Saudi Arabia’s SDAIA Receives ISO Certificate for Global Information Security Standards

23:58-2 July 2024 AD ـ 26 Thul-Hijjah 1445 AH

Saudi Arabia’s SDAIA Receives ISO Certificate for Global Information Security Standards

The Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) received on Tuesday the ISO 27001:2022 certificate for implementing accurate and comprehensive standards in data protection and ensuring information security in the Saudi Private Network for Government Integration (SPINE).

SPINE is one of SDAIA's products designed to connect over 300 government entities to exchange data and services and unify the connection mechanism to reduce financial costs.

SDAIA National Information Center Director Dr. Esam bin Abdullah Al-Wagait received the certificate in the presence of several SDAIA officials and the national team that worked on this achievement.

SDAIA obtained the global certificate after applying best practices and standards in areas such as risk management, data protection, maintaining information confidentiality, and ensuring business continuity in networks, communications, data exchange, and services.

The ISO 27001:2022 certificate is an international standard that defines the requirements for creating, implementing, and improving the processing of security challenges in modern technology, such as data protection, cyber threats, and ensuring business continuity.

Such certificates help in raising the quality of information-security management, boosting confidence in SDAIA's ability to protect sensitive information and manage risks. Obtaining the certificate is part of the global trend towards adopting best practices in the field of information security.

The certificate is part of a series of global certificates that SDAIA has obtained in the field of data and AI, reflecting its commitment to achieving the highest standards of quality and institutional excellence in all areas.

Technology

Microsoft Revamps AI Copilot with New Voice, Reasoning Capabilities

Copilot logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. (Reuters)

17:40-1 October 2024 AD ـ 28 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1446 AH

Microsoft Revamps AI Copilot with New Voice, Reasoning Capabilities

Copilot logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. (Reuters)

Microsoft has given its consumer Copilot, an artificial intelligence assistant, a more amiable voice in its latest update, with the chatbot also capable of analyzing web pages for interested users as they browse.

The US software maker now has "an entire army" of creative directors - among them psychologists, novelists and comedians - finessing the tone and style of Copilot to distinguish it, Mustafa Suleyman, chief executive of Microsoft AI, told Reuters in an interview.

In one demonstration of the updated Copilot, a consumer asked what housewarming gift to buy at a grocery store for a friend who did not drink wine. After some back-and-forth, Copilot said aloud: "Italian (olive) oils are the hot stuff right now. Tuscan's my go-to. Super peppery."

The feature rollout, starting Tuesday, is one of the first that Suleyman has overseen since Microsoft created his division in March to focus on consumer products and technology research.

Long identified with business software, Microsoft has had a much harder road in the consumer realm. Its Bing search engine, for instance, is still dwarfed by Google.

Suleyman is hoping for a bigger splash with Copilot, which launched last year in a crowded field of AI chatbots, including OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini.

Copilot's newly fashioned voice capabilities make it seem much more of an active listener, giving verbal cues like "cool" and "huh," Suleyman said.

Underlying the product are Microsoft AI, or "MAI," models, plus a technology suite from partner OpenAI, Suleyman said.

Suleyman added that consumers who spend $20 monthly for Copilot Pro can start testing a "Think Deeper" feature that reasons through choices, like whether to move to one city or another.

He said an additional test feature for paying subscribers, Copilot Vision, amounts to "digital pointing" - the ability for users to talk to AI about what they see in a Microsoft Edge browser. Consumers have to opt in, and the content they view will not be saved or used to train AI, Microsoft said.

These updates represent "glimmers" of AI that can be an "ever-present confidant, in your corner," Suleyman said. It's a vision he articulated as CEO of Inflection AI, whose top talent Microsoft poached in a closely watched deal this year.

Suleyman said that eventually, Copilot will learn context from consumers' Word documents, Windows desktops, even their gaming consoles if they grant permission.

Asked what Bill Gates, Microsoft's co-founder, thinks of the company's AI efforts, Suleyman said Gates was excited.

"He's always asking me about when Copilot can read and parse his emails. It's one of his favorite ones," Suleyman said. "We're on the case."

Saudi Arabia’s SDAIA Receives ISO Certificate for Global Information Security Standards