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For several years Ive been evangelizing about the growing ways automation and robotics are beneficial to all. From medical facilities to factories, warehouses, industrial rigs and transit, Automated Mobile Robots (AMRs) are driving massive efficiency gains while also elevating the people and organizations who use them. AMRs reduce costs, improve safety, and address labor shortages, while delivering a rapid return on investment. A robot can be hacked As automation progresses, its vital to recognize and respect the fact that robots are both physical and digital beings. We speak with and instruct robots through digital apps and programmed instructions on computers, smart devices, and the cloud. This means that as industries rush to adopt AMRs, theyre also inadvertently exposing themselves to cybersecurity risks. Just as a database or bank account can be hacked, the digital aspects of AMRs are vulnerable to the same degradation, bugginess, or malicious misuse and damage as any software-dependent program. Yes, there are plenty of funny videos of a misdirected robot suddenly throwing punches at anyone in sight. But imagine the real consequences of even a relatively small misdirection such as a robotic traffic jam in a warehouse, or the physical danger and loss that could result from a single robotic miscue such as smashing the produce, missing a critical step in a manufacturing process, or driving a piece of expensive equipment into a wall. The results can be catastrophic. Chang Robotics CIO Joe Tenga has performed a comprehensive examination of these risks and he has written a whitepaper on industry-specific vulnerabilities of AMRs and strategies to mitigate them. For example, in the health industry, if a robots operation includes access to personal information, it could result in a HIPAA violation. In a purchasing center, AMRs could become a target for financial or personal information theft. In a manufacturing or product distribution role, AMRs could become a window for potential theft of Intellectual Property. Here are two specific concerns about AMRs and cyberthreats. AMRs run on cyber-physical systems. Unlike traditional IT assets, AMRs integrate computation, networking, and physical processes, leaving companies that use them open to these possible threats: Mobility introduces risk. AMRs can physically transport rogue hardware or bypass secure zones. Badge-based access abuse. AMRs with elevator/door credentials could be exploited to breach restricted areas. Tampering risk. Robots could be hijacked or outfitted with spy devices. Robots are not just endpoints, they are mobile insiders. Their dual nature requires an approach to safety and security that combines both physical and cyber defense. AMRs can be exploited through common network-based threats. Without proper protection, AMRs could be weaponized as mobile reconnaissance and access platformsboth passively (sniffing) and actively (spoofing or unlocking doors). Possible threats that can potentially exploit weaknesses in security include: Rogue access points and snifferscan hijack data over Wi-Fi as robots move. Man-in-the-middle attacks and hardware implantscan inject malicious commands or covertly monitor data. IoT exploit modules and proxy access abusecan use robots as conduits to broader network intrusions or unauthorized facility access. Heres how companies can protect themselves AMRs are transformative to modern business, but only if they are properly secured. Every organization using robotics must do the following: Implement security at every phase of use from procurement through deployment. View AMRs as both digital endpoints and physical agents. Develop scalable, industry-specific cybersecurity programs. The ability to scale AMR deployments with confidence hinges on embedding cybersecurity from the ground up not as an afterthought but as a competitive differentiator for your successful operation from its very inception and through all seasons to come. Matthew Chang is the Founder and Principal Engineer of Chang Robotics.
