Backups are lifeline to your digital lifestyle

Celebrate World Backup Day this Sunday by creating backup copies of your essential data to safeguard your digital lifestyle against potential loss. — Image by freepik 

It is said that memories you make are priceless, but in this digital age, our data, whether text, audio, or video, has become equally invaluable.

And its value is not lost to cybercriminals, as data breaches have become so common that protecting personal information has become an ongoing challenge for individuals and organisations alike.

Last year, cybersecurity firm Sophos reported that over 90% of cyberattacks reported by its customers involved data or credential theft.

But hackers are not the only threat to your data – the device holding your information may suffer a hardware failure, be stolen, or even be destroyed in an incident such as a fire or flood.

Despite happening over two decades ago, the near loss of Pixar’s Toy Story 2 assets due to accidental deletion during the 1990s remains a memorable story.

The studio was “saved” by Galyn Susman, a supervising technical director who had been working from home after childbirth and had a remote backup.

Even though much of the film was eventually remade due to quality concerns, the character models and environments from her backup were integral to the final film.

Arina hopes that as awareness increases and user-friendly backup options become more widely available, more people will incorporate backups into their digital routines. — Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik

Last year’s layoff of Susman, along with 74 other employees, struck a chord with fans who remember her as the person who saved Toy Story 2.

As we approach World Backup Day this Sunday, March 31, it’s crucial to remember that although incidents of data loss might seem distant, nobody is immune to such occurrences.

Data dilemmas and disasters

Head of operations at Lucid Analytica, an analytics consultancy, Firdaus Jefri experienced data loss for the first time during his childhood when the hard drive of the family computer failed, resulting in the loss of numerous personal files.

“When my first PC, which I had as a kid, crashed due to a hard drive failure, it was devastating. I had important family photos, videos, and memories stored on it. I also made some great friends while playing games like Runescape and Halo Combat Evolved.

“Unfortunately, as a kid, I didn’t keep track of my passwords and didn’t know how to recover my accounts, losing contact with most of them,” he says.

He adds that his mother’s work documents were lost as well, though they weren’t devastating since she had hard copies on hand, requiring extra effort to recreate everything on a computer.

Cloud storage services can be set up to back up files from a mobile device or a PC, but it’s important to maintain enough free space. — Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik

Fast forward to today, and Firdaus has become a staunch believer in backups, having invested a significant amount into a self-built networked-attached storage (NAS) solution.

He estimates that he has spent approximately RM10,000 on storage for multiple drives totalling 20TB, with each drive serving as a backup for another. This setup enables him to recover data in the event that one drive fails.

Firdaus describes his solution as overkill for most users, though it’s a necessity for him, as his work involved handling large files.

When studying for his PhD, computer system engineer Lee Yang Yang was shocked to witness a fellow student fail his course due to losing his files just before the thesis submission deadline.

In Lee’s experience, users typically only begin to prioritise the security of their files after a personal encounter with data loss.

“If you think a file is important, back it up. It is worth your money to have the extra storage. This would include private and confidential files that could cost you a fortune or even your job if the data is lost,” he says.

Better safe than sorry

While data recovery programs and services (read “Get Your Data Back”, StarLifestyle, May 29, 2023; online at bit.ly/datalostandfound) are available that could help restore lost files, the costs involved are steep.

Sin says that having a comprehensive backup strategy is crucial for recovering from such incidents, likening it to 'insurance' for digital assets. — Synology Malaysia

According to Jason Sin, Malaysia country manager for Synology, a company that specialises in NAS storage, the substantial price tag doesn’t guarantee complete data retrieval.

To save oneself from the headache and hefty fees involved in recovering lost files, it’s best to have a backup system in place.

Nur Arina Ramlee, chief technology officer at Cybersolution Technologies, stresses the value of having proper backups.

“Unfortunately, typically, users do not regularly backup their data as often as they should. Usually, this comes down to a few key elements.

“Many users underestimate how upsetting data loss may be when it occurs to them or believe it only happens to other people.

“People are sometimes discouraged from starting because they believe that creating backups is complicated and time-consuming,” she says.

Arina hopes that as awareness increases and user-friendly backup options become more widely available, more people will incorporate backups into their digital routines.

She recalls an incident involving a restaurant, which was exploring franchising opportunities at the time. The restaurant owner had stored all the key components of the company, including financial records, designs for its franchising plan, and even his beloved recipes – which he spent years perfecting and digitising – on a laptop.

