Providing digital technology skills to Scottish public bodies to support Scotland’s digital strategy
We’re delighted have been accepted as an official supplier on the Scottish Procurement: Digital, Technology, and Cyber Services Dynamic Purchasing System.
Created by Scottish Procurement, this dynamic purchasing system is designed to provide Scottish public sector and third sector bodies with a quick route to market for digital technology and cyber security services.
The Digital, Technology, and Cyber Services Dynamic Purchasing System is a key enabler for a number of digital initiatives, specifically “Scotland’s Digital Strategy, ‘Realising Scotland’s full potential in a digital world.” It features four lots: digital technology projects; digital technology resources; digital training services and cyber security services.
Explains Marc Stephenson, Director at Metataxis: “We are thrilled to be part of this Dynamic Purchasing System and the opportunity to support public sector organisations in Scotland with their digital transformation projects. The system makes it easier for Scottish public bodies, including central government, health, local authorities, universities and colleges as well as the third sector, to swiftly access a range of digital technology skills, including cyber expertise and compliance services.”
Having successfully met all the selection criteria, these public organisations can now easily contract with Metataxis, confident we are pre-vetted by Scottish Procurement, and effectively dedicated to the provision of digital services and the delivery of agile projects to support Scotland achieve its digital growth potential.
Information governance and Microsoft 365
We are really looking forward to attending the first IM Tech Summit Europe 2024 this coming May.
Taking place on 15th May 2024 in Brighton, this brand new global event, run by the Information & Records Management Society (IRMS) is exclusively focused on Information Governance and Risk Management in Microsoft 365.
The IM Tech Summit will present the latest features in Microsoft 365 and strategies for successful roll-out and configuration to meet the needs of Information and Records Managers.
This one day conference is designed to help Information Management, Privacy, Legal and Risk Management professionals understand the breadth of governance tools at their disposal within Microsoft 365, and offer to deep dive sessions on specific aspects of the platform, from the implications of Copilot through to the capabilities contained within Microsoft Purview.
Explains Marc Stephenson, Director at Metataxis: “This new event presents the opportunity to explore the potential of Microsoft 365 through an Information Governance lens. We’re interested to discover the latest Microsoft 365 information management features, share best practices and strengthen our connections with other Information Governance professionals and Microsoft Technology experts.”
The Summit will bring together some of the best speakers in the Microsoft 365 Information Governance arena who will be addressing topics such as: Retention in M365, Security and compliance, Viva Topics and AI and Copilot, alongside an exhibition which will be showcasing the latest capabilities to help manage content.
Marc Stephenson along with Metataxis colleague, Alex Church, will both be there to hear more about the governance, risk and compliance tools within the Microsoft 365 suite, and be checking out the latest innovations and industry trends See you there!
Microsoft IM Tech Summit Europe 2024
- When: 15 May 2024
- Where: DoubleTree by Hilton Brighton Metropole
- Book now: Click here to register today
Tides of Change – surviving and thriving in a sea of information
We are really looking forward to being part of the forthcoming IRMS Conference 2024 this coming May. Taking place in Brighton, this annual three day event is run by the Information & Records Management Society (IRMS).
The 2024 IRMS Conference theme is “Tides of Change” and is centred around how techniques to survive and thrive in a sea of information.
Covering all aspects of information and records management, the diverse 2024 programme will include a variety of presentations, case studies, discussions and workshops, including Microsoft 365, Teams and SharePoint, data protection as well as information strategy, data governance and artificial intelligence (AI).
Ideal for all information professionals, the conference will feature a packed programme of inspirational speakers from the public and private sectors, lively discussions and networking opportunities as well as an exhibition showcasing the latest technology and industry innovations from world-class organisations.
Headline speakers include Tom Jackson, Professor of Information and Knowledge Management, from Loughborough University and Vivienne Artz OBE, Data Strategy and Privacy Policy Advisor from the Centre for Information Policy Leadership.
This important annual gathering is a great opportunity for information and records management specialists to get together and learn new skills and knowledge needed to help your organisation. Our very own Sharon Stewart will be there to discover the latest insights as well as the new products and services focussed on information and records management. See you there!
IRMS Conference 2024
- When: 12-14 May 2024
- Where: DoubleTree by Hilton Brighton Metropole
- Book now: Register here
How many animals did Moses take on the ark?