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E-Commerce
Sometimes one bad apple can spoil the whole bushel. Generative AI (GenAI) seems to have gotten a bit of that reputationa few high-profile, epic fails in a range of industries have made many organizations limit internal use of this technology, and sometimes even ban it to reduce business risk. The reality is, despite the inherent risk of hallucinations and inaccuracies, GenAI is rapidly being adopted in industries that hinge on precision and certainty, such as pharmaceutical research, medical diagnostics and legalindustries in which time to insight also drives competitive advantage. Lets take sales as a generic example. Proper use of GenAI tools can speed time to insight significantly, allowing a sales team to improve the quality of their prospects, create meeting summaries and action items, and quickly glean insight from the mountains of client and prospect data that already exist in enterprise systems. This team has a distinct advantage over a competitor that uses manual processes or non-GenAI tools for opportunity analysis. Thus, in sales, the business risk GenAI poses is opportunity risk: the revenue opportunities one loses out on by not using this technology. Lets dive into that. GenAI opportunity risk Broadly speaking, opportunity risk can be thought of as the potential loss or missed opportunity that an organization faces by not taking advantage of favorable circumstances or potential benefits. For companies that ignore GenAI, the resulting opportunity risk can manifest in a wide range of significant ways. Here are three examples of GenAI opportunity risk, from a macro level down to a very individual, in-the-moment view. Drug development research labs risk losing revenue. Drug development research labs are using GenAI to digitally design drug molecules, which are translated in a high-speed automated lab into physical molecules and tested for interaction with target proteins. The test results are used to improve the next design iteration, speeding the overall process. These development labs, which typically partner with pharmaceutical giants, aim to reduce from seven years to four years the time it typically takes to get a new drug to the pre-clinical trial stagea critical chunk of the $1 billion and 10 to 15 years required, on average, to develop a new drug. The stakes in the global pharmaceutical market are incredibly high, and speed to market can have an enormous impact on revenues. Pharmaceutical companies that dont take advantage of advanced GenAI technologies, either internally or through a development partner, are at a distinct competitive disadvantage and may risk losing billions in future revenues. Software companies risk loss of innovation. Software companies are increasingly using GenAI to write code. About 30% of new code at Google and Microsoft is AI-generated, while Meta recently said that AI will take over half of the companys software development within the next year. These BigTech companies, as well as many startups, are finding ways for GenAI to accelerate their pace of software development. Competitors that dont use GenAI to dramatically improve their software development practice face the very sobering opportunity risk of simply being out innovated in the market. Legal teams risk losing a competitive advantage. Legal teams that use GenAI tools in the discovery phase of a legal matter can accelerate their time to insight in ways that are nothing short of game-changing. For example, one Am Law 100 firm used a GenAI tool to review 126,000 documents in a government investigation. In doing so, the firm slashed document review time by 50% to 67%, with one quarter of the personnel that a project of this size would typically require. The review achieved accuracy rates of 90% or higher, with performance at or above the firms benchmark metrics for first-level attorney reviewers. In the moment, this breakthrough gave the team more time to debate the merits of a potential piece of evidence instead of blindly clicking through endless documents. Strategically, the two-thirds reduction in document review time and the 75% reduction in associated headcount gave the law firm an invaluable amount of additional time to develop its case prior to appearing in court. For legal teams that dont use GenAI tools to supercharge their eDiscovery efforts, its easy to envision any lawyers nightmare scenario: arriving at court to face off against an adversary whos had far more time to develop their case, based on a solid foundation of facts culled from discovery documents. Who wants to risk that happening? Final thoughts While its true that many industries operate on a razors edge of innovation and risk aversion, these examples show how companies that ignore GenAI technology due to business risks, or simply organizational inertia, may suddenly find themselves on the outside looking in. AJ Shankar is Founder and CEO of Everlaw.
