E-Business
Prateek Suri, Maser CEO, Unveils Bold AI Projections for 2024: Navigating the Future of Consumer Electronics
Maser CEO, Prateek Suri, shares his predictions for the AI landscape in 2024.
Predictions for GenAI in Consumer Electronics: Navigating the Landscape in 2024
2024 marks a significant milestone for the consumer electronics industry as GenAI, a transformative force in artificial intelligence, begins its journey into the mainstream. Here are the key trends and predictions for this groundbreaking year:
- Skyrocketing GenAI Investments and the Reshaping of Consumer Electronics
The focal point of the battleground will revolve around the competition between ‘Open Source vs. proprietary models,’ causing a shift in the competitive landscape and the dynamics of IP protection. This has the potential to influence OpenAI’s position by late 2024 and Q2 2025.
The consumer electronics industry is on the cusp of a paradigm shift, fueled by the continued high investments in Generative AI (GenAI) startups. These investments, projected to surpass $50 billion by 2025, are driven by the immense potential of AI to reinvent how we interact with our devices. At the heart of this revolution lies the battle between two key model types:
Large Language Models (LLMs): These versatile, open-source models like Jurassic-1 Jumbo and Megatron-Turing NLG can generate text, translate languages, and write different kinds of creative content. Their strengths lie in their adaptability and accessibility, fostering a vibrant ecosystem of innovation.
Limited Model Markets (LMMs): Developed and owned by individual companies, LMMs are hyper-focused on specific tasks like speech recognition or image generation. While less versatile, they offer superior performance and tighter integration with hardware, making them ideal for consumer electronics applications.
This “Open Source vs. Proprietary” model clash will significantly impact the competitive landscape. Open-source LLMs empower smaller players to compete with established giants, democratizing access to cutting-edge AI technology.
However, LMMs, backed by vast R&D resources of large corporations, can offer more refined and optimized experiences, potentially creating walled gardens of exclusive features.
This dynamic will play out in exciting ways. Imagine smart speakers powered by LLMs that can hold nuanced conversations, adapting to your unique preferences and evolving over time through community contributions. Conversely, picture personalized fitness trackers with LMM-powered coaches delivering real-time training plans tailored to your biometrics and preferences.
Ultimately, the winners will be the consumers. The influx of GenAI investments will not only drive down prices but also lead to a wider range of intelligent devices catering to diverse needs and budgets. Whether it’s open-source LLMs fostering collaboration or proprietary LMMs pushing the boundaries of performance, the future of consumer electronics is undeniably AI-powered, and the possibilities are as limitless as our imagination.
- Sustainable Tech Winners:
Companies that manage to achieve revenue growth outpacing energy consumption evolution by 5 or 6 times will emerge as the true winners in the GenAI landscape. Balancing the benefits of AI adoption with energy efficiency will be crucial for sustained success.
- Mass Adoption of GenAI in Workstations:
GenAI is expected to witness mass adoption in workstations, either through software packages or opt-in features, influencing how individuals interact with technology in their daily lives.
- Reinvention of the Consumer Marketplace:
A promising start to a GenAI-fueled reinvention of the consumer marketplace is anticipated. This transformation will likely lead to innovative and personalized consumer experiences driven by AI.
One of the big smartphone makers launched a new generative artificial intelligence platform directly aimed at challenging ChatGPT, setting the stage for global rivalry in the evolution and leadership in the GenAI space.
- Advancements in Specialized LLMs:
Specialized Open Source Large Language Models (LLMs) will make significant strides in conversational voice, speech, videos, and connectivity. In 2024, it is foreseen that specialized Open Source Large Language Models (LLMs) will come to the forefront, demonstrating high-performance capabilities across diverse sectors such as Biology, Chemicals, Logistics, and Energy, acting as transformative catalysts.
Goldman Sachs, in an October report, revised its estimates, anticipating that generative artificial intelligence will make a more substantial contribution to the global gross domestic product in the next decade. The revised range is now expected to be between 10% and 15%, surpassing the previously estimated range of 7% to 13%.
Potential Threats:
- GenAI-Fueled Cybersecurity Attacks:
Voice of SecOps Report showed that 75% of security professionals witnessed an increase in attacks over the past 12 months, with 85% attributing this rise to bad actors using generative AI. The looming threat of impactful GenAI-fueled cybersecurity attacks requires heightened vigilance and robust security measures to safeguard against potential risks.
