Page 3,730«..1020..3,7293,7303,7313,732..3,7403,750..»

The Chinese Art of Working in Pajamas – capitalwatch.com – via – CapitalWatch

March 30, 2020 | Author: admin

Author: Chiu-Ti Jansen

Do you have a fantasy of working in your PJs not only when you are sick? I do.

If you have loaded up shares of Zoom Video Communications (Nasdaq: ZM) while dancing to the tune of "I Will Survive" in your living room, congrats! Zoom, a marquee remote conferencing service provider trading on Nasdaq, has seen its shares more than doubled year-to-date.

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams told "Good Morning America" on March 27 that some parts of the country could remain coronavirus combat zones come, "Easter, Memorial Day, or [even] Labor Day." This is bad news for America, but good news for Zoom Video.

Yet analysts are divided as to whether Zoom's PE ratio, by reference to its most recent earnings per share, at a whacking 1,794.38 as of March 27, can sustain itself post-COVID-19. Zoom trades at a multiple of 32 X projected revenues expected for the next fiscal year, while the average multiple for SaaS (software as a service) company trades at a multiple of 8.2 X revenues.

Still, whether remote work will become the norm in the future remains an open question. China was two months ahead of the U.S. in its first massive, socially coordinated work-from-home experiment, necessitated by the COVID-19 outbreak. As Chinese society returns to work, do those virtual office hot stocks remain darlings among investors?

300 Million Chinese in Virtual Offices

Ai Media Consulting's data show that in the first week following the Wuhan lockdown, more than 18 million companies and 300 million people connected through remote office software. Three out of five most downloaded apps in Apple Store pertained to cloud-based office applications.

Chinese stock analyst Shen Xinfeng thinks for the long run the Chinese population that needs access to remote work products should stay around 200-300 million, but not many more.

Zoom has become inaccessible in China starting last September, unless through a localized version offered by Zoom's Chinese partner Huawan Telecom. Most of my friends in China use the applications offered by tech giants Alibaba, Tencent and ByteDance.

There are also sector-focused players that benefited from the upticks of teleworking from home. It is worth-noting that the top Chinese remote office suites are already internationally forward-looking before the coronavirus outbreak.As the pandemic continues to circle the globe, we should expect these Chinese players to tap onto overseas demands and extend their reach globally.

Tencent's VooV

Tencent launched VooV, an international version of Tencent Meeting, in more than 100 countries and regions on March 20.Armed with a beauty filter that would give you a wide-eyed look with pointy chins and porcelain skin, VooV is essential to keeping up your faade (sans face masks) while being sequestered at home.

But critics have pointed out VooV's lack of many functions to facilitate real-time work collaboration. And unlike Zoom, VooV does not offer you a selection of virtual backgrounds, which I guess means you have to tidy up your handouts and change out of your pajamas before you go on air. Judging from Walmart's increased sale of office tops but not bottoms, the trick seems to be dressing for work above the torse while (hopefully) wearing the unseen pajama pants.

But VooV has an advantage over its competitors in that it's embedded in Tencent's ecosystem of apps, including ubiquitous messaging app WeChat that boasts over 1.15 billion monthly active users as of the end of Q3 2019. Users can access its service via existing WeChat accounts without additional registration requirement while enjoying a broad range of file-sharing functions.

Alibaba's DingTalk

During the COVID-19 outbreak, Alibaba's DingTalk (Dingding in Mandarin) consistently ranked No. 1 among all apps.The app has been downloaded more than 1 billion times.Used by more than 5 million companies globally, the app also enables online training and education.

Often compared with its Western counterpart Slack in offering group communications, voice and video calls and file-sharing, DingTalk also includes a contingent of monitoring features that privacy advocates find intrusive.

Reviewers of DingTalk prize its comprehensive features, user-friendliness, strong cloud storage function, feature enabling transferring money or "tipping" through a "red envelop", and a video airbrush filter.

ByteDance's Lark

ByteDance, the world's most-valued unicorn that also owns super app TikTok, launched its enterprise messaging and productivity app Lark in overseas market in April 2019.Lark's Chinese version, named Feishu (Flying Book), has risen in popularity in the wake of the nation-wide lockdown.

On February 24, Feishu announced that it would be open to all enterprises and organizations in the country free of charge, regardless of size and duration, and all users can use all-suite functions.

Available on macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android, Lark is an office collaboration suite with built-in functionality that includes text and voice communications, and creative capabilities such as documents, creating charts and mapping thought process. In addition, Lark can conduct audio and video conferences, with calendar and open platform features.

Critics have lauded Lark's strong cloud storage capability, built-in translation function, and voice-to-text conversion. Lark also uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) to provide infrastructure services. With a support team based in the Bay Area, Lark is expected to make aggressive moves in North America.

Other Niche Players

A Chinese online commentator proposed that Zoom, founded in the U.S. by Chinese immigrant Eric Yuan, should merge with BizConf Video, to "streamline the worlds of China and overseas cloud office video conferencing platforms."According to BizConf's own website, it was established in 2006 to provide companies with cloud-based video conferences, audio conferences, and webcasts. 70% of Fortune Global 500 companies with a presence in China use its cloud conference platform for their daily work and communications.

Shenzhen Stock Exchange-listed BizConf (ticker no. 300578) saw its stock price shot up 222% from January 1(25.79)to March 3 (82.98).The stock closed at48.55 on March 27, 41% from its one-year high, still turning in an impressive 88% YTD return.

