The UAE’s vision for AI is encapsulated in its National AI Strategy 2031, which aims to position the country as a global leader in AI by integrating it across various sectors. This strategy is not just a roadmap but a testament to the UAE’s forward-thinking approach to harnessing the power of AI for socio-economic growth. The country is ranked among the top five in the world for artificial intelligence competitiveness, is poised to further solidify its leadership in the sector with the launch of Dubai AI Week. Set to take place from April 21 to 25, the event has been announced by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, who described it as a “platform to unlock the transformative potential of artificial intelligence.” With more than 10,000 attendees expected, Dubai AI Week will unite public and private sector leaders, innovators, and experts to explore AI’s potential across industries. A key event within the week will be the AI Retreat, designed to bring together decision-makers and tech leaders to discuss integration strategies for AI. The Dubai Assembly for Generative AI will provide a platform for high-level discussions on generative AI, with particular focus on its application in healthcare, education, and entertainment. source

Year-end and future projections For 2024, IDC projects a 74.3% year-over-year growth in cloud infrastructure spending, reaching $192 billion. Non-cloud infrastructure is expected to see a more modest increase of 17.9%, totaling $71.4 billion. Shared cloud is set to drive much of this growth, with a forecasted 88.9% year-over-year increase to $157.8 billion. Dedicated cloud infrastructure spending is expected to grow 28.6%, reaching $34.2 billion, according to the report. Globally, service providers are expected to account for the lion’s share of compute and storage investments in 2024, spending $183.1 billion — a 73.5% increase. Meanwhile, spending by enterprises and government entities is also poised for significant growth, reflecting a continued expansion of digital infrastructure and capabilities. IDC defines its service provider category to encompass cloud providers, digital service platforms, communication service firms, hyperscalers, and managed service operators. Regional and long-term insights From a geographic perspective the report stated that the United States led cloud spending growth in Q3 2024 with a triple-digit surge of 148.3%, followed by China at 100%. Regions such as Asia Pacific (excluding Japan and China), Japan, and Western Europe reported robust double-digit growth, while Central and Eastern Europe was the only region to decline at -1.7%. For the long-term, IDC has predicted a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.2% in cloud infrastructure spending through 2028, reaching $325.5 billion. Shared cloud infrastructure will account for 79.1% of this spend, further cementing its dominance in the market. source

