International Business Machines Corp Stock Price, News & Analysis

IBM and the USTA Foundation announced a new collaboration to integrate AI education with tennis, aiming to make AI more accessible and engaging. A recent study by IBM revealed that 55% of young tennis fans are optimistic about AI's impact on sports. To address the skills gap, IBM launched free AI content through its SkillsBuild platform. This includes interactive microlearning sessions and a beginner-friendly guidebook, 'Learn AI Skills with Tennis'. The initiative targets students, young professionals, and tennis enthusiasts, offering courses in AI fundamentals, cybersecurity, data science, and professional skills. The USTA Foundation collaboration will benefit 25,000 under-resourced youth across 250 chapters in the US, providing access to career readiness resources and earning IBM digital credentials. IBM aims to skill 30 million people by 2030, including 2 million in AI by 2026.

IBM and the USTA have announced new AI-powered features for the 2024 US Open digital platforms, leveraging IBM's watsonx AI and data platform. Key innovations include:

1. AI-generated Match Report summaries for all 254 main draw singles matches, produced within minutes of conclusion.

2. Enhanced AI commentary for match highlight videos, offering more frequent and contextual content.

3. Redesigned IBM SlamTracker with detailed pre-, live, and post-match insights, including a new 3D graphic for live matches.

4. Collaboration between IBM and the USTA Foundation to provide free AI and professional development courses through IBM SkillsBuild.

These features aim to deliver a more informative and engaging experience for millions of tennis fans worldwide, showcasing the continued innovation in the 30-year partnership between IBM and the USTA.

IBM has achieved a significant milestone in quantum-safe cryptography with two of its developed algorithms, ML-KEM and ML-DSA, being officially formalized within the world's first three post-quantum cryptography standards published by NIST. These standards are important for protecting data against potential quantum computer attacks. IBM's FN-DSA algorithm has also been selected for future standardization.

This development is part of IBM's dual mission in quantum computing: advancing useful quantum systems and ensuring global quantum safety. IBM projects delivering its first error-corrected quantum system by 2029, capable of running hundreds of millions of quantum operations. The company is also integrating post-quantum cryptography into its products and has unveiled the IBM Quantum Safe roadmap to guide the transition towards quantum-safe technology.

IBM and WWF-Germany have announced a collaboration to develop an AI-powered solution for monitoring critically endangered African forest elephants. The project aims to enhance elephant tracking and support conservation efforts using IBM's Maximo Visual Inspection software. This technology will analyze camera trap images to identify individual elephants accurately.

The solution may also help assess the financial value of nature's contributions provided by these elephants, such as carbon sequestration. African forest elephants have experienced an 80% population decrease due to habitat loss and poaching. By leveraging technology to track and value natural capital, organizations can support climate change mitigation and identify sustainable finance investments.

The collaboration combines IBM's expertise in technology and sustainability with WWF's conservation knowledge to create innovative ways to accelerate sustainability efforts.

IBM has announced the formation of a Workforce Innovation Board, a cross-functional panel of leaders addressing key topics like C-suite innovation, AI, and worker wellness. The board includes Justina Nixon-Saintil, IBM's vice president and chief impact officer, who leads the company's career-readiness initiatives and education partnerships.

A significant focus is on IBM SkillsBuild, a free education program providing access to coursework on AI, environmental sustainability, and professional workplace skills. IBM SkillsBuild has partnered with Usher's New Look to offer AI training and customized learning plans to thousands of students, particularly those from underrepresented communities in technology.

This initiative aims to prepare students for a competitive workforce by equipping them with knowledge about evolving technological innovations, especially as AI continues to be a driving force in the workplace.

IBM has introduced new generative AI capabilities to its managed Threat Detection and Response Services. The IBM Consulting Cybersecurity Assistant, built on the watsonx platform, aims to accelerate and improve the identification, investigation, and response to critical security threats. Key features include:

1. Historical correlation analysis to speed up complex threat investigations, reducing alert investigation times by 48% for one client.

2. A timeline view of attack sequences for better comprehension of critical threats.

3. Auto-recommended actions based on historical patterns and pre-set confidence levels.

4. A generative AI conversational engine providing real-time insights and support on operational tasks.

These advancements are designed to help security teams tackle the challenge of numerous attacks with time and resources, potentially improving overall security posture for clients.

IBM's Chief Impact Officer, Justina Nixon-Saintil, is leading the company's efforts to align business goals with ESG considerations. Her role focuses on scaling impactful initiatives globally, particularly in AI and hybrid cloud technologies. Key areas of emphasis include:

1. Training individuals in AI and ethical AI
2. Leveraging technology for community impact
3. Providing access to technology programs for workplace success

Nixon-Saintil's daily focus is on driving and scaling these efforts to align with IBM's leadership in the tech industry while measuring their community impact. This approach builds on IBM's long history of corporate responsibility and aims to enhance the company's preparedness for regulatory changes in the ESG landscape.

IBM's 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report reveals a significant increase in global average breach costs, reaching $4.88 million, up 10% from the previous year. Key findings include:

1. 70% of breached organizations reported significant disruption.
2. Security staffing shortages led to $1.76 million higher breach costs.
3. AI and automation in security reduced breach costs by $2.2 million on average.
4. 40% of breaches involved data stored across multiple environments.
5. Intellectual property theft increased by 27%.
6. The average data breach lifecycle decreased to 258 days.

The report emphasizes the growing importance of AI-driven defenses and addressing risks associated with generative AI in cybersecurity.

IBM's board of directors has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $1.67 per common share. This dividend will be payable on September 10, 2024 to stockholders of record as of August 9, 2024. This decision continues IBM's long-standing tradition of paying consecutive quarterly dividends since 1916, showcasing the company's commitment to delivering consistent returns to its shareholders. The announcement reinforces IBM's financial stability and its ability to maintain a steady dividend payout, which may be attractive to income-focused investors.