Search Results for: communications

Growth in unified communications and BYOD but concerns remain

by • Knowledge, News, Technology, Workplace

padlock-unlocked-1280x1024A new report from research firm Ovum anticipates rapidly growing  interest in the use of managed unified communications (UC) applications over the next two years. The survey, conducted with Dimension Data, found that over a third of large enterprises will be procuring managed UC services by 2015. The report also suggests that Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)  policies are supported by 60 per cent of American businesses, with a growing number of firms looking to integrate their BYOD policies with their new approach to unified communications. One technology they won’t be looking to integrate is The Cloud which only a fifth claimed they would use for UC applications.

(more…)

Real estate sector showing resilience in spite of global volatility

Real estate sector showing resilience in spite of global volatility

by • News, Property

Improving market fundamentals and a rise in available capital are helping the global real estate sector as a new cycle begins

Improving market fundamentals and a rise in available capital are helping the global real estate sector as a new cycle begins. Inflation and interest rates are becoming more stable. Property values also appear to be recovering from recent lows, and investment activity is returning in the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. However, uncertainty linked to deglobalisation, geopolitical tensions and difficult economic conditions still poses a significant challenge for investors. This is according to the Emerging Trends in Real Estate Global Outlook 2026 report from PwC and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). (more…)

AI will either save work or destroy it. Apparently.

AI will either save work or destroy it. Apparently.

by • AI, Comment

It's too early to know what precise impact AI will have on jobs, writes Jo Sutherland. Fortunately for us, the future is still ours to shapeAs someone who works at the intersection of communications and responsible AI, I spend a lot of time thinking about how emerging technologies are explained, sold, feared, embraced and misunderstood. Nowhere is that more palpable than in conversations about AI and the future of work, where certainty is sometimes projected before it’s earned. Over the past few months alone, taking part in debates at both the Westminster Employment Forum and the University of Cambridge, I’ve been struck by just how wide the spectrum of opinion still is. Depending on who has the floor, AI is framed either as a magical productivity fix or an existential threat to jobs. The reality probably lies somewhere in the middle. (more…)

Employment Rights Act is already putting the brakes on hiring, CIPD warns

Employment Rights Act is already putting the brakes on hiring, CIPD warns

by • News, Workplace

New research from the CIPD suggests the Government’s Employment Rights Act could discourage employers from recruiting permanent staff, add to business costs and increase workplace conflictNew research from the CIPD suggests the Government’s Employment Rights Act could discourage employers from recruiting permanent staff, add to business costs and increase workplace conflict. The findings come from the CIPD’s latest Labour Market Outlook, based on a survey of more than 2,000 UK employers. It reports that overall hiring intentions remain at their lowest level on record outside the first year of the pandemic. (more…)

AI adoption exposes generational divide in management, research finds

AI adoption exposes generational divide in management, research finds

by • AI, News

KEDGE Business School has published new research suggesting that artificial intelligence (AI) is already reshaping management practice, but that a strong generational divide is emergingKEDGE Business School has published new research suggesting that artificial intelligence is already reshaping management practice, but that a strong generational divide is emerging in how leaders use the technology. The findings come from an OpinionWay survey carried out in October 2025 among managers, and point to younger leaders adopting AI at a significantly faster pace than their older counterparts. While AI tools such as ChatGPT are now widely used across the profession, the study suggests that managers under 40 are far more likely to integrate AI into day-to-day leadership decisions, while older managers remain more cautious and selective. (more…)

AI isn’t turning robots into humans, it’s turning humans into robots.

AI isn’t turning robots into humans, it’s turning humans into robots.

by • AI, Comment, Wellbeing

in amongst all the noise, I’m paying less attention to how AI is seemingly becoming more human, and more attention to how we are using AI to become robot-like.In all the conversations, debates and shouting matches about AI that continue to dominate the internet, there is much talk about the insidious danger of anthropomorphising AI. There is something chilling about the deliberate stumbles, inflections and hesitations that are put into AI communications, to try and convince people that they are talking to a sentient being. Explanations of AI deliberately use language such as ‘the model understands’ to make us believe that AI is developing a human level of learning, as that is more appealing than saying ‘the algorithm predictions are expanding’ (and neatly glosses over the increasing error rates and hallucinations). However, in amongst all the noise, I’m paying less attention to how AI is seemingly becoming more human, and more attention to how we are using AI to become robot-like. (more…)

