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Chicago-based Forward Technologies delivers IT support and cyber security to businesses in the Chicago area and nationwide.

When Hidden AI Meets Quantum Doom: The New Enterprise Security Crossroads

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Abstract graphic of AI code streams merging with digital locks, symbolizing AI governance and quantum-safe encryptionWhy Shadow AI Slips Past Security

Shadow AI is already inside. The tools sit in browsers and sidebars. Employees paste snippets of code, customer notes, even legal language into chatbots that were never vetted. The answers look helpful. The risk hides in the copy and paste. Data leaves the building without a ticket. Logs do not show it. Policies never saw it. By the time a leak becomes visible, the trail is cold.

IT leaders keep asking the same question. How do you govern what you cannot see? You start by naming it. Shadow AI covers any AI use that bypasses purchase, security review, or monitoring. That includes SaaS chat tools, browser extensions, model endpoints wired into internal scripts, and clever “personal assistants” someone installed on a work laptop. Each of those entry points can move sensitive information to third parties. Some keep prompts. Others store outputs. Many train on uploaded files. You cannot make a clean audit if you do not control any of that. [Read more…]

Google says its Gemini AI will soon be able to access your messages and utilities on your phone. I fail to see that as a good thing.

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Cartoon-style Android phone surrounded by apps like Messages, WhatsApp, and Phone, while a robot labeled “Gemini” peeks out from inside the screen holding binoculars.If you use an Android phone, there’s a good chance Google’s Gemini AI is now interacting with your apps, even if you thought you had disabled it. The company recently rolled out changes that grant Gemini new levels of access to messages, phone calls, and third-party apps like WhatsApp, regardless of whether users had previously opted out. If that sounds invasive, it’s because it is.

In emails sent to Android users ahead of the rollout, Google framed the change as a convenience upgrade. Gemini, they said, can now help users perform everyday tasks more easily, such as initiating calls, sending messages, and launching utilities. These functions, Google explained, would be available “whether your Gemini Apps Activity is on or off.” The update began rolling out automatically on July 7. [Read more…]

Judge Sides with Meta in AI Book Lawsuit, But Blames Authors for Weak Case

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A close-up of a courtroom table with a rejected file labeled “Poorly Argued Case” and a glowing one labeled “Indirect Substitution Evidence” still unopened.A federal judge handed Meta a win in a major copyright case over using books to train AI models. But the decision wasn’t exactly a validation of Meta’s practices. It was a result of the authors failing to argue their case effectively.

Judge Vince Chhabria ruled in Meta’s favor after finding that the authors who sued didn’t present the right arguments or evidence. They claimed Meta’s Llama models let users reproduce their book content and that Meta harmed the market for licensing books to AI companies. Chhabria dismissed both arguments. He said the AI model couldn’t reproduce long excerpts even with aggressive prompting, and that authors don’t have the right to control the entire market for AI training licenses. [Read more…]

When the Code Breaks, the AI Doesn’t Get the Call. I do

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An “intern” character eagerly taking notes and improving, next to an AI bot that keeps dropping the same book labeled “Learn to Code” on the floor.The buzz around AI-powered coding tools is hard to avoid, and I get asked about them a lot. Instead of continuing to repeat myself I figured it was time to write down exactly why I don’t use them, and why that decision isn’t about being for or against AI in some grand ideological sense. This is just a practical take based on how I work, what I value, and what actually helps me get things done.

The core issue is speed—or the lack of it. If AI tools helped me move faster, I’d consider them. But they don’t. The idea of having an AI assistant write code for me sounds nice. A little robot fixing bugs while I sip coffee? Sure. But it doesn’t work like that. Any code that goes into my projects has to meet a standard, and that means reviewing it line by line. I have to understand what it’s doing, why it’s doing it, and feel confident I can tweak it later. Otherwise, it’s a liability. [Read more…]

OpenAI Slams Judge’s ChatGPT Log Order, Cites Massive Privacy Risk

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Tug-of-war illustration symbolizing ChatGPT privacy conflict between users and copyright enforcers.OpenAI Faces Pressure to Store All ChatGPT Conversations

A recent court order threatens ChatGPT privacy by forcing OpenAI to keep every user chat. That includes messages deleted by users and data from businesses using OpenAI’s API. The case stems from a lawsuit brought by major publishers, including The New York Times, who claim OpenAI may be erasing evidence of copyright violations. [Read more…]

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