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E-Commerce
Across industries, caution is rising. CEOs are slowing down major strategiesfrom hiring to investmentas uncertainty grows. The Business Roundtables CEO Outlook Index recently dropped to its lowest level since 2020, reflecting widespread hesitation amid global volatility. Its understandable. When the path ahead is unclear, the instinct is to pause. To wait. Companies, institutions, governments, and philanthropists alike are reassessing their strategies as volatility becomes the new norm. Most leaders are focused on the challenges closest to homein their industries, portfolios, and internal priorities. But the reality is: We dont live or work in silos. We live in a global market. And across every corner of that market, the signals are clear: growing caution, slower decision making, and heightened risk awareness. At UNICEF USA, where I lead private sector fundraising, we are squarely in the middle of that tension. Were seeing these trends play out in real timein boardrooms, in proposal reviews, in budget meetings. As we work to meet escalating needs for children around the world, there is a slowdown. But this is also a moment that demands urgency and trust. It also demands innovation. And like many of our partners, were rethinking what it takes to deliver meaningful, sustained impact in a rapidly shifting landscape. Hesitation is understandablebut costly We hear it from donors and partners all the time: Were recalibrating. The global environment is unpredictable. Economic headwinds and geopolitical unrest have created a pause in decision making across industriesand philanthropy is no exception. Even committed supporters are questioning whether now is the time to lean in or wait for more clarity. But heres the problem: While strategy resets may make sense at the institutional level, the needs on the ground arent pausing. For a child living through conflict in Sudan, a mother navigating floods in Bangladesh, or a newborn in Guatemala in need of basic care, delays have consequences. The cost of hesitation is measured in lives, in futures, in lost momentum. At UNICEF, we cant stop in the face of uncertainty, and we dont. We double down. Its how we work. Because every delay risks compounding the damage. We need to be clear-eyed about what happens if global investment slows. Weakening humanitarian and development funding doesnt just affect the children we serveit reverberates across markets and industries. Rising conflict, destabilized supply chains, currency volatility, and workforce readiness arent distant risks. Theyre business realities. There is a moral imperative to act. But there is also a business imperative. If we want a more stable, equitable futurefor everyonewe must invest in the systems that create it. Slowing our response now wont bring stability. It will deepen inequality and delay recovery. Collaborate to meet the moment One thing is clear: Delivering impact at scale requires collaboration. Weve always worked across governments, corporations, civil society, and communitiesbut in todays environment, the strength of those partnerships matters more than ever. Trust and alignment arent soft values; they are strategic necessities. Were seeing powerful examples of what this can look like. Corporations that are embracing flexibility. Donors who are willing to have hard, honest conversations. Foundation leaders moving toward sustained, trust-based relationships that prioritize long-term outcomes over short-term metrics. Through support of the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation (Lilly Foundation), we will be able to not only deliver results, but accelerate change. Its recent commitment to UNICEF USA is focused on delivering and strengthening maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health in low- and middle-income countries by expanding prevention and care of noncommunicable diseases. We work to build trust with regular progress updates that demonstrate tangible results on this shared objective. Innovation with real stakes Innovation means different things to different people. At UNICEF, its not about noveltyits about meeting the moment by improving how we work and how we deliver. In a world of rising complexity, innovation is how we adaptoperationally, strategically, and systemically. Whether its working with OpenAI to use generative AI to improve education outcomes, to pilot financing models to increase climate resilience, or scaling health solutions across fragile systems, were focused on innovations that improve delivery and drive measurable outcomes. Not pilot projects for their own sake, but solutions that meet urgent needs and adapt to changing realities. Progress is not theoreticalits measurable. Since 1990, the number of children under five dying from preventable causes has dropped by more than 60%. Thats proof that when the world acts with urgency and coordination, we can change the trajectory for an entire generation. Progress is not theoreticalits also human. Imagine a five-year-old child you love. Maybe theyre starting school, asking endless questions, or learning to swim. Now imagine that same childfeverish and weak from something easily treatable. Youre holding them in your arms to comfort them. You know what they need. The medicine exists. The clean water exists. But you cant get it. Thats the crushing reality facing millions of families every day. Not because we lack simple, affordable, and preventable solutionslike vaccines, treatments for diarrhea and pneumonia, or ready-to-use therapeutic food for severe acute malnutritionbut because access breaks down when systems are underfunded, fractured, or forgotten. Whats at stake for all of us This is a moment to lead with urgency. To move with clarity, not caution. Because the choices we make todayacross philanthropy, business, and policywill determine what kind of world we live and work in tomorrow. Michele Walsh is executive vice president and chief philanthropy officer at UNICEF USA.
Category:
E-Commerce
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