Read the full article below (in Italian):
The European Business Review: Adapting to the Digital Age: Teaching Blockchain and Cloud Computing
Source:
- The European Business Review, Published on October 27th, 2024.
By Lokesh Vij
In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, the fields of blockchain and cloud computing are transforming industries, from finance to healthcare, and creating new opportunities for innovation. Integrating these technologies into education is not merely a trend but a necessity to equip students with the skills they need to thrive in the future workforce. Though both technologies are independently powerful, their potential for innovation and disruption is amplified when combined. This article explores the pressing questions surrounding the inclusion of blockchain and cloud computing in education, providing a comprehensive overview of their significance, benefits, and challenges.
The Technological Edge and Future Outlook
Cloud computing has revolutionized how businesses and individuals’ access and manage data and applications. Benefits like scalability, cost efficiency (including eliminating capital expenditure – CapEx), rapid innovation, and experimentation enable businesses to develop and deploy new applications and services quickly without the constraints of traditional on-premises infrastructure – thanks to managed services where cloud providers manage the operating system, runtime, and middleware, allowing businesses to focus on development and innovation. According to Statista, the cloud computing market is projected to reach a significant size of Euro 250 billion or even higher by 2028 (from Euro 110 billion in 2024), with a substantial Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 22.78%. The widespread adoption of cloud computing by businesses of all sizes, coupled with the increasing demand for cloud-based services and applications, fuels the need for cloud computing professionals.
Blockchain, a distributed ledger technology, has paved the way by providing a secure, transparent, and tamper-proof way to record transactions (highly resistant to hacking and fraud). In 2021, European blockchain startups raised $1.5 billion in funding, indicating strong interest and growth potential. Reports suggest the European blockchain market could reach $39 billion by 2026, with a significant CAGR of over 47%. This growth is fueled by increasing adoption in sectors like finance, supply chain, and healthcare.
Addressing the Skills Gap
Reports from the World Economic Forum indicate that 85 million jobs may be displaced by a shift in the division of labor between humans and machines by 2025. However, 97 million new roles may emerge that are more adapted to the new division of labor between humans, machines, and algorithms, many of which will require proficiency in cloud computing and blockchain.
Furthermore, the World Economic Forum predicts that by 2027, 10% of the global GDP will be tokenized and stored on the blockchain. This massive shift means a surge in demand for blockchain professionals across various industries. Consider the implications of 10% of the global GDP being on the blockchain: it translates to a massive need for people who can build, secure, and manage these systems. We’re talking about potentially millions of jobs worldwide.
The European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI), an EU initiative, aims to deploy cross-border blockchain services across Europe, focusing on areas like digital identity, trusted data sharing, and diploma management. The EU’s MiCA (Crypto-Asset Regulation) regulation, expected to be fully implemented by 2025, will provide a clear legal framework for crypto-assets, fostering innovation and investment in the blockchain space. The projected growth and supportive regulatory environment point to a rising demand for blockchain professionals in Europe. Developing skills related to EBSI and its applications could be highly advantageous, given its potential impact on public sector blockchain adoption. Understanding the MiCA regulation will be crucial for blockchain roles related to crypto-assets and decentralized finance (DeFi).
Furthermore, European businesses are rapidly adopting digital technologies, with cloud computing as a core component of this transformation. GDPR (Data Protection Regulations) and other data protection laws push businesses to adopt secure and compliant cloud solutions. Many European countries invest heavily in cloud infrastructure and promote cloud adoption across various sectors. Artificial intelligence and machine learning will be deeply integrated into cloud platforms, enabling smarter automation, advanced analytics, and more efficient operations. This allows developers to focus on building applications without managing servers, leading to faster development cycles and increased scalability. Processing data closer to the source (like on devices or local servers) will become crucial for applications requiring real-time responses, such as IoT and autonomous vehicles.
