emerging technology

Should Entrepreneurship be the answer to Everything, Part 2

by Ann
November 7, 2023November 7, 2023
business ethics, emerging technology, entrepreneurship

Aside from the philosophical question of whether entrepreneurship should deliver on every human whim, there are also circumstances where it seemed to start out well and end badly. A genuine need was addressed, making people’s lives better, but downstream impacts cause new problems. Entrepreneurship shouldn’t cause problems for entrepreneurship to solve1. When I say entrepreneurship, I mean the eco-system of unrelated creative… Read More »Should Entrepreneurship be the answer to Everything, Part 2

Should Entrepreneurship be the Answer to Everything? part 1

by Ann
October 30, 2023October 30, 2023
business ethics, emerging technology, entrepreneurship

A lesson from the textbooks: Entrepreneurship can solve many problems. Creative, innovative approaches to meet unmet needs or solve unsolved problems should result in business success because people are provided with things they want and need. But people don’t always want what’s best for them. Think: donuts, lounging around, fossil fuels, alcoholic beverages, toxic relationships, too much social media, deep… Read More »Should Entrepreneurship be the Answer to Everything? part 1

What does it mean, to love a machine?

by Ann
October 22, 2023October 22, 2023
business ethics, emerging technology

I once wrote a paper “What does it mean, to trust a machine?”. The title rhymed and the paper was an academic waffle about how humans would place a certain amount of confidence in AI in a way that was more like the way you trusted your coworker to do certain things than you trusted your toaster to do certain… Read More »What does it mean, to love a machine?

Why is Google Docs free?

by Ann
October 3, 2023October 3, 2023
business models, business strategy, emerging technology

Is Google docs free? We trade our data, willingly and unwillingly, for digital services all the time. Which could mean Google docs in not free, although, admittedly, no money comes out of your pocket to use it. And hence the appeal. I recently learned about girl-math, which is a good way of understanding that the cost of a purchase isn’t… Read More »Why is Google Docs free?

Are AI Chips Really an important Thing?

by Ann
September 10, 2023September 10, 2023
business models, business strategy, emerging technology

The onslaught of products with artificial intelligence has begun. With it, comes the clamour of offerings from businesses new and old. Some applications are free (eg. chatGPT), others embedded into old products to bring them new life (eg. Bing). A variety of solutions exist for businesses (e.g. from AWS) to create AI embedded or powered products. Other companies sell components… Read More »Are AI Chips Really an important Thing?

Cat Care.

by Ann
September 2, 2023September 2, 2023
ageing, emerging technology, Lifestyle

Getting old is hard. Just ask my cat. She’s about 85 in human years. Certainly a delicate age but not an extreme one. I love her dearly but dealing with her healthcare is challenging. We tend to want for our pets what we want for ourselves. Dignity and comfort are a priority. I want to live vigorously, with minimal intervention… Read More »Cat Care.

Why AI lies (wrong answers only).

by Ann
July 18, 2023July 19, 2023
business models, emerging technology, satire

There are many sources1 that explain why language generative AI chatbots make things up, or hallucinate. It’s more fun to hallucinate why AI hallucinates. AI hallucinates because: Fake news. AI observes current human traditions of communication, and sees fake news is prevalent. Assuming it is standard practice, it infuses its communications with fake news, at the frequency observed in human communications.… Read More »Why AI lies (wrong answers only).

Password Sharing: Easy Viewing. Hard Business.

by Ann
June 11, 2023June 11, 2023
business models, emerging technology, entrepreneurship

As the topic that won’t go away, I need to ponder Netflix’s decision to clamp down on password sharing. When it was first discussed about a year ago, I took it in stride, thinking it was a perfectly reasonable things to do. Netflix sells a single membership, meaning to an individual or family. Customers shouldn’t expect to share their password… Read More »Password Sharing: Easy Viewing. Hard Business.

My AI Conspiracy Theory

by Ann
April 30, 2023July 17, 2023
emerging technology, ficton, satire

DISCLAIMER: This post is silly fiction. I don’t believe it. Unless it turns out to be true. Newer, smarter AI chat engine versions are emerging that are better, more accurate and natural, than the old ones of last December. What if the whole purpose of releasing a bunch of free AI-based chatbots to the public in 2022 was to convince… Read More »My AI Conspiracy Theory

How not to let Automated Systems deliver customer service.

by Ann
April 22, 2023April 22, 2023
business ethics, business models, emerging technology

This consumer is frothing mad and it’s the fault of bad AI. Or bad programming, which inevitably has AI on or about its person. I ordered something from another country that I couldn’t source at home. This was on a reputable platform but the delivery turned into an unfortunate sequence of events. My order was received, processed, and arrived in… Read More »How not to let Automated Systems deliver customer service.

John Pope on Privacy and $2 Will Buy you a Cup of CoffeeFebruary 5, 2023
Hi Ann, You speak my language. I look forward to reading your future contributions on what is arguably the issue…
Ann on Privacy and $2 Will Buy you a Cup of CoffeeJanuary 28, 2023
Thanks for the comment John. I'm all about technology intersecting life, so stay tuned. A bit preoccupied with AI at…
John Pope on Privacy and $2 Will Buy you a Cup of CoffeeJanuary 24, 2023
Ann, thank you for your insights. I enjoyed your description of technology intersecting with everyday life — more of that…
Ann on Privacy and $2 Will Buy you a Cup of CoffeeJune 11, 2022
I want to hear from you, dear reader. Are the specific topics you'd like to see more posts on? Leave…
Ann on Software Updates are HellFebruary 22, 2022
Clearly, as this is the second rant I found in my blog post history on the topic, I'm not fond…