Atticus Mulkey

At Techonomy 2016, panelists revealed shocking security risks associated with embedding the internet in children’s toys. The fear that these devices could be compromised appears to have been warranted. Over the past year, hackers have found a way to turn "Hello Barbie" into a listening device, and have held data ransom. Germany has even banned certain connected toys in their country.

We now have “fake” fake news and “real” fake news… and as of this weekend, “alternative facts.” The World Wide Web of today no longer exhibits the youthful innocence that it once did. Facebook and Twitter are not responsible for sheltering you from false information. You are.

Chief Technology & Innovation Officer at Accenture and Techonomy speaker Paul Daugherty shares his thoughts on Artificial Intelligence and the Blockchain during the World Economic Forum. Plus, a panel discussion on AI's impact on society hosted by David Kirkpatrick.

The tech industry continues to loom large in the responses to this year’s election and plays multiple interesting roles in its aftermath: Russia has been accused of "hacking" the election, Facebook has been forced to address its fake news issue, tech leaders met this week with president-elect Trump, and more.

Our homes, industries, livelihood, toys, robots, and even our wars are being shaped by rapid advances in AI. How do we ensure that the resulting systems connect these advances equitably to the benefit not just of business, but also of society?

Mark Zuckerberg made worldwide headlines, and election coverage got a spotlight, but the Internet of Things was still a central theme at Techonomy 2016. Michael J. Miller of PC Magazine wrote a great piece about the many ways that IoT came up in our discussions.

As people move more and more to cities, suburban America is in need of a facelift. City living is attractive to young people because they are aware of their energy consumption, they like the action there, and the cost of car and home ownership is often out of reach. Suburban areas across the country are utilizing new trail systems to connect communities, making them more bikeable, pedestrian friendly and green.

People who practice meditation know it resets the mind and body, and there have been claims about its healing powers for centuries. Now scientific evidence backs them up. Researchers recently found that meditation does more than just relieve stress. It can literally change our DNA.

If you are eager (as we always are) to do something Techonomic this weekend and are in New York, check out the amazing show Manus x Machina: Fashion in the Age of Technology at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It closes on Labor Day, so don’t delay.

I have been using a new honor 8 smartphone from Huawei for a little over a week. As much as love my iPhone, I can’t find a compelling enough reason to switch back. Everything seems more intuitive on the honor 8. The photography features are amazing, and clearly superior to the iPhone, as is the all-important battery life. And it looks almost identical.

I joke sometimes with my running friends that we don’t take our watches on runs; our watches take us on runs. In June Facebook launched Moves, its own activity-tracking app. Facebook is just one of many companies that wants to know when you’re active. People who run are obsessed with statistics, and watches and wearables are becoming almost a must-have for runners. This technology may drive a revolution in healthcare.