The projected growth indicates a strong and continuous demand for blockchain and cloud professionals in Europe and worldwide. As we stand at the “crossroads of infinity,” there is a significant skill shortage, which will likely increase with the rapid adoption of these technologies. A 2023 study by SoftwareOne found that 95% of businesses globally face a cloud skills gap. Specific skills in high demand include cloud security, cloud-native development, and expertise in leading cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. The European Commission’s Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) highlights a need for improved digital skills in areas like blockchain to support the EU’s digital transformation goals. A 2023 report by CasperLabs found that 90% of businesses in the US, UK, and China adopt blockchain, but knowledge gaps and interoperability challenges persist.
The Role of Educational Institutions
This surge in demand necessitates a corresponding increase in qualified individuals who can design, implement, and manage cloud-based and blockchain solutions. Educational institutions have a critical role to play in bridging this widening skills gap and ensuring a pipeline of talent ready to meet the demands of this burgeoning industry.
To effectively prepare the next generation of cloud computing and blockchain experts, educational institutions need to adopt a multi-pronged approach. This includes enhancing curricula with specialized programs, integrating cloud and blockchain concepts into existing courses, and providing hands-on experience with leading technology platforms.
Furthermore, investing in faculty development to ensure they possess up-to-date knowledge and expertise is crucial. Collaboration with industry partners through internships, co-teach programs, joint research projects, and mentorship programs can provide students with invaluable real-world experience and insights.
Beyond formal education, fostering a culture of lifelong learning is essential. Offering continuing education courses, boot camps, and online resources enables professionals to upskill or reskill and stay abreast of the latest advancements in cloud computing. Actively promoting awareness of career paths and opportunities in this field and facilitating connections with potential employers can empower students to thrive in the dynamic and evolving landscape of cloud computing and blockchain technologies.
By taking these steps, educational institutions can effectively prepare the young generation to fill the skills gap and thrive in the rapidly evolving world of cloud computing and blockchain.
Read the full article below:
-
From the same author
Read the articleSource:
- Agenda Digitale, published on June 16th, 2025
By Lokesh Vij, Professor of Cloud Computing Infrastructure, Cloud Development, Cloud Computing Automation and Ops and Cloud Data Stacks at OPIT – Open Institute of Technology
NIST identifies five key characteristics of cloud computing: on-demand self-service, network access, resource pooling, elasticity, and metered service. These pillars explain the success of the global cloud market of 912 billion in 2025
Read the articleYou’ve probably seen two of the most recent popular social media trends. The first is creating and posting your personalized action figure version of yourself, complete with personalized accessories, from a yoga mat to your favorite musical instrument. There is also the Studio Ghibli trend, which creates an image of you in the style of a character from one of the animation studio’s popular films.
Both of these are possible thanks to OpenAI’s GPT-4o-powered image generator. But what are you risking when you upload a picture to generate this kind of content? More than you might imagine, according to Tom Vazdar, chair of cybersecurity at the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT), in a recent interview with Wired. Let’s take a closer look at the risks and how this issue ties into the issue of responsible artificial intelligence.
Uploading Your Image
To get a personalized image of yourself back from ChatGPT, you need to upload an actual photo, or potentially multiple images, and tell ChatGPT what you want. But in addition to using your image to generate content for you, OpenAI could also be using your willingly submitted image to help train its AI model. Vazdar, who is also CEO and AI & Cybersecurity Strategist at Riskoria and a board member for the Croatian AI Association, says that this kind of content is “a gold mine for training generative models,” but you have limited power over how that image is integrated into their training strategy.
Plus, you are uploading much more than just an image of yourself. Vazdar reminds us that we are handing over “an entire bundle of metadata.” This includes the EXIF data attached to the image, such as exactly when and where the photo was taken. And your photo may have more content in it than you imagine, with the background – including people, landmarks, and objects – also able to be tied to that time and place.
In addition to this, OpenAI also collects data about the device that you are using to engage with the platform, and, according to Vazdar, “There’s also behavioral data, such as what you typed, what kind of image you asked for, how you interacted with the interface and the frequency of those actions.”
After all that, OpenAI knows a lot about you, and soon, so could their AI model, because it is studying you.
