IBM sees embedded chips to check fake goods

Las Vegas: Tech Giant IBM on Tuesday predicted that within the next five years, cryptographic anchors such as ink dots, or tiny computers smaller than a grain of salt, will be embedded in objects and devices to tackle issues such as counterfeit and food safety among others.

Cryptographic anchors will be used in tandem with blockchain’s distributed ledger technology to ensure an object's authenticity from its point of origin to when it reaches the hands of the customer, IBM said in a statement.

“These technologies pave the way for new solutions that tackle food safety, authenticity of manufactured components, genetically modified products, identification of counterfeit objects and provenance of luxury goods, it added.
“Complex supply chains — comprised of dozens of suppliers in multiple countries -- make it difficult to prevent bad actors from tampering with everything from paper currency to consumer electronics.

“Blockchain technology is poised as the future of digital transactions, infusing trust, efficiency and transparency into supply chains. But blockchains alone cannot ensure the authenticity of physical goods, the tech giant said.

IBM unveiled five technologies — crypto-anchors and blockchain, lattice cryptographic anchors , AI bias , AI-powered robot microscopes and quantum computing -- that would fundamentally reshape business and society in the next five years.

Arvind Krishna, Head of IBM Research, said the company believes these technologies are being developed aiming at solving societal problems.
Krishna made this announcement as part of IBM Research's annual 5 in 5 technology predictions at Think 2018, the company;s flagship conference being held here.

In five years, small, autonomous AI microscopes, networked in the cloud and deployed around the world, will continually monitor in real time the health of one of Earth's most important and threatened resources —  water, it said.     — PTI