Federal Program Aims to Label Smart Home Products as Cyber Safe

HOME SECURITY

A new federal program aims to make smart home products — like smart thermostats, microwaves and televisions — more cyber secure for consumers. On July 18, the Biden administration announced the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark program with the aim of getting manufacturers to be more careful about the cybersecurity of these products and give their customers a sense of ease that they won’t be exposed to digital threats. The program won’t go live until 2024, and while it is voluntary for retailers, major brands like Google, Amazon, LG and Samsung have already signed on to have the mark on their products that meet the security standard.
Source: Digital Trends

59%

That’s the percentage of C-suite executives who say their organizations lack the resources needed to meet their boards’ expectations of innovation around generative AI. And those expectations are high: 57 percent of respondents said their organizations anticipate a double-digit increase in revenue from AI investments over the next year. The study, from AI firm ClearML and the AI Infrastructure Alliance, surveyed 1,000 executives at Fortune 1000 companies and also found that two-thirds of respondents can’t adequately measure the return on investment of their AI projects.
Source: Venture Beat

JUST KEEP SWIMMING

A 2mm robot designed by a team at the University of Leeds could be the future of lung cancer detection and treatment. The tiny, highly flexible bot is controlled by magnets and can “swim” 37 percent deeper into the lungs than standard equipment, navigating even the smallest bronchial tubes, and perform very precise biopsies that target only malignant cells, leaving healthy tissue intact. Clinical human trials are expected to begin soon.
Source: interesting Engineering

60K

In a boon for European electric vehicle drivers, the Council of the EU has new regulations requiring fast charging stations to be installed every 60km (37 miles) along the region’s main travel corridors. The stations will offer at least 150kW of power and won’t require a subscription, meaning drivers can make one-off payments to charge their vehicles. The rules officially go into effect Dec. 31, 2025.
Source: The Verge

This issue originally appeared in the September issue of Government Technology magazine. Click here to view the full digital edition online.