Alphabet (GOOGL) has moved to strengthen its prospects on cloud computing amid burgeoning artificial intelligence growth with a $32 billion acquisition of cybersecurity firm Wiz. It is the tech giant’s biggest acquisition in its 25-year history and is expected to enhance its competitive edge in cloud computing by offering core security services.
Wiz Acquisition
Wiz has carved a niche in developing security tools designed to shield information stored in remote data centres. The acquisition signifies an investment by Google Cloud aimed at accelerating two significant and expanding trends in the age of AI. Both cybersecurity and cloud computing are swiftly evolving sectors with a wide array of solutions available.
The growing influence of AI and the uptake of cloud services have significantly transformed the security landscape for clients, making cybersecurity increasingly vital for mitigating emerging threats and safeguarding national security. Wiz offers an intuitive security platform that integrates with all leading clouds and code environments to assist in preventing cybersecurity incidents.
Organizations of varying sizes, from startups and large corporations to governmental and public sector entities, can leverage Wiz to secure everything they develop and operate in the cloud. Wiz stands as an innovative frontrunner and consistently releases new products with strong market acceptance, driving rapid business expansion.
AI vs. Humans
The acquisition of Wiz comes on the heels of Google’s DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis reiterating that artificial intelligence is on course to compete with human competence in the next five to ten years. According to the executive, innovations powered by revolutionary technology are already exhibiting complicated capabilities that humans have.
In particular, Hassabis sees the growing potential of artificial general intelligence (AGI) technology that can be as intelligent as humans, if not more so. AGI can display all the sophisticated talents humans can. However, employees can buy themselves a bit more time before robots become more mainstream in workplaces.
Another obvious indicator of the trajectory of AI’s impact on the workforce is the speed at which AGI is developing. According to Robin Li, CEO of Baidu, a Chinese digital company, AGI will surpass human competence, albeit this prediction is more than 2030 away. The workforce is already seeing the effects of AI performing human tasks, notwithstanding the claims of other luminaries like Elon Musk and Sam Altman that AGI will be ready for action far sooner.
Approximately 41% of employers anticipate having to reduce their employment during the next five years. The emergence of AI chatbots will phase out those workers’ abilities, including reading, writing, math, and manual dexterity. LLMs move more quickly than humans and don’t need benefits or pay.
Oracle $5B UK Investment
Meanwhile, cloud computing giant Oracle (ORCL) plans to invest $5 billion in the UK over the next five years. A good chunk of the investment will strengthen the company’s cloud services, thus helping drive artificial intelligence.
The investment will expand Oracle Cloud Infrastructure in the country while helping the government deliver on its vision for AI innovation and adoption. According to estimates from the UK Prime Minister Keir Stammer administration, artificial intelligence could be worth $61 billion to the country annually over a ten-year period.