That laptop was stolen at an airport during a business trip, resulting in the loss of years’ worth of data.

The rise of ransomware is another threat to data. In a ransomware attack, the files on a computer system are encrypted, in most cases rendering them unusable, with the threat actor demanding a ransom payment to decrypt the data.

Sin says that having a comprehensive backup strategy is crucial for recovering from such incidents, likening it to ‘insurance’ for digital assets.

Arina recommends a straightforward approach to backup by starting with identifying the data crucial to your daily digital activities. — Cybersolution Technologies

“Ensuring data security and continuity is paramount for users and businesses alike.

“Creating a backup strategy is like providing a safety net, allowing users to restore their data to a previous state and resume normal operations swiftly.

“As digital lifestyles become more prevalent, the potential impact of data loss on both personal and professional fronts has heightened, underscoring the importance of robust backup practices,” he says.

As for companies, Sin highlights cost concerns and limited resources as major reasons why small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) often neglect backing up their data.

This is due in part to hardware, software and maintenance costs, along with the lack of a dedicated IT team to manage backup infrastructure. Time constraints, data fragmentation, and the need to evaluate security risks are other factors that can also hinder efforts.

In the long run, such neglect can make it significantly more difficult for a company to recover from cybersecurity incidents such as data breaches and ransomware attacks.

Sin highlighted that the Personal Data Protection Department (PDPD) reported a staggering increase in data breach cases. It received 130 reports by June 2023, a four-fold increase compared to the entire year 2022.

“Such breaches lead to significant financial losses due to causes like configuration errors, hardware damage, data leaks, and malicious encryption,” he says.

Seeking simple solutions

According to a report from data recovery service provider Reno Research Lab, over half of data loss cases in 2023 resulted from user error, primarily accidental deletion (56.38%), with drive corruption coming a distant second, accounting for only 18.09%.

These incidents could have been avoided if users simply made one backup copy.

According to a report from data recovery service provider Reno Research Lab, over half of data loss cases in 2023 resulted from user error, primarily accidental deletion (56.38%), with drive corruption coming a distant second, accounting for only 18.09%. — Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Fortunately, thanks to the widespread availability of free cloud storage, hefty investments are often unnecessary.

Popular and easy-to-setup options that offer free storage space include Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and Apple iCloud.

However, without a subscription, the free storage is limited, with Google Drive offering 15GB for free, while both OneDrive and iCloud provide only 5GB each at no cost.

The cloud storage services can be set up to back up files from a mobile device or a PC, but it’s important to maintain enough free space.

The services provide a range of subscription packages with different storage spaces, with family options typically offering better value for money.

To backup your PC with OneDrive’s desktop client, access the settings menu and navigate to the “Sync and Backup” tab.

From there, select “Manage Backup” to choose which folders, such as Documents, Pictures, Desktop, Music, and Videos to back up.

Unfortunately, OneDrive doesn’t support custom folders for backup, so users have to move their files to one of the listed folders.

Android smartphone users can check out Google Drive for backups. It can be turned on by going to the settings menu and selecting “Backup and reset” and then switching on the “Backup by Google One” option.

This feature automatically backs up various types of data, including apps, SMS and MMS, call history, and device settings when connected to WiFi.

However, remember to manually enable backup for photos and videos in this menu, as it is turned off by default.

For faster access and complete control over your backups, consider using a NAS (network-attached storage) device. It’s a dedicated storage server that connects to your home WiFi network.

It also provides a centralised location to store and access files and data from multiple devices, such as computers, smartphones, and tablets, over the network.

Essentially, it functions as a personal cloud storage solution, offering other features like file sharing, media streaming, and remote access.

However, NAS devices, which come in various configurations and storage capacities, are not cheap.

Those who are more technically inclined could opt to assemble their own unit, but this will require researching various topics and familiarity with terminologies like RAID (redundant array of independent disks) and learning NAS-specific operating systems like TrueNAS and Unraid.

However, if you’re seeking a robust backup plan, consider adopting the popular 3-2-1 backup principle.

It’s a straightforward rule – though very demanding – that is designed to ensure that your data stays safe no matter what happens.

