The European Commission recently announced its proposal for the regulation of artificial intelligence, looking to ban “unacceptable” uses of artificial intelligence. Up until now, the challenges for businesses getting AI ‘wrong’ were bad press, reputation damage, loss of trust and market share, and most importantly for sensitive applications, harm to individuals. But with these new rules, two new consequences are arising: plain interdiction of certain AI systems, and GDPR-like fines. More →

Long working hours led to 745,000 deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease in 2016, a 29 per cent increase since 2000, according to the latest estimates by the World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization published in Environment International today. In what the authors claim is the first global analysis of the loss of life and health associated with working long hours, WHO and ILO estimate that, in 2016, 398 000 people died from stroke and 347,000 from heart disease as a result of having worked at least 55 hours a week. Between 2000 and 2016, the number of deaths from heart disease due to long hours increased by 42 percent, and from stroke by 19 percent. More →

Have you ever had the feeling that some of your colleagues are working only for themselves, and are not true team players? If your answer is yes, then it is possible that you are working with a narcissist. Narcissists have a heightened sense of what they are entitled to and have a constant need for attention and admiration. They are arrogant and see themselves as superior to others. More →

UK employers are the most optimistic about hiring in eight years, according to the latest CIPD/Adecco Labour Market Outlook report. The survey claims that all sectors are experiencing a jobs recovery, alongside an improvement in pay prospects. More →

New research from IPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed) claims almost a quarter of freelancers (24 percent) report their businesses returning to pre-pandemic levels, while nearly a third (29 percent) predict the easing of restrictions will give an added boost to their businesses. A fifth (19 percent) said their businesses had been largely unaffected by the pandemic. More →