Artificial intelligence (AI) is an area of computer science that sees intelligent machines behaving and reacting as humans do. Computers with artificial intelligence perform cognitive functions, such as learning, planning, problem-solving, and speech recognition. While there is a science-fiction fuelled misconception of the world being over-run by human-like robots, the reality of AI is far removed from this Hollywood fantasy. The landscape of the everyday is populated with instances of AI. Examples of AI include Siri, Amazon Echo, and Google Dot—even video games, online banking fraud detection, and purchases prediction from online retailers. As the technology advances, the use of AI within the business world is increasing, with many examples in the health care, retail, manufacturing, and sports industries amongst others. There is no doubt that technology is at the heart of many industries—but it is confined, as technology only does what we tell it to do. Another limitation of AI is that it builds on data input, so any inaccuracies or limitations going into machines affects the quality of the results going out. Lukas Neumann, chief engineer and architect at Invenias with a PhD in Artificial Intelligence and a role as research assistant in AI Visual Geometry at Oxford [...]

What's the Story? At the Mintz Group, the due diligence and investigations firm where I am a partner, we conduct background investigations of executive and board candidates on a global basis. An important part of every background check is verifying a candidate’s bona fides, including past employment, educational degrees, professional licenses, board memberships and other types of affiliations. Whereas these credentials always used to be presented in a traditional résumé or curriculum vitae, we are nowadays just as apt to be given a candidate’s LinkedIn profile as we are a résumé or CV. The widespread use of online profiles, most commonly LinkedIn at least in North America, has some clear advantages. For one, LinkedIn profiles tend to be up to date, and are relatively easy to create and revise, while some résumés are more like time capsules, last updated years if not decades ago. But as professional investigators, we don’t view LinkedIn as a replacement for the stalwart résumé. To the contrary, in some ways they are entirely different things. First, the résumé has traditionally been both a private and a personal document. It was meant to be seen by people with a “need to know,” such as human resource [...]

Developing economies, technologies, and talent “A recent study by Nielsen found more than three quarters (76%) of business leaders expect their business model in five years will differ significantly compared to today; only 48% believe their organization is prepared for the future; 43% are confident they have the systems and processes in place to be able to spot early indicators of change; and 59% acknowledge it will be difficult or extremely difficult to navigate their organization forward through the next five years.“ Regan Leggett, Executive Director, Thought Leadership and Foresight, Southeast Asia, North Asia and Pacific at Neilsen September 3, 2016 A Wide Lens Asia is the world’s largest and most populous continent, and a leading driver of the global economy. Nick Sutcliffe, executive director of The Conference Board for Asia explains “what you have to remember is that the region consists of China, the ten markets in ASEAN, Korea and Japan and Taiwan, then Australia, New Zealand and India and more. So ‘Asia’ consists of about 48 different countries, all at a different level of economic development.” While it is impossible to generalize about so diverse a collection of economies, some truths apply to all. “Look at the world: [...]

What is the Gig economy? With a name appropriated from performance culture where musicians play a limited engagement, or a “gig,” the gig economy describes the expanding labor market comprised of contract workers, freelancers, crowdsourced workers, and others who are hired for limited engagements, as well as platform-based systems—think ride sharing, delivery, and property rentals. Independent work is growing with the internet, and expanding from developed to developing economies as more of the world becomes digitally connected. “The historical notion of an employee is no longer viable, and it is imperative to learn the new rules that govern the overwhelming number of workers joining the gig economy. We knew what drove employees when they were within our four walls, but now we have to learn how to manage them spread across cities, countries, and even the globe.” - Stowe Boyd, “Swift Trust in the Gig Economy”, WorkFutures.com, February 2018 “Where giggers were once responding to market conditions, they are now creating the conditions, disrupting the traditional workforce as we know it.” - Korn Ferry Institute Many workers who engage in the gig economy choose independent work, and others do so out of necessity. Organizations that employ independent workers are finding [...]