Let’s break it down: “3” stands for having at least three copies of your data; “2” means storing them on two different types of media; and “1” emphasises keeping one copy offsite or on the cloud. This method ensures that your data is well-protected against accidents, hardware failures, and other unexpected events.

Arina recommends beginning with a simple approach: identify the data essential to your daily digital life, such as chat messages, pictures, and documents.

“The key to this is to back up regularly or set your backups to run automatically. Some applications that users use daily may already have this readily integrated into their cloud accounts.

“And remember to test your backups once in a while to ensure they work when needed,” she says.

Sin emphasises the importance of education and awareness in establishing a strong backup culture.

“We encourage everyone to share the significance of backups with friends, family, and colleagues,” says Sin, “in order to collectively cultivate a more secure digital environment.”

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Always have a backup plan , Don’t hoard data

Save it or lose it

Don’t wait until it’s too late – backing up your digital memories now will ensure that you have the chance to cherish them forever.

 

 

 It’s a mis­con­cep­tion that back­ing up data is a com­plex pro­cess, as there are plenty of user-friendly tools, accord­ing to david. — palo alto net­works

   

San­tam­aria recom­mends dis­con­nect­ing the backup stor­age medium from the inter­net for bet­ter secur­ity. — Folio photon­ics 

 

d’hal­luin says fig­ur­ing out what data needs to be backed up is a top pri­or­ity. — datadobi

 

With everyone logged in to the digital world and with the widespread use of smartphones, it’s surprising how little attention has gone towards preserving digital memories.

to remind everyone of its importance, it was World Backup Day on Friday, March 31, which has been celebrated since 2011.

World Backup Day originated from a Reddit post by a user lamenting the loss of content on a hard drive after having overlooked backing up its data.

if this sounds familiar, consider taking steps to keep your files safe since you never know when they could just disappear, as hardware failure is unpredictable.

Duplicating data

in short, a backup means copying data from a device to another location, be it a thumbdrive, an external hard drive or a cloud service.

But this isn’t limited to just data files, as operating systems can be backed up too so that you have a restore point in case the hard drive or solid-state drive (SSD) it is installed on fails or gets corrupted.

Palo Alto Networks’ Asean system engineering head, David Rajoo, says, “Backing up your data is crucial in today’s digital age, but it’s often overlooked, especially by non-tech-savvy individuals.

“Common misconceptions include thinking that backups are time-consuming and complicated.

“however, incorporating backups into your daily routine or opting for user-friendly solutions can simplify the process.

“it’s vital to consider various storage options as hard drives can fail, resulting in data loss.

“Cloud storage is a popular option, with the added benefit of having remote access and coming with various storage plans,” he says.

Most would be familiar with cloud storage services like Google Drive, which can be used to automatically sync files on a computer or smartphone to the cloud.

there are other alternatives, like Onedrive and Dropbox, which offer free and paid plans, but Drive is one of the more generous ones, offering 15GB at no cost.

this might sound like a lot, but for those with extensive libraries of content like ripped CDS and Blu-rays, that’s definitely not going to be enough.

identifying what’s important before backing up is key, according to Carl D’halluin, chief technology officer of Datadobi.

“Failing to backup your data can have catastrophic consequences, as a single hardware failure, cyberattack, or natural disaster can wipe out all your valuable information, leaving you with no way to recover it.

“this means that years of hard work can all be lost in an instant, with no chance of retrieval.

“identifying the vital data that requires protection should be the first step in the process,” he says.

those primarily using Android smartphones can rely on Google Photos, which syncs images, and icloud for Apple devices, as it’s tightly integrated into the company’s ecosystem.

Modern Android devices also tend to have built-in support for cloud services like Google Drive and Samsung Cloud, though these are limited to files and apps and not the operating system.

those in the custom Android ROM community will be familiar with recovery firmware like TWRP that can be used to create a Nandroid backup to restore the operating system and apps to their previous states.

the same can be said for both MACOS and Windows, though Microsoft hasn’t updated its tool for a long time.

the built-in backup tool is hidden away in the control panel of Windows 10 and 11 and is specifically marked as for Windows 7, with even Microsoft recommending that users shift away from the backup tool.

Popular alternatives among enthusiasts include the free AOMEI Backupper and the paid-only Macrium, which allow users to select a drive (in this case, the one the operating system is installed on) and create a backup image periodically or on demand.

this backup can be used to restore the operating system when the need arises.

