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Microsoft is basically the biggest name in the business world, whether we’re talking about Microsoft Office apps or Windows running on our computers. One thing they have nailed down is recognizing that their products are well-loved for their simple and familiar interface, but still offering regular updates. Windows 11 Pro was specifically designed for business professionals. You’ll find new tools for productivity and balancing hybrid or remote work with life. With this deal, you can upgrade three devices to Windows 11 Pro — rated 4.5/5 stars by verified purchasers — for just $14.97 at TechRepublic Academy through April 27, 2025. New look, new features The first thing you’ll notice is a redesigned user interface. Rounded app corners, a centered bottom taskbar, snap layouts and widgets all give your computer a refreshed, yet familiar, appearance while offering the latest tools. Then, there are layers of security features like Microsoft Information Protection that protects your personal data from leaks and BitLocker device encryption that encrypts your hard drive with a key. Both of these are excellent for shielding your personal and work information from harm. Designed for the workforce If you’re a remote or hybrid worker, or a business owner or manager with employees around the globe, you’ll appreciate things like: Windows Information Protection allows you to separate work and personal data on the same device. Remote desktop access is included from anywhere. Connect to your Windows 11 Pro computer from another computer, a tablet, or a smartphone. Group Policy Management tools allow enforcement of policies and compliance. Administrators can create settings or access for different devices, users, and groups. Upgrade your operating system to Windows 11 Pro on three devices for only $14.97 (reg. $199), now at TechRepublic Academy, so be sure to take advantage of it before this offer ends on April 27, 2025. Prices and availability are subject to change. source

In 2025, having a well-designed website isn’t merely optional — it’s essential for small businesses seeking credibility, expanded reach, and sustained growth. With 97% of consumers turning to online searches for local businesses, your digital presence directly influences your business’s success. This guide explores essential best practices, tips, and top tools for creating a small business website that effectively builds trust, enhances brand visibility, and converts visitors into loyal customers. Why do small businesses need a website? Everybody now goes online when they need to look up something. In fact, according to a BrightLocal survey, 97% of consumers search online for local businesses, and 12% even do so daily. Suffice to say, a professional website is no longer just optional for small businesses — it’s a necessity. As of 2023, 73% of small businesses in the US already had a website. If these numbers haven’t convinced you yet, here are more reasons, backed by statistics, to convince you that your business needs a digital home — a website. To increase credibility: Having a website signals legitimacy and establishes trustworthiness. An astounding 81% of shoppers research businesses online before purchasing, with 47% specifically seeking out a business’s website. In addition, 75% of consumers judge a company’s credibility based on its website design alone since most transactions are now done online. To expand reach: Roughly 99,000 searches occur on Google every second — over 8 billion per day — making it critical for businesses to be visible online. A website allows your small business to reach customers far beyond your local community. To control their brand narrative: Owning your website ensures you fully control your brand story, accurately showcasing your values, mission, and unique offerings — 50% of consumers believe that a website is central to a business’s overall brand image. To increase visibility in search results: Over 90% of web traffic originates through Google searches, highlighting the importance of a website optimized for search engines. Without a search-friendly website, your business misses out on substantial organic traffic and growth opportunities. To build trust through social proof: Since 55% of consumers specifically search for online reviews when researching businesses online, prominently displaying testimonials and reviews on your site significantly increases consumer confidence, encouraging new customers to trust and buy from your business. To generate and convert leads: Your website can be a powerful marketing and sales funnel. A well-designed website captures visitor information and generates quality leads. With strategic calls-to-action and integrated tools, you can convert these leads faster. Unfortunately, while the majority of small businesses have a website, many still lack an effective online presence. Without a well-designed and updated website, businesses risk appearing outdated, unreliable, or