Wow. They just keep coming. That or they’re just being reported more. Anyway, this week, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust reported having data stolen in cyberattacks, raising the prospect of highly sensitive patient data being exposed. Rather than a ransomware attack, it is believed hackers exploited vulnerabilities in software used to manage employee phones. The software was patched shortly after discovery earlier this month, but by then, the hackers were able to access staff phone numbers, IMEI numbers, and technical data such as authentication tokens. This can then enable the cybercriminals to access other data, like patient records. The attack has allegedly been traced to an IP address based in China, and the method of attack resembles those previously traced to the country. Elsewhere, sportswear brand Adidas was attacked and customers’ personal information was stolen, while an enormous data breach of 184 million accounts was discovered containing login details for Microsoft, Facebook and Snapchat, among many other services.
A professor at Harvard in the US has been sacked after being accused of falsifying data related to her research. Her research focused on honesty and ethical behaviour. Francesca Gino, who maintains her innocence, was put on administrative leave by Harvard Business School in 2023 after multiple allegations of data fraud, before having her employment termination confirmed by the college this week. Allegations were made that data had been falsified in a number of papers either co-authored or overseen by Gino, and some published papers were retracted. It is apparently the first time in about 80 years that a tenured instructor has been dismissed by Harvard.
An AI tool is being trialled by a number of companies in the UK to cut down on food waste. Nestlé is among the companies trialing the tool and has generated an 87% reduction in edible food waste at one of their factories in the two-week pilot period. The tool is intended to design out waste by providing real-time insights, monitoring, and tracking of ingredients and products that are wasted. As well as saving food, the tool could cut CO2 emissions and reduce factory running costs.
Exciting news this week as the ten finalist teams for the Smart Data Challenge Prize - a £600,000 innovation initiative funded by the UK Department for Business and Trade - were announced. These pioneering teams have been selected to prototype Smart Data solutions with the potential to change sectors such as energy, housing, transport, and finance. Each finalist will receive £50,000 in grant funding and non-financial support to develop their solution using a specially created data sandbox. In autumn 2025, one winner will be awarded an additional £50,000, with two runners-up receiving £25,000 each. We’re delighted to support the Smart Data Challenge Prize and make this crucial step toward building a trusted, user-driven Smart Data economy in the UK.
And finally…a Scottish voiceover artist has been left “devastated” after discovering an AI version of her voice is being used to make announcements of Scotland’s rail network. Gayanne Potter believes it is the result of voicework she recorded with Swedish company ReadSpeaker in 2021. She claims to have been unaware the contract allowed her voice to be used to train AI, while the company claims the contract was very clear. Roll on a few years, and her voice is now the basis of Iona, ScotRail’s new AI announcer…complete with AI-generated image straight out of the Braveheart playbook. They may take our voices, but they’ll never take…ah forget it.
David and Jo
