Marcel Brown: Marcel Brown: August 21st, 1993. NASA loses contact with the Mars Observer spacecraft, three days before it was to enter into orbit around Mars. The reason for the loss of contact was never definitively determined, but the most probable cause was a rupture of a fuel tank.

Hillary Coover: The growing tensions between US and China in the tech sector could expose vulnerabilities in the coming years. The recent executive order bans US investments in Chinese firms working on advanced semiconductors and quantum computers.

Edwin Kwan: Google has announced plans for three new security features in upcoming versions of the Chrome web browser. These three security features are expected to be available by mid-September 2023.

Katy Craig: Picture this: AI, the latest tech darling, is now on a mission to guide you through life’s twists and turns. The goal? To make AI not just smart, but also your trusted confidant and advisor.

 

The Stories Behind the Headlines

 

Edwin Kwan
Chrome to Get Quantum Resistant Encryption and Other Security Features

Google has announced plans for three new security features in upcoming versions of the Chrome web browser. They are: HTTPS-First mode, Safety Check for extensions, and quantum-resistant encryption.

This is Edwin Kwan from Sydney, Australia.

For the first security feature, Google wants to make the web secure by default, and will be updating the Chrome browser to automatically upgrade all unsecured HTTP connections to the secured HTTPS versions. In addition, the browser will display a warning before downloading any high-risk files over insecure connections.

The next security feature is Safety Check for extensions. This is where Chrome will proactively highlight to users when an installed extension is no longer in the Chrome Web Store for any of the three following specific cases:

1) If the extension has been unpublished by the developer,
2) If the extension was taken down due to policy violations,
3) When the extension was marked as malware.

Users will be able to review the notifications and they can choose to either remove the extension or to hide the warning if they wish to keep the extension installed.

The last upcoming security feature is support for quantum-resistant encryption algorithms. Chrome browsers will begin supporting the use of Kyber76 8 for establishing symmetric secrets in TLS. While it is expected to take several years, possibly even decades for quantum computers to pose severe risks, it is still important to start protecting traffic data today, as certain users of cryptography are vulnerable to a type of attack called ” Harvest Now, Decrypt Later.”

These three security features are expected to be available by mid-September 2023.

Resources
– https://blog.chromium.org/2023/08/protecting-chrome-traffic-with-hybrid.html
– https://developer.chrome.com/en/blog/extension-safety-hub/
– https://blog.chromium.org/2023/08/towards-https-by-default.html
– https://thehackernews.com/2023/08/google-chromes-new-feature-alerts-users.html

 

Katy Craig
Google’s AI Life Coach

Picture this: AI, the latest tech darling, is now on a mission to guide you through life’s twists and turns. Earlier this year, Google made waves by merging its brainy research lab, DeepMind, with its AI team in Silicon Valley. The goal? To make AI not just smart, but also your trusted confidant and advisor.

This is Katy Craig in San Diego, California.

Google’s been testing this technology to do 21 different tasks from offering life advice to planning your day and tutoring you on new skills. AI as your very own digital guru. But Google’s not the only one in the game. OpenAI, with its ChatGPT and Microsoft are also running the race to create smarter AI. This competition is heating up the AI space faster than a rocket.

AI coaches come with their own set of challenges. Imagine taking life advice from a machine. It’s not as easy as it sounds. Google has been extra careful, especially after their experts warned about people getting too attached to chatbots. It’s not far-fetched to form attachments to inanimate objects. Think Wilson in the movie Castaway. You know you cried.

They’re testing these AI coaches with real people. They’re seeing if the AI can give practical advice for real-life situations. Like, how to tell your friend you can’t afford to attend her destination wedding. AI’s not just about answering questions, it’s about helping you navigate life’s twists.

So, what’s the future of AI coaches? Will they become our ultimate life guides? Well, that’s something some are excited to find out. The rest of us will have to just wait and see.

This is Katy Craig. Stay safe out there.

Resources
– https://blog.google/technology/ai/april-ai-update/ 
– https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/16/technology/google-ai-life-advice.html

 

Hillary Coover
Tech’s Tightrope: Navigating Vulnerabilities Amid Rising China-US Tensions

The growing tensions between US and China in the tech sector could expose vulnerabilities in the coming years. As the US restricts investments in China’s tech industry, American companies may face shortages of critical technologies if China responds by limiting access to chips and hardware produced within its borders.

Hi, this is Hillary Coover in Washington, DC.

The recent executive order bans US investments in Chinese firms working on advanced semiconductors and quantum computers. While China’s retaliation options are limited, potential measures might include restricting access to goods produced there, affecting mainstream technology production.

The semiconductor industry’s shift overseas raised concerns already with efforts underway to reestablish manufacturing capacity in the US. However, it could take years for new chip plants to become operational. Potential Retaliatory actions by China could target consumer goods in the Internet of Things, ( IoT) sector, leading to higher prices and supply chain disruptions.

Amid these tensions, the need to diversify supply chains away from mainland China becomes crucial. Experts emphasize the importance of reestablishing domestic manufacturing for technological independence and geopolitical stability.

Resources
– https://www.wsj.com/articles/pro-take-china-tensions-could-create-midterm-vulnerabilities-in-some-tech-markets-c26a8241

 

Marcel Brown
This Day, August 20 and 21, in Tech History

This is Marcel Brown bringing you some technology history for August 20th and 21st.

August 20th, 1911. The New York Times sends a telegram message to test how fast a commercial message could be sent around the world. Reading simply, " This message sent around the world," it left at 7:00 PM, traveled over 28,000 miles, and was relayed by 16 different operators. It arrived back at The Times, only 16.5 minutes later. The building where the message originated is now called One Times Square and is best known for where the ball drops on New Year’s Eve.

August 21st, 1993. NASA loses contact with the Mars Observer spacecraft, three days before it was to enter into orbit around Mars. The reason for the loss of contact was never definitively determined, but the most probable cause was a rupture of a fuel tank.

That’s your technology history for today. For more, tune in tomorrow and visit my website thisdayintechhistory.com.

Resources
– http://thisdayintechhistory.com/08/21