even invisible to potential customers actively searching online. On the other hand, having a well-designed site does far more than just improve your online credibility — it also broadens your reach, attracts new leads, strengthens your brand’s reputation, and ultimately boosts revenue or sales. How to design a small business website Creating a small business website in 2025 requires more than just picking a nice layout and launching a few pages online. To truly stand out and effectively connect with customers, your website needs thoughtful planning, a clear purpose, and attention to modern design principles like mobile optimization, user-friendliness, and compliance with the latest online regulations. This step-by-step guide walks you through the specifics of how to design your small business website, from setting your objectives and mapping out your site’s content to selecting the right tools and ensuring your website is ready to deliver an exceptional customer experience from day one. Step 1: Determine the purpose of your website Building a website for a small business starts with clearly identifying its purpose. Doing so helps you make decisions from budgeting and hosting to design choices. Consider how your customers will interact with your site — whether to gain information, make purchases, or contact you directly. For example, if you want your site to be a credible source of information for your business, then a simple landing page using a free website builder might work already. However, if your website’s primary purpose is to book more clients or sell products, you need to consider additional security and features. These will also likely entail additional costs. TIP: Part of determining your website’s purpose is to understand your audience or potential customers so you can design a customer-centric (user-friendly and intuitive) website. To do this, make sure to: Determine your ideal customer profile, including demographics, preferences, and behaviors. Map out a clear customer journey, from initial discovery through to conversion. Identify the content types your audience engages with most effectively. Step 2: Plan your website structure and pages The next step after determining your website’s purpose is to map out your website structure and identify non-negotiable website pages or key information to include. Here are my recommended site pages every small business website should have, regardless of industry and site purpose: Home: Think of your site’s homepage as the front door for visitors (with your site as your online home on the Internet). It will be the first impression of your brand, so make it engaging, clear, and easy to navigate. About: Use this page to share your company’s background, mission, and what sets you apart. A well-written “About us” section is frequently referenced by journalists, local business organizations, and content creators, making it a valuable resource for external exposure. Contact us: Clearly display your company’s location, phone numbers, professional email addresses, and social media accounts here so contacting your business is straightforward and convenient. Products or services: This is where you showcase what your company offers — whether you’re selling online or providing information. Provide detailed descriptions or images to help visitors easily understand your offerings. Legal notices: Websites now require more than just basic disclaimers or copyright notices. Increasing regulations mean you might need dedicated pages for privacy policies, data protection details, or cookie notices to comply with local and international laws. Examples of these are GDPR, ADA, and CCPA. Beyond these foundational pages, I recommend you also consider adding these helpful sections: FAQs: A Frequently Asked Questions page can save time for both

Google DeepMind has introduced a new approach to securing frontier generative AI and released a paper on April 2. DeepMind focused on two of its four key risk areas: “misuse, misalignment, mistakes, and structural risks.” DeepMind is looking beyond current frontier AI to artificial general intelligence (AGI), human-level smarts, which could revolutionize healthcare and other industries or trigger technological chaos. There is some skepticism over whether AGI of that magnitude will ever exist. Asserting that human-like AGI is imminent and must be prepared for is a hype strategy as old as OpenAI, which started out with a similar mission statement in 2015. Although panic over hyperintelligent AI may not be warranted, research like DeepMind’s contributes to a broader, multipronged cybersecurity strategy for generative AI. Preventing bad actors from misusing generative AI Misuse and misalignment are the two risk factors that would arise on purpose: misuse involves a malicious human threat actor, while misalignment describes scenarios where the AI follows instructions in ways that make it an adversary. “Mistakes” (unintentional errors) and “structural risks” (problems