Apple’s time Machine can similarly be used to create system images of MACOS, and the process can be scheduled.

An external drive should first be plugged into the Mac and selected as the backup drive – once done, it will be exclusively used to store backups.

the backup, which can be configured in system settings, allows users to select the drives to be backed up, the backup frequency, and exclude files to save space.

Apple recommends that the backup drive have at least double the storage of the drive being backed up.

By the numbers

A popular strategy adopted by the industry is the 3-2-1 backup rule, which was brought up by David.

“When creating a backup strategy that works best for you, it’s important to prioritise which data to back up first.

“the most crucial data to prioritise are the types of data that are difficult or impossible to replace if lost, such as photos and videos of important memories, work documents, and financial data.

“Once you’ve determined which data needs to be backed up first, following the 3-2-1 backup rule is recommended.

“this rule involves having three copies of your data, with two on different media types and one stored offsite,” he says.

For instance, if you own a desktop or laptop, you should back up your data to an external drive and the cloud.

Most external drives are compact and can be had for cheap these days. if money is no object, you could invest in networkattached storage that will also give you remote access to your files, but this also requires more work.

this will ensure that you have a local copy if something goes wrong, allowing you to get your data back in the fastest possible time.

And having your data on the cloud will ensure that your data is safe should you lose both your local storage due to, say, fire or flood.

Leaving the secondary local storage (like an external drive or thumbdrive) disconnected from the internet also serves as an added security measure.

According to Steven Santamaria, CEO of Folio Photonics, a well-designed data protection strategy should look into both physical and digital security to safeguard critical data.

“the most effective data protection strategy should also incorporate a data storage platform that can be securely archived in an offsite location, with the added benefit of being taken offline for even greater security.

“this means that the storage platform is physically separated from the main network and disconnected from the internet, making it resistant to cyberattacks and other forms of data breaches,” he says.

David recommends taking the extra step of encrypting the backup data.

“Although this may seem daunting, many backup services include encryption as part of their package.

“By encrypting your backups, you can protect your data from unauthorised access in the event of theft or loss.

“Ensure your backup data is password-protected, and avoid using simple passwords or commonly guessed words.

“For cloud-based backups, consider using two-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security.

“this involves requiring a password and a secondary authentication method, such as a fingerprint or a code sent to your phone,” he says.

he concludes by saying that it’s also vital to ensure that the backups are virusfree by scanning the system with reputable antivirus and anti-malware software before backing up. 

By CHRISTOPHER FAM lifestyletech@thestar.com.my  

Don’t hoard data

 

The digital Cleanup day initiative is intended to get users into the habit of sorting and discarding unwanted data while being mindful of the ‘digital waste’ they are generating. — Freepik.com

Due to cloud services, people can store seemingly infinite amounts of data without worrying about using up physical space on their personal devices.

However, Estonia’s Let’s Do It Foundation wants users to think about the environmental impact of hoarding data.

Last month, it launched the Digital Cleanup Day initiative to get users into the habit of sorting and discarding unwanted data while being mindful of the “digital waste” they are producing.

According to the foundation, “This digital waste creates digital pollution that continues to consume energy even when we have forgotten it.

“Digital trash sits in the backups on servers that provide us with cloud service and continue consuming electricity.”

The International Energy Agency estimates that data centres and data transmission networks are responsible for nearly 1% of energyrelated greenhouse gas emissions.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals listed reducing greenhouse gas emissions as part of a crucial measure to lessen the impact of climate change.

It raised concerns that droughts brought on by rising temperatures may displace 700 million people by 2030.

A 2020 report by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) called for the large-scale adoption of environmentally responsible online behaviour, which it said was vital for “combating climate change and promoting sustainability”.

Habits it recommends include deleting non-essential content on cloud services or when the data is no longer needed.

Users should also optimise their cloud storage by identifying and deleting duplicate content – most cloud services either offer tools for this or do it automatically.

On devices like the iphone, the Photos app can be used to find duplicate images and videos.

Tapping on Albums and clicking on Duplicates under Utilities will show the similar files next to each other. This feature is available in IOS 16.

There is also an option to merge duplicates. According to Apple, “merging combines the highest quality version and all the relevant data across the duplicates, and this version will remain in the library”. The remaining duplicates will be put into the Recently Deleted album.