Surface Design Show announces details of speaker’s programme

Surface Design Show announces details of speaker’s programme

by • News, Workplace design

The Surface Design Show has announced the final details of its speaker’s programme for the 2026 edition of the show.The Surface Design Show has announced the final details of its speaker’s programme for the 2026 edition of the show. Featuring a range of topics with some of the most innovative voices in industry, the schedule includes an impressive list of industry names including Michelle Ogundehin, Katie Treggiden, Liz Bell, Tim Gledstone, Giles Miller and Justine Fox.  The main stage is designed by Design Command using acoustic surfaces, soft textures and gentle light, with furniture supplied by Table Place Chairs. The design treats silence not as absence but as an active design language, exploring how materials can shape space while creating a pause for visitors to reflect and feel inspired amid the show. The programme will consist of 21 presentations from over 50 speakers spanning the full breadth of the design industry. (more…)

Most people now use unapproved AI tools despite security and privacy risks

Most people now use unapproved AI tools despite security and privacy risks

by • AI, News

A new poll from Microsoft suggests that most UK employees are now using consumer AI tools at work without approval, raising growing concerns about data privacy and cybersecurityA new poll from Microsoft suggests that most UK employees are now using consumer AI tools at work without approval, raising growing concerns about data privacy and cybersecurity. According to the research, 71 percent of UK workers have used or tried unapproved “Shadow AI” tools for work purposes, with more than half (51 percent) doing so on a weekly basis. These tools are often used for writing reports and presentations, drafting communications, and even handling finance-related tasks. (more…)

Text to video GenAI will help drive energy consumption of OpenAI to same level as India

Text to video GenAI will help drive energy consumption of OpenAI to same level as India

by • AI, Environment, News

A new study has raised concerns about the energy consumption of text-to-video (T2V) models, warning that the technology could become one of the most power-intensive forms of artificial intelligence yet developedA new study has raised concerns about the energy consumption of text-to-video (T2V) models, warning that the technology could become one of the most power-intensive forms of artificial intelligence yet developed. The research coincides with reports from within OpenAI that the firm’s energy consumption will match the current energy use of India within 8 years. The paper, Video Killed the Energy Budget: Characterizing the Latency and Power Regimes of Open Text-to-Video Models, published on the open research platform arXiv, presents a detailed analysis of the power usage of advanced open-source video generation systems. Conducted by researchers Julien Delavande, Régis Pierrard and Sasha Luccioni, the study benchmarks several models and quantifies the way in which video generation consumes energy. (more…)

AI, automation anxiety and the future of work: lessons from Daniel Susskind

AI, automation anxiety and the future of work: lessons from Daniel Susskind

by • AI, Comment, Workplace

Jo Sutherland reports from an enlightening lecture on how automation anxiety and fears about the future of work may not be quite as you thinkWhen I joined the audience at Gresham College for Professor Daniel Susskind’s inaugural lecture on automation anxiety, I expected the familiar line: AI is coming for our jobs. That’s not what I heard. Instead, Susskind, Professor of Business at Gresham, made a surprisingly nuanced argument, explaining that the real story was less about the number of jobs losses, and more about how the very nature of work is shifting. This piece reports on that event (available to watch below) and reflects on what his ideas mean for workplace leaders – and, from my vantage point as a communications professional working with organisations through workplace and digital transformation, how we talk to and engage our colleagues through the change. (more…)

Memories of the Office Age 

Memories of the Office Age 

by • Cities, Features, Working lives

memories of the office ageOriginally published in November 2021. No author uses the built environment like J G Ballard. In his 1975 novel High-Rise, the eponymous structure is both a way of isolating the group of people who live and compete inside it and a metaphor for their personal isolation and inner struggles. Over the course of three months, the building’s services begin to fail. The 2,000 people within, detached from external realities in the 40-storey building, confronted with their true selves and those of their neighbours, descend into selfishness and – ultimately – savagery.  (more…)

Calls for standardised product assessments address growing concerns about greenwashing

Calls for standardised product assessments address growing concerns about greenwashing

by • Environment, Facilities management, News

Built Environment Sector Calls for Standardised Product Assessments Amid Growing Concern Over GreenwashingA new industry-wide study has revealed widespread support for the introduction of mandatory Lifecycle Assessments (LCAs) on products used in the UK’s built environment to address widespread concerns about greenwashing. The findings, published in the report Greenhushing: Silence is Costing Credibility, show that 86 percent of professionals surveyed believe that LCAs are essential to reduce confusion and rebuild trust in environmental claims. Produced by Futurebuild in collaboration with The Anti-Greenwash Charter, The Carbon Literacy Project and communications agency Hattrick, the report draws on responses from over 3,000 people, including nearly 300 professionals in the built environment. It provides insight into the sector’s growing demand for standardisation and transparency in sustainability communications. (more…)

< 1 2 3 4 5 >»