CLOUD

IBM Forges New Path

Whether you're the Roy family or a 109-year-old tech company, succession planning matters. CEO Arvind Krishna formally took the reins of IBM on April 6. At the company's digital conference this week, Krishna made his first public appearance as head honcho and offered a roadmap for Big Blue. 

The historical backdrop 

IBM survived the 1918 flu pandemic, countless recessions, and two world wars. But the company also let paradigm shifts in computing pass it by. Due to those strategic blunders, the top echelon of tech is known as FAMGA, not FAMGAI. 

To navigate the coronavirus pandemic, Krishna said the company can tap its spirit of resiliency. He also projected that IBM could capture more market share as businesses accelerate digital transformation. 

Krishna's B2B priorities

Cloud: The company has hitched its wagon to the hybrid cloud, a setup where companies combine their own data servers with rented computing power from cloud vendors. In an aggressive move into the sector, IBM acquired open-source software company Red Hat last year for roughly $34 billion. Krishna helped lead the acquisition, which was the biggest deal in IBM's history. 

AI: "I’m predicting today that every company will become an AI company—not because they can, but because they must," Krishna said. Yesterday, IBM announced Watson AIOps, a tool to automatically detect, diagnose, and respond to "IT anomalies." Watson AIOps works across hybrid cloud environments.

Krishna's resumé 

Before Ginna Rometty passed the torch, Krishna was SVP for IBM Cloud and Cognitive Software and the head of IBM Research, a storied skunkworks R&D lab. His background spans the A-list of Emerging Tech Brew: AI, cloud, quantum computing, and blockchain. 

• Krishna's transition from cloud leader to CEO closely mirrors the trajectory of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. 

Big picture: Big Blue faces stiff competition in enterprise cloud and AI from the likes of Microsoft and Amazon. 

RPA

RPA'd

More heady enterprise tech news: Microsoft is in talks to buy Softomotive, a U.K. robotic process automation (RPA) company, Bloomberg reported last week. And last month, RPA company Blue Prism raised $124 million. 

• RPA = software that automates repetitive human tasks, such as Excel data entry, form-filing, claims processing, and non-Morning Brew email correspondence. 

The pandemic angle: RPA vendors have offered their services to healthcare systems and governments to free up frontline workers' time. Lenders have deployed RPA to automate Paycheck Protection Program loan filings for small businesses. But the Small Business Administration, the government agency processing those loans, got fed up.

• On April 28, the SBA announced a ban on RPAs because the bots were overwhelming its E-Tran loan portal. 

Bottom line: Demand is growing for RPA, as shown by Microsoft’s reported interest in Softomotive. Since RPA automates digital tasks, it could have disruptive effects on human jobs...especially in a recession.

SPONSORED BY NOTION

The Holy Grail of Personal Workspaces

We’ve found the Holy Grail of personal workspaces: Notion. We know you’re surprised that it isn’t the treehouse we’re currently building in our parents’ backyard, but even we know when to admit defeat. 

When we discovered Notion last month, it was clear our treehouse office stood no chance. Notion gives you one tool for all your notes, tasks, and personal organization across life and work. One place to think, plan, write, and more.

Meanwhile, we’re still trying to get our carrier pigeon Reginald to fly back to our treehouse.

Just sign up to use Notion for free. You can do your work, track to-do’s, take notes, and finally finish that passion project. It’s everything you need in a workspace—in one space.

Be thankful you don’t have to work in our treehouse. 

Get going with Notion today.

DEEPFAKE

99 Problems and a Bot Is One

Earlier this month, anonymous YouTuber Vocal Synthesis uploaded "deepfaked" audio recordings of Jay-Z reciting Shakespeare’s "To Be or Not To Be" soliloquy and Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire."  

Writer/coder Andy Baio wrote a fascinating breakdown of what happened next: Jay-Z's agency Roc Nation issued two copyright takedown notices for the videos, claiming they unlawfully used AI to impersonate Jay-Z's voice. The videos were temporarily removed, then restored, because Google determined Roc Nation's takedown requests were incomplete. 

• Vocal Synthesis labels audio clips to indicate they're synthetic speech. 

I don't have the legal chops to wade into the copyright law. But regarding content moderation: How should platforms treat noncommercial deepfake content that isn't intended to deceive or cause harm? And for artists and public figures: Does trademarking their likeness have any bearing on AI-generated "art"?

"The technology itself is not innately good or evil. It just depends on how it's used, and the purpose and intent of creations made with it should be factored in," Baio told me. He hopes that platforms will continue allowing creative, non-deceptive uses of deepfake tech. 

Bottom line: The law lags behind technology like generative AI.

BITS & BYTES

Stat: Xenex Disinfection Services recently announced a successful test of its LightStrike robot eliminating the coronavirus. According to the Texas-based company, its robot's UV radiation can wipe out the coronavirus pathogen in two to three minutes.

Quote: "I quit in dismay at Amazon firing whistleblowers who were making noise about warehouse employees frightened of Covid-19"—Tim Bray, formerly an SVP and distinguished engineer at Amazon.  

Read: Wired profiled Bryan Salesky, the CEO of Argo AI, the Ford-backed self-driving startup. Salesky is tackling autonomous driving a bit differently than the competition. 

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WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• Apple and Google banned the use of location data in “exposure notification” (contact tracing) apps using their technology. Some companies, including PwC, are building their own contact tracing apps for employees.  
• Matterport, a spatial computing startup focused on the real estate industry, released a 3D camera capture tool for iPhones. The company recently laid off a third of its staff. 
• GOP senators plan to introduce a coronavirus data privacy bill.
• Intel confirmed it's buying Israeli mobility startup Moovit for $900 million.
• Nvidia announced plans to acquire Cumulus, a software networking company.

BLACK MIRROR IRL

Sometimes Black Mirror storylines seem like they're unfolding in real life. This week's roundup:

• Surveillance startup Skylark Labs showcased its drone and AI analysis system in action in Punjab, India. 
• German ravers attended a drive-in concert. It was weird. 
• Mad Max variation: California Highway Patrol issued 2,493 citations to motorists for driving 100+ mph from March 19–April 19 (an annual increase of 1,158). One driver was pushing 150+ mph.

TRIVIA

Giphy

If you didn't get the reference at the top, X Æ A-12 is the name that Elon Musk and Grimes (maybe) gave their new son. To celebrate, I'm launching Emerging Tech Brew's new trivia section. Apropos of this week's news, today's edition is Musk-themed (it won't always be).

Test your knowledge about Tesla, SpaceX, and Musk's other companies. . 

TECH THINGAMABOBS

I’m taking a celeb shot in today’s edition of The Essentials, the Brew's guide to staying happy and healthy during quarantine. The newsletter (with all my recs) drops this evening.