Prioritising your phone over your partner affects women’s creativity at work

Prioritising your phone over your partner affects women’s creativity at work

Focusing attention on your mobile phone instead of your partner doesn’t just strain your relationship - it also affects creativity at work, according to researchersFocusing attention on your mobile phone instead of your partner doesn’t just strain your relationship – it also affects creativity at work, according to researchers from the Universities of Bath, Aston, and IESE Business School. The study claims to shed light on the negative effects of ‘phubbing’, the idea of snubbing someone in favour of your phone, which is known for its detrimental impact on relationships and mental wellbeing. Now the study of working couples in the US points to repercussions in the workplace as well, but only for female partners. More →

AI turns out to be an effective administrator for academics

AI turns out to be an effective administrator for academics

Researchers Maximilian Koehler, PhD candidate at ESMT, and Henry Sauermann, professor of strategy at ESMT, explore the role of AI, not as a “worker” performing specific research tasks such as data collection and analysis, but as a “manager” of human workers performing such tasks. Algorithmic management (AM) suggests a significant shift in the way research projects are conducted and can enable projects to operate at larger scale and efficiency. The study Algorithmic Management in Scientific Research is published in the journal Research Policy. More →

Virtual meetings can boost wellbeing and performance

Virtual meetings can boost wellbeing and performance

Virtual meetings – often derided as impersonal and prone to technical glitches – can improve employee wellbeing and performanceVirtual meetings – often derided as impersonal and prone to technical glitches – can improve employee wellbeing and performance, a new study led by a Trinity Business School researcher has found. The research, conducted alongside Karin S. Moser (UniDistance Suisse, University of Queensland), Stefan Diestel (University of Wuppertal) and Isaac Alshaikh (South East Technological University Waterford), conducted during the ongoing shift to hybrid work environments and just published in the Journal of Vocational Behavior, concludes that virtual meetings, a staple of the COVID-19 pandemic, are not just a necessity but can also be beneficial. More →

Policy response will determine if opportunities of AI in the workplace outweigh the risks

Policy response will determine if opportunities of AI in the workplace outweigh the risks

A new OECD report Using AI in the Workplace sets out to sheds light on the multifaceted impact of AI adoption, emphasising both its benefits and potential risksA new OECD report Using AI in the Workplace sets out to sheds light on the multifaceted impact of AI adoption, emphasising both its benefits and potential risks. According to the report, AI can bring significant benefits to the workplace. In the OECD AI surveys of employers and workers, four in five workers say that AI improved their performance at work and three in five say that it increased their enjoyment of work. But the benefits of AI depend on addressing the associated risks. Taking the effect of AI into account, occupations at highest risk of automation account for about 27 percent of employment in OECD countries. More →

US and UK sign agreement on AI safety

US and UK sign agreement on AI safety

In a landmark agreement, the United States and the United Kingdom have pledged to collaborate on testing advanced AI safetyIn a landmark agreement, the United States and the United Kingdom have pledged to collaborate on testing advanced artificial intelligence (AI). This is the first-ever bilateral deal of its kind focused on AI safety. This agreement builds on commitments made at the AI Safety Summit last year, where both countries established AI Safety Institutes. These institutes will work together to develop robust methods for evaluating the safety of AI tools and systems. More →

FAANGs for the memories: how tech palaces lost their lustre

FAANGs for the memories: how tech palaces lost their lustre

With the downfall of wunderkind Sam Bankman-Fried and the demise of his Bahamas HQ, does this mean that instead of being heralded as inspiration, tech palaces have instead become dated and toothlessI was alerted by the great Jack Pringle during a presentation course he was giving to an unforgettable YouTube clip of Steve Jobs speaking to the local council as part of a planning application for his Apple Park in California, one of the great tech palaces that sprang up in the wake of the digital revolution. Jobs, in familiar black polo neck jumper and wire-rimmed spectacles, took the officials of Cupertino City Council on a journey of opportunity, awe and inspiration. More →

Up to 8 million UK jobs already at risk from AI without intervention

Up to 8 million UK jobs already at risk from AI without intervention

An analysis of the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on the UK labour market uncovers a ‘distinct sliding doors moment’, with possibilities for huge job disruption in future or significant GDP gains, depending on government policy. The report from think tank the IPPR claims to identify two key stages of generative AI adoption: the first wave, which is here and now, and a second wave in which companies will integrate existing AI technologies further and more deeply into their processes. More →

Republic of Korea to join Horizon Europe programme

Republic of Korea to join Horizon Europe programme

Korea will join the growing group of countries associated to Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programmeKorea will join the growing group of countries associated with Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programme. Horizon Europe is the biggest EU research and innovation programme ever with a budget of €95.5 billion for the period 2021-27, complemented by the financial contributions from associated countries. It is open to the world, which means that participants from all over the world can participate in nearly all calls. Entities from associated countries have additional opportunities in collaborative projects and are treated on par with the entities of EU Member States regarding the access to funds. More →

AI will leave a lot of people with nowhere to go in the job market

AI will leave a lot of people with nowhere to go in the job market

Non-graduates, 'silver surfers' and those in lower socio-economic brackets will be left behind as AI creates a 'skills glass ceiling'Non-graduates, ‘silver surfers’ and those in lower socio-economic brackets will be left behind as the rise of AI creates a ‘skills glass ceiling’. That’s according to the latest Robert Half Jobs Confidence Index (JCI) – an economic confidence tracker produced in partnership with the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr). The latest iteration of the Robert Half JCI revealed that almost half (45 percent) of the UK workforce is concerned that AI will disrupt their career in the next six to ten years. More →

AI is already transforming the legal sector, but challenges remain

AI is already transforming the legal sector, but challenges remain

As AI technologies continue to gain traction, just about every sector you can think of is going to face huge changes in the coming years – and that’s especially the case in the legal industry. From the rise of large language models (LLMs) to the integration of AI into existing software, this cutting-edge technology is already uprooting the way we work now, and it’s making us think deeply about what work will look like in the future. More →

Remote work leads to more people suffering from ‘phone anxiety’

Remote work leads to more people suffering from ‘phone anxiety’

A new poll suggests that four in 10 employees have experienced an increase in feelings of 'phone anxiety' as a result of remote workA new poll conducted by telephone answering provider, Face For Business, suggests that four in 10 employees have experienced an increase in feelings of ‘phone anxiety’ as a result of remote work. The survey also claims that those aged 18-34 bear the brunt of this heightened anxiety. The report claims that the driver of this surge in anxiety is alack of immediate support available to remote workers, which 12 percent of respondents cited as their primary concern when fielding calls from home. The authors suggest that the absence of colleagues just a desk away exacerbates feelings of isolation and uncertainty, leaving employees feeling adrift in the sea of incoming calls. More →

People are simply ignoring bans on AI use at work

People are simply ignoring bans on AI use at work

Employees say they are ignoring AI bans because it makes them more productive and better at their jobsOlder readers may remember a phenomenon called Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) which marked the point at which employers gave up worrying about people using their own phones at work and instead made it look like it was their idea anyway. A similar arc seems to be happening with AI, as people simply ignore their employers’ attempts to manage its use. A new poll from comms firm Definition suggests that over half of employed UK adults (54 percent) use tools like ChatGPT at work, despite 25 percent of businesses banning or significantly limiting its use. We have no other information on the methodology beyond that it was of 1,000 people. More →