On Android, the Files By Google app has a Clean feature that will scan the phone and recommend content to delete, including large files, old screenshots and downloaded data.

Alternatively, users can archive information on external drives, which don’t run on electricity.

If deletion is not an option, the files can be compressed to save space. Popular tools on the market include Winzip and WINRAR, which allow files to be compressed, although they are better at shrinking the size of some files than others.

The files can also be password protected for additional security. Do note that the compression employed by these apps won’t result in a loss of quality for photos or videos.

Another aspect that users should consider is the carbon footprint of emails.

Statistics on The Carbon Literacy Project show that actions like sending a short email from the phone generate 0.2g of CO2, while taking 10 minutes to send out an email to 100 people is responsible for 26g of CO2.

According to the Let’s Do It Foundation, 281 billion emails are sent out each day, taking an average person three hours a day to refresh, read and reply to work messages.

The foundation felt that it was necessary to limit the ineffective practice of organising work through emails.

To avoid accumulating email messages, it’s best to unsubscribe from irrelevant mailing lists or mark unwanted emails as spam so they get deleted after a set period.

Let’s Do It also recommends that users clean up their Inbox by searching for common names or addresses to round up similar messages and delete them, while only keeping the latest.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND I; Cybercriminals exploit chatbots

In just a matter of months, people have started integrating generative chatbots and other AI tools into their work processes.

 

Loh says it’s neces­sary to provide a lot of con­text for chat­gpt to give a good out­put. — Loh chi FUNG

By adding chat­gpt to her work­flow, Gan has been able to open up a whole new world of cre­at­ive pos­sib­il­it­ies. — Joey Gan

 

 Venese uses both dall-e and chat­gpt to gen­er­ate ref­er­ence mater­i­als for the early stages of his work. — VENESE ren­gasamy.

 

IN case you tuned out of the news cycle the past few months, here’s a rundown on the tool that has reignited the artificial intelligence (AI) craze: CHATGPT.

CHATGPT, built by Openai with its Generative Pretrained Transformer 3.5 (GPT-3.5) language model, is essentially a chatbot that can produce startlingly human-like responses.

Trained on content from the Internet up to 2021, the chatbot is capable of composing everything from essays to poetry and even providing detailed instructions for just about anything.

However, it comes with the caveat of “hallucinating” from time to time – the term used when the chatbot loses grip on reality and makes incorrect assumptions or quotes sources that don’t exist.

Despite that, it’s been hyped up as a major disruptor in the way we work and how we obtain information from the Internet.

Betting on bots

As tech companies scramble to take the lead when it comes to AI, people are finding ways to harness its power too.

Sydney, an accounts executive with a marketing agency who wanted to stay anonymous, says the technology has seen mass adoption in her company, with CHATGPT being the primary tool.

“We’ve integrated it extensively into our work process, and our editorial team uses it for their first drafts and researching projects.

“At the end of the day, it still has to go through a human for fact-checking and verification before it’s finalised.

“Whenever we receive a new client and need to familiarise ourselves with their company and industry background, CHATGPT breaks it down and takes care of the heavy lifting.

“This in turn makes the information more digestible and allows us to focus more on our role as consultants,” says Sydney, adding that before CHATGPT she would spend three to four hours drafting each document, which now only takes half the time because of the chatbot.

Sydney describes CHATGPT as a more useful version of Google search, saying that it’s great at providing concise information on unfamiliar topics, which has streamlined her work.

She has also used the chatbot to translate text from English to Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin, and believes it does a better job than existing options on the market.

Others have also made use of this technology to handle tasks outside of their primary roles, which is the case for system administrator Seth Lee.

“It hasn’t really had that much of an impact on my main day-to-day work, but when it comes to communicating with clients, it’s been very helpful.

“Since the nature of our work can get quite technical, this saves me the headache of having to simplify my explanations manually, which can be tough since some terms are especially technical.

“My primary role isn’t client-facing, so ideally I want to minimise time spent on writing emails so I can focus on my actual job,” he says.

As a copywriter, Benjamin Steve Richard makes use of CHATGPT as a productivity tool for his advertising campaigns, particularly during the early brainstorming stages.

“Usually, once the client brief is given, I’ll think of ideas or concepts that will fit their needs.

“I’ll include other parameters like tone and manner in my request to CHATGPT so that it gives me variations in the directions I’m after.