Best overall crypto-friendly bank: Mercury Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust ®️; Members FDIC. Deposit insurance covers the failure of an insured bank. Best bank for institutional investors seeking a cryptocurrency custodian: U.S. Bank Member FDIC. Best traditional bank with a blockchain platform: Chase Member FDIC. Best for international-based firms with frequent transfers: Revolut Provider is a fintech platform, not a bank. It provides FDIC insurance and deposit services through a partnership with Community Federal Savings Bank (CFSB) and Sutton Bank. Best for UK-based companies: Monzo Member Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Best for startups and venture capital investors: Silicon Valley Bank Member FDIC. As demand for digital assets rises, many financial institutions offer services like crypto custodianship or enable crypto purchases through bank accounts. However, they remain cautious about the risks of trading high-risk and volatile assets and will likely continue restricting crypto transactions to authorized, regulated exchanges for greater security and compliance. Here is a list of our six best crypto-friendly business banks. Best crypto-friendly banks quick comparison The table below reflects the top factors we evaluated for the five best crypto-friendly business banks. Mercury: Best overall crypto-friendly bank Our rating: 4.34 out of 5 Image: Mercury Catering to crypto startups and web3 companies, Mercury is a fintech with a comprehensive understanding of blockchain-based firms. You can simplify your financial management with its advanced tech features, such as automated accounting, risk-management tools, and customizable user access. Its business banking solution includes a fee-free business checking account with unlimited transactions and no monthly fees. Learn if Mercury suits your company by reading our Mercury Bank review for details on pricing structure and key features. Why I chose it Mercury is my top pick for crypto startups or Web3 companies seeking a seamless banking experience. It is our overall best for crypto-friendly banks since its business checking account simplifies financial management, allowing easy transfers to crypto exchanges, recurring payments, and receipt uploads within the app. While you can’t hold crypto in your Mercury account, you can buy crypto without restrictions. Sending wire transfers to major exchanges like Gemini and Coinbase is also straightforward, with your business name appearing as the sender. This makes your crypto transactions process smooth and efficient. Monthly fee Mercury Business Checking: $0. Mercury Plus: $35. Mercury Pro: $350. Features Unrestricted crypto purchases. No incoming and outgoing wire fees, domestic and international. Physical and virtual debit cards. 1.5% cash back on all credit card spend. QuickBooks and Xero integrations. Vendor payments via wires, ACH, and checks. Advanced accounting automation is available under a subscription plan. Mercury investor database, Mercury Raise program, and SAFE SAFE refers to Simple Agreements for Future Equity. available. Earn yield from Mercury Treasury Mercury Treasury, by Mercury Advisory, LLC, an SEC-registered investment advisor. Registration with the SEC does not imply a certain level of skill or training. SEC registration does not mean the SEC has approved of the services of the investment adviser. . Pros and cons Pros Cons Unlimited transactions and no monthly fees for Mercury business checking. No cash deposit support. No restrictions for crypto purchases. Cannot open sole proprietorship and trust accounts. FDIC insurance coverage of up to $5 million Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Deposits in checking and savings accounts are held by our banking services partners, Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust ®; Members FDIC. Deposit insurance covers the failure of an insured bank. Certain conditions must be satisfied for pass-through insurance to apply. . Checking and savings accounts are non-interest bearing. U.S. Bank: Best bank for institutional investors seeking a cryptocurrency custodian Our rating: 4.32 out of 5 Image: U.S. Bank U.S. Bank is a traditional bank offering cryptocurrency custody for institutional investors. It has three regular business checking accounts, a nonprofit checking account, and an analyzed checking account. As a full-service bank, it provides merchant and cash management services and a solid selection of lending products and high-yield business money market accounts. Read our U.S. Bank business checking review for more information on fees and features. Why I chose it I included U.S. Bank in our list of the best crypto-friendly banks since it meets the unique custody needs of institutional investors looking for a reliable bank that complies with banking regulations to protect their crypto assets. Clients no longer need to split their portfolios across multiple custodians– U.S. Bank allows you to manage crypto, cash, and traditional securities all in one place. If you have a small business, you can apply for U.S. Bank’s Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees and a 125 fee-free transaction allowance each month. Plus, you can earn up to $900 when you open a new, eligible business checking account online (promo code: Q1AFL25) and complete qualifying activities.  The offer is valid through March 31, 2025. Member FDIC. Monthly fees Silver Business Checking: $0 Gold Business Checking: $20; waivable by having any of these: A U.S. Bank Payment Solutions Merchant account. $10,000 average collected balance. $20,000 combined average collected business deposit balances. $50,000 combined average collected business deposits and outstanding credit balances. Platinum Business Checking: $30; waivable by having any of these: A U.S. Bank Payment Solutions Merchant account. $25,000 average collected balance. $75,000 combined average collected business deposits and outstanding credit balances. Features Cryptocurrency custody services for institutional clients. Multiple business checking and money market account options. QuickBooks and ADP integrations. Zelle, point-of-sale (POS) solutions, and cash management services. Overdraft protection. Check fraud prevention services. Merchant services and remote deposit capture. Lending options include Small Business Administration loans, lines of credit, term loans, and medical practice financing. Pros and cons Pros Cons Welcome bonus of up to $900 Minimal interest is offered for interest-bearing checking products Online account opening. Steep balances are required to waive monthly fees for high-tier accounts No monthly fee for basic tier checking Low free cash deposit limit for basic

