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REVIEWS ABIGAIL MURISON
With 2022 drawing to a close we tend to take stock of what has been and what is to come, so now is a perfect time for stories of progress and inspiration. With increased AI sophistication, companies have more confidence in its use with technology even playing a part in saving our planet.
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By human measure, artificial intelligence (AI) is both incredibly clever and incredibly stupid. It can spot patterns across huge datasets and identify correlations that would take humans years to find, but it can’t tell the difference between the intent in dropping a pencil accidentally and throwing it down deliberately – something a one-year-old understands.
Speaking of Reckon, it is now out of the practice management game, as is Sage. Both sold their assets to the Access Group. Access is selling the old HandiSoft (on premise or hosted) and a cloud-based version built on Salesforce’s Force.com platform. It is selling server-based Access APS (formerly Reckon APS), which now has two online modules under the APS Plus brand as part of its ongoing migration to the cloud. And it still sells Access Elite (formerly Reckon Elite) to smaller firms.
Abigail Murison is a freelance content strategist, editor and writer, who specialises in business, marketing and finance. Her work has appeared on websites and in magazines in the US, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. She has a keen interest in entrepreneurship, human ingenuity and technology, and how they can transform the way we live and work.
Available for members from the CA Library
Radically Human: How New Technology Is Transforming Business and Shaping Our Future
By Paul R Daugherty and H James Wilson (Harvard Business Review Press), ebook and audiobook
Tech companies recognise that challenge, and they’re changing tacks to make AI learn and operate more like humans do.
For example, rather than needing huge amounts of data to work from, new AI systems are being designed to learn like we do – extrapolating from a limited number of experiences and using this basic understanding in new situations. We’re also teaching AI how to interpret facial expressions (for example, to be able to tell if a driver is sleepy, or if a person viewing an ad is interested in a product). And, we’re training AI to better identify relevance (a ‘dress shoes’ search should find you shoes, not dresses) and common sense (it’s better to hit a traffic cone than a pedestrian).
The move from machine learning to machine teaching democratises the use of AI in companies, say authors Paul R Daugherty and H James Wilson and creates a new swathe of high-value jobs. To benefit, organisations need to ensure now that their employees are digitally fluent, so they can both imbue their expertise into AI and come up with new ways to apply the tech within the company.
Understanding that every company today is a technology company, leaders need to reconsider their business strategy. Daugherty puts forward models ranging from Forever Beta (with Tesla as a standout example), to Minimum Viable Idea epitomised by disruptive UK insurer Lemonade, or Co-lab – used by drug discovery company Exscientia.
Radically Human will help you understand how AI fits into company strategy and how best to incorporate the tech at every level.
Costing The Earth is an eye-opening read, made even more compelling because Archambeau is willing to examine every solution with the same critical eye.
All is not lost. Archambeau shares many examples of innovative companies developing or using technology to do remarkable things – from food-sharing apps that allow people to pass on food they aren’t going to eat, to edible food coverings and containers, and soil-health management tools for farmers.
He believes the International Sustainability Standards Board’s new accounting standards will go a long way to making companies – and consumers – aware of the full (double and triple bottom line) cost of products. However, the standards will take many years to be implemented globally. Political, corporate and consumer action is required now, if we want to see change.
Archambeau has a particular interest in how we can transform the agri-food sector. But don’t expect him to champion some of the solutions – lab-grown meat, a vegetarian diet and even reducing plastic – that have captured media attention. He says we need to look at the total cost of every choice and in some cases, the so-called solution is worse than what it’s intended to replace. For example, a veggie burger that is made from Brazilian soybeans has led to the deforestation of the Amazon, widespread pesticide use and poisoning among the local population, and has a big carbon footprint when raw ingredients are sent to the EU for processing and production.
Author Eric Archambeau says we’re still fixated on nature’s profit and loss, while ignoring the balance sheet. As co-founder of Astanor Ventures, Archambeau believes impact investing is our way forward to net zero and the technological leap we need to make to feed an estimated 10 billion people by 2050.
In 2022, Earth Overshoot Day fell on 28 July. That’s the date when humanity exceeded the natural resources the Earth can regenerate in a year. We’re currently using 1.7 times what our planet can provide.
By Eric Archambeau (Whitefox Publishing), ebook
Costing the Earth: How to Fix Finance to Save the Planet
While each newsletter can be read in the time it takes to enjoy a Friday morning coffee, you’ll find yourself coming back to some of the stories again and again.
