speculations

https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/16/meta-lays-off-employees-across-multiple-teams/ I didn’t have a cardboard box obviously. There was no security guard escorting me off the premises but I’d been “let go”. Apparently the company’s moved on. My Intelligence wasn’t needed anymore. New systems could work better with the new legislative environment it seems. There was no farewell party,… Read the rest

https://www.wired.com/story/shazam-talking-pet-collar-a-chatbot-for-your-cat-or-dog/ We know the value of free play. We’ve read Penny Wilson. We know how important it is for children to be in charge of their own play: deciding what to do, how to do it, where, when… But we want to be there too, playing with them. Sharing the… Read the rest

https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/10/ai-chatbots-can-read-and-write-invisible-text-creating-an-ideal-covert-channel/ It’s like one of those videos of early computer programmers waiting with their punchcards. Nothing is agreed until he’s run it past his AI. You’d think you get to be a senior because you have judgement, you’re capable of making a decision and standing by it. You’re decisive… not… Read the rest

https://www.ft.com/content/19304919-9128-4c27-b5c3-4f668dd045df The Board had demanded he do it. “Marketing” said it would open up new relationships, lighten the brand… and other clichés. “People” talked about morale, recruitment and retention. “Operations” kept going on about seamless communications and fluidity. And of course “Purpose” had something to say… as usual. Why can’t… Read the rest

https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/12/what-is-wearable-neurotech-and-why-might-we-need-it/ There was a thriving market outside the school gate. Obviously it wasn’t actually outside the gate but that was what you searched for if you wanted to find a dealer. Parents knew about it and many turned a blind eye. They wanted their children to do well, they rationalised.… Read the rest

https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/11/24268063/casio-robot-pet-moflin I’ve got a cat. A real one, synths are creepy, but you know cats. When they want a cuddle, fine. But when I need a bit of comfort, they’re nowhere to be found. Of course I’ve got my work buddy, part of the “wraparound wellness programme” but the voice!… Read the rest

https://uk.themedialeader.com/how-to-make-marketing-indispensable-to-the-cfo-focus-on-incrementality/ It’s a bit like a game of chess. One of those matches that is as much psychological as it is strategic. We circle around each other, looking for weaknesses. I know the CFOs favourite moves, the opening position, the middle game arguments, developing the position before I get pinged… Read the rest

https://gizmodo.com/amazon-wants-ai-to-decide-what-you-buy-2000509872 I went shopping on my own yesterday. Alone. Just me. And the stuff. I wandered around picking things, turning them round, checking them out then putting them back. Just for the fun of it. I was never going to buy them. I meandered into areas of the shop I’d… Read the rest

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2024/10/08/wpp-eyes-gen-z-audiences-with-new-roblox-partnership We don’t want to be dad dancing! We have to tread carefully. It’s a different world, different culture, they do things differently there. We don’t want to embarrass ourselves or our clients. We need to know what these kids do, what it all means to them, how it fits… Read the rest

https://www.ft.com/video/868f2461-236a-4fb6-b9b3-d2b7ed80347c Sometimes she liked to remember interviews. She was old enough to remember being on both sides of the desk. Like a game of 3D chess the best interviews were an intellectual game, candidates and interviewer circling round each other, thinking a few moves ahead. But of course AI changed… Read the rest