Forperspective, the Shenzhen Stock Exchange Index closed at 10109.91 on March 27, reflecting a 3% YTD return.Despite the virus, the Index reached its one-year high at 11,772.38 on February 24.On a 12-month basis, the Index hit its lowest point at 8,584.94 on June 6, 2019, reflecting concerns over the U.S.-China trade disputes at the time.

Xiamen-based Yealink, a unified communication solution provider, provides enterprise communication terminal equipment for global companies through outsourced processing.Yealink'sstock(ticker no. 300628)price rose36% from January 1(72.41)to March2(112.48).But the stock closed at84.7 on March 27, 24% from its one-year high, yielding a 17% YTD return.

Comix Group's cloud video conferencing platform Fastmeeting, another leading video conferencing brand that leverages its technology beyond corporate meetings. In addition to video conferencing, it also provides online meetings, remote training, online education, telehealth, remote interview, and emergency guidance services.

Comix Group (ticker no. 002301) went up 36% from January 1 (12.16) to February 26 (18.89).But the stock closed at14.31 on March 27, 24% from its one-year high, resulting in an 18% YTD return.

Kingsoft's WPS: China's Answer to Microsoft

The work-from-home trend also benefits online office and cloud service providers. According to Master Cicada's data tracking the number of downloads, among the free iOS applications Kingsoft's Office WPS' ranking rose from 112th to the 10th during the period from January 22 to February 11. Measured by efficiency, its ranking rose from 4th to 1st.

Another study by Qimai shows that the iOS version of the WPS Office app was downloaded 193,900 times on February 12, 2020, a significant increase from 50,700 times on January 25, 2020.

Kingsoft has been in business for 32 years and it seems to finally see the end of the tunnel with the changing work environment. Kingsoft has been trying to use handset devices as its entry point to crack Microsoft's dominance.As of March 2019, the number of monthly active users of Kingsoft Office's main products exceeded 328 million, the total number of registered WPS users reached 280 million, accounting for 42.75% of the domestic office software market.

A strategic alliance with Alibaba's Taobao and TMall platforms, inked during 2016-18, has given Kingsoft a leg-up.Now with the sweeping adaptation of DingTalk after the outbreak, the bundled documentation service provided by Kingsoft WPS is enjoying its moment.

Kingsoft (ticker no. 688111) debuted on China'sSTAR (short for "science andtechnologyinnovation board") Market at theShanghaiStockExchange on November 18, 2019, at126.35 per share, which reached its all-time high on March 3 at270. The stock closed at245.8 on March 27, showing a 50% YTD return.

Top Tech Giants Still Dominate

While some nimble competitors have thrived with the overall market trend, tech giants still dominate the remote working space, presumably owing to their ability to leverage their wide user base from their other platforms. According to a recent study that ranks top nine Chinese remote work applications, DingTalk takes the top spot for user connectivity (based on the number of free users for any given setting), while VooV andEnterprise tie for second.

VooV ranks No. 1 in user-friendliness and ease of sharing documents. It also takes home the top spot in the all-around ranking.

However,Alibaba, Tencent, and Bytedance, with their existing international foothold, will be in a better position to capitalize on the epidemic-necessitated work-from-home trend.

Work-from-Home and 996

But the super apps that make working in pajamas easier also come with a cost. For instance, DingTalkis dubbed the "Big Brother of Workplace", offeringclock in/outfunction that simulates a digital "punch card machine".

DingTalk sends out reminders to users minutes before their work hour. By tracking WiFi connections, it keeps tabs on when employees arrive at the virtual office and when they take breaks. While this feature may be helpful in tracking overtime, it could certainly exacerbate any micro-managing corporate culture.

Many Chinese users complain that DingTalk serves employers' interest at the expense of their employees, by making it easy for the bosses to "control, micro-manage, monitor and exploit" their underlings. In fact, DingTalk was able to accelerate its wide adaptation in workplaces precisely because bosses can dictate which office software to use at work.

While DingTalkdoesn't allow managers to trackemployees' real-time locations automatically, the managers can do so if a user enables location services.I wonder whether some employees may opt to do so in an effort to show loyalty and earn points.

In ChineseDing, as a noun or a verb, literally means nail.So the duplicative compound Dingding sounds like hammering a nail. I guess you can imagine yourself in a carpenter's workshop sawing wood and nailing away.Except now you are 996, a bombastic term that shot to fame last year as it refers to the grueling work culture in China's high tech worldworking from 9 A.M to 9 P.M. and for 6 days.

Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, said it's an honor to work 996 before he corrected himself after a massive international outcry.Of course, bosses (a.k.a.slave-drivers) love 996, especially if they don't have to pay overtime. If remote work is here to stay, with more surveillance functions empowered by these super apps, we may be compelled to work 996 or even more, albeit in our fancy pajamas.

But for now the fans of DingTalk and VooV are just happy to keep their jobs.

Follow this link:
The Chinese Art of Working in Pajamas - capitalwatch.com - via - CapitalWatch

Read More..
Posted in Cloud Storage | Leave a Comment

Google Says Its Network Not Stressed By Coronavirus Crisis – CRN: Technology news for channel partners and solution providers

March 30, 2020 | Author: admin

Googles top engineer says the network that supports its enterprise cloud, as well as its many massive consumer services, is in good shape to handle the sustained surge in traffic brought on by the coronavirus crisis.

In a blog posted Thursday, the same day Google saw a cloud outage, Google senior vice president of engineering Urs Hlzle said the internet giant has implemented plans to stay well-ahead of rising demand from people confined to their homes and virtualizing their professional and social lives.

