As anybody who needs to order flowers for their mum’s birthday will know (note to self), Marks and Spencer is still reeling from last week’s cyber attack. The attack that affected stores and their online business last week is continuing to cause chaos for the retailer, and while many customers voiced concern about their personal and credit card information, communications suggest their data has not been accessed. Co-op found themselves in a similar position this week, shutting down back office and communications systems across their retail, insurance, legal and funeral care business as they tried to hold off attempts to hack their IT infrastructure. Staff have been told to keep their cameras on and verify attendees at online meetings while being urged not to transcribe or record proceedings. And now Harrods has been hit as well. The M&S attack has been linked to the Scattered Spider hacking collective (believed to have been responsible for the attacks on MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment in 2023), who are thought to have broken into the M&S site initially back in February. Cybersecurity experts have said members of the group are believed to be native English speakers, and are not from Russia or former Soviet states, which gives them a degree of authenticity when phoning company IT desks or gaining entry to systems by pretending to be legitimate employees.
The Data (Use and Access) Bill returns to the UK House of Commons next Wednesday, with ministers believed to be drawing up concessions to placate artists, creators and campaigners. The likes of Paul McCartney, Tom Stoppard and Elton John have been vocal in their concerns for proposed copyright changes in the face of use by AI companies. Hope for a u-turn on the opt-out policy are flickering, much like a candle in the wind. The government is apparently planning to carry out an economic risk assessment of the proposed copyright changes and publish reports on issues such as transparency, licensing and access to data for AI developers. A prominent campaigner saw this as merely a series of travesties, saying: “We don’t need an impact assessment to tell us” the planned copyright changes are bad for creatives. This is going to be a long and winding road…
Meanwhile, Natasha Lyonne (giving great Columbo vibes in Poker Face) has announced a new project that will feature AI-generated elements in what could become a test case on how, and if, Hollywood should embrace generative AI. The producers are stressing they will use a ‘clean’ AI model that is trained entirely on licensed material and where they have compensated the original creators appropriately. Elsewhere this week, the BBC has announced that Agatha Christie will deliver an online BBC Maestro course, sharing tips on story structure and plot twists. Despite being a resident of the churchyard of St Mary’s in Cholsey since 1976, Christie…well, an AI version…will deliver the course based on archival footage, licensed images, letters, and interviews, all with the full support of the author’s family.
We’ve got some great webinars coming up that you might be interested in. On Wednesday 7 May, 16:00-17:00, we have Dr Aaron Maniam, Fellow of Practice and Director of Digital Transformation Education at the Blavatnik School of Government, talking about the future of data infrastructure. On Thursday 22 May, 12:00-13:00, we have Angela Schöpke-Gonzalez, Data Ethics Professional and PhD Candidate at the University of Michigan School of Information, discussing data ethics strategies for implementing ‘smart’ city technologies. And join us on Wednesday 4 June, 14:00-15:00 to learn about the opportunities and challenges for local authorities’ data in the world of AI. Click on those links to secure your free tickets.
And finally…a long, long time ago, in an anti-piracy advertising campaign far, far away, it turns out something was amiss. Social media users have recently discovered that the font used in a dramatic campaign comparing pirating films to stealing cars, television, and handbags, was in fact pirated from a typeface designer. In a week where the copyright debate has ratcheted up a few notches, this one did tickle us.
Until next time
David and Jo
