DuckDuckGo has released an AI-powered portal to some of the most popular chabots and said it will not disclose or otherwise use what users type into the window to train up large language models — the basis for the generative AI (genA) tech.

“Chats are private, anonymized by us,” DuckDuckGo lead designer Nirzar Pangarkar wrote in a blog post. “Our mission is to show the world that protecting your privacy online can be easy.”

DuckDuckGo AI Chat currently allows users to access four popular AI chatbots: Open AI’s GPT 3.5 Turbo, Anthropic’s Claude 3 Haiku, Meta Llama 3, and Mistral’s Mixtral 8x7B) — the latter two, open-source models. The optional AI Chat feature is free to use within a daily limit, and can easily be switched off.

The feature can be accessed through duck.ai or duckduckgo.com/chat on a user’s search results page under the Chat tab, or via the !ai and !chat bang shortcuts. “They all take you to the same place,” Pangarkar said.

The company is also working to add access to more chat models and browser entry points. “We’re also exploring a paid plan for access to higher daily usage limits and more advanced models,” Pangarkar said.

In its blog, the company cited a recent report from the Pew Research Center showing adults in the US have a negative view of AI’s impact on privacy, even as they’re feeling more positive about the technology’s potential impact in other areas. About 80% of those familiar with AI indicated its use by companies will lead to personal information being used in ways they won’t be comfortable or for which it wasn’t originally intended to be used.

At the same time, Pew research also shows a steady uptick in the share of US adults using chatbots for work, education, and entertainment.

Last year, the search engine released an AI-powered instant answer service called DuckAssist as part of a larger plan to integrate AI across its lineup. DuckAssist uses technology from ChatGPT maker OpenAI as well as Anthropic to generate its own answers to certain types of question.

DuckAssist, however, isn’t a chatbot; the company insists it was an upgrade to its Instant Answers feature, which allows users to submit a query and get comprehensive answers without the need to click on a result.

“We believe people should be able to use the Internet and other digital tools without feeling like they need to sacrifice their privacy in the process,” Pangarkar said. “So, we meet people where they are, developing products that add a layer of privacy to the everyday things they do online. That’s been our approach across the board — first with search, then browsing, email, and now with generative AI via AI Chat.”

Google has acquired Cameyo, the maker of an alternative to Citrix for virtual application delivery, to make legacy applications easier to access and manage on ChromeOS based devices like Chromebook.

The two companies have worked together before, but ownership  will enhance Google’s ability to offer a better experience for virtual applications and positions Chromebooks as a more attractive option for businesses that still rely on legacy applications.

“By bringing the Cameyo team’s expertise in-house, we are doubling down on our commitment to delivering a streamlined experience for virtualized applications,” Google’s head of product management for ChromeOS, Naveen Viswanatha, wrote in a  blog post announcing the acquisition.

Running legacy applications in new environments

For businesses that have specific apps that run only on Windows moving to a new platform or a device such as a Chromebook that does not support Windows can be a challenge, despite Chromebooks offering significant advantages including cost for some.

Traditionally, businesses have used virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) to operate legacy applications without having to install them on the new device. However, this approach has its challenges, including the need for specialized skill sets to manage and secure it and, from the end users’ point of view, latency in application response.

Another approach, the one taken by Cameyo, is virtual application delivery (VAD), which also runs the application on a remote server, but in a self-contained environment, isolated from the underlying operating system.

“This innovative approach to virtualization streamlines the delivery of legacy applications to any device, eliminating the need for a full desktop environment. VAD significantly simplifies application management, making it easier for IT teams to keep software up-to-date and secure, all while improving the end-user experience by making all apps accessible without needing to sign in to a separate virtual desktop environment first. With VAD, users have seamless access to both web-based and legacy apps side-by-side without having to change their behavior,” the blog post said.

Cameyo offers this solution and is a pioneer in the VAD technology, the blog stated. With Cameyo, ChromeOS can run those Windows applications as if they are residing on the device itself.

Deeper relationship

Google first incorporated Cameyo’s software into ChromeOS in 2023, offering a way for enterprises to package needed legacy Windows applications as if they were installed locally on Chromebooks.