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Enterprise creatives often need to re-edit the same images repeatedly to keep their websites and social media fresh. With the advent of AI-powered image and video editing platforms, organizations will turn to these products to reduce these tedious tasks.  Adobe announced Adobe Firefly Bulk Create, a new product connected to its Adobe Firefly Services API suite that streamlines the process. Bulk Create is a web app that allows users to edit several photos with AI in one go. Bulk Create doesn’t require users to download a desktop app or get a license to run Photoshop. As long as someone pays for Adobe Firefly Services, they can access the web app for Bulk Create. Right now, Bulk Create can do two things: change backgrounds and resize images. Using Adobe’s Firefly model, users can remove or replace all at once the backgrounds of the photos they upload. They can also generate new backgrounds and upload them to the platform using Firefly. The resize feature contains presets for popular social media platforms like Instagram or Facebook, which have specific image dimensions.  The app also learns brand preferences so customers can customize how their images look.  Bulk Create is currently in a private beta, but Adobe said the platform will become generally availability in the first quarter of this year.  A math problem Hannah Elsakr, vice president of product at Adobe Firefly GenAI for Enterprise, told VentureBeat that the balancing the volume of images with the time to update and edit is a math problem that remains a significant issue for many enterprise creative teams. “There’s an unprecedented demand for content on every level, and it’s backbreaking for a lot of creative teams,” Elsakr said. “And what I mean by that is [that] we have more and more digital channels with the need for personalization with engagement.” Elsakr said enterprises — retailers, for example — often have to update product shots for their websites and social media channels to show seasonality. This could mean about 52 refreshes a year, one new photo a week. Photoshoots are expensive, so re-editing images to change backgrounds or resizing them for the different social platforms are the more cost-effective option. While normally users would take to Adobe’s incredibly popular editing tool, Photoshop, Bulk Create lets people who may not have Photoshop access the editing features to complete these tasks.  Right now, Bulk Create only edits images, though Elsakr said video support may be coming soon.  Adobe has always been a major player in the creative space. In June 2023, it released an enterprise version of Firefly that offered “commercially viable” AI content. After that announcement, some Adobe stock image creators voiced their concerns that the company might be training the model with their work. In 2024, after users noticed some wording in Adobe’s Terms of Service requiring customers to agree to give access to their work, Adobe promised it doesn’t train Firefly on customer work. AI in creative works Using generative AI to generate or edit images has become normal for many enterprises, though many artists believe these tools train on their work without their consent. Most AI model providers have an image generation or editing model. OpenAI has DALL·E 3, which is now integrated into ChatGPT. Google’s Imagen 3 is now available to users, and Meta lets people on Instagram and Facebook generate photos. Other popular image generators include Stability AI and MidJourney. Even Getty Images has a text-to-image generator. As these tools become more available, and if the move to label AI-generated content gains steam, more enterprises will turn to AI to get the images they need. At the same time, there continues to be a broader backlash against AI-generated photos, and the public has become very sensitive to art they believe is made by an AI model.  Disclosure: VentureBeat uses Adobe Firefly, MidJourney and other AI tools and programs to generate content. source

By Chris Villani ( January 17, 2025, 2:26 PM EST) — A Massachusetts federal judge has denied a request by eBay Inc. to ask the First Circuit whether it should have to face the possibility of punitive damages in a civil suit brought by a Bay State couple who say the e-commerce company waged a stalking and intimidation campaign against them…. Law360 is on it, so you are, too. A Law360 subscription puts you at the center of fast-moving legal issues, trends and developments so you can act with speed and confidence. Over 200 articles are published daily across more than 60 topics, industries, practice areas and jurisdictions. A Law360 subscription includes features such as Daily newsletters Expert analysis Mobile app Advanced search Judge information Real-time alerts 450K+ searchable archived articles And more! Experience Law360 today with a free 7-day trial. source

By Katie Buehler ( January 17, 2025, 10:08 AM EST) — The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal law Friday requiring TikTok to be divested from its Chinese parent company by Sunday or face a nationwide ban…. Law360 is on it, so you are, too. A Law360 subscription puts you at the center of fast-moving legal issues, trends and developments so you can act with speed and confidence. Over 200 articles are published daily across more than 60 topics, industries, practice areas and jurisdictions. A Law360 subscription includes features such as Daily newsletters Expert analysis Mobile app Advanced search Judge information Real-time alerts 450K+ searchable archived articles And more! Experience Law360 today with a free 7-day trial. source

