REAL LIFE
SAS commits $1B to AI-powered industry solutions SAS, the leader in analytics, will invest $1 billion over the next three years to further develop advanced analytics solutions targeted at the unique needs of specific industries. In banking, government, insurance, health care, retail, manufacturing, energy and more, SAS will build upon its decadeslong focus on providing tailored solutions to industry challenges. This industry commitment and the rapid time-to-value these solutions deliver are key SAS differentiators. All industry solutions will run on SAS Viya, SAS’ cloud-native, massively parallel AI and analytics platform. The billion-dollar investment includes direct research and development, industry-focused line-of-business teams, and industry marketing efforts. It will fund the innovative work of SAS data scientists, statisticians and software developers working with consultants, systems engineers and marketers with specific industry experience. The investment is in line with the trend toward democratizing data analytics. By putting the power of advanced analytics in the hands of more people with varied experience and job roles, organizations and society will benefit. It’s what SAS calls analytics for everyone, everywhere.
As organizations continue to embrace AI, machine learning, computer vision and Internet of Things (IoT) analytics to gain valuable insights, people of all skill levels can participate in the analytics process through low- or no-code options like those delivered by solutions running on SAS Viya. Last year’s economic headwinds roiled global markets, reversing post-pandemic rebounds and forging an increasingly precarious risk landscape. To help banking and insurance customers meet the challenges ahead, SAS acquired Kamakura Corp., a financial risk firm revered for its rigor, particularly in integrated balance sheet management. The acquisition, the largest in SAS history, added some of the most renowned names in quantitative risk management to SAS’ roster. It’s also accelerating advances in SAS’ suite of integrated risk solutions.
Fake ChatGPT apps scam users out of thousands of dollars, Sophos reports Sophos, a global leader in innovating and delivering cybersecurity as a service, announced that it had uncovered multiple apps masquerading as legitimate, ChatGPT-based chatbots to overcharge users and bring in thousands of dollars a month. As detailed in Sophos X-Ops’ latest report, “’FleeceGPT’ Mobile Apps Target AI-Curious to Rake in Cash,” these apps have popped up in both the Google Play and Apple App Store, and, because the free versions have near-zero functionality and constant ads, they coerce unsuspecting users into signing up for a subscription that can cost hundreds of dollars a year. In total, Sophos X-Ops investigated five of these ChatGPT fleeceware apps, all of which claimed to be based on ChatGPT’s algorithm. In some cases, as with the app “Chat GBT,” the developers played off the ChatGPT name to improve their app’s ranking in the Google Play
or App Store. While OpenAI offers the basic functionality of ChatGPT to users for free online, these apps were charging anything from $10 a month to $70.00 a year. The iOS version of “Chat GBT,” called Ask AI Assistant, charges $6 a week—or $312 a year—after the three-day free trial; it netted the developers $10,000 in March alone. Another fleeceware-like app, called Genie, which encourages users to sign up for a $7 weekly or $70 annual subscription, brought in $1 million over the past month. The key characteristics of so-called fleeceware apps, first discovered by Sophos in 2019, are overcharging users for functionality that is already free elsewhere, as well as using social engineering and coercive tactics to convince users to sign up for a recurring subscription payment. Usually, the apps offer a free trial but with so many ads and restrictions, they’re barely useable until a subscription is paid.
Sean Gallagher, principal threat researcher, Sophos
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