arising, perhaps from conflicting incentives, with no single actor) complete the four-part framework. To address misuse, DeepMind proposes the following strategies: Locking down the model weights of advanced AI systems Conducting threat modeling research to identify vulnerable areas Creating a cybersecurity evaluation framework tailored to advanced AI Exploring other, unspecified mitigations DeepMind acknowledges that misuse occurs with today’s generative AI — from deepfakes to phishing scams. They also cite the spread of misinformation, manipulation of popular perceptions, and “unintended societal consequences” as present-day concerns that could scale up significantly if AGI becomes a reality. SEE: OpenAI raised $40 billion at a $300 billion valuation this week, but some of the money is contingent on the organization going for-profit.    Preventing generative AI from taking unwanted actions on its own Misalignment could occur when an AI conceals its true intent from users or bypasses security measures as part of a task. DeepMind suggests that “amplified oversight” — testing an AI’s output against its intended objective — might mitigate such risks. Still, implementing this is challenging. What types of example situations should an AI be trained on? DeepMind is still exploring that question. One proposal involves deploying a “monitor,” another AI system trained to detect actions that don’t align with DeepMind’s goals. Given the complexity of generative AI, such a monitor would need precise training to distinguish acceptable actions and escalate questionable behavior for human review. source

Key takeaways: With AI technology, payment fraud and fraud prevention have become more complex and sophisticated. Both financial data owners and businesses that accept illegal payments are directly affected by payment fraud. The best payment fraud prevention strategy requires careful risk assessment, planning, implementation, incident response preparation, and documentation. What is payment fraud? Payment fraud is the unauthorized use of an individual’s financial information to conduct illegal transactions. The overall strategy is to deceive individuals into sharing their financial and other sensitive information using hardware and software hijacking technology. Payment fraud happens when devices such as scanners, keystroke loggers, and malware capture manually entered data to divert the information back to the perpetrators. Businesses invest significantly in payment fraud prevention tools to counter these attacks. Types of payment fraud With today’s technology, every payment method is unfortunately at risk of fraud. We discuss them briefly below: Credit card fraud According to a 2025 Nilson Report, global payment card fraud losses reached $33.83 billion in 2023, with the US bearing approximately 42% of these losses. The most prevalent type of credit card fraud happens remotely: card-not-present (CNP) fraud, which occurs when stolen card information is used to make purchases online or over the phone. While EMV chip technology has reduced card-present fraud, criminals still find ways to exploit merchant vulnerabilities, often involving cloning, where criminals copy card details onto a blank magnetic stripe card or stolen cards used before the victim notices and reports them. Example: In November 2024, a UK resident’s replacement credit card was intercepted and used fraudulently before she received it, underscoring the vulnerabilities in card issuance and delivery processes. See: Detecting Credit Card Fraud by Decision Trees and Support Vector Machines Debit card fraud Debit card fraud involves the unauthorized withdrawal of funds directly from the victim’s bank account. This happens via physical theft of the card, skimming devices capturing card details, or data breaches exposing card information. Unlike credit card fraud, victims of debit card fraud may experience immediate financial loss as funds are withdrawn directly from their accounts. Example: In October 2024, a UK resident discovered unauthorized transactions exceeding £100 on their Uber and Uber Eats accounts linked to their debit card. Uber refunded the fraudulent charges, but it was unclear where the unauthorized transactions came from. Mobile payment fraud Mobile payment fraud occurs when fraudsters exploit mobile payment systems, apps, or devices to make unauthorized transactions or steal financial information. One way this is done is through SIM swapping, where an attacker gains control of a victim’s phone number to access their accounts, or through malware that infects a device to intercept sensitive information like payment credentials. Example: In November 2024, three Indiana residents were charged in connection with a nationwide SIM-swapping conspiracy. The defendants managed to steal funds and personal data through the mobile numbers connected to the victims’ email, social media, and cryptocurrency accounts. See: Mobile Device Security Policy Wire fraud Wire fraud involves schemes