trend rates, generally comes rising premiums. The key to managing these costs is to claim less, without reducing levels of cover, or those you cover. To get medical benefits working smarter, not harder, employers can focus on health and wellbeing strategies, particularly ensuring supportive preventative tools are implemented.”

As employer-sponsored medical plans become a larger part of total rewards expenditure and the pressure mounts on accurate forecasting and management of costs, this report will serve as a valuable resource for organisations to plan global budgets and benefits strategies, and to build more resilient workforces for 2024 and beyond.

Globally, Aon has forecasted the average medical trend rate for 2024 to be 10.1 percent, up from 9.2 percent in 2023 and the highest since 2015. The top medical conditions driving medical plan costs globally are:

  1. Cardiovascular
  2. Cancer/Tumour Growth
  3. High Blood Pressure/Hypertension.

Read Aon’s 2024 Global Medical Trend Rate Report here.

About Aon

Aon plc (NYSE: AON) exists to shape decisions for the better — to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world. Our colleagues provide our clients in over 120 countries and sovereignties with advice and solutions that give them the clarity and confidence to make better decisions to protect and grow their business.

Climate, Climate Tech, Energy, News

Mocean Energy heads to COP 28

Scots firm hopes to ride wave of Gulf interest in ocean energy

Scots ocean energy pioneer Mocean Energy is heading to COP 28 this week as part of a delegation of 19 leading companies seeking to showcase Scotland’s ambition and expertise in net zero.

Company co-founder and Managing Director Cameron McNatt will take part in an intensive programme of events in the United Arab Emirates where he and other business leaders from Scotland will meet potential investors and business collaborators.

It is hoped the ocean energy firm will generate interest from delegates and governments keen to use ocean waves and offshore solar as new and untapped forms of low carbon power.

Mocean Energy is currently a key participant in the £2million Renewables for Subsea Power (RSP) programme which has connected Mocean’s 10kW Blue X wave energy prototype with a Halo underwater battery system developed by Aberdeen intelligent energy management specialists Verlume.

The two technologies are currently in the seas off Orkney where they are delivering low carbon power and communication to infrastructure including Baker Hughes’ subsea controls equipment and a resident underwater autonomous vehicle (AUV) provided by Transmark Subsea. The programme has been supported by industry partners alongside the Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC), which is also attending the COP.

In the host city Dubai, meetings will be centred largely in the conference’s ‘green zone’, where attendees will explore how to turn climate policy into concrete action. The delegation has been organised by The Scottish Chambers of Commerce alongside The Scottish Government and Scottish Development International, and delegates will be supported by a number of ‘Global Scots’ tasked with opening doors for the Scottish firms.

“This COP is focussed very much on what we can do in practical terms, and I am keen to showcase how ocean energy can make a significant contribution to a net zero world,” says Mocean Energy Managing Director Cameron McNatt.

 

Earlier this month Mocean Energy attended the international ADIPEC energy conference in Abu Dhabi, where team members met Dr Sultan Ahamed al Jabar, President-Designate for COP28 and chair of Masdar, the UAE’s state-owned renewable energy company.

 

“There is a genuine interest in the Gulf region in transformational technologies which can make a significant green impact in the years ahead. The Scottish Chamber, the government and SDI have brought together a terrific delegation of world-leading Scottish firms and I hope our joint presence will create interest and inspiration leading to the adoption of Scottish technologies which can accelerate the low carbon transition,” McNatt concludes.

 

The delegation of 19 industry-leading Net Zero companies builds on the already well-established relationship Scotland enjoys with the UAE, and will showcase its expertise and strength across a range of sectors, including clean and renewable energy, hydrogen, space and other innovative technologies.

COP28 will further Scotland’s Net Zero interests and showcase its innovation strengths in key net zero sectors to a global audience, while increasing business-to-business engagement that can foster future collaboration in meeting the challenges of achieving Net Zero.

The delegation will include businesses from throughout Scotland including:

 

  • Aquatera
  • Astroagency
  • CCU International
  • Digital Content Analysis Technology Ltd
  • Green Bioactives Limited
  • Hydrogen Vehicle Systems
  • Krucial
  • Mocean Energy
  • Motive Offshore Group
  • Net Zero Technology Centre
  • Norco Group
  • Nova
  • Orbital Marine Power
  • ReVentas
  • Roslin Technologies
  • Siccar
  • Solariskit
  • Storegga
  • Sunamp
AI, Tech, Tech Thought Leadership, Technology

Don’t tell GenAI all Your Secrets: Leverage GenAI without Compromising Security

Written by Anurag Lal, CEO, NetSfere

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) became the latest phenomenon in November 2022 when the artificial intelligence lab OpenAI released a generative AI-powered chatbot called ChatGPT. According to a Reuters report, ChatGPT reached an estimated 100 million monthly active users just two months after launch.

