AI is moving fast across campuses, newsrooms, and trading desks — but not everyone agrees on what that means. UC Riverside hosted its first AI Summit on October 15, drawing administrators, faculty, and industry leaders to talk about how AI can accelerate scientific discovery and tackle tough problems. The event featured panels, workshops, and networking, giving attendees a clearer picture of both the promise and the risks ahead.
On the software side, Kinjal Chauhan at UC Berkeley says AI is speeding up development, but it also introduces new security headaches. Spotting and stopping cyber attacks gets harder when AI is in the mix, and Chauhan is writing a book on the topic. Meanwhile, Pictet Asset Management is taking a different path: David Wright told the ETF Oasis that his team uses machine learning — not large language models — to hunt market anomalies and keep quant strategies transparent.
In journalism, the Charleston City Paper put ChatGPT to the test. Editor Mike Astle helped run an experiment where the AI tool wrote a 600-word story in 30 seconds from an audio interview. The result was solid but contained errors, and without a recording, the output had major gaps. The paper concluded that human reporters still hold the edge. On a more personal note, Mark Townsend used AI search to uncover his grandfather Cyril Smith’s secret WW2 role in a covert unit called the Frome Auxiliary Unit, even finding Smith’s service record showing he was killed in Germany in 1945.
In education, North Gyeongsang Province is betting big on AI training. Yeungnam University will receive 20 billion won over four years to train 4,000 workers, with basic AI education added across all majors and real company projects built into the curriculum. School leaders in the U.S. are also shifting from testing AI to setting rules, with a network of 68 systems across 28 states helping districts share best practices. Half of those systems now have common rules for student AI use by grade level. Europe, meanwhile, promised safe AI at a Dublin summit but still trails the U.S. and China in model development and chip production, with only French company Mistral competing at the top tier.
Security experts also had plenty to say. Vendors at The Channel Company’s 2026 XChange Best of Breed conference urged solution providers to help customers govern AI use and protect data after attacks. They called for outcome-based pricing, clearer team communication about AI changes, and stronger awareness training around email and identity access risks.
Key Takeaways
- <ul><li>UC Riverside held its first AI Summit on October 15, bringing together administrators, faculty, and industry leaders to discuss AI's benefits and risks.</li><li>Kinjal Chauhan at UC Berkeley says AI speeds up software development but creates new challenges for identifying and stopping cyber attacks.</li><li>Pictet Asset Management uses machine learning — not large language models — to manage investments and focuses on market anomalies and transparency.</li><li>The Charleston City Paper tested ChatGPT by asking it to write a 600-word story in 30 seconds; the result had errors, and human journalists still outperformed AI.</li><li>Mark Townsend used AI search to discover his grandfather Cyril Smith served in a covert WW2 unit called the Frome Auxiliary Unit and was killed in Germany in 1945.</li><li>North Gyeongsang Province is funding Yeungnam University with 20 billion won over four years to train 4,000 workers in AI across all majors.</li><li>School leaders across 68 systems in 28 U.S. states are setting rules for student AI use, with half now having common grade-level guidelines.</li><li>Europe's Dublin AI summit promoted safety rules, but the region still lags far behind the U.S. and China in AI models and chips; only Mistral competes at the top level.</li><li>Vendor experts at The Channel Company's 2026 XChange conference urged stronger AI governance, data protection after attacks, and outcome-based pricing.</li><li>Security leaders highlighted risks in email and identity access and called for better team communication and security awareness training around AI changes.</li></ul>
UC Riverside hosts first AI Summit on promise and risks
UC Riverside held its first AI Summit on October 15. Administrators, faculty, students, and industry leaders gathered to discuss how AI can speed up scientific discoveries and solve hard problems. The event included speakers, panels, workshops, and networking. Attendees left with a better understanding of AI's benefits and risks for society.
AI speeds software development but creates security risks, researcher says
Kinjal Chauhan, a researcher at UC Berkeley, says AI is making software development faster. However, she also warns that AI raises new security concerns. AI can make it harder to spot and stop cyber attacks. Chauhan is writing a book about the use of AI in software development.
Charleston City Paper tests AI-generated articles against human writing
The Charleston City Paper tested whether AI could replace human reporters. Editor Mike Astle of CharlestonHacks helped guide the experiment. The paper gave an audio interview to ChatGPT and asked it to write a 600-word story in 30 seconds. The AI result was good but had errors. When asked to write without a recording, the story had big gaps. The paper concluded that human journalists still have an edge.
Pictet Asset Management uses machine learning to guide investing
David Wright, Head of Quantitative Investments at Pictet Asset Management, discussed AI and investing at the ETF Oasis. He explained that his team uses modern machine learning, not large language models, to manage money. The team focuses on market anomalies and transparency in quant strategies. Wright shared how AI tools are changing investment approaches since a previous talk in March.
AI search helps man uncover grandfather's secret WW2 role
Mark Townsend used an AI search engine to learn about his grandfather Cyril Smith. Smith died in the final months of World War Two, and the family knew little about his service. The AI tool found a group photo showing Smith in a covert unit called the Frome Auxiliary Unit. The unit trained to disrupt German forces if England was invaded. Townsend also found Smith's service record and learned he was killed in Germany in 1945.
North Gyeongsang Province launches AI training program for all university majors
North Gyeongsang Province is creating an AI talent innovation university program at local schools. Yeungnam University will get 20 billion won over four years to train 4,000 workers in AI fields. The program will add basic AI education for students in all majors and connect learning to real company projects. The province plans to expand the program to Gyeongsan and other areas after final reports are due in December.
School leaders ask key questions about AI safety and results
School leaders are moving from testing AI to setting rules about how it should be used. A network of 68 systems across 28 states now helps districts share ideas about AI use. Half of the systems now have common rules for student AI use by grade level. Leaders are asking four main questions about safety, impact, decision making and whether AI tools actually help students learn.
Europe promises safe AI but trails US and China in development
Europe held an AI summit in Dublin to promote its own AI growth and safety rules. The EU wants to build AI that is trusted and controlled in Europe. However Europe still falls far behind the US and China in building top AI models and chips. Only French company Mistral comes close to leading AI labs. The Dublin Declaration calls for more investment in AI infrastructure and companies.
Experts share views on AI security and channel opportunities
Vendor executives spoke at The Channel Company's 2026 XChange Best of Breed conference about AI and security trends. They said solution providers should help customers govern AI use and protect data after attacks. Experts also pushed for outcome-based pricing and clear team communication about AI changes. They highlighted risks in email and identity access and called for stronger security awareness training.
Sources
- Summit explores promise & perils of AI
- AI Speeds Software Development While Raising New Security Concerns, Kinjal Chauhan Says
- Compare and contrast: City Paper squares up against AI generator
- Beyond LLMs: Modern Machine Learning is Changing Investing
- AI helped me discover grandad was a covert WW2 soldier
- North Gyeongsang Pushes AI Training for All Majors at Local Universities
- Opinion: 4 Questions School Leaders Are Asking About AI
- Europe pledges safe, sovereign AI but lags far behind US and China
- What’s Next For AI, Security And The Channel: 10 Expert Takes
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