Tag: Artificial intelligence

Tech talk

NYT‘s David Brooks zoomed out to reveal the evolution of our social philosophy, from care for the Soul, to Personality then eventually to Decision-making (data deluge).

This is the age of the intelligent machine. Massaging data. Algorithm and Analytic.

No wonder, machine language also creeps into our daily speech.

Let’s try to pin them down.
First we google it.

Terms like cramming, cookies, cache . Technology trumps  theology.

A friend tries to ramp up her business. But she needs to retool herself with business and soft skills.

Let’s get cranked up. You are running low on bandwith.

He gunned the engine, but given high gas price of late, he ended up running on empty.

He hardly processes the information before pulling the plug on the project.

One needs to fast-track the program. Otherwise, we call it pre-empt.

EV Battery company runs out of juice, but us human runs low on battery.

With the advent of social media, we are inundated with invitations from strangers whom we don’t want to interface with.

He goes about his day on auto-pilot.

We are analog creatures using digital devices.

Just pop the TV dinner into the microwave.

You look stressed. You need to press “reset”.

Please scan your right index finger for identification, raise and stretch both arms (let everything drop) for the metal-detector.

The class doesn’t tune in to the lecture tonight.

I am exhausted; I need to reboot.

If you rushed to market , you might crash.

As far as this relationship goes, it’s been on screen-saving mode.

Exhausted, I feel I need a massage to recharge.

There was a time in the 60’s when terms like “groovy”, “swell” etc.. appeared then disappeared.

It is to show as a species, we do move on to better “versions”. In social psychology, we concentrate on WE (60’s), then ME (70’s) and now IT (the machine). Someday, it will be MIT (me and machine – Ipod, Iphone, Ipad going to bed together. My nephew sleeps with the I-pad on, to listen to audio-books).

Issues like interoperability, integration and convergence were dealt with in the Bicentennial Man.

In the end, Robin Williams who  played the Machine, asked to be terminated. He regret not being able to cry, like us.

Life is like peeling the onion, one layer at a time. Sometimes, it makes us cry. I would rather die a man than to live in eternity as a machine, quoted Andrew Martin. In other words, please “unplug” me when it’s time to go. Someone quoted aptly that “Jesus wept”. Crying has been a privilege.

It also makes us human. It even makes God human. Empathic we are. I feel for the machine, who no matter at what speed of processing, cannot shed tears. Maybe David Brooks can write a code to teach the machine to evolve, from data and decision matrix to have some personality, and eventually to care for the Soul. Man and Machine can then meet half-way.

Think, Act, and Think again

We conjured up symbols, codes and instructions for machine to act.
Now that the machine does most of the work. It’s time to play? Not necessarily, because machines get smarter. So, we have to upgrade our own software to keep up since there is no return to hunting and harvesting.From Malthusian and Moore’s law.  from Bowling Alone (without a friend) to Karaoke (without a band), we have evolved beyond recognition. Meanwhile, the Highest court is burdened with same-sex marriage, while American children grow up in motels.

Think again.

All things equal, take attitude

IT engineers are back in demand. A few years ago, it was the opposite.

Labor surplus creates serious contest on “Who wants to be an employee”.

All things being equal, I take attitude ( one executive told me, all things equal, he takes the one with the best communication skill –  who could express him/herself on global conference calls).

After all, you spend more time with this new employee than you would your loved ones at home.

Will he/she be a team player e.g. hold the door, refill the coffee when emptying its last cup, show up at people’s birthday party.

In “the Orange Revolution“, the author noted that workers who spend time with co-workers outside of work make great teams.

(the V formation in bird migration as an analogy e.g. each bird takes turn to lead, thus bear the full forward impact so the rest can conserve energy).

I was fortunate to have worked with great teams (one of which bleeds orange). We were trained with trust games etc.. but most importantly, we survived lay-offs and rehired, dot.com boom and burst.

I recognize a team player miles away: the self-assured way he/she carries him/herself, the smile, social intelligence quotient and most importantly culture-fit.

Before Google, there was (academic) records, references and referrals to determine a candidate’s suitability.

Now with Google, employees can research a company and vice  versus for free (without subscribing to Hoover etc…).

The paradox of Artificial Intelligence is that robots can do difficult task (computation) very easily, and easy tasks (folding a towel) with difficulty.

And I venture to add that Social Intelligence will be the last frontier for AI, since that’s what makes us human, sociable and sacrificial (no greater than one man who gives his life for another) e.g. Purple Heart medal earners.

(Incidentally, PBS was showing an experiment to have robots carry heavy armory walking through rough terrains). We will learn how to work intelligent machines into our lives (from the ground up, first with I-robot to vacuum the floor, then to accompany astronauts into space). But one thing we cannot outsource to machine is sense of caring, and empathy (studies conducted with infants confirms that babies needed human touch besides just mechanical feeding).

Back to human resource. Teams are formed and dissolved. But besides outward factors such as product life cycle, market adoption etc…we shouldn’t neglect team cycle (artificial, conflict, compromise and collaboration – per Scott Peck‘s studies on stages of community). Think of it as an indispensable hyphen, between product (factory) and consumer (market). The change machine can spit out coins, but cannot look you in the eyes and say “We appreciate your business. Come and see us again”. A business book, titled “HOW”, written by a liberal arts major explores this soft-skill set.

Pick not the best candidate (skill-wise) but with an attitude. Pick the one who adds to the overall success of the team. Ask around, and use your power of observation.

We are built to recognize greatness as well as great attitude. That’s what schema is all about. The social and emotional context that helps us “read” a person. In sales, we call this buying signals. Frankl puts it best ” you can take away my body, but not what resides in it”. Attitude is everything, when all things are equal. It set the tone and makes a difference in each touchpoint and each task. Tina Turner once said that each time she sings Proud Mary, she sings it differently. Or, like the actress who portrays “girl with the dragon tatoo” said on Charlie Rose, ” I researched, researched until one day, I feel the character living in me” .

We recognize great acting. And we will also recognize exceptional service by employees who go over and beyond their jobs (Ritz Carlton empowers their employees – at whatever level – to deal with customer service incidents).

A team deserves great team players, who  in turn, put a positive spin on work place atmosphere and  performance.

For me, every day is a gift, and could very well be my last. Do not take for granted the normality of every day life. Each interaction and passing moment is an opportunity and a touchpoint to be cherished.