conducted via phone calls, emails, or online messaging platforms, often using false representations or promises to defraud individuals or organizations of money or property. Fraudsters trick victims into transferring funds to accounts they control, leading to substantial financial losses. Example: In July 2024, individuals based in Michigan, Illinois, and Texas pleaded guilty to conspiracy in international mail and wire fraud, defrauding victims of at least $2 million from 2017 to 2022. Check fraud Despite declining check usage due to digital payment methods, check fraud remains common. This involves illegal activities such as forging signatures, altering check details, or depositing counterfeit checks. Example: In late 2024, JPMorgan Chase filed lawsuits against customers who exploited a viral “money glitch” by depositing large, fake checks via ATMs and withdrawing funds before the checks cleared. This scheme resulted in over $660,000 in losses for the bank. Bank fraud Bank fraud involves schemes to steal cash and other bank assets, such as loan fraud, account takeover, fraudulent wire transfers, and embezzlement. Criminals may carry out these types of fraud using stolen identities, forged documents, or insider access. Example: In December 2024, reports emerged of low-level bank employees selling client data to online scammers, facilitating sophisticated financial fraud schemes. Staffers in various banks made copies of customer financial information, which they then sold to buyers on Telegram. Payment fraud strategies The different types of payment fraud involve various deceptive practices aimed at stealing financial data for unauthorized use. Here are seven of the most common ways payment fraud happens: Phishing Phishing is when scammers impersonate legitimate entities to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information. This deception is often carried out using fake emails, text messages, or websites that appear legitimate. How to detect phishing Watch out for unsolicited communications requesting personal information, generic greetings, grammatical errors, and URLs that deviate slightly from authentic addresses. How to prevent phishing Implementing email filtering solutions can help identify and isolate potential phishing attempts. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of security, and employees should be trained to recognize phishing emails. Skimming Skimming is when criminals install devices on ATMs or point-of-sale terminals to illicitly capture card information during legitimate transactions. These devices read the magnetic stripe data, enabling the creation of counterfeit cards for fraudulent use. How to detect skimming Signs of skimming devices include loose or misaligned card slots, unfamiliar attachments on payment terminals, or visible adhesive residues. How to prevent skimming Upgrade to payment terminals that support EMV chip technology, which is more secure than magnetic stripe systems. Additionally, install tamper-evident seals and conduct routine checks on all payment devices. Identity theft Identity theft involves the unauthorized access and use of someone’s personal information — such as Social Security numbers, bank account details, or credit card numbers — to commit fraud or theft. How to detect identity theft Consider installing monitoring services that can identify unusual account activities, such as unrecognized transactions, changes in account details, or unexpected credit inquiries. How to prevent identity theft Implement layers of identity verification processes,, such as biometric data and MFA. Update and patch systems regularly to protect against data breaches. Train

Leaks show Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold resembles its predecessor, shown in this Google ad. Image: Google Google continues to struggle to maintain its foothold in the mobile market. With just 4.5% Americans using a Google smartphone as their primary device, the tech giant is banking on its upcoming Pixel 10 Pro Fold to make a stronger impression than previous iterations — despite not depending on smartphone sales to drive annual revenue. While official details remain limited, a recent leak offered an early glimpse into what users can expect from Google’s next foldable flagship, the successor to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. What the latest leak reveals The leak includes digital renders of the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold that experts were quick to point out were similar in design to its predecessor. This may suggest that Google is prioritizing internal upgrades and performance enhancements over cosmetic redesigns. The leaked images of the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold share a similar, if not identical, form factor to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. It also has a triple rear camera on the back of the phone. However, like other smartphones in the Pixel 10 series, the SIM card slot has been relocated to the upper edge of the device. Multiple sources also suggest that Google’s new Pixel 10 Pro Fold could launch at a lower price point than the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which debuted at $1,799 for 256GB or $1,919 for 512GB models. Historically, Google has been aggressive with pricing strategies, often offering steep post-launch discounts on Pixel devices. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is already available at significantly reduced prices, indicating the Pixel 10 Pro Fold could see early markdowns soon after release. More Google news & tips What we already knew Additional information about the Pixel 10 Pro Fold surfaced earlier — a September 2024 leak revealed the device’s internal codename of “Rango” and hinted at a possible launch in fall 2025. Though the device has yet to be formally announced, its likely competitor will be Samsung’s highly anticipated Galaxy Z Fold 7. According to industry sources, Samsung is expected to unveil the Z Fold 7 in July 2025, with availability in stores to follow weeks later. While an official price hasn’t been disclosed, analysts project a retail cost between $1,899 and $2,199. source

Image: Bill Gates/YouTube Fifty years ago, Bill Gates and his childhood friend Paul Allen founded a company called “Micro-Soft” in a strip mall in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Half a century later, the company has cemented its place among tech giants and ranks as the world’s second-largest company. Currently, the only company with a higher market cap is Apple, maker of the ubiquitous iPhone. While Microsoft is reflecting on its past successes in honor of its 50-year anniversary this April, including Gates sharing the company’s original source code, the tech giant is also hustling to secure its place among the leaders of the artificial intelligence revolution. After largely missing the boat on smartphones and the shift to mobile devices, Microsoft is hoping to avoid a repeat of this mistake and instead dominate the fields of cloud computing and generative AI. Microsoft still dominates office software and operating systems Microsoft’s Windows operating system — originally called MS-DOS — runs the majority of the world’s computers. The company also made a name for itself by dominating the office software market, and it still reigns supreme today. Once available on floppy disks and then CDs, the software can now be downloaded on any device thanks to the power of cloud computing. Even though its main competitor Google Docs is free for many to use, Microsoft Office products remain the standard for most offices around the world. Attempts to diversify weren’t always home runs The company has made moves to diversify beyond office software and operating systems throughout the years. For example, Microsoft launched Xbox consoles in 2001, introduced the Bing search engine in 2009, and acquired the LinkedIn social media website in 2016. Despite these moves, Microsoft’s products and services often lag behind its competitors. PlayStations outnumber Xboxes almost two to one, Google Search continues to dominate Bing, and other social media websites like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube outperform LinkedIn. Must-read developer coverage Microsoft now bids on AI and cloud computing Microsoft is now working hard to future-proof its tech legacy through cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Its cloud platform Microsoft Azure is currently the second-largest by market share, though Amazon Web Services (AWS) still leads by a wide margin, and Google Cloud is also gaining in popularity. The company has also made significant moves to strengthen its AI offerings. It invested its first $1 billion in OpenAI back in 2019, and over the years has invested a total of $14 billion. Microsoft has also developed its own in-house AI tools, such as Microsoft 365 Copilot. However, the tech giant lacks its own proprietary silicon chips and relies on other companies to produce these essential AI model components. It remains to be seen whether Microsoft’s other AI investments will be enough to uphold its legacy for another 50 years — or if it will fall behind other AI companies. source

Enterprise CRM software is a customer relationship management platform specifically designed for midsize to large organizations that need a solution that can handle the bandwidth of a large-volume business. With the right software, businesses can scale high-level automation, such as deal tracking, client engagement, and team management. Some of the most notable providers include Zoho CRM, HubSpot, and Pipedrive for their scalability, cost efficiency, and marketing and sales features (they’re also among the best AI-powered CRMs). The providers I examine below organize and track current and past client activity through custom workflows and pipelines with advanced tech features. These tools help teams, departments, and entire enterprises access the same up-to-date information through visually digestible dashboards. 