- BYOAI (Bring Your Own AI) Threat:
Companies should embrace a bottom-up approach to AI adoption at the edge, guiding it instead of obstructing it. Establishing an AI Center of Excellence serves as a framework to ensure that Bring Your Own AI (BYOAI) aligns with organizational goals and ethical considerations. Given the widespread integration of AI into smartphones and devices, the implementation of responsible data governance becomes imperative.
- Legal Challenges:
Legal battles over intellectual property rights would be on the increase, especially if GenAI systems incorporate patented technologies or if there are disputes regarding the ownership of algorithms, datasets, or specific functionalities. This may slow down GenAI deployment and could be worsened by politics with the 2024 US elections in sight.
At Maser, we are at the forefront of transformative programs aligned with these trends:
- Strategic Transformations: Unleashing the Business Impact of GenAI at Maser
We have chosen to cultivate proprietary generative AI models, driven by a strategic imperative to bolster security and privacy. Our decision is rooted in the intention to mitigate dependence on open-source models such as ChatGPT or Bard, aiming to safeguard sensitive information.
I expect this trend to persist among major corporations, conducting controlled experiments with internal generative AI platforms to enhance operational efficiency. These endeavors, though seemingly “small,” hold substantial value in shaping the trajectory of future generative AI applications.
- Maser’s GenAI Impact
In the cutthroat world of tech, I believe mere innovation isn’t enough. To truly dominate, we’re spearheading a silent revolution: building a proprietary AI platform fueled by curated datasets and governed by rigorous AI governance. This isn’t just about throwing money at algorithms; it’s about meticulous change management, ensuring every department embraces, understands, and utilizes this powerful tool. The result?
Unmatched quality and real-time reportage, empowering Maser to outmaneuver competitors at every turn. Imagine optimizing production lines with AI-powered predictive maintenance, crafting hyper-personalized marketing campaigns based on proprietary customer data, or even developing revolutionary new products, all within the secure confines of own AI ecosystem. This is the future Maser is building, brick by meticulously-governed brick, and it’s a future no competitor can afford to ignore.
- CorpGPT Innovation: Shaping Future Corporate AI
We aspire to deliver an all-encompassing mobile AI experience, merging on-device AI innovations from Maser and cloud-based AI through collaborative partnerships with industry leaders who share our vision. Our goal is to revolutionize users’ mobile interactions, providing a heightened sense of privacy assurance.
Maser is at the forefront of molding the GenAI enterprise platform, prioritizing privacy, interoperability, and maximizing value. Through the seamless integration of diverse datasets, adherence to transparent AI policies, and the establishment of a robust multi-cloud infrastructure, Maser is shaping the trajectory of AI evolution in the consumer electronics industry.
Gold prices smashed through $5,100 per ounce on Monday, January 26, surging to a historic peak of $5,110.50 as investors rushed into the safe-haven asset amid escalating geopolitical tensions and U.S. policy volatility.
Gold
Spot gold climbed 2.2% to $5,089.78 by 0656 GMT, while U.S. February futures rose similarly to $5,086.30. The metal, up 64% in 2025—its strongest annual gain since 1979—has now advanced over 18% year-to-date, fueled by safe-haven buying, anticipated U.S. rate cuts, China’s 14th consecutive month of central bank purchases in December, and massive ETF inflows.
Analysts point to a crisis of confidence in U.S. assets, sparked by President Trump’s erratic threats last week. He retreated from tariffs on European allies to pressure Greenland seizure, then vowed 100% tariffs on Canada over a potential China trade deal and 200% on French wines to push President Emmanuel Macron toward a “Board of Peace” initiative.
“This Trump administration has caused a permanent rupture in global norms, driving everyone to gold as the sole refuge,” said Kyle Rodda, senior market analyst at Capital.com.
A weakening dollar—hit by a rising yen and pre-Fed meeting caution—further boosted gold’s appeal for non-dollar holders, with markets eyeing possible yen intervention.
E-Business
Firm Identifies AI as Common Denominator in Entertainment Industry’s 2026 Security Threats
In its Kaspersky Security Bulletin, the cybersecurity company’s researchers identified critical threats expected to affect the global entertainment industry in 2026, from ticketing and visual effects pipelines to content delivery networks, games and regulation.
Artificial intelligence is changing how people buy tickets, watch movies and play games – and it is also changing how malicious actors target those experiences.
The entertainment industry is particularly sensitive to AI because the technology does not only automate back-office workflows; it increasingly creates and imitates the core product itself – human-centered stories, performances and visual experiences.
Kaspersky researchers highlighted five critical threats emerging as AI integrates deeper into entertainment workflows and consumer experiences.