Best overall bank for business savings accounts: Live Oak Bank Member FDIC Best business savings for full banking services and branch access: Capital One Member FDIC Best online savings with high-yield and FDIC insurance: Axos Bank Member FDIC Best automated business savings account: Relay Provider is a fintech platform, not a bank. It provides FDIC insurance and deposit services through a partnership with Thread Bank. Best digital bank for tiered APY business savings: Prime Alliance Member FDIC Best high-yield savings and financing options: TAB Bank Member FDIC Best business savings with ATM surcharge rebates: First Internet Bank Member FDIC Business savings accounts can offer high interest rates to help grow your company’s funds while providing a safety net for unexpected expenses. The best business savings accounts should feature competitive interest rates, low fees, easy access to financial products, and robust online and mobile banking options. Here is a list of our seven best business savings accounts. Best business savings accounts quick comparison The table below displays the key factors we assessed for the seven best business savings accounts. Live Oak Bank: Best overall business savings account Our rating: 4.05 out of 5 Image: Live Oak Bank Live Oak Bank is a reliable online-only bank with a competitive APY of 3.80%. It only requires a minimum deposit of 1 cent to start earning interest. With no mandatory opening deposit or monthly fees, it presents an excellent option for businesses seeking a high yield on their excess funds. Additionally, Live Oak Bank provides up to $10 million in FDIC insurance coverage through an insured cash sweep account. Why I chose it Live Oak Bank’s Business Savings account is my best overall high-yield savings account. It’s an excellent option for small businesses because, unlike many other providers offering tiered rates, it doesn’t require a minimum balance to earn interest. Additionally, Live Oak Bank provides business CDs with attractive fixed returns: up to 4.30% for a 1-year term, 4.20% for a 9-month term, and 4.10% for a 6-month term. The bank also offers business checking accounts, Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, and commercial loans. Monthly fees Live Oak Bank Business Savings: $0. Features 3.80% APY. 1 cent balance to start earning interest. High-yield CDs. Integrates with QuickBooks. Up to $10 million in FDIC coverage through Insured Cash Sweep (ICS). Three business checking options. SBA loans and commercial lending. Personalized customer service from a North Carolina-based team. Pros and cons Pros Cons No monthly fees for savings. Cash deposit is not allowed. No minimum balance is required. $19 fee for sending wire transfers. High interest for savings and short-term CDs. No debit card is issued for savings accounts. Capital One: Best business savings for full banking services and branch access Our rating: 4.03 out of 5 Image: Capital One Capital One is one of the largest traditional banks in the U.S. and provides both digital and in-person banking services. It offers a Business Advantage Savings account with a promotional interest rate of up to 4.0% for the first three months for new savings account holders. After the promotional period ends, the account will earn a variable interest rate that is subject to change. There is no minimum balance required to earn interest, but the promotional APY will depend on your account balance If your balance is $10,000 to $10 million, you will receive a 4.0% promo APY rate, while balances under that will receive a 0.25% APY rate. . Why I chose it Capital One is featured on our list of the best business savings accounts because it provides access to full banking services and physical branches. Its generous monthly cash deposit limit of $10,000 is particularly beneficial for cash-reliant businesses. Additionally, you receive a free debit card that can be used at over 2,000 Capital One ATMs. There are also multiple options for opening a savings account. The account has a monthly fee of $3, which can be easily waived, and is compatible with several popular business software programs, including QuickBooks, Xero, Expensify, and Stripe. You can also link your savings account to your checking account for free overdraft protection. In addition to savings accounts, Capital One offers a comprehensive range of business products, including CDs, checking accounts, credit cards, lending options, and merchant services. Monthly fees Capital One Business Advantage Savings: $3; waived by meeting a $300 average monthly balance. Features Promotional interest rate (up to 4.0%), guaranteed for three months based on balances If your balance is $10,000 to $10 million, you will receive a 4.0% promo APY rate, while balances under that will receive a 0.25% APY rate. . Six free monthly withdrawals. Free debit card. $10,000 monthly cash deposits. Overdraft protection. Certificates of deposit (CDs) available. Open an account online, via a representative or local branch. Over 700 branches and 2,000 ATMs. Pros and cons Pros Cons Guaranteed promo rate of up to 4.0% APY (first three months). Limited branches. Highly-rated mobile app. A variable rate is given after the promo period. Over 70,000 fee-free ATMs, including MoneyPass and Allpoint ATMs. Axos Bank: Best online savings with high-yield and FDIC insurance Our rating: 4.02 out of 5 Image: Axos Bank Axos Bank offers two savings options for businesses: Business Savings and Business Premium Savings. I recommend the Business Premium Savings account because it does not have a monthly fee or require a minimum balance or initial deposit. With this account, you get 20 free transactions monthly. Additionally, Axos provides various other business banking products, including checking accounts, CDs, lending options, merchant services, and payroll services. Why I chose it Axos Bank’s Business Premium Savings is one of my top picks for the best high-yield business savings accounts, offering an APY rate of 4.01%. If your business funds exceed $250,000, I recommend using Axos Bank’s Insured Cash Sweep (ICS) through IntraFi® Network DepositsSM to access up to $250 million in FDIC protection. Read our article on FDIC insurance for business accounts to learn how it works. Monthly fees Axos Business

The race among enterprises to exploit AI’s competitive advantages can lead to expenditures that might spiral out of control. Hiring third-party AI developers, training up internal IT teams, sourcing data, and other costs can add up fast. In this early stage of the AI era, it can be easy to think a blank check to develop the technology will deliver success. At what point should the ROI be measured for AI? What happens if a company overspends on AI? Can the project be recovered or should the company cut its losses and move on? This episode of DOS Won’t Hunt featured Manish Goyal, vice president and senior partner for AI and analytics for IBM Consulting; Richard Buractaon, head of AI for Andesite; Carter Busse, CIO for Workato; and Ashok Reddy, CEO and KX. They discussed such matters as whether a barometer exists that companies can compare their AI expenses against and what might be a “reasonable” percentage of budget that can be spent on AI. Listen to the full episode here. source

Roughly equal shares of U.S. men and women say they’re often lonely; women are more likely to reach out to a wider network for emotional support (Maskot/Getty Images) Pew Research Center conducted this study to understand Americans’ social connections and where they turn for emotional support at a time when these topics, and the gender dynamics surrounding them, are at the forefront of national conversations. For this analysis, we surveyed 6,204 adults from Sept. 3 to 15, 2024. Most of the respondents who took part in this survey are members of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), a group of people recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses who have agreed to take surveys regularly. The survey also included an oversample of Black and Hispanic adults from the SSRS Opinion Panel, another probability-based online survey web panel recruited primarily through national, random sampling of residential addresses. Surveys were conducted either online or by telephone with a live interviewer. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other factors. Read more about the ATP’s methodology. Here are the questions used for this report, the topline and the survey methodology. References to White, Black and Asian adults include those who are not Hispanic and identify as only one race. Hispanics are of any race. All references to party affiliation include those who lean toward that party. Republicans include those who identify as Republicans and those who say they lean toward the Republican Party. Democrats include those who identify as Democrats and those who say they lean toward the Democratic Party. References to college graduates or people with a college degree comprise those with a bachelor’s degree or more education. “Some college” includes those with an associate degree and those who attended college but did not obtain a degree. “High school” refers to those who have a high school diploma or its equivalent, such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate. “Middle income” is defined here as two-thirds to double the median annual family income for panelists on the American Trends Panel. “Lower income” falls below that range; “upper income” falls above it. As public debate and discussion over the status of men in America continues, some have raised concerns about men’s struggles with loneliness. A new Pew Research Center survey finds that, compared with women, men don’t report that they feel lonely more often or have fewer close friends. However, men do seem to turn to their networks less often for social connection and emotional support. About one-in-six Americans (16%) say they feel lonely or isolated from those around them all or most of the time – including roughly equal shares of men and women. About four-in-ten adults (38%) say they sometimes feel lonely, and 47% say they hardly ever or never do. While experiences with loneliness don’t differ much by gender, they do differ significantly by age. Adults younger than 50 are much more likely than those ages 50 and older to say they often feel lonely (22% vs. 9%). Across age groups, adults 65 and older are the most likely to say they hardly ever or never feel this way (66%). We also asked Americans where they would turn for emotional support if they needed it. Women are more likely than men to say they’d be extremely or very likely to turn to each of the following sources for this type of support: Their mother (54% of women vs. 42% of men) A friend (54% vs. 38%) Another family member who is not their parent, spouse or partner (44% vs. 26%) A mental health professional (22% vs. 16%) Men and women are about equally likely to say they have at least one close friend – and most do. But men who have close friends don’t communicate with them as often as women do. Higher shares of women than men say they send text messages, interact on social media, and talk on the phone or video chat with a close friend at least a few times a week. Related: How Americans See Men and Masculinity This nationally representative survey of 6,204 U.S. adults was conducted Sept. 3-15, 2024, using the Center’s American Trends Panel. Other important findings Emotional well-being is linked with education, income and marital status. Adults with some college or less education, those with lower incomes and those who are not married are among the most likely to say they feel lonely all or most of the time. These groups are also among the least likely to say they feel optimistic about their life. Adults younger than 50 are more likely than those ages 50 and older to say they’d be extremely or very likely to turn to a mental health professional for emotional support (24% vs. 14%). In addition, higher shares of Black (26%) and Hispanic (25%) adults say they’d be likely to do this compared with White (16%) and Asian (17%) adults. Two-thirds of Americans say all-female social groups have a positive impact on women’s well-being. This is higher than the share saying all-male groups have a positive impact on men’s well-being (56%). Americans are also more likely to say women-only groups have a positive impact on society than to say the same about all-male groups (57% vs. 43%). source

By B. Stephanie Siegmann ( January 16, 2025, 4:46 PM EST) — 2024 was a record-breaking year for the wrong reasons, as it unfortunately involved the largest and most destructive data breaches seen yet. These data breaches affected companies of all sizes and in every sector, costing the U.S. billions of dollars in damages…. Law360 is on it, so you are, too. A Law360 subscription puts you at the center of fast-moving legal issues, trends and developments so you can act with speed and confidence. Over 200 articles are published daily across more than 60 topics, industries, practice areas and jurisdictions. A Law360 subscription includes features such as Daily newsletters Expert analysis Mobile app Advanced search Judge information Real-time alerts 450K+ searchable archived articles And more! Experience Law360 today with a free 7-day trial. source