“Recognizing the potential of VAD, we partnered with Cameyo last year to launch a seamless virtual application delivery experience fully integrated with ChromeOS — with local file system integration, ability to deliver virtual apps as progressive web apps (PWAs) and enhanced clipboard support,” the blog added. “These features ensure users can seamlessly access data and files in a secure, easy, and familiar way within virtual apps.”

The acquisition of Cameyo promises easier access to Windows apps on Chromebooks, eliminating the hassles of “complex installations and updates,” the blog post said.

PCWorld tested an early version of Cameyo’s technology back in 2015, and Computerworld looked at its usefulness in the enterprise in 2019.

Apple has an excellent reputation for keeping its devices updated, but has never committed to a fixed term for updates. That’s now changed — but at just five years its commitment seems a little disappointing. 

A UK rule, the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PSTI) regulation, recently went into effect. Under that law, smartphone manufacturers must commit to a defined support period pertaining to the security of their devices. 

It also requires manufacturers of connected devices sold in the UK to stop selling devices encumbered by insecure passwords, provide information on how to report security issues, and commit to a minimum period during which security updates will be made available. 

To comply with the law, manufacturers are expected to provide compliance statements; Apple provides its pledge via the company’s regulatory website, where it offers documents pertaining to Apple’s iPad, iPhone, Watch, TV and Home products.  In all the filings I checked, the company says it will support these devices for a “minimum five years from the first supply data.”

Five years, that’s what we’ve got

What I hope Apple is doing with its five-year promise is under-promising so it can deliver better. Company critics have already noted that the support commitment is on first sight lower than the promise made by Android smartphone manufacturers, Samsung and Google, both of which seem to promise five years. Except, that’s not quite true — Google’s compliance statement offers numerous schedules, from two years to seven, depending on which product you choose. Given the breadth of Samsung’s smartphone catalog, it’s possible the company offers different support periods for some of its products.

What makes the idea that the five-year term Apple promises should be seen as a minimum it will guarantee — and not the maximum it will deliver — is that iOS 17 (the current iteration of Apple’s smartphone software) supports devices up to six years old, including the iPhone XS. That’s a trend Apple set in motion a few years ago when it decided to make its operating system compatible with as many device iterations as it could. 

Under pressure

It is also true that customers want to use their devices for longer. Recent CIRP data showed that around a third of all iPhones in use are three or more years old, though 61% are over two years old. Consumers today will invest extra cash on the highest-end devices that they then try to keep using as long as they can; that’s the secret sauce spicing Apple’s iPhone Pro sales.

But the decision to give Android makers easy bragging rights by offering a shorter support commitment could be a problem for the Apple. Perhaps there’s a reason Apple needs to moderate expectations.

After all, current speculation claims some of the most interesting AI-driven features of iOS 18 will only be supported on the most recent iPhones. That’s not to say every new improvement in iOS 18 will be limited in that way, but it wouldn’t be the first time that some such features are only supported on a limited number of devices.

Golden years

We might learn whether that’s true next week, when Apple discusses iOS 18 with developers at WWDC 2024. However, if tomorrow’s AI smartphones do indeed need the most recent processors, it’s logical to expect some manufacturers might eventually begin to scale back the support promise they make under the UK law.

The regulation also means that if preventable security problems emerge in connected devices from any manufacturer, in the UK at least, there will be some potential to hold the makers responsible. If they can’t guarantee security for the full extent they promise, the onus will be on them.

One group of people I do think will benefit from the five-year Apple promise will be enterprise purchasers; they now have a solemn commitment on which to estimate their future IT spending budgets.

Please follow me on Mastodon, or join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe.

With support for Windows 10 ending in just over a year, Microsoft is nudging users to update to Windows 11, as many still appear to be in no hurry to make the switch.

Windows 10 has more than 68% share among Windows users worldwide as of May 2024, according to Stat Counter. However, Microsoft has said it will no longer provide technical support or updates for Windows 10 after Oct. 14, 2025, a decade after its launch.

To encourage users to upgrade to Windows 11 — released back in October 2021 — the company is displaying a banner on users’ screens when they make updates to Windows 10 that urge them to take “a new journey with Windows.” Microsoft-focused news source Windows Latest posted a screenshot of the banner, which the article’s writer said appeared on a Windows device when he installed Microsoft’s May round of OS updates.

Migration complications

Migration to new versions of Windows among both enterprise and home users has often presented a challenge for Microsoft and users alike. Sometimes users or organizations skip an update because of a hardware compatibility issue on older PCs. If a new version Windows also requires hardware to be updated as well, it can get expensive, particularly for an enterprise.