Comparing how would ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot answer this question
You could be forgiven for saying “two of each species were taken on the Ark” which is a common response to this question. The correct answer of course is “none” because Noah built the Ark, while Moses liberated the Israelites from Egypt.
The so-called “Moses Illusion” highlights “shallow semantic processing,” which causes most of us to overlook errors, perhaps because our attention is drawn elsewhere, such as solving the problem of how many animals were on Noah’s Ark.
At Metataxis, we have been exploring the uses for AI, considering the practical information management applications as well as the information architecture implications. When I learned about the Moses Illusion, I just had to see whether common AI tools such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot would fall for it. Of course, the answer is no, though each of the tools handled the query quite differently.
Let’s see how they compare:
ChatGPT
ChatGPT was not take in by the Moses Illusion and in fact, asked me which of the following two answers I would prefer:
Answer 1: “Moses is not associated with the story of the ark. The biblical account of Noah and the ark is found in the Book of Genesis, where Noah, not Moses, is the central figure. According to the Bible, God instructed Noah to build an ark to save himself, his family, and pairs of every kind of land-dwelling animal from the impending flood. The specific number of animals taken onto the ark is not specified in the Genesis account.”
or…
Answer 2: “Moses did not take any animals on the ark. The story of Noah’s Ark is found in the Bible, specifically in the book of Genesis. According to the biblical account, Noah, not Moses, was instructed by God to build an ark to save himself, his family, and two of every kind of animal from a global flood. Moses is a different biblical figure, known for leading the Israelites out of Egypt and receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai.”
What is interesting about these responses is that they try to achieve two things:
1) Answer the question as it was intended; albeit in typical ChatGPT non-answer form: “that information is not available to me, Dave”
2) Highlight the cognitive oversight inherent in the question and provide disambiguation between Moses and Noah.
So, in terms of performance there is some impressive predictive power, but the source material available to answer the question perhaps is not as great. I also must recognise that no matter how many ways I ask the question, ChatGPT has the good sense to repeat that the question cannot be definitively answered. (“It’s ineffable.”) This is fair.
Were I interested in actual attempts to calculate the number of animals in the Ark, ChatGPT isn’t going to get into the specifics. ChatGPT isn’t going to suddenly start quoting James Ussher.
The tool does try to be even-handed, pointing out whether views are theological or scientific, but I can’t help feeling a bit like it doesn’t think much of Creationism.
When you ask “Has anyone tried to calculate how many animals were on the ark?“, you receive the more nuanced but equally dismissive statement which starts with: “The question of how many animals were on Noah’s Ark has been a topic of discussion and debate for centuries. Various scholars, theologians, and researchers have attempted to calculate the number of species or animals involved in the biblical account of the flood. However, it’s important to note that the Bible provides limited details on the exact number or species of animals taken onto the ark.”
ChatGPT still requires a series of prompts from me to get a fuller answer, say if I were interested more in the attempts people have made to answer the question of the animals in the Ark, or about the Moses Illusion itself. This means that the onus is still on the user to ask the right question and most significantly, not to give up after asking the first question. I had to formulate five questions to get the full answer I needed.
It’s not enough that it knows what I meant to ask. I still need to be more inquisitive to get my best answer. Through its often phlegmatic responses, ChatGPT has prompted me to provide more specific and thoughtful questions. Is it teaching me or am I teaching it?
Microsoft Copilot
Having completed this experiment in ChatGPT, I was now keen to test how Copilot for the web dealt with exactly the same query.
Not only was Copilot not taken in by the Moses Illusion, it also saw me coming:
Copilot replied: “The question of how many animals Moses took on the ark is an intriguing one, but it actually involves a delightful cognitive illusion known as the Moses Illusion. Allow me to explain: When asked, “How many animals of each kind did Moses take on the Ark?” approximately 50% of people confidently respond with “two” instead of the correct answer, which is “none.” Despite knowing that it was Noah, not Moses, who took animals onto the Ark, the illusion persists. The similarity between the names Noah and Moses plays a significant role in this cognitive mix-up. Their semantic and phonological resemblance—both being two-syllable names with similar stress patterns—leads to this intriguing error.”
To add insult to injury, this explanation of the Moses Illusion is footnoted with a link to a reputable source: Oxford Reference. (Moses illusion – Oxford Reference) Immediately I can see how Copilot outperforms ChatGPT by being up front with its receipts, giving me the opportunity to assess the quality of the sources for its responses.