What happens when ticket markets become an arms race between algorithms and scalpers? Kaspersky predicts that AI will make dynamic pricing faster and more granular, while also giving scalpers better tools to identify profitable events, deploy bots at scale and manage resale pricing across multiple platforms.
Even when artists choose fixed face values, AI-driven resellers can recreate “dynamic” pricing on secondary markets by adjusting prices in real time based on demand signals.
How will AI-commodified visual effects affect the risk of leaks? As high-end computer-generated imagery becomes more accessible through cloud-based AI platforms, studios will connect to larger networks of small vendors and freelancers.
Kaspersky expects attackers to target this extended supply chain by compromising render farms, plug-ins or small post-production houses in order to quietly steal sequences, assets or episodes before release, bypassing more heavily protected studio environments.
Could content delivery networks become a direct target? CDNs now carry unreleased episodes, game builds and live streams for many major entertainment brands, concentrating valuable content in a small number of providers.
AI-enhanced attackers will be able to map CDN infrastructure more efficiently, locate where premium content resides and search for weak credentials or configuration errors. A single successful compromise could expose multiple titles at once or allow malicious code to be injected into legitimate streams.
How will generative tools change abuse patterns in games and fan communities? Players and power users will continue to jailbreak in-game AI companions and content editors, and to use external generative models to produce material that would normally be blocked – such as hyper-violent or sexualized scenarios – and then reimport it into games, mods, or fan videos.
There is also a risk of personal data appearing in “creative” outputs if training or fine-tuning data is not properly cleaned, for example, when lyrics, dialogue, or imagery inadvertently include real names or other identifying details.
What role will regulation and compliance play for AI in creative work? Lawmakers and industry groups are moving toward rules that require transparency about AI-generated media and clearer consent and licensing practices for training on copyrighted material.
Kaspersky expects this to drive the creation of new roles inside entertainment companies, similar to COVID-compliance managers on film sets, focused on AI governance: checking how AI tools are trained, how they are used in production and marketing, and whether they comply with contractual and legal requirements.
“As we examined different parts of the industry, it became clear that AI is the thread running through most of the emerging risks.
“By diving into this, we wanted to highlight that AI will not only help defenders detect anomalies faster, it will also help attackers model markets, probe infrastructure and generate convincing malicious content.
“Studios, platforms and rights holders need to treat AI systems, and the data behind them, as part of their core attack surface, not just as creative tools, and build security and governance around that reality,” said Anna Larkina, web content analysis expert at Kaspersky.
Kaspersky has reported a spike in phishing emails containing malicious QR codes. Detections for these jumped from 46,969 in August 2025 to 249,723 in November 2025 – a more than fivefold growth – as cybercriminals increasingly exploit QR codes, a trend that will likely continue in 2026.
Attackers use QR codes in emails more frequently because they provide a simple and cost-effective way to conceal malicious URLs, evading detection by many protective solutions.
These QR codes are often embedded directly in email bodies or, even more commonly, within PDF attachments – an evolution that both masks phishing links and encourages users to scan them on mobile phones, which may have weaker security than work PCs.
Malicious QR codes commonly appear in mass phishing campaigns as well as targeted ones. Links embedded within them may lead to:
- Phishing forms impersonating login pages for services like Microsoft accounts or internal corporate portals, designed to steal usernames, passwords, and other credentials.
- Fake HR notifications urging employees to review or sign documents, such as vacation schedules, or even view lists of terminated staff, ultimately directing to credential-stealing sites.
- Fraudulent invoices or purchase confirmations in PDF attachments, often combined with vishing (voice phishing) tactics that prompt victims to call provided phone numbers to “cancel” or clarify the transaction, enabling further social engineering attacks.
These tactics exploit trust in routine business communications, leading to credential theft, account takeovers, data breaches, and financial fraud.
“Malicious QR codes have evolved into one of the most effective phishing tools, particularly when hidden in PDF attachments or disguised as legitimate business communications like HR updates.
“The explosive growth in November 2025 highlights how attackers are capitalising on this low-cost evasion technique to target employees on mobile devices, where protection is often minimal.
“Without advanced image analysis at the email gateway and safe scanning practices, organisations are left vulnerable to credential compromise and downstream breaches,” comments Roman Dedenok, Anti-Spam Expert at Kaspersky.
To defend against this escalating threat, Kaspersky recommends educating employees on cybersecurity and deploying a mail server security solution such as Kaspersky Security for Mail Server that provides trusted and secure corporate email exchange, countering spam, email-borne infections, all forms of phishing, business email compromise (BEC), QR code attacks, and other threats.
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