Some versions of Windows have had a harder time catching on than others for other reasons, such not having new feature sets interesting enough to users to warrant an update, or just plain bad timing.

“Generally, people are resistant to change, and when there is no perceived additional benefit for migration, they are not always willing to migrate to the newer versions of software,” noted Pareekh Jain, CEO of EIIRTrend & Pareekh Consulting.

Perfect storm creating update delay?

Windows 11’s lackluster adoption may be the result of a perfect storm of conditions that have made updating to it unattractive for many users. Though the update itself is free, for corporate customers especially, Ranjit Atwal, senior director analyst at Gartner said there are always hidden costs that “lie in assessing application compatibility, migration, and support.”

The system requirements of Windows 11 are more demanding than Windows 10, and PCs sold even in the last several years before its release had trouble meeting them. This may have given many users pause when it came time to adopt the new OS.

Moreover, the transition is being further delayed by current budget constraints within IT departments, and market changes as “PC vendors are attempting to lure businesses towards higher-priced AI PCs,” Atwal noted. This latter scenario is “further risking the Microsoft Win10 support deadline,” he said.

With that support deadline looming, however, both corporate and personal users alike may finally have an incentive to migrate to Windows 11, given that “regular updates, including security updates, are essential for the trouble-free operation of computers,” Jain observed.

Business and individual customers reluctant to make the switch to Windows 11 do have an out: Microsoft’s Extended Security Update (ESU) program for Windows 10 provides monthly security patches — but no feature updates or technical support — for up to three years after the October 2025 end-of-support deadline. Businesses must pay $61 per device the first year, $122 per device the second year, and $244 per device the third year. Pricing for individuals has not yet been announced.

Support for Microsoft’s Office 2016 and 2019 app suites also ends in October 2025, as Microsoft reminded customers earlier this year.

Asana is developing an AI “teammate” feature that embeds generative AI (genAI) into the flow of work for users of its work management app. The teammates — created using “trigger and action” format in Asana’s existing workflow automation tools — can perform tasks such as carrying out research and interact with co-workers to help coordinate work.

The new feature accesses information on the Asana work graph —  data on the work a team does, and the people doing the work — and relies on large language models [LLMs] from the likes of Anthropic and OpenAI. 

“When people think about working with AI like working with the teammate, they get better value out of it, because they’re better able to give it instructions, give it feedback, and effectively partner with it,” said Paige Costello, head of AI at Asana.

There are a variety of ways to customize a teammate, said Costello. One example (from a customer testing the feature) involves the work request process for a design team. Here, a “request triage” assistant can check an incoming work request form to determine whether it contains sufficient detail about the scope of the request. If not, the AI assistant sends a message back offering suggestions for more information to include. 

That process can save back-and-forth messages between coworkers trying to get the correct information, Paige said.

Another customer — a marketing firm — set up an AI teammate to conduct research around clients. In that case, the teammate can generate a first draft brief with information on clients’ previous brand campaigns and what they’re known for.

The Asana app already has workflow automation tools, but the addition of LLMs allows for more powerful automations. “What’s really exciting about embedding LLMs into work management is that there’s judgement, there’s nuance,” said Costello.  “Instead of it being a black and white rule — ‘if these things are missing, ask this’ — it’s directional, like, ‘here’s what we typically look for; use your judgment.’”

That said, given the unreliability of LLMs, there’s potential for the teammates to introduce errors into the work management process. 

Costello said it’s important to have a “human in the loop,” when the AI assistant takes action. “We want to make sure that humans are the ultimate deciders,” she said. “They’re the ones that are accountable, they’re the ones completing the work: AI is just helping. AI shouldn’t be moving work forward in a way that is not permissioned effectively by the team or the person driving that work.”

The AI teammate feature could potentially be accessed by a broad range of Asana users, said Chris Marsh, research director at 451 Research, part of S&P Global Market Intelligence.

“I believe the AI teammate is designed to appeal in a general sense, in that the aim is to have the teammate enhance general team workflows,” he said, noting it could improve withaccess to more data in Asana’s work graph over time. 

“It’ll inevitably be a work in progress in terms of how helpful it is from the launch, but what it does represent is AI being applied to the next tranche of use cases in work management,” Marsh said.