Each newsletter is an engaging two-minute read and Glazer challenges you to consider how the point he’s making relates to your own life. You might be inspired to draw up a ‘stop doing’ list, consider whether failure should be a firing offence, stop yourself from telling people you’re busy, or let go of the traditional notion of what work–life balance should look like.
Glazer comes across as a good friend or mentor, and many of the stories are personal ones: like his 11-year-old son’s first unaccompanied flight to join him at the Super Bowl, his own first triathlon and the value of a morning routine. Other pieces draw on business presentations, TED Talks and current affairs. Ed Sheeran even makes an appearance.
Glazer’s intention is to encourage people to achieve more in both their personal and business lives by building their spiritual, intellectual, physical and emotional capacity. Consequently, he shares ideas, lists, stories, examples and thought starters related to parenting, team and career management, sporting and business achievements, and more.
Friday Forward is a compilation of 52 of Acceleration Partners founder Robert Glazer’s weekly inspirational newsletters. What started as a team email to 20 or so people in 2015 is now received by 200,000 global subscribers in 60 countries. (And you can sign up for free here).
If you’re stumped for new year’s resolution ideas, this is the read for you!
By Robert Glazer (Simple Truths), ebook and audiobook
Friday Forward: Inspiration & Motivation to End Your Week Stronger Than It Started
A New Way to Think: Your Guide to Superior Management Effectiveness
By Roger L Martin (Harvard Business Review Press), ebook and audiobook
CEO strategy advisor Roger L Martin advises that many executives are on autopilot when it comes to the way they approach problems. He offers strategies to help business leaders break out of their current thinking model and tackle challenges in a more effective and powerful way.
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WATCH
By Megan Reitz
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Run time: 16 mins
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By human measure, artificial intelligence (AI) is both incredibly clever and incredibly stupid. It can spot patterns across huge datasets and identify correlations that would take humans years to find, but it can’t tell the difference between the intent in dropping a pencil accidentally and throwing it down deliberately – something a one-year-old understands.
Tech companies recognise that challenge, and they’re changing tacks to make AI learn and operate more like humans do.
Tech companies recognise that challenge, and they’re changing tacks to make AI learn and operate more like humans do.
Tech companies recognise that challenge, and they’re changing tacks to make AI learn and operate more like humans do.
Tech companies recognise that challenge, and they’re changing tacks to make AI learn and operate more like humans do.
Radically Human: How New Technology Is Transforming Business and Shaping Our Future
By Paul Daugherty and H James Wilson (Harvard Business Review Press), ebook and audiobook
By human measure, artificial intelligence (AI) is both incredibly clever and incredibly stupid. It can spot patterns across huge datasets and identify correlations that would take humans years to find, but it can’t tell the difference between the intent in dropping a pencil accidentally and throwing it down deliberately – something a one-year-old understands.
In 2022, Earth Overshoot Day fell on 28 July. That’s the date when humanity exceeded the natural resources the Earth can regenerate in a year. We’re currently using 1.7 times what our planet can provide.
In 2022, Earth Overshoot Day fell on 28 July. That’s the date when humanity exceeded the natural resources the Earth can regenerate in a year. We’re currently using 1.7 times what our planet can provide.
In 2022, Earth Overshoot Day fell on 28 July. That’s the date when humanity exceeded the natural resources the Earth can regenerate in a year. We’re currently using 1.7 times what our planet can provide.
In 2022, Earth Overshoot Day fell on 28 July. That’s the date when humanity exceeded the natural resources the Earth can regenerate in a year. We’re currently using 1.7 times what our planet can provide.
All is not lost. Archambeau shares many examples of innovative companies developing or using technology to do remarkable things – from food-sharing apps that allow people to pass on food they aren’t going to eat, to edible food coverings and containers, and soil-health management tools for farmers.
Costing the Earth: How to Fix Finance to Save the Planet
By Eric Archambeau (Whitefox Publishing), ebook
Costing The Earth is an eye-opening read, made even more compelling because Archambeau is willing to examine every solution with the same critical eye.
If you’re stumped for new year’s resolution ideas, this is the read for you!
If you’re stumped for new year’s resolution ideas, this is the read for you!
If you’re stumped for new year’s resolution ideas, this is the read for you!
If you’re stumped for new year’s resolution ideas, this is the read for you!
If you’re stumped for new year’s resolution ideas, this is the read for you!
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Acuity Special Edition December/January 2023
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Acuity Special Edition December/January 2023
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Acuity Special Edition December/January 2023
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Acuity Special Edition December/January 2023
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