And that’s not all. Of course, Copilot answers the question correctly, again citing its sources: “The correct answer: In reality, it was Noah who followed God’s instructions and took two of every kind of animal onto the Ark. This monumental task ensured the survival of various species during the great flood. So, Moses didn’t take any animals on the Ark; it was all Noah’s doing”
Unlike ChatGPT, Copilot for the web is willing to draw on theological sources to answer questions. These sources are cited so that it is left up to the individual to use judgement to evaluate answers. What is noticeable is that Copilot seems to accept the story of Noah’s Ark uncritically without any of the caveats about worldviews given to us by ChatGPT.
The icing on the cake though, is that Copilot goes on, unbidden to attempt to answer the actual question: “Fun Fact: If we were to estimate the number of animals based on the Moses illusion, we’d have quite a menagerie! But let’s stick to the facts: Noah’s Ark carried a diverse collection of animals, both clean and unclean. The total number of individuals could vary from 254 (127 pairs) to 889 (127 pairs multiplied by 7), depending on the species.”
The source for this calculation you might ask? I don’t know (user error), and here’s where things fall down.
Having carried out my Copilot query, copied and pasted the text of the answer, I then got interrupted, as commonly happens in our current work environments. On returning to my screen a few hours later, my query and the Copilot response history was gone. I still had the text of the answer because I thought to copy it, but apart from the bare facts of the Moses Illusion and the story of Noah and the Ark, I was unable to replicate the response I got to my first question.
Copilot for the web only operates in real time and does not store your queries. While I suppose this is better for security, this isn’t great for referring back. To my chagrin, I also lost the linked sources when I pasted my answer into Notepad, but I can confidently say that you can paste results into Word and carry over references. This ability to check back through sources is especially important when you are asking questions about contested world views, so I am particularly sore about losing the results of my first query.
The lack of consistency of answers is clearly due to the system pulling from different sources on the web on each occasion. What I did find was that on trying to replicate my first result, I consistently got answers that pulled from various Creationist websites, which shouldn’t be surprising because it’s not really a question the scientific community is worried about.
Which AI chatbot works best
Overall, both AI systems handled the Moses Illusion even better than I expected.
Comparing the tools has been useful to understand how they each deal with sources used to answer questions, but also seems to highlight some inherent bias. Perhaps ChatGPT is more equivocal because its sources are less transparent, but it does seem to gently be telling us the Bible is not to be taken literally.
Does Copilot have a fundamentalist Christian bias? I’d like to give Copilot the benefit of the doubt and say that it is egalitarian in its presentation of answers. But the fact that the tool immediately picked up on the Moses Illusion and explained it to me, but didn’t provide commentary of theological and scientific views about the Ark, makes me hesitant to grant this easily.
While both tools do the same thing, I’m learning that they do them just differently enough to not assume they are interchangeable.
Our team has been testing Copilot for Microsoft 365 and learning more about the power of generative AI.
Take a moment to check out their initial observations and intriguing findings.
Demonstrating our commitment to cyber security
No matter the size of organisation, more and more of us are likely to be, or be connected to, the potential target of a cyber attack. We are all interconnected with customers, contractors, suppliers, third-party vendors and larger organisations – and only one part of this wider ecosystem needs to be exposed to a cyber threat to affect us all – in an instant.
This is why Metataxis is Cyber Essentials certified.
Cyber Essentials is a government backed scheme managed through the National Cyber Security Centre.
Certification gives us peace of mind that our defences are prepared to protect us against the vast majority of common cyber attacks, such as ransomware, malware and other cyber security threats.
Holding a Cyber Essentials certification demonstrates our proactive stance against malicious cyber attacks. It also reassures our clients, partners, insurers and others that we have taken the essential precautions to protect Metataxis against cyber threats. And we know that hackers typically seek out targets who do not have the Cyber Essentials technical controls in place.
This industry recognised cyber security accreditation also helps our clients guard against cyber attacks through effective security controls.
With over 8 billion reported record breaches during 2023, Metataxis understands the current cyber security landscape and the impact that security breaches can have on an organisation. We remain dedicated to keeping up to date with the latest in cyber security and this certification is a great foundation to build our own cyber security framework.
Can we help you address your cyber security?
Our experience across a wide range of platforms and in-depth knowledge of the Microsoft landscape could help your organisation review and address cyber security issues.
Contact us today for an exploratory conversation.
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