“Then I repeat this a few more times on different concepts before pitching them to the client,” he adds.

Like Sydney, Benjamin Steve stresses that there’s more to it than just copying and pasting, with the output still requiring a human to vet.

Meanwhile, Malaysian market lead for Precious Communications, Joey Gan, has been using the chatbot on a daily basis, saying, “Incorporating CHATGPT into my writing, planning and brainstorming has been a game changer for me, as it has significantly reduced the time required for these tasks.

“However, what’s even more exciting is that as I’ve grown more comfortable using CHATGPT, I’ve discovered that my ideas are expanding and taking on a life of their own.

“By using CHATGPT proactively to generate topic ideas and find alternatives, I’m able to tap into a wealth of creative possibilities that I might not have considered otherwise.

“Of course, while CHATGPT is an incredibly useful tool, we have to be aware of its limitations and ultimately, we are the final judge of our own work,” she says.

Bigger picture

Ai-powered tools are also being used in the sphere of creative design, as freelance motion graphics designer Venese Rengasamy has discovered.

“I have used Dall-e (an AI image generator) to put placeholders in my work to get a stronger vision of the project’s direction before creating my own assets.

“It can be difficult to find a specific picture that conveys a certain style or mood otherwise, so being able to describe what you need with keywords helps.

“CHATGPT has also been useful in generating scripts that I reference for my videos.

“I usually request the AI to write a script using the main points that I provide, and from there, I extract whatever I find useful and paraphrase it,” he says.

Dall-e isn’t the only image-generating AI tool, with Midjourney and Stable Diffusion being some notable examples.

The same can be said for Openai’s CHATGPT (with the newly released GPT-4 powering Microsoft’s Bing), which sees Google’s Bard and Meta’s LLAMA as rising competitors.

Even though CHATGPT made headlines for being able to pass the law exams overseas, the reality of the matter isn’t so simple.

A freelance paralegal service provider who wanted to be identified as just Nicko says he has been using AI to trim turnaround time.

“I’ve used CHATGPT to draft simple agreements for clients, but it can be hit or miss.

“If it’s for a legal submission, for example, you need to feed it with a lot of cases before you can get something decent.

“But even then, the results aren’t good enough for the courts. For simple legal agreements or even standard ones, it’s pretty good, provided you get the prompt right.

“You will still need to go through it since there may be irrelevant clauses. And, of course, always check with a lawyer after you’ve drafted it,” he says.

CHATGPT has also earned a reputation for being able to provide code based on users’ descriptions of the program.

According to software developer Lee, her company has been using an Ai-assisted coding tool in its workflow even before CHATGPT began making waves.

“I personally think CHATGPT is like a fancy Google search. It’s nice for inspiration and ideas, but not really helpful if you need something specific.

“For instance, people who can’t read code may copy and paste codes from CHATGPT but will not know how to read or tailor them to fit their needs.

“Using it involves a mix of knowing the right keywords and commands to get the output you want.

“I don’t really like it and prefer to just use the old school way of using Google search and reading off forums,” she says.

For context, standard Ai-assisted coding tools function to provide code based on requirements set by programmers with intrinsic knowledge of coding.

On the other hand, a tool like CHATGPT will give you code based on just a description, even if you don’t know anything about programming.

However, this will run the risk of possibly failing to meet all of the program’s requirements and being incomplete, which may render it non-functional.

Wong, a software engineer who wished to remain anonymous, echoes this sentiment.

“CHATGPT is capable of giving advice on technical issues, but directly searching Stack Overflow (a Q&A website for programmers) gave a better answer.

“Chatgpt’s answer had portions of the Stack Overflow solution, but it was incomplete.

“We needed to update the .Net core hosting bundle, which was entirely missing in the chatbot response,” he says.

One pattern consistent with CHATGPT use is that AI tools like it are being used in the initial stages of a project or for simple tasks, requiring careful verification by humans. And there are other hurdles that must be crossed before one can use CHATGPT efficiently.

Garbage in, garbage out

CHATGPT is capable of a lot, but the quality of its responses is reliant on user input, so the old computer concept of “garbage in, garbage out” couldn’t be more true.

According to Sydney, her company organised tutorials on the use of the CHATGPT, covering both the standard operating procedure (SOP) as well as tips and tricks.

“I can see AI tools being heavily integrated at other companies in the future, especially considering how they’ve already become an important part of ours.