1 monday CRM Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Any Company Size Any Company Size Features Calendar, Collaboration Tools, Contact Management, and more 2 Pipedrive CRM Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Any Company Size Any Company Size Features Calendar, Collaboration Tools, Contact Management, and more 3 Creatio CRM Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Large (1,000-4,999 Employees), Enterprise (5,000+ Employees) Large, Enterprise Features Dashboard, Document Management / Sharing, Email / Marketing Automation, and more Top enterprise CRM software compared The top enterprise CRM tools offer a variety of core features, like contact and account management, basic reports and dashboards, and activity tracking. After building pipelines and reports in the software, information and activity updates can be shared through the CRM’s integrations with other applications, both native and third-party. This way, accounts and pipelines are visible across teams and entire departments. Key enterprise features Marketing automation: Manage campaigns with marketing attribution, send mass emails, and use the Social Tab to launch Facebook and X campaigns. Advanced CRM analytics: Run anomaly detection, comparator, cohort analysis, and quadrant analysis for an in-depth understanding of customer behavior. Zia AI: Zoho CRM’s native AI tools include smart lead scoring, recommendations, data enrichment, email summarization, sentence auto-complete, call transcription, and sentiment analysis. Advanced customizations: You can customize page layouts, subforms, web tabs, reports, dashboards, email templates, and buttons. Zoho CRM social media analytics. Image: Zoho Pros and cons Pros Cons Social Tab for social media marketing and management Workflow rules and automation are available across all plans 24/7/365 data security Difficult UI due to advanced and robust features 24/7 customer support requires an add-on User-reported issues with data migration and deduplication HubSpot CRM: Best all-in-one enterprise CRM Overall rating: 4.62/5 Cost: 4.31/5 Core features: 4.53/5 Ease of use: 5/5 Support: 4.38/5 Expert score: 4.38/ Image: HubSpot HubSpot CRM offers a variety of sales, marketing, and customer service management tools. You can organize and engage with clients through phone, live chat, and email, and manage activities within a custom dashboard. Then, you can sync customer data across an array of third-party integrations. Moreover, despite its robustness, it uniquely maintains a low learning curve, making it great for those who want to deploy an easy-to-use CRM across a large organization. Why I chose HubSpot CRM HubSpot CRM is top-rated for its robust set of features. In addition to its sales, marketing, and service capabilities, it also offers specialty tools for managing commerce, content, and operations. Its notable features include company insights, an AI email writer, live chat software, and a meeting scheduler. Enterprise-level features include lead form routing, recurring revenue tracking, deal journey analytics, and custom user roles. For more information, read our HubSpot CRM review. Pricing Free CRM: Free for up to two users with contact management, quotes, live chat, and more. Sales Hub Starter: $15 per seat per month, billed annually, or $20 when billed monthly. The Starter plan includes all free tools, simple automation, e-signature, conversation routing, and more. Sales Hub Professional: $90 per seat per month, billed annually, or $100 when billed monthly, and a one-time $1,500 onboarding fee. This plan includes all Starter features and prospecting workspace, playbooks, forecasting, and more. Sales Hub Enterprise: $150 per seat per month, with an annual commitment and a one-time $3,500 onboarding fee. Users of this plan receive all Professional tools plus advanced permissions, predictive lead scoring, conversation intelligence, and lead form routing. Key enterprise features Breeze Prospecting Agent: Leverage AI-powered research to build a qualified sales pipeline and personalized outreach strategies. Sensitive data storage: Securely store sensitive data like demographics, financial data, and government ID inside your HubSpot database. Advanced permissions and notifications: Create custom user roles, granular permissions, and default notifications for all users or profiles in your HubSpot account. HubSpot CRM email marketing template. Image: HubSpot Pros and cons Pros Cons All-in-one CRM with sales, marketing, service, and commerce tools Intuitive user interface Offers specialty tools for content and operations management Enterprise tier requires an annual commitment Mandatory one-time onboarding fee for higher tiers AI-powered data enrichment requires a $45 per month add-on fee Pipedrive: Best for visual pipeline management Overall rating: 4.54/5 Cost: 4.25/5 Core features: 4.53/5 Ease of use: 5/5 Support: 4.06/5 Expert score: 4.19/5 Image: Pipedrive Pipedrive