Today, many enterprises are deploying the use of generative AI solutions like ChatGPT to automate responses to common questions, code a variety of apps, automate tasks such as writing emails and creating content, and more. A recent survey by VentureBeat revealed that more than half (54.6%) of organisations are experimenting with generative AI and 18.2% are already implementing it into their operations. This enterprise adoption of generative AI technology is fuelling an increase in the generative AI software market which S&P Global projects to reach $3.7 billion in 2023 and grow to $36 billion by 2028.

The use of generative AI technology holds a lot of promise for enterprises, but there are risks associated with integrating this technology into the enterprise stack. Organisations are concerned about shadow IT as different departments experiment and use it without the appropriate governance and control. There are also concerns over the potential of generative AI to displace or atrophy human intelligence, enable plagiarism, and fuel misinformation.  Indeed, in November 2023, Rishi Sunak held the UK’s first AI safety summit at Bletchley Park which discussed some of these challenges and the need for government testing of AI models.

While the use of any new technology carries some degree of risk, to get the most out of generative AI with the least amount of risk, organisations must take a secure approach to its implementation.

As the rapid adoption of AI in the enterprise continues, questions surrounding the accuracy of the technology and concerns about cybersecurity, data privacy, and intellectual property risk are why organisations like Apple, Samsung, Verizon, and some Wall Street banks are limiting or banning employee use of generative AI technology like ChatGPT.

 

Cybercriminals are using AI

A Salesforce.com survey of more than 500 senior IT leaders reveals that 67% are prioritising generative AI technology for their organisations during the next 18 months, but 71% of those leaders believe this technology is likely to introduce new security risks to their data.

Cybercriminals are honing their skills in using this technology to bolster their cyberattacks. In a call with journalists reported by PC Magazine, the FBI discussed how generative AI programs are fuelling cybercrime, with cybercriminals tapping into open-source generative AI programs to deploy malware and ransomware code and execute sophisticated phishing attacks, and create AI hallucinations.

The ability of generative AI technology like ChatGPT to seamlessly generate phishing scams without spelling, grammatical, and verb tense mistakes is making it easier to dupe people into believing the legitimacy of the communication. A 2023 report by Perception Point found that advanced phishing attacks grew by 356% in 2022. The report noted that “malicious actors continue to gain widespread access to new tools and advances in AI and Machine Learning (ML) which simplify and automate the process of generating attacks.”

 

Exposing PII data

The growing popularity of generative AI is also raising data privacy concerns. Enterprises must be careful about what information they feed into generative AI tools to avoid exposing sensitive or personally identifiable information. Because generative AI tools can share user information with third parties as well as use this information to train data models, this technology has the potential to violate privacy laws.

According to news reports, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched an investigation into ChatGPT’s creator OpenAI, focusing on its handling of personal data, its potential to give users inaccurate information, and its “risks of harm to consumers, including reputational harm.”

 

Intellectual property infringement

Information entered into a generative AI tool may become part of its training set, which can put users of the tool at risk of intellectual property (IP) infringement. Gartner highlights that tools like ChatGPT, which are trained on a large amount of internet data, likely include copyrighted material. The analyst firm warned that its outputs have the potential to violate copyright or IP protections.

There is no question that generative AI holds a lot of promise for enterprises, but to reap these benefits safely and securely, organisations must take steps to minimise the risks.

 

Mitigating the risk of generative AI in the enterprise

IT leaders must examine this technology to understand how accurate and useful generative AI is to their enterprise. A lack of transparency about what is happening on the back end of this new technology can make it difficult to determine if it is really useful for the organisation and establish its best use cases.

When using any external tool, it is important to review each solution provider’s terms of service, and data protection and security policies. It is also important to conduct due diligence to determine whether the tool uses encryption, whether data is anonymised, and whether the tool complies with regulations such as the EU’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) and numerous other privacy regulations.

Organisations should develop and implement policies governing the use of AI in the workplace. The policy should not only spell out which tools employees are permitted to use but also what information employees are allowed to feed into them.

Enterprises should also equip their IT teams with tools that can identify what is generated by an AI like ChatGPT versus what is human-generated, especially as this relates to incoming “cold” emails. To further mitigate organisational risk, enterprises should make it a priority to routinely train and re-train employees on the latest cybersecurity threats associated with generative AI, with specific emphasis on AI-generated phishing scams. This training should also include cyber risk prevention measures as well as guidance on appropriate uses of AI in the workplace.

 

Using AI for competitive advantage

AI offers exciting opportunities for organisations but, as with any new technology, there are uncertainties and risks. By understanding these risks and taking steps to mitigate them, enterprises can more safely and securely deploy this technology to gain a competitive edge.