“When working with CHATGPT, at times, you’ll need to ask for more information or request a change in sentence structure.

“But those are small things that can be fixed quickly with a change in wording or request,” she says.

The tutorials offered by her company covered basic how-tos and things to look out for, which were mainly for those that were less tech savvy.

For Gan, the amplification of bias from the datasets the AI was trained from is a concern, especially from the perspective of data integrity.

“As a PR professional, or any professional for that matter, it is integral to ensure transparency and that our sources are verified and validated.

“With AI, it can be hard to know what goes on behind the code, which means that using the output from generative AI requires manual interpretation and assessment.

“AI is also unlikely to decipher and understand intent, so if one has malicious intent, such as writing a phishing email, there’s no stopping the AI from helping with that,” she says.

Some companies, on the other hand, are more apprehensive towards the technology.

The insurance industry in particular has been wary about this technological change, according to an insurance admin who wanted to be identified as just Mark.

“A core part of our industry is evaluating the truth when it comes to claims made by all parties involved.

“The nature of AI being unable to provide critical evaluation of a scenario makes it a poor fit for our industry’s needs at this point in time.

“Coupled with how much sensitive information our industry deals with, management is very hesitant to allow its use, for good reasons.

“Since we handle a lot of personal data that is safeguarded under the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) 2010, it’s difficult for us to make a move towards this tech.

“Doing so may expose confidential data to a third-party that has not been contracted to handle it, which goes against our strict policy,” he says.

Mark also cites the costs associated with transitioning to and implementing Ai-powered tools as another reason for his company’s wariness.

SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) operator Loh Chi Fung brought up the fact that one needs to have a certain amount of knowledge about the topic that the AI is being used for.

“You need to provide a lot of context for CHATGPT to work and give you a good output.

“Sometimes, laymen like me don’t have all the inputs needed, particularly when the task at hand is a legal one.

“Plus, with the database it was trained on being dated to 2021, newer developments are not taken into consideration.

However, with new models arriving on the scene, much of the limitation faced today may likely just be a problem of the past.

By CHRISTOPHER FAM lifestyletech@thestar.com.my

Cybercriminals exploit chatbots

 CHATGPT has gained a lot of attention for its ability to generate realistic human responses to text-based input, particularly in academia.

So far, it’s been used for multiple legitimate purposes. Some major companies have turned to the tool to conduct business.

But the Better Business Bureau explained recently that cybercriminals have also taken advantage of the program’s AI’S capabilities for malicious purposes, like phishing, impersonation and even romance scams.

“Scammers have historically been on the cutting edge of technology and I don’t see this being any different,” Tom Bartholomy, CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Southern Piedmont and Western North Carolina, said.

“As they see that work, as they see people engaging with it, they’re just going to continue to refine it and continue to find other scams that they can feed that same technology into.”

Harder to spot

Bartholomy said most of the CHATGPT scams so far have involved phishing and impersonation.

For example, scammers posing as Amazon send out emails notifying customers that their accounts have been deactivated and later requesting personal information.

“One of the tells that we’ve always cautioned people on when they get an email or a text is that if there are any misspellings, if the grammar is poor, or if the sentence structure is just off, that can be a pretty good sign that you’re dealing with a scammer. CHATGPT takes all that away,” Bartholomy said.

“It’s going to make it easier for the scammers and make it more difficult for us as consumers to be able to discern what’s legitimate and what’s fake.”

Chatbots have been around for years, especially for business customer service assistance.

Bartholomy explained that Chatgpt’s advanced conversational model has made it harder for consumers to pick up on red flags.

“That type of technology has been around longer than CHATGPT ... where you think you’re engaging with someone on a live chat.

“It’s actually just a bunch of canned responses until you give them a question that they can answer.

“Now with CHATGPT, that conversation can continue based on the questions that you have and the database that they’re pulling information from,” Bartholomy said.

Protect yourself

The Better Business Bureau recommends that online consumers watch for any suspicious activity.

> Be cautious of unsolicited messages.

> Verify the identity of the person you’re chatting with by asking for contact information.

> Scrutinise the text for red flags.

> Use two-factor authentication for your online accounts.

> Use a password manager to generate and store strong passwords.

> Be careful when downloading files or clicking on links.

;– The Charlotte Observer/tribune News Service

 

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