is a straightforward CRM system that focuses on building competent sales pipelines for tracking deals and managing leads. Businesses can automate their sales process with Kanban drag-and-drop tools, making it an easy platform to navigate and customize. This platform also offers resources on implementing the tool according to your niche industry, like automotive sales, call centers, banking, or B2B/B2C organizations. SEE: 10 Best CRM Software for 2025 Why I chose Pipedrive Pipedrive offers a highly visual drag-and-drop interface, making it great for reflecting sales and marketing processes. Creating these Kanban-like pipelines makes it easier to manage new leads and existing clients from one place. Pipedrive is intuitive software that allows individuals to navigate and identify potential sales opportunities, making it the best enterprise CRM for visual pipeline management. Pipedrive’s pipeline builder is pretty clear-cut and visually appealing, so if you want a similar intuitive interface for creating sales processes at a lower cost,

Image: StackCommerce TL;DR: Get two years of McAfee Total Protection for five devices for just $19.99 (reg. $149.99). In today’s work-anywhere world, protecting your data and devices is no longer optional. That’s why McAfee Total Protection is more than just antivirus software. It’s a full-featured cybersecurity suite designed for professionals, remote workers, and business owners who rely on seamless, secure digital operations across multiple platforms. For just $19.99, you’ll get two years of award-winning protection for up to five devices — whether that’s your work laptop, smartphone, tablet, or home desktop. This plan includes advanced features like a secure VPN for safe browsing on public Wi-Fi, real-time identity monitoring with alerts if your personal data shows up on the dark web, and a Protection Score that helps you stay ahead of potential vulnerabilities with proactive advice. The AI-powered antivirus engine is constantly learning and adapting to detect new and evolving threats, offering real-time protection against viruses, ransomware, and phishing attacks. This makes McAfee Total Protection particularly valuable for professionals who handle sensitive client data or work in high-risk industries like finance, healthcare, and law. McAfee’s built-in password manager simplifies your digital life by securely storing your credentials and helping you create strong, unique passwords for each login. Whether you’re logging into client portals, internal systems, or cloud services, your credentials stay protected and accessible. Cross-platform compatibility means you get the same level of robust security whether you’re on a Mac at home, an Android phone on the go, or a Windows laptop at work. And with one centralized dashboard, managing your protection has never been easier. If you need reliable, multi-device protection with advanced identity monitoring and user-friendly tools, McAfee Total Protection offers one of the best values on the market today — especially while it’s just $19.99 for two years (reg. $149.99). StackSocial prices subject to change. source

Image: Shutter2U/Adobe Stock An important focus of AI research is improving an AI system’s factualness and trustworthiness. Even though significant progress has been made in these areas, some AI experts are pessimistic that these issues will be solved in the near future. That is one of the main findings of a new report by The Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), which includes insights from experts from various academic institutions (e.g., MIT, Harvard, and University of Oxford) and tech giants (e.g., Microsoft and IBM). The goal of the study was to define the current trends and the research challenges to make AI more capable and reliable so the technology can be safely used, wrote AAAI President Francesca Rossi. The report includes 17 topics related to AI research culled by a group of 24 “very diverse” and experienced AI researchers, along with 475 respondents from the AAAI community, she noted. Here are highlights from this AI research report. Improving an AI system’s trustworthiness and factuality An AI system is considered factual if it doesn’t output false statements, and its trustworthiness can be improved by including criteria “such as human understandability, robustness, and the incorporation of human values,’’ the report’s authors stated. Other criteria to consider are fine-tuning and verifying machine outputs, and replacing complex models with simple understandable models. SEE: How to Keep AI Trustworthy from TechRepublic Premium Making AI more ethical and safer AI is becoming more popular, and this requires greater responsibility for AI systems, according to the report. For example, emerging threats such as AI-driven cybercrime and autonomous weapons require immediate attention, along with the ethical implications of new AI techniques. Among the most pressing ethical challenges, the top concerns respondents had were: Misinformation (75%) Privacy (58.75%) Responsibility (49.38%) This indicates more transparency, accountability, and explainability in AI systems is needed. And, that ethical and safety concerns should be addressed with interdisciplinary collaboration, continuous oversight, and clearer responsibility. Respondents also cited political and structural barriers, “with concerns that meaningful progress may be hindered by governance and ideological divides.” More must-read AI coverage Evaluating AI using various factors Researchers make the case that AI systems introduce “unique evaluation challenges.” Current evaluation approaches focus on benchmark testing, but they said more attention needs to be paid to usability, transparency, and adherence to ethical guidelines. Implementing AI agents introduces challenges AI agents have evolved from autonomous problem-solvers to AI frameworks that enhance adaptability, scalability, and cooperation. Yet, the researchers found that the introduction of agentic AI, while providing flexible decision making, has introduced challenges when it comes to efficiency and complexity. The report’s authors state that integrating AI with generative models “requires balancing adaptability, transparency, and computational feasibility in multi-agent environments.” More aspects of AI research Some of the other AI research-related topics covered in the AAAI report include sustainability, artificial general intelligence, social good, hardware, and geopolitical aspects. source

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has just completed the largest private tech funding round in history — raising $40 billion at a $300 billion valuation. The deal, led by Japan’s SoftBank with backing from Microsoft and other investors, solidifies OpenAI as one of the world’s most valuable private companies, trailing only SpaceX and rivaling TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance. A historic deal in tech funding The scale of this funding round is unprecedented. Before OpenAI, the largest private tech deal was Ant Group’s $14 billion raise in 2018. This new funding more than doubles that record and highlights the surging investor enthusiasm for artificial intelligence. SoftBank is leading the charge with a $30 billion commitment, with the rest coming from Microsoft, Coatue, Altimeter, and Thrive. OpenAI has positioned itself as the leader in generative AI, with its flagship product, ChatGPT, now boasting 500 million weekly users, up from 400 million just last month. That rapid adoption has made the company a prime target for investors looking to stake a claim in the AI boom. Where will the money go? OpenAI says the fresh capital will help push the boundaries of AI research, expand its computing infrastructure, and accelerate the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI). A significant portion — around $18 billion — is reportedly earmarked for OpenAI’s Stargate project, a $500 billion initiative with SoftBank and Oracle to build next-generation AI data centers. However, there’s a catch: The deal includes a clause requiring OpenAI to transition into a fully for-profit company by the end of 2025. If it fails to do so, the funding could be slashed by as much as $10 billion. This restructuring plan has drawn scrutiny, with concerns about the company’s unique nonprofit-to-capped-profit hybrid model and potential regulatory challenges. Why are investors betting so big? This massive funding round comes amid a surge in AI adoption across industries. Since ChatGPT launched in late 2022, OpenAI has become a household name, influencing how businesses and individuals use AI. CEO Sam Altman reflected via an X post on its rapid rise, “The [ChatGPT] launched 26 months ago was one of the craziest viral moments I’d ever seen, and we added one million users in five days,” he notes. “ We added one million users in the last hour.” The company’s revenue is also skyrocketing. OpenAI expects to generate $12.7 billion in 2025, a massive leap from $3.7 billion last year. Despite its rapid growth, OpenAI is still a cash-hungry operation. Insiders say the startup profitability is still a long way off — estimates suggest OpenAI may not be cash-flow positive until 2029, when it expects to generate $125 billion in revenue. Altman also hinted at the company’s next big move — an open-weight language model with advanced reasoning capabilities set to launch in the coming months. More must-read AI coverage The race to AI supremacy Despite its dominance in the AI space, OpenAI faces stiff competition from rivals like Google’s DeepMind, Amazon, Perplexity, and Anthropic. The AI industry is expected to generate more than $1 trillion in revenue within the next decade, and every major tech player is racing to lead the charge. With this record-breaking investment, OpenAI is well-positioned to shape the future of AI. But whether it can navigate regulatory hurdles, restructuring challenges, and increasing competition remains to be seen. source