In this #PeriodicWrap, another example of thriving UK and Australian innovation and collaboration is news of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) and Austrade signing an agreement to collaborate on supporting the flow of Fintech innovation between the UK and Australia.

In other news, five new particles have reportedly been found with the Large Hadron Collider that may allow scientists to understand how quarks are held together, with Dr Grieg Cowan of Edinburgh University, and Professor Tara Shears of Liverpool University who both work on the LHCb experiment at Cern’s LHC providing comment; and, British firm, Martech Marine, has reportedly been awarded the largest maritime drone contract to date (reportedly valued at £67m)  with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to assist with border control and coastguard activities.

There has also been much in the press on AgTech applications, such as Alibaba who are reportedly partnering with PWC along with Australia Post and Blackmores to trial blockchain in Australia toward reducing fraud across supply chains, including food fraud.

On the Artificial Intelligence (AI) in AgTech front, a BBC article highlights concerns that have reportedly been raised about the potential for the loss of data integrity, which could lead to consequences such as failed crops and food shortages. The article talks to the importance of data integrity in AI applications and some of the innovation that is happening in blockchain and digital rights management (DRM). On this note, we are also supporting a Boardroom briefing and market opportunity update on AI in AgTech at the Innovation Centre, Sunshine Coast 13th April, 2017 with details to follow.

In further AI news:

• a study from the University of California, Berkeley, has reportedly shown that AI can develop its own language to communicate and, AI agents can be incentivised to collaborate to get things done.  The next step would reportedly be a translation to enable human understanding. Some further AI research initiatives may also be found in the openai blog; and, 
• Samsung is launching Bixby with its Galaxy S8  reportedly to rival Siri and, given it will be on the Google Android system, will sit alongside Google’s built in Google Assistant. This is all toward the emerging rivalry of owning the AI in the SmartHome market and more, including Google Home, Amazon Echo (Alexa), Microsoft’s Cortana, and now Samsung’s Bixby.
• IBM has reportedly announced that 70,000 tax returns have been completed on IBM WATSON. And, in further news from IBM, they have reportedly recently launched their enterprise grade blockchain service as an extension of hyperledger.

Finally, we are very much looking forward to the #Natsec2017 International Parliamentary Conference on National Security and #CyberParl Cybersecurity Day, where the eHandbook for Parliamentarians will be launched, this week in Westminster, London, UK, from 27th-31st March, 2017. @CPA_UK will be bringing together over 90 participants, for the conference, including National Security Ministers, Chairs of National Security Committees, and other expert parliamentarians, from 36 countries.

We are also very much looking forward to supporting and attending ConnectExpo in Melbourne, Australia this week, and to visiting the @tradegovukAUS stand, which has led a trade mission of UK cyber companies to ConnectExpo to foster collaboration with Australian companies. Again, CSNs network can receive a 10% discount by quoting CSNS10. This followed by the prestigious panel that I am looking forward to participating in on Cyber Defence for Business hosted by the Australian British Chamber of Commerce.

Until our next #PeriodicWrap,

@DrSallyErnst, Moderator #CyberSecurityNetworks

Photography by Mel Messina