How OpenAI Uses Your Data
OpenAI claims that they did not orchestrate these social media trends simply to get training data for their AI, and that’s almost certainly true. But they also aren’t denying that access to that freely uploaded data is a bonus. As Vazdar points out, “This trend, whether by design or a convenient opportunity, is providing the company with massive volumes of fresh, high-quality facial data from diverse age groups, ethnicities, and geographies.”
OpenAI isn’t the only company using your data to train its AI. Meta recently updated its privacy policy to allow the company to use your personal information on Meta-related services, such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, to train its AI. While it is possible to opt-out, Meta isn’t advertising that fact or making it easy, which means that most users are sharing their data by default.
You can also control what happens with your data when using ChatGPT. Again, while not well publicized, you can use ChatGPT’s self-service tools to access, export, and delete your personal information, and opt out of having your content used to improve OpenAI’s model. Nevertheless, even if you choose these options, it is still worth it to strip data like location and time from images before uploading them and to consider the privacy of any images, including people and objects in the background, before sharing.
Are Data Protection Laws Keeping Up?
OpenAI and Meta need to provide these kinds of opt-outs due to data protection laws, such as GDPR in the EU and the UK. GDPR gives you the right to access or delete your data, and the use of biometric data requires your explicit consent. However, your photo only becomes biometric data when it is processed using a specific technical measure that allows for the unique identification of an individual.
But just because ChatGPT is not using this technology, doesn’t mean that ChatGPT can’t learn a lot about you from your images.
AI and Ethics Concerns
But you might wonder, “Isn’t it a good thing that AI is being trained using a diverse range of photos?” After all, there have been widespread reports in the past of AI struggling to recognize black faces because they have been trained mostly on white faces. Similarly, there have been reports of bias within AI due to the information it receives. Doesn’t sharing from a wide range of users help combat that? Yes, but there is so much more that could be done with that data without your knowledge or consent.
One of the biggest risks is that the data can be manipulated for marketing purposes, not just to get you to buy products, but also potentially to manipulate behavior. Take, for instance, the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which saw AI used to manipulate voters and the proliferation of deepfakes sharing false news.
Vazdar believes that AI should be used to promote human freedom and autonomy, not threaten it. It should be something that benefits humanity in the broadest possible sense, and not just those with the power to develop and profit from AI.
Responsible Artificial Intelligence
OPIT’s Master’s in Responsible AI combines technical expertise with a focus on the ethical implications of AI, diving into questions such as this one. Focusing on real-world applications, the course considers sustainable AI, environmental impact, ethical considerations, and social responsibility.
Completed over three or four 13-week terms, it starts with a foundation in technical artificial intelligence and then moves on to advanced AI applications. Students finish with a Capstone project, which sees them apply what they have learned to real-world problems.
-
Go to all authors
Related posts
Source:
- Agenda Digitale, published on June 16th, 2025
By Lokesh Vij, Professor of Cloud Computing Infrastructure, Cloud Development, Cloud Computing Automation and Ops and Cloud Data Stacks at OPIT – Open Institute of Technology
NIST identifies five key characteristics of cloud computing: on-demand self-service, network access, resource pooling, elasticity, and metered service. These pillars explain the success of the global cloud market of 912 billion in 2025
Read the full article below (in Italian):
You’ve probably seen two of the most recent popular social media trends. The first is creating and posting your personalized action figure version of yourself, complete with personalized accessories, from a yoga mat to your favorite musical instrument. There is also the Studio Ghibli trend, which creates an image of you in the style of a character from one of the animation studio’s popular films.
Both of these are possible thanks to OpenAI’s GPT-4o-powered image generator. But what are you risking when you upload a picture to generate this kind of content? More than you might imagine, according to Tom Vazdar, chair of cybersecurity at the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT), in a recent interview with Wired. Let’s take a closer look at the risks and how this issue ties into the issue of responsible artificial intelligence.
