August 14, 2024
Firms are betting big on the impact of AI on their business
A new report published by consulting firm Searce claims that organisations across the UK and US are making significant investments in artificial intelligence this year with nearly one in 10 decision-makers in both the UK (8 percent) and US (7 percent) planning to spend over $25 million. The 2024 State of AI report [registration] is based on a poll of 300 C-Suite and senior technology executives – including Chief AI Officers, Chief Data & Analytics Officers, Chief Transformation Officers, and Chief Digital Officers – at organisations with at least $500 million in revenue. The research examines some of the biggest trends, successes, and challenges facing businesses in their artificial intelligence decision-making, strategy, and execution. More →
August 2, 2024
Tech workers and young people will need a major skills upgrade if they are to keep up with AI
The vast majority (92 percent) of ICT roles are expected to undergo big changes as a result of advancements in artificial intelligence and the technology continues to transform the information and communications (ICT) sector according to a new report from tech giants, Cisco, Microsoft and Google. The AI-enabled ICT Workforce Consortium, led by Cisco has published the “Transformational Opportunity of AI on ICT Jobs” report, offering guidance on the areas for of concern for workers to reskill in response to the evolving job landscape. This transformation will impact professionals in 47 ICT roles, including cybersecurity, data science and software development, according to the report. More →
July 30, 2024
Working with AI drives innovation, but business leaders are sceptical
Collaborating with artificial intelligence increases the volume, diversity and detail of new ideas from business leaders according to a new poll from design consultancy IDEO. The survey also suggests that using AI to accelerate innovation rather than efficiency can increase growth by more than a third. In the study 1,000 business leaders answered a brief to design new products and services that could achieve both growth and sustainability objectives. Business leaders who received AI generated questions to help with ideation in response to the brief produced 56 percent more ideas, with a 13 percent increase in the diversity of ideas and a 27 percent increase in the level of detail compared to a control group who were not provided with artificial intelligence prompts. More →
July 30, 2024
Cybersecurity and AI are biggest threats to business, say HR leaders
New research from BT claims there is widespread anxiety among business leaders in the HR sector regarding the pace of technological change. In fact, 96 percent of HR company directors and executives report suffering from ‘bytemares’ – tech-related stress that’s severe enough to disrupt their sleep – with cybersecurity and AI coming up as the main sources of anxiety. With 74 percent of leaders in the sector agreeing that tech transformation is critical to the survival of their business, tackling this tech anxiety could result in a significant contribution to the growth of both the HR sector and the wider economy. More →
July 30, 2024
Businesses planning major investments into Generative AI to increase productivity
A new report from Cognizant and Oxford Economics New Work, New World: Quantifying Global Gen AI Momentum suggests that firms are planning major investments into generative AI technologies to drive increases in productivity, but are still being cautious about their impact. Additionally, 76 percent of businesses say they are looking to leverage the technology to create new revenue streams, while 58 percent are incorporating revenue increases into their business cases. More →
July 25, 2024
Shortage of high-quality data threatens the AI ‘boom’
A number of fundamental issues, including a shortage of high-quality data with which to ‘train’ the technology is threatening the AI ‘boom’, according to a new white paper from the Open Data Institute. The paper Building a better future with data and AI is based on research carried out by the Institute in the first half of 2024. It claims to identify significant weaknesses in the UK’s technological infrastructure that threaten the predicted potential gains – for people, society, and the economy – from the surge of interest in artificial intelligence and its applications. It also outlines the ODI’s recommendations for creating diverse, fair data-centric AI. More →
July 17, 2024
Generative AI is scraping vast amounts of regulated sensitive data from organisations
According to a new study published by Netskope, regulated data (data that organisations have a legal duty to protect) makes up more than a third of the sensitive data being shared with generative AI (genAI) applications—presenting a potential risk to businesses of costly data breaches. The new Netskope Threat Labs research claims to reveal that three-quarters of businesses surveyed now completely block at least one genAI app, which reflects the desire by enterprise technology leaders to limit the risk of sensitive data exfiltration. More →
July 17, 2024
People are cautiously optimistic about the impact of AI and other tech
Employers and staff are optimistic about impact of new technologies, despite uncertainty about safety according to a new British Safety Council survey. The YouGov survey commissioned by British Safety Council among 4018 UK employers and employees claims that both employers and employees are optimistic about the impact new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will have on their workplace – even though decision makers feel more optimistic than staff. More →
July 11, 2024
How AI will transform the way we design and manage the places we work
The integration of Artificial Intelligence into the workplace is not just a technological shift; it’s a fundamental reimagining of how we work, interact, and manage our professional environments. As AI capabilities rapidly evolve, they promise to transform every aspect of workplace design and management, from physical layouts to organizational structures and employee experiences. More →
July 3, 2024
Why AI is not getting the green light for sustainability
We might think of online and digital solutions such as AI as more sustainable and eco-friendly. We have email signatures reminding us to think before hitting print and are encouraged to send e-cards with seasonal greetings to save the trees. Our overall preference to switch to all things online means that we rarely question, or even consider, the environmental impact of our computers. It’s also how the truly enormous impact of AI has, thus far, stayed off our radar. More →
June 26, 2024
People are increasingly comfortable with – and scared of – AI
The sentiments of employees around the world about AI and GenAI are evolving significantly, but cautious optimism endures, with 42 percent reporting confidence about the technologies’ impact on their work, compared to 26 percent at around this time last year. However, anxiety about the technologies is also on the rise, by 5 percentage points, and 49 percent of regular users believe their job may disappear in the next ten years, a view shared by only 24 percent of workers who do not use them. More →
July 17, 2024
Is it fair that AI defines if you deserve a job?
by Paul Anderson-Walsh • AI, Comment, Workplace