He expects “market interest” in the capabilities of a tool such as Asana’s AI teammate. 

A recent 451 Research survey indicated that 44% of employees see “low or no impact” of AI on their workforce tools. Only 24% said AI has had a moderate impact. But when survey participants were asked about the types of technologies that could enhance how they work, the popular response was an “an AI assistant that can help with automating basic tasks and more strategic kinds of work design,” said Marsh. 

“So, few are seeing AI’s impact so far, but a lot want to see it and want to see it in the form of an AI assistant to do the kinds of things Asana’s AI teammate is focused on doing,” he said.

The AI teammate feature is currently in beta trial with select customers. Asana is evaluating different pricing models with more specifics available closer to a general availability launch. 

No launch date has yet been set.

More than a dozen current and former AI industry employees have signed an open letter warning that the technology’s dangers could result in “human extinction.”

The letter was written by 13 people who have worked at OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic, all leading providers of generative AI (genAI) technology. Specifically, they raised alarms about a series of risks from AI, ranging from “further entrenchment of existing inequalities, to manipulation and misinformation, to the loss of control of autonomous AI systems potentially resulting in human extinction.

“AI companies themselves have acknowledged these risks, as have governments across the world and other AI experts,” the letter says. It also calls for assurances that employees that do raise concerns will not be retaliated against by their companies.

The letter also received the endorsement of AI scientist Yoshua Bengio, British-Canadian computer scientist and psychologist Geoffrey Hinton, and University of California Computer Science professor Stuart Russell.

The latest missive echoes an open letter released In March 2023, when more than 150 leading AI researchers and others called on genAI companies to submit to independent evaluations of their systems, the lack of which has led to concerns about basic protections. Later that same month, more than 1,000 signatories including industry experts, scientists, ethicists and others, posted an open letter warning about a possible “loss of control of our civilization” from unchecked AI.

And in a May 2023 open letter, many of the technology’s most prominent AI creators called controlling it “a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”

The new letter noted there is no effective government oversight of corporations creating and selling AI solutions. “Current and former employees are among the few people who can hold them accountable to the public. Yet broad confidentiality agreements block us from voicing our concerns, except to the very companies that may be failing to address these issues,” the signatories said.

“Ordinary whistleblower protections are insufficient because they focus on illegal activity, whereas many of the risks we are concerned about are not yet regulated. Some of us reasonably fear various forms of retaliation, given the history of such cases across the industry. We are not the first to encounter or speak about these issues.”

The employees laid down four specific measures they want from companies to ensure the safety of genAI technology:

• The company will not enter into or enforce any agreement that prohibits “disparagement” or criticism of the company for risk-related concerns, nor retaliate for risk-related criticism by hindering any vested economic benefit.
• The company will facilitate a verifiably anonymous process for current and former employees to raise risk-related concerns to the company’s board, to regulators, and to an appropriate independent organization with relevant expertise.
• The company will support a culture of open criticism and allow its current and former employees to raise risk-related concerns about its technologies to the public, to the company’s board, to regulators, or to an appropriate independent organization with relevant expertise, so long as trade secrets and other intellectual property interests are appropriately protected.
• The company will not retaliate against current and former employees who publicly share risk-related confidential information after other processes have failed. 

“We accept that concerns should be raised through such a process initially. However, as long as such a process does not exist, current and former employees should retain their freedom to report their concerns to the public,” the letter said.

Earlier this year, more than 200 companies and organizations agreed to participate in the AI Safety Institute Consortiumto create guidelines ensuring the safety of AI systems. But participation to date has been voluntary, and the US is well behind other efforts to curb AI’s potential problems. For example, the European Union finished writing the EU AI Act more than a year ago; it was approved in June 2023.

The EU AI Act required genAI systems to meet transparency standards to help regulators and others distinguish deep-fake images from real ones. The measure also prohibited social scoring systems and manipulative AI.

In the United States, there have been several efforts to curb AI, but no meaningful legislation from Congress. For example, in October 2023, US President Joseph R. Biden Jr. issued an executive order that hammered out clear rules and oversight measures to ensure AI is kept in check, while providing paths for it to grow. Among more than two dozen initiatives, Biden’s “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence” order was a long time coming, according to AI industry experts who’ve been watching the rise of genAI tools and platforms since late 2022.