As the coronavirus pandemic spreads and more people move to working or learning from home, its natural to wonder whether the Google network can handle the load, Hlzle said. The short answer is yes.

[Related: Google Urges North American Staff To Work From Home To Reduce Coronavirus Risk]

That blog post coincided with an outage affecting Google customers across the Eastern Seaboard. Hlzle, in a separate tweet that day, said the incident was not related to increased usage because of the crisis, but instead caused by a router failure in Atlanta.

Just to make sure: this wasn't related to traffic levels or any kind of overload, our network is not stressed by Covid-19, he tweeted on Thursday.

The network supporting Google Cloud, as well as YouTube, Search, Maps and Gmail, was designed to meet large surges in demand, he explained.

The same systems we built to handle peaks like the Cyber Monday online shopping surge, or to stream the World Cup finals, support increased traffic as people turn to Google to find news, connect with others, and get work done during this pandemic, Hlzle said.

While were seeing more usage for products like Hangouts Meet, and different usage patterns in products like YouTube, peak traffic levels are well within our ability to handle the load, he added.

Google operates a network that connects all its data centers with high capacity fiberoptic cables that stretch the world across land and sea, Hlzle said.

That dedicated network handles all cloud traffic until it is handed off for the last mile to more than 3,000 local ISPs, limiting the burden on those regional operators with networks that have different levels of reserve capacity.

Google is working with governments and network operators internationally to minimize stress on the system, he said. An example is the recent decision to default videos on YouTube to standard definitiona lower resolution that reduces traffic.

Google recognizes the importance of its services in the crisis, its top engineer said, and will continue to add capacity to stay ahead of demand.

Our dedicated global network deployment and operations team is increasing capacity wherever needed, and, in the event of a disruption, recovers service as quickly as possible, he said.

Also on Thursday, Googles Vice President for Customer Experience, John Jester, sent a letter to customers explaining Googles continuity planning and reassuring them of the clouds resilience.

Google has long conducted disaster recovery testing, he said, to evaluate the resilience of its infrastructure and processes. Those drills have enabled Google to flag potential problems before they occur and recover from disruptions as quickly as possible.

Googles site reliability engineers are in constant communication with our leadership team and actively monitoring global and local conditions, Jester said.

Because Google runs its Google Cloud Platform and G Suite services on proprietary compute and storage hardware, it can forecast capacity months in advance, and always be sure it will meet future demand.

Were monitoring capacity closely and do not foresee shortfalls at this time, Jester assured enterprise customers.

Google also maintains considerable reserve capacity in its own network and at hundreds of points of presence and thousands of edge location, he said.

The performance of our infrastructure remains as high as it was before the pandemicthe result of years of preparation, Jester said.

More:
Google Says Its Network Not Stressed By Coronavirus Crisis - CRN: Technology news for channel partners and solution providers

Read More..
Posted in Cloud Storage | Leave a Comment

The Stimulus Package Comes With $350 Billion in Loans for Small Businesses. Here’s When They’re Available – Inc.

March 30, 2020 | Author: admin

With President Donald Trump having signed an unprecedented $2 trillion economic stimulus package aimed at supporting U.S. businesses and individuals, you're probably wondering what it all means for you as a small-business owner.

Businesses with fewer than 500 employeesmayqualify for loans thatmake up$350 billionof the overallrelief package. Additionally, businesses with more than 500 employees--usually considered the upper threshold for the small-business distinction--are eligible for the loans if they operate in the food or accommodations industries or are nonprofits or veterans' organizations. Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, shared the detailsof what's being called the Paycheck Protection Programwith Inc. editor-at-large Kimberly Weisul at the National Small Business Town Hall, a live webinarhosted Fridayby Inc. and the Chamber.

Bradley said he believed business owners can expect the loans to be available within two weeks. Asked if he thought one week was possible, he replied: "I would bet that if we were doing this call next week, we would be talking to folks who have already applied for the loans and were in the process of receiving it."

The maximum value of a company's loan is based on that company'saverage monthly payroll cost in 2019--including wages for employees making under $100,000, as well as expenses for paid sick leave, health care, and other benefits--multiplied by 2.5. That equals 10 weeks of payroll expenses. The maximum loan sizeavailableis $10 million.

Bradley pointed out that the program has some important distinctions when compared with traditional government loans. Businesses won't need to try to get a loan elsewhere first and won't need to provide a personal guarantee or collateral. Bradley advised that small businesses begin calculating their average monthly payroll costs from 2019 now so they can expedite processes once they go to their lender.

Importantly, the small-business loans can be converted into forgivable grants so long as the company doesn't lay off employees. Payroll costs for laid-off employees won't be forgiven. For each employee who makes less than $100,000, companies can reduce their wages by up to 25 percent before the amount of loan forgiveness begins to decrease.

Panelist Marilyn Landis, CEO of CFO services company Basic Business Concepts, added that companies should visitSBA.govto ensure that they're eligible for particular loans before they go through the process of applying. She also pointed out that the package contains aid for expenses beyond payroll depending on a business's industry. "Identify what you need, then find a program that appears to address that need," she said. "Then investigate whether there are unique things about that program that apply to you or your industry."

Published on: Mar 27, 2020

Here is the original post:
The Stimulus Package Comes With $350 Billion in Loans for Small Businesses. Here's When They're Available - Inc.

Read More..
Posted in Cloud Storage | Leave a Comment

McDonald’s Made a Menu Change Nobody Could Have Predicted a Year Ago. Every Smart Business Leader Should Pay Attention – Inc.

