🤖 D.C. is the newest AI hotspot

PLUS: Indian elections might be under a deepfake attack

Haroon ChouderyApr 23, 2024 · 9 min read

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According to the latest studies, D.C. might be the newest hotbed for AI jobs, Microsoft is striking up a deal with Cognizant to accelerate GenAI adoption for enterprise, and the Indian elections may be under a deepfake attack…

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🧵 In today's edition:

🤖 D.C. is the newest AI hotspot
Microsoft 🤝 Cognizant
🇮🇳 Indian elections might be under a deepfake attack
🛠️ AI Tools to Check Out
🤑 AI Fundraising News
🐦 Tweet Post of the Day

🤖 D.C. is the newest AI hotspot

Source: Axios

While New York and San Francisco may seem like the go-to places for AI jobs from afar, the Washington D.C. metro area is actually emerging as a major hub for these roles, as per a new analysis by UMD-LinkUp.

In the first quarter of 2024, the region boasted 35 new AI job postings per 100,000 residents, three times the national average.
During this period, 2,241 new AI roles were listed, placing D.C. just behind the AI leader, San Jose, California.

Why now?

Last year, President Biden mandated all federal agencies to appoint a chief AI officer and advocated for broader adoption of AI tools across the workforce.
The defense sector's focus on AI capabilities is also significantly contributing to D.C.'s rise as an AI employment hub.

However, companies are encountering difficulties in hiring the necessary talent, particularly for roles that require AI expertise coupled with security clearances.

Jason Adolf of Appian, a software company based in McLean, stated, "It's astronomically expensive to hire a top-secret-cleared AI person. That is true unicorn level."

Overall: As AI continues to revolutionize industries, the emergence of the D.C. region as an AI jobs hotspot provides economic opportunities. Cities outside traditional tech hubs like Silicon Valley can now secure a place in this growing field and reap the benefits.

Read more: Axios

Microsoft 🤝 Cognizant

Cognizant and Microsoft have announced an expanded global partnership to accelerate the adoption of GenAI capabilities across enterprises and drive industry-wide transformation.

Here are the deets:

This collaboration leverages Microsoft's cutting-edge Copilot technology and Cognizant's advisory and digital transformation services expertise.
As part of the partnership, Cognizant has purchased 25,000 Microsoft 365 Copilot seats for its associates, along with seats for Sales Copilot and Services Copilot.
Cognizant plans to deploy Microsoft 365 Copilot to a million users within its global 2000 clients across 11 industries.
This strategic investment emphasizes Cognizant's commitment to invest $1 billion in GenAI over the next three years.

The partnership also aims to deliver industry-specific solutions by combining Cognizant's domain expertise with Microsoft's Copilot Studio platform.

Key focus areas include healthcare, retail, financial services, life sciences, manufacturing, communications, and media.
Several innovative use cases are already in development, such as using GenAI for video content localization, remote engineering diagnostics, personalized digital content creation, and streamlining business processes.

Read more: Microsoft Blog

🇮🇳 Indian elections might be under a deepfake attack

Source: Foreign Policy

As India's massive general elections are underway, concerns are mounting over the potential misuse of AI-generated deepfake videos to mislead voters.

Fake videos featuring prominent Bollywood actors Aamir Khan and Ranveer Singh have gone viral on social media. The videos purportedly show them criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and endorsing the opposition Congress party.

These deepfake videos, which have garnered over half a million views, emphasize the rising role of AI-generated content in electoral campaigns.

While misinformation has long been a concern, the use of AI to create highly realistic yet fabricated media raises new challenges.

The spread of such deepfakes has prompted actions from various quarters:

Aamir Khan has filed a police complaint over the impersonation video.
Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have been working to remove the manipulated content.
However, the sheer volume and rapid dissemination of these videos make them difficult to contain.

Beyond deepfakes, political parties are also leveraging AI in innovative ways for campaigning. For instance, the Congress party shared an AI-generated video featuring a deceased politician, while the Communist Party of India-Marxist created an AI news anchor to critique the ruling party.

Overall: As AI capabilities continue to advance, the potential for misuse in electoral processes is a growing concern. With nearly 900 million internet users in India, the impact of AI-generated content could be significant, highlighting the need for increased awareness, fact-checking, and regulatory measures to ensure the integrity of democratic processes.

Read more: Reuters

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🤑 AI Fundraising News

Auxa Health raises $5.2M in seed funding to develop a care management co-pilot that supports benefit navigation.
Thoras.ai raises $1.5M in pre-seed funding to supercharge cloud optimization and resilience for enterprises.