April 17, 2025

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AI Revolutionizes Industries, Fights Fraud, and Raises Governance Concerns

The AI landscape is rapidly evolving, with significant advancements and challenges emerging across various sectors. Microsoft is fighting AI-powered fraud, having thwarted $4 billion in fraud attempts and rejected 49,000 fraudulent partnership enrollments. Meanwhile, threat actors are using AI-powered tools to host phishing attacks, exploiting legitimate services to stage malicious content. In the tech industry, Google has released a new AI video generation feature, and Nvidia is facing a $5.5 billion blow due to US restrictions on AI chip sales to China. The healthcare sector is also being transformed by AI, with generative AI potentially revolutionizing personalized medicine and saving billions in treatment costs. Additionally, AI is being harnessed in the automotive industry to gain valuable insights into consumer behavior and preferences, and to enhance customer experiences. However, there are also concerns about the pitfalls of AI governance in cities, including the risk of losing transparency and accountability. As AI continues to advance, it is crucial to address these challenges and ensure that its benefits are realized across various industries and societies.

Microsoft Fights AI-Powered Fraud

Microsoft is working to protect its customers from AI-powered fraud attacks. Between April 2024 and April 2025, the company thwarted $4 billion in fraud attempts and rejected 49,000 fraudulent partnership enrollments. Microsoft has implemented robust defenses across its products and services, including Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Microsoft Edge, to protect customers from AI-powered fraud. The company is also fighting tech support scams, where scammers trick victims into unnecessary technical support services. Microsoft has taken action against attacks orchestrated by the cybercriminal group Storm-1811, which has abused Microsoft Quick Assist software by posing as IT support.

AI Tool Used in Phishing Attack

Threat actors are using an AI-powered presentation platform called Gamma to host phishing attacks. The attack starts with a phishing email that redirects the victim to a presentation on Gamma, which then prompts the user to click on a button to 'Review Secure Documents.' The user is then taken to a phishing page that masquerades as a Microsoft SharePoint sign-in portal, aiming to collect their credentials. The attackers are using a technique called living-off-trusted-sites (LOTS) to bypass email authentication checks. This type of attack is part of a larger trend of phishing attacks that exploit legitimate services to stage malicious content.

The Future of AI with Gary Rivlin

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gary Rivlin has written a new book called 'AI Valley' that explores the promises and perils of artificial intelligence. The book takes readers inside the AI startups and tech giants like Microsoft, Meta, and Google that are trying to make big money off of generative AI. Rivlin spent over a year in the Bay Area shadowing the founders and venture capitalists vying to make a profit from AI. His book chronicles the figures and breakthroughs of generative AI's recent history to better predict and understand its future.

Google's AI Video Generation Features

Google has released a new AI video generation feature called Veo 2 that allows users to generate 8-second, 720p cinematic videos using a single prompt. The feature is part of Google's Gemini Advanced suite and can create realistic videos with smooth movements and atmosphere. The author of the article tested the feature and was impressed with its capabilities, creating videos of a pampered French Bulldog and a sci-fi scene. Google also has another AI video image generator called Whisk Animate that can bring static images to life.

Pitfalls of AI Governance in Cities

A new study has explored the pitfalls of post-human AI governance in cities, particularly in China. The study found that AI-powered 'city brains' can help predict and prevent crimes, but also risk losing transparency and accountability. The researchers focused on a real-world city brain project in Beijing, which uses large language models to generate visions of urban futures. They warned that the increasing reliance on AI in urban governance could lead to the marginalization of human stakeholders and a lack of transparency in decision-making processes.

LA Times Offers AI-Generated Opinions

The Los Angeles Times is facing internal turmoil over its owner's efforts to diversify its opinion pages, including the introduction of AI-generated 'Insights' that offer opposing viewpoints. The feature has been criticized for being a gimmick that insults the intelligence of readers. The publisher, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, has said that he wants to broaden the outlook of the newspaper and include more conservative voices. However, some have accused him of trying to curry favor with President Donald Trump.

Nvidia Faces $5.5 Billion Blow

Nvidia is facing a $5.5 billion blow as the US blocks AI chip sales to China. Analysts predict that this move will lead to a significant loss for the company and potentially replace a key market. The US government has imposed restrictions on the sale of AI chips to China, citing national security concerns. This move is expected to have a major impact on Nvidia's business and the global AI industry.

AI to Revolutionize Personalized Medicine

A new systematic review has found that generative artificial intelligence (AI) could revolutionize personalized medicine, enhancing healthcare outcomes for millions of patients and saving billions in treatment costs. The review found that AI-powered models could benefit over 150 million patients worldwide and save up to $45 billion annually in the US alone. The authors identified generative adversarial networks (GANs) and variational autoencoders (VAEs) as the most commonly used models in personalized medicine.

New Mountain Capital Invests in SmarterDx

New Mountain Capital has invested in SmarterDx, a clinical AI company that helps hospitals unlock the full value of care delivered by analyzing patient records. The investment will support SmarterDx's next phase of growth and product innovation, focused on creating value for health systems and enabling them to deliver the best care for patients. SmarterDx's flagship solution, SmarterPrebill, empowers clinical documentation integrity and coding teams to validate every aspect of care prior to billing.

Harnessing AI with Data in Automotive Industry

The automotive industry is being revolutionized by data and artificial intelligence (AI). Dealers can gain valuable insights into consumer behavior and preferences by analyzing data, allowing them to tailor their engagement strategies more effectively. AI is playing a pivotal role in transforming dealership operations, from automating routine tasks to providing real-time insights. The integration of AI in customer interactions ensures that consumers receive timely and accurate information, enhancing their overall experience.

Key Takeaways

  • Microsoft has thwarted $4 billion in AI-powered fraud attempts and rejected 49,000 fraudulent partnership enrollments.
  • Threat actors are using AI-powered tools to host phishing attacks, exploiting legitimate services to stage malicious content.
  • Google has released a new AI video generation feature called Veo 2, allowing users to generate 8-second, 720p cinematic videos using a single prompt.
  • Nvidia is facing a $5.5 billion blow due to US restrictions on AI chip sales to China, citing national security concerns.
  • Generative AI could revolutionize personalized medicine, enhancing healthcare outcomes for millions of patients and saving billions in treatment costs.
  • AI is being harnessed in the automotive industry to gain valuable insights into consumer behavior and preferences, and to enhance customer experiences.
  • The pitfalls of AI governance in cities include the risk of losing transparency and accountability, and the marginalization of human stakeholders.
  • New Mountain Capital has invested in SmarterDx, a clinical AI company that helps hospitals unlock the full value of care delivered by analyzing patient records.
  • AI-powered models, such as generative adversarial networks (GANs) and variational autoencoders (VAEs), are being used in personalized medicine to benefit over 150 million patients worldwide.
  • The Los Angeles Times is facing internal turmoil over its introduction of AI-generated 'Insights' that offer opposing viewpoints, with some critics accusing the publisher of trying to curry favor with President Donald Trump.

Sources

AI-powered fraud Microsoft Defender for Cloud AI video generation AI governance in cities AI-generated opinions AI chip sales to China