March 30, 2020 | Author: admin

There's more to it, of course, because if you break down the big change that McDonald's announced this week, there's a smart, 7-point checklist for just about any business trying to weather the current storm.

Here's what McDonald's is doing,and whyany business leader who wants to emerge on the other side of the coronavirus crisis with his or her business intact and growing should pay attention.

Maybe You'd Like a Little Big Mac Instead?

Quick context: It was nearly five years ago that McDonald's started serving breakfast all day, which was something its most loyalcustomers had wanted for a while.

McDonald's got some good press for that decision, but there were complications.

Rather than increasing the total number of people eating at McDonald's,The Wall Street Journal reported, some regular breakfast customers simply started coming in later.

Result: not only less morning traffic at McDonald's, but some afternoon customers were now buying cheaper breakfast items.

Regardless, that's all over. In a national webcast this week to McDonald's restaurant operators, McDonald's announced it will phase out breakfast-all-day, at least temporarily, according to Crain's Chicago Business.For any business facing trying times, here's what to take away from thatthat decision:

1. Simplify your production

This is the most obvious rationale behind the decision: as Crain's put it, a chance to "streamline kitchen operations during the outbreak." Doing away with all-day breakfast means increased efficiency at the drive-thru, too, with many states banning sit-down meals during the pandemic.

If you're thinking of ways to streamline your business, are there product offerings that take up more than their share of resources? Those might be the ones to target first.

2. Streamline distribution

Fewer choices should mean a faster customer experience, provided McDonald's is confident that it won't destroy its own sales in the process.

This should be a part of your thought process as well. Can you eliminate some customer decisions without further hurting sales as a result of the pandemic?

3. Maximize margins

As noted above, breakfast items are generally lower-priced than lunch and dinner options, and in many cases bring lower margins with them.

McDonald's could have decided to cut back on some lunch and dinner options. There's a reason why they chose breakfast instead.

4. Reinforce customer habits

This is a forward-thinking consideration. Someday, our current troubles will pass. By streamlining things, keeping as many restaurants open as possible, and retaining as many menu offerings available it can, McDonald's continues to enable its best customers' habits.

This is key for many businesses: The more you can keep serving your clients and customers, even if you have to reduce some of your offerings, the less opportunity you give competitors to intrude on their habits.

5. Get ahead of the competitive landscape adjustment

We're in a time when we'll see a lot of good from other people, and businesses might even reach out to help each other in selfless ways. Butthe brutal truth is that some companies won't survive the current economic troubles.

Scaling back your goods and service offerings, and especially conserving resources when demand might be lighter, can position youto take advantage of the new landscape on the other side of the crisis.

6. Take the opportunity to readjust things that aren't working

Nobody ever says this outright, but I've wondered whether breakfast-all-day was a customer perk McDonald's wished it could take back. It was great marketing, but the analyses I've seen make me wonder if it made good sense in the long run.

If so, the coronavirus outbreak gives McDonald's the opportunity, if not the excuse, to pull back. Ask yourself: Are there things your company does for customers that you really wish you didn't have to? This might be an opportunity to reflect on them and even curtail them.

7. Control the timing

Finally, it's worth pointing out that while McDonald's announced this change to its operators, and at least one of them leaked the decision to Crain's, there's no suggestion I've seen that McDonald's planned to announce this change publicly.

For one thing, McDonald's restaurants will phase out all-day breakfast at different times, depending on what distribution centers they use.

Making decisions like this in your business can do something else important, too.

Right now, it seems like we're all reacting to the outside world. This might give you a chanceto make decisions that control your environment, instead of it controlling you.

Published on: Mar 28, 2020

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

See the original post here:
McDonald's Made a Menu Change Nobody Could Have Predicted a Year Ago. Every Smart Business Leader Should Pay Attention - Inc.

Read More..
Posted in Cloud Storage | Leave a Comment

Artificial Intelligence News: Latest Advancements in AI …

March 30, 2020 | Author: admin

How does Artificial Intelligence work?

Artificial Intelligence is a complex field with many components and methodologies used to achieve the final result an intelligent machine. AI was developed by studying the way the human brain thinks, learns and decides, then applying those biological mechanisms to computers.

As opposed to classical computing, where coders provide the exact inputs, outputs, and logic, artificial intelligence is based on providing a machine the inputs and a desired outcome, letting the machine develop its own path to achieve its set goal. This frequently allows computers to better optimize a situation than humans, such as optimizing supply chain logistics and streamlining financial processes.

There are four types of AI that differ in their complexity of abilities:

Artificial intelligence is used in virtually all businesses; in fact, you likely interact with it in some capacity on a daily basis. Chatbots, smart cars, IoT devices, healthcare, banking, and logistics all use artificial intelligence to provide a superior experience.

One AI that is quickly finding its way into most consumers homes is the voice assistant, such as Apples Siri, Amazons Alexa, Googles Assistant, and Microsofts Cortana. Once simply considered part of a smart speaker, AI-equipped voice assistants are now powerful tools deeply integrated across entire ecosystems of channels and devices to provide an almost human-like virtual assistant experience.

Dont worry we are still far from a Skynet-like scenario. AI is as safe as the technology it is built upon. But keep in mind that any device that uses AI is likely connected to the internet, and given that internet connected device security isnt perfect and we continue to see large company data breaches, there could be AI vulnerabilities if the devices are not properly secured.

Startups and legacy players alike are investing in AI technology. Some of the leaders include household names like:

As well as newcomers such as:

APEX Technologies was also ranked as the top artificial intelligence company in China last year.

You can read our full list of most innovative AI startups to learn more.

Artificial intelligence can help reduce human error, create more precise analytics, and turn data collecting devices into powerful diagnostic tools. One example of this is wearable devices such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, which put data in the hands of consumers to empower them to play a more active role managing their health.

Learn more about how tech startups are using AI to transform industries like digital health and transportation.

Then-Dartmouth College professor John McCarthy coined the term, artificial intelligence, and is widely known as the father of AI. in the summer of 1956, McCarthy, along with nine other scientists and mathematicians from Harvard, Bell Labs, and IBM, developed the concept of programming machines to use language and solve problems while improving over time.

McCarthy went on to teach at Stanford for nearly 40 years and received the Turing Award in 1971 for his work in AI. He passed away in 2011.

Open application programming interfaces (APIs) are publicly available governing requirements on how an application can communicate and interact. Open APIs provide developers access to proprietary software or web services so they can integrate them into their own programs. For example, you can create your own chatbot using this framework.

As you could imagine, artificial intelligence technology is evolving daily and Business Insider Intelligence keeping its finger on the pulse of how artificial intelligence will shape the future of a variety of industries, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), transportation and logistics, digital health, and multiple branches of fintech including insurtech and life insurance.

See the rest here:
Artificial Intelligence News: Latest Advancements in AI ...

Read More..
Posted in Artificial Intelligence | Leave a Comment

5 Reasons Why Artificial Intelligence Is Important To You

March 30, 2020 | Author: admin

You have probably heard that artificial intelligence could be used to do lots of impressive tasks and jobs. AI can help designers and artists make quick tweaks to visuals. AI can also help researchers identify fake images or connect touch and sense. AI is being used to program websites and apps by combining symbolic reasoning and deep learning. Basically, artificial intelligence goes beyond deep learning. Here are five reasons why AI is important to you.

It is no news that AI will replace repetitive jobs. It literally means that these kinds of jobs will be automated, like what robots are currently doing in a myriad of factories. Robots are rendering the humans that are supposed to do those tasks practically jobless.

And it goes further than that many white collar tasks in the fields of law, hospitality, marketing, healthcare, accounting, and others are adversely affected. The situation seems scary because scientists are just scratching the surface as extensive research and development of AI. AI is advancing rapidly (and it is more accessible to everybody).

Some believe that AI can create even more new jobs than ever before. According to this school of thought, AI will be the most significant job engine the world has ever seen. Artificial intelligence will eliminate low-skilled jobs and effectively create massive high-skilled job opportunities that will span all sectors of the economy.

For example, if AI becomes fully adapt to language translation, it will create a considerable demand for high-skilled human translators. If the costs of essential translations drop to nearly zero, this will encourage MORE companies that need this particular service to expand their business operations abroad.

To those who speak different languages than the community in which they reside, this help will inevitably create more work for high-skilled translators, boost more economic activities. As a result of this, and more people will be employed in these companies due to the increased workload.

Boosting international trade it one of the most significant benefits of our global times. So yes, AI will eliminate some jobs, but it will create many, many more.

AI can be used extensively in the healthcare industry. It is applicable in automated operations, predictive diagnostics, preventive interventions, precision surgery, and a host of other clinical operations. Some individuals predict that AI will completelyreshape the healthcare landscape for the better.

And here are some of the applications of artificial intelligence in healthcare:

AI is also used in the agriculture industry extensively. Robots can be used to plant seeds, fertilized crops and administer pesticides, among a lot of other uses. Farmers can use a drone to monitor the cultivation of crops and also collect data for analysis.

The value-add data will be used to increase the final output. How? The data collected is analyzed by AI on such variables as crop health and soil conditions, boosting final production, and it can also be used in harvesting, especially for crops that are difficult to gather.

AI is changing the workplace, and there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic. It is used to do lots of tedious and lengthy tasks, especially the low-skilled types of jobs that are labor-intensive. It means that employees will be retasked away from boring jobs and bring significant and positive change in the workplace.

For instance, artificial intelligence is used in the automotive industry to do repetitive tasks such as performing a routine operation in the assembly line, for example. Allowing a robot to care for well, robotic-tasks, has created a shift in the workforce.

Auto accidents are one of the most popular types of accidents that happen in America. It kills thousands of people annually. A whopping 95 percent of these accidents are caused byhuman error, meaning accidents are avoidable.

The number of accident cases will reduce as artificial intelligence is being introduced into the industry by the use of self-driving cars. On-going research in the auto industry is looking at ways AI can be used to improve traffic conditions.

Smart systems are currently in place in many cities that are used to analyze traffic lights at the intersections. Avoiding congestion leads to safer movements of vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians.

Conclusion

Artificial intelligence is very useful in all industries as more research is being done to advance it. The advancements in this AI tech will be most useful if it is understood and trusted. An important part of it is that artificial intelligence and related technologies such as drones, robots, and autonomous vehicles can create around tens of millions of jobs over the next decade.

Having more jobs created not less will be great news for everyone. More jobs will help boost the GDP of the economy. Advancement in AI and its impressive computational power has already led to the concept of supercomputers and beyond.

Elena Randall is a Content Creator Who works for Top Software Companies, provides a top 10 list of top software development companies within the world. She is passionate about reading and writing.

More here:
5 Reasons Why Artificial Intelligence Is Important To You

Read More..
Posted in Artificial Intelligence | Leave a Comment

Pros and Cons of Artificial Intelligence – HRF

March 30, 2020 | Author: admin

Intelligence is described as the ability to adapt to new environments and situations and being able to understand consequences and effects that your actions cause. This is something that all living creatures have in some way or another. Animals adapt to their environments and react to interference, plants do the same. Human intelligence, however, is in an entirely different ball park. With the uprise of technology and advancements constantly being made, it has now come time to question the use of artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence, or AI, means giving non living things, such as computers and robots, the ability to think for themselves to an extent. What would this mean for the future? Would the economy, society, and the world as we know it change for the better or worse?

No BreaksOne of the biggest benefits to using machines with some level of artificial intelligence is that they could be utilized to do necessary jobs more efficiently. Machines do not need to take breaks in the way that humans do. They do not need to sleep, eat, or use the restroom. This would allow businesses to produce goods twenty four hours a day, 365 days a year.

Inhumane CircumstancesArtificial intelligence has allowed many avenues in research and exploration to develop and advance that would not have if it did not exist. This is especially true with space exploration. The satellites and rovers that are being sent in to space all of the time can stay there forever, and continue to reach further and further out into our solar system, giving us a much better understanding of what lays in the beyond.

No Emotional BarriersIntelligent machines do not have emotions. This is greatly beneficial because nothing interferes with their ability to perform the task they were designed to do. This is completely untrue with humans, many people find it difficult to work under very stressful conditions or during times of trauma.

Cost EfficientMachines do not need to receive a paycheck every month. While they are quite costly to maintain and power, this cost is greatly less than what an entire company full of human employees would have to be paid. The costs are also minimized and controlled.

Job LossWith the introduction of machines that can complete humans jobs quicker, more accurate, and cheaper, the rate of jobs lost is climbing. Ever since the introduction of factory machines people have been losing jobs to technologies.

Personal ConnectionsAnother large concern to think about when it comes to artificial intelligence is their lack of compassion and sympathy. If these robots are introduced into fields such as healthcare, how can we ensure the patients and customers comfort? Sure, they can be programmed to care, but it is not genuine.

Loss of InformationWe have seen it time and time again, and probably even experienced it once or twice, information being lost due to machine damages. The majority of our documents, videos and images are all stored on computers, phones, and other forms of technology. Many things can cause this information to be lost in an instant, and also non retrievable. This could pose very large problems if artificial intelligence is implemented in areas such as banks or healthcare.

Evolved?It may seem like a science fiction movie, but what would really happen if these artificially intelligent machines began to think for themselves, literally? It could pose major security risks, but it sure does make a great story line.

Technology and advancements in this field are happening, and they are happening very fast. It is something that we cannot and will not stop, so it is best to embrace the changing world we live in and take advantage of all of the incredible things that we have access to.

See the original post here:
Pros and Cons of Artificial Intelligence - HRF

Read More..
Posted in Artificial Intelligence | Leave a Comment

The real risks of artificial intelligence – BBC Future

March 30, 2020 | Author: admin

Artificial intelligence is also being used to analyse vast amounts of molecular information looking for potential new drug candidates a process that would take humans too long to be worth doing. Indeed, machine learning could soon be indispensable to healthcare.

Artificial intelligence can also help us manage highly complex systems such as global shipping networks. For example, the system at the heart of the Port Botany container terminal in Sydney manages the movement of thousands of shipping containers in and out of the port, controlling a fleet of automated, driverless straddle-carriers in a completely human-free zone. Similarly, in the mining industry, optimisation engines are increasingly being used to plan and coordinate the movement of a resource, such as iron ore, from initial transport on huge driverless mine trucks, to the freight trains that take the ore to port.

AIs are at work wherever you look, in industries from finance to transportation, monitoring the share market for suspicious trading activity or assisting with ground and air traffic control. They even help to keep spam out of your inbox. And this is just the beginning for artificial intelligence. As the technology advances, so too does the number of applications.

SO WHATS THE PROBLEM?

Rather than worrying about a future AI takeover, the real risk is that we can put too much trust in the smart systems we are building. Recall that machine learning works by training software to spot patterns in data. Once trained, it is then put to work analysing fresh, unseen data. But when the computer spits out an answer, we are typically unable to see how it got there.

Follow this link:
The real risks of artificial intelligence - BBC Future

Read More..
Posted in Artificial Intelligence | Leave a Comment

16 Artificial Intelligence Pros and Cons Vittana.org

March 30, 2020 | Author: admin

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is a computer system which learns from the experiences it encounters. It can adjust on its own to new inputs, allowing it to perform tasks in a way that is similar to what a human would do. How we have defined AI over the years has changed, as have the tasks weve had these machines complete.

As a term, artificial intelligence was defined in 1956. With increasing levels of data being processed, improved storage capabilities, and the development of advanced algorithms, AI can now mimic human reasoning. AI personal assistants, like Siri or Alexa, have been around for military purposes since 2003.

With these artificial intelligence pros and cons, it is important to think of this technology as a decision support system. It is not the type of AI from science-fiction stories which attempts to rule the world by dominating the human race.

1. Artificial intelligence completes routine tasks with ease.Many of the tasks that we complete every day are repetitive. That repetition helps us to get into a routine and positive work flow. It also takes up a lot of our time. With AI, the repetitive tasks can be automated, finely tuning the equipment to work for extended time periods to complete the work. That allows human workers to focus on the more creative elements of their job responsibilities.

2. Artificial intelligence can work indefinitely.Human workers are typically good for 8-10 hours of production every day. Artificial intelligence can continue operating for an indefinite time period. As long as there is a power resource available to it, and the equipment is properly cared for, AI machines do not experience the same dips in productivity that human workers experience when they get tired at the end of the day.

3. Artificial intelligence makes fewer errors.AI is important within certain fields and industries where accuracy or precision is the top priority. When there are no margins for error, these machines are able to breakdown complicated math constructs into practical actions faster, and with more accuracy, when compared to human workers.

4. Artificial intelligence helps us to explore.There are many places in our universe where it would be unsafe, if not impossible, for humans to see. AI makes it possible for us to learn more about these places, which furthers our species knowledge database. We can explore the deepest parts of the ocean because of AI. We can journey to inhospitable planets because of AI. We can even find new resources to consume because of this technology.

5. Artificial intelligence can be used by anyone.There are multiple ways that the average person can embrace the benefits of AI every day. With smart homes powered by AI, thermostat and energy regulation helps to cut the monthly utility bill. Augmented reality allows consumers to picture items in their own home without purchasing them first. When it is correctly applied, our perception of reality is enhanced, which creates a positive personal experience.

6. Artificial intelligence makes us become more productive.AI creates a new standard for productivity. It will also make each one of us more productive as well. If you are texting someone or using word processing software to write a report and a misspelled word is automatically corrected, then youve just experienced a time benefit because of AI. An artificial intelligence can sift through petabytes of information, which is something the human brain is just not designed to do.

7. Artificial intelligence could make us healthier.Every industry benefits from the presence and use of AI. We can use AI to establish healthier eating habits or to get more exercise. It can be used to diagnose certain diseases or recommends a treatment plan for something already diagnosed. In the future, AI might even assist physicians who are conducting a surgical procedure.

8. Artificial intelligence extends the human experience.With an AI helping each of us, we have the power to do more, be more, and explore more than ever before. In some ways, this evolutionary process could be our destiny. Some believe that computers and humanity are not separate, but instead a single, cognitive unit that already works together for the betterment of all. Through AI, people who are blind can now see. Those who are deaf can now hear. We become better because we have a greater capacity to do thins.

1. Artificial intelligence comes with a steep price tag.A new artificial intelligence is costly to build. Although the price is coming down, individual developments can still be as high as $300,000 for a basic AI. For small businesses operating on tight margins or low initial capital, it may be difficult to find the cash necessary to take advantage of the benefits which AI can bring. For larger companies, the cost of AI may be much higher, depending upon the scope of the project.

2. Artificial intelligence will reduce employment opportunities.There will be jobs gained because of AI. There will also be jobs lost because of it. Any job which features repetitive tasks as part of its duties is at-risk of being replaced by an artificial intelligence in the future. In 2017, Gartner predicted that 500,000 net jobs would be created because of AI. On the other end of the spectrum, up to 900,000 jobs could be lost because of it. Those figures are for jobs only within the United States.

3. Artificial intelligence will be tasked with its own decisions.One of the greatest threats we face with AI is its decision-making mechanism. An AI is only as intelligent and insightful as the individuals responsible for its initial programming. That means there could be a certain bias found within is mechanisms when it is time to make an important decision. In 2014, an active shooter situation caused people to call Uber to escape the area. Instead of recognizing the dangerous situation, the algorithm Uber used saw a spike in demand, so it decided to increase prices.

4. Artificial intelligence lacks creativity.We can program robots to perform creative tasks. Where we stall out in the evolution of AI is creating an intelligence which can be originally creative on its own. Our current AI matches the creativity of its creator. Because there is a lack of creativity, there tends to be a lack of empathy as well. That means the decision of an AI is based on what the best possible analytical solution happens to be, which may not always be the correct decision to make.

5. Artificial intelligence can lack improvement.An artificial intelligence may be able to change how it reacts in certain situations, much like a child stops touching a hot stove after being burned by it. What it does not do is alter its perceptions, responses, or reactions when there is a changing environment. There is an inability to distinguish specific bits of information observed beyond the data generated by that direct observation.

6. Artificial intelligence can be inaccurate.Machine translations have become an important tool in our quest to communicate with one another universally. The only problem with these translations is that they must be reviewed by humans because the words, not the intent of the words, is what machines translate. Without a review by a trained human translator, the information received from a machine translation may be inaccurate or insensitive, creating more problems instead of fewer with our overall communication.

7. Artificial intelligence changes the power structure of societies.Because AI offers the potential to change industries and the way we live in numerous ways, societies experience a power shift when it becomes the dominant force. Those who can create or control this technology are the ones who will be able to steer society toward their personal vision of how people should be. It also removes the humanity out of certain decisions, like the idea of having autonomous AI responsible for warfare without humans actually initiating the act of violence.

8. Artificial intelligence treats humanity as a commodity.When we look at the possible outcomes of AI on todays world, the debate is often about how many people benefit compared to how many people will not. The danger here is that people are treated as a commodity. Businesses are already doing this, looking at the commodity of automation through AI as a better investment than the commodity of human workers. If we begin to perceive ourselves as a commodity only, then AI will too, and the outcome of that decision could be unpredictable.

These artificial intelligence pros and cons show us that our world can benefit from its presence in a variety of ways. There are also many potential dangers which come with this technology. Jobs may be created, but jobs will be lost. Lives could be saved, but lives could also be lost. That is why the technologies behind AI must be made available to everyone. If only a few hold the power of AI, then the world could become a very different place in a short period of time.

See the article here:
16 Artificial Intelligence Pros and Cons Vittana.org

Read More..
Posted in Artificial Intelligence | Leave a Comment

Artificial Intelligence: The fourth industrial revolution

March 30, 2020 | Author: admin

Alan Crameri, CTO, Barrachd explains that the rise of artificial intelligence will lead to the fourth industrial revolution

'AI is a journey. And the journey to AI starts with 'the basics' of identifying and understanding the data. Where does it reside? How can we access it? We need strong information architecture as the first step on our AI ladder'.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been described as the fourth industrial revolution. It will transform all of our jobs and lives over the next 10 years. However, it is not a new concept. AIs roots are in the expert systems of the 70s and 80s, computers that were programmed with a humans expert knowledge in order to allow decision-making based on the available facts.

Whats different today, and is enabling this revolution, is the evolution of machine learning systems. No longer are machines just capturing explicit knowledge (where a human can explain a series of fairly logical steps). They are now developing a tacit knowledge the intuitive, know-how embedded in the human mind. The kind of knowledge thats hard to describe, let alone transfer.

Machine learning is already all around us, unlocking our phones with a glance or a touch, suggesting music we like to listen to, and teaching cars to drive themselves.

>Read more onArtificial Intelligence what CTOs and co need to know

Underpinning all this is the explosion of data. Data is growing faster than ever before. By the year 2020, its estimated that every human being on the planet will be creating 1.7 megabytes of new information every second! There will be 50 billion smart connected devices in the world, all developed to collect, analyse and share data. This data is vital to AI. Machine learning models need data Just as we humans learn our tacit knowledge through our experiences, by attempting a task again and again to gradually improve, ML models need to be trained.

AI is a journey. And the journey to AI starts with the basics of identifying and understanding the data. Where does it reside? How can we access it? We need strong information architecture as the first step on our AI ladder.

Of course, some data may be difficult it might be unstructured, it may need refinement, it could be in disparate locations and from different sources. So, the next step is to fuse together this data in order to allow analytics tools to find better insight.

The next step in the journey is identifying and understanding the patterns and trends in our data with smart analytics techniques.

>Read more onA guide to artificial intelligence in enterprise: Is it right for your business?

Only once these steps of the journey have been completed can we truly progress to AI and machine learning, to gain further insight into the past and future performance of our organisations, and to help us solve business problems more efficiently.

But once that journey is complete the architecture, the data fusion, the analytics solutions the limits of possibility are only contained by the availability of data. So lets look at some examples where were already using these techniques.

Lets take an example that is applicable to most organisations the management of people. Businesses can fuse employee and payroll data, absence records, training records, performance ratings and more to give a complete picture of an employees interaction with the organisation. Managers can instantly visualise how people are performing, and which areas to focus on for improvement. The next stage is to use AI models to predict those employees who might need some extra support or intervention high-performers at risk of leaving, or people showing early signs of declining performance.

But what about when you focus instead on the customer? Satisfaction, retention, and interaction increasingly businesses look to social media to track the sentiment and engagement of their relationships with customers and consumers. Yet finding meaningful patterns and insights amongst a continual flow of diverse data can be difficult.

Social media analytics solutions can be used to analyse how customers and consumers view and react to the companies and brands theyre interacting with through social media.

>Read more onArtificial intelligence: Transforming the insurance industry

The data is external to the organisations concerned but is interpreted to create an information architecture behind the scenes. The next stop on the AI journey enables powerful analysis of trends and consumer behaviour over time, allowing organisations to track and forecast customer engagement in real-time.

Social media data isnt the only source of real time engagement. Customer data is an increasingly rich vein that can be tapped into. Disney is already collecting location data from wristbands at their attractions, predicting and managing queue lengths (suggesting other rides with shorted queues, or offering food/drink vouchers in busy times to reduced demand). Infrared cameras are even watching people in movie theatres and monitoring eye movements and facial expressions to determine engagement and sentiment.

The ability to analyse increasingly creative and diverse data sources to unearth new insights is growing, but the ability to bring together these new, disparate data sources is key to realising their value.

There are huge opportunities around the sharing and fusion of data, in particular between different agencies (local government, health, police). But this comes with significant challenges around privacy, data protection and a growing public concern.

The next step is to predict the future when and where crime is likely to happen, or the risk or vulnerability of individuals, allowing the police to direct limited resources as efficiently as possible. Machine learning algorithms can be employed in a variety of ways to automate facial recognition, to pinpoint crime hotspots, and to identify which people are more likely to reoffend.

>Read more onArtificial intelligence: Data will be the differentiator in the marketplace

AI models are good at learning to recognise patterns. And these patterns arent just found in images, but in sound too. Models already exist that can listen to the sounds within a city, and detect the sound of a gunshot a large proportion of which go unreported. Now lamppost manufacturers are building smart street lights, which monitor light, sound, weather and other environmental variants. By introducing new AI models, could we allow them to detect gunshots at scale, helping police to respond quickly and instantly when a crime is underway?

However, there is one underlying factor that occurs across every innovative solution now, and in the future. Data quality. IBM has just launched an AI tool deigned to monitor artificial intelligence deployments, and assess accuracy, fairness and bias in the decisions that they make. In short, AI models monitoring other AI models.

Lets just hope that the data foundation that these are built on is correct at the end of the day, if the underlying data is flawed, then so will be the AI model, and so will be the AI monitoring the AI! And thats why the journey to advanced analytics, AI and machine learning is so important. Building a strong information architecture, investing in intelligent data fusion and creating a solid analytics foundation is vital to the success of future endeavours in data.

Visit link:
Artificial Intelligence: The fourth industrial revolution

Read More..
Posted in Artificial Intelligence | Leave a Comment