Uploading Your Image
To get a personalized image of yourself back from ChatGPT, you need to upload an actual photo, or potentially multiple images, and tell ChatGPT what you want. But in addition to using your image to generate content for you, OpenAI could also be using your willingly submitted image to help train its AI model. Vazdar, who is also CEO and AI & Cybersecurity Strategist at Riskoria and a board member for the Croatian AI Association, says that this kind of content is “a gold mine for training generative models,” but you have limited power over how that image is integrated into their training strategy.
Plus, you are uploading much more than just an image of yourself. Vazdar reminds us that we are handing over “an entire bundle of metadata.” This includes the EXIF data attached to the image, such as exactly when and where the photo was taken. And your photo may have more content in it than you imagine, with the background – including people, landmarks, and objects – also able to be tied to that time and place.
In addition to this, OpenAI also collects data about the device that you are using to engage with the platform, and, according to Vazdar, “There’s also behavioral data, such as what you typed, what kind of image you asked for, how you interacted with the interface and the frequency of those actions.”
After all that, OpenAI knows a lot about you, and soon, so could their AI model, because it is studying you.
How OpenAI Uses Your Data
OpenAI claims that they did not orchestrate these social media trends simply to get training data for their AI, and that’s almost certainly true. But they also aren’t denying that access to that freely uploaded data is a bonus. As Vazdar points out, “This trend, whether by design or a convenient opportunity, is providing the company with massive volumes of fresh, high-quality facial data from diverse age groups, ethnicities, and geographies.”
OpenAI isn’t the only company using your data to train its AI. Meta recently updated its privacy policy to allow the company to use your personal information on Meta-related services, such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, to train its AI. While it is possible to opt-out, Meta isn’t advertising that fact or making it easy, which means that most users are sharing their data by default.
You can also control what happens with your data when using ChatGPT. Again, while not well publicized, you can use ChatGPT’s self-service tools to access, export, and delete your personal information, and opt out of having your content used to improve OpenAI’s model. Nevertheless, even if you choose these options, it is still worth it to strip data like location and time from images before uploading them and to consider the privacy of any images, including people and objects in the background, before sharing.
Are Data Protection Laws Keeping Up?
OpenAI and Meta need to provide these kinds of opt-outs due to data protection laws, such as GDPR in the EU and the UK. GDPR gives you the right to access or delete your data, and the use of biometric data requires your explicit consent. However, your photo only becomes biometric data when it is processed using a specific technical measure that allows for the unique identification of an individual.
But just because ChatGPT is not using this technology, doesn’t mean that ChatGPT can’t learn a lot about you from your images.
AI and Ethics Concerns
But you might wonder, “Isn’t it a good thing that AI is being trained using a diverse range of photos?” After all, there have been widespread reports in the past of AI struggling to recognize black faces because they have been trained mostly on white faces. Similarly, there have been reports of bias within AI due to the information it receives. Doesn’t sharing from a wide range of users help combat that? Yes, but there is so much more that could be done with that data without your knowledge or consent.
One of the biggest risks is that the data can be manipulated for marketing purposes, not just to get you to buy products, but also potentially to manipulate behavior. Take, for instance, the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which saw AI used to manipulate voters and the proliferation of deepfakes sharing false news.
Vazdar believes that AI should be used to promote human freedom and autonomy, not threaten it. It should be something that benefits humanity in the broadest possible sense, and not just those with the power to develop and profit from AI.
Responsible Artificial Intelligence
OPIT’s Master’s in Responsible AI combines technical expertise with a focus on the ethical implications of AI, diving into questions such as this one. Focusing on real-world applications, the course considers sustainable AI, environmental impact, ethical considerations, and social responsibility.
Completed over three or four 13-week terms, it starts with a foundation in technical artificial intelligence and then moves on to advanced AI applications. Students finish with a Capstone project, which sees them apply what they have learned to real-world problems.
Have questions?
Visit our FAQ page or get in touch with us!
WhatsApp
Write us at +39 335 576 0263
Email
Get in touch at hello@opit.com
Book a meeting
Talk to one of our Study Advisors
We are international
We can speak in:
