TT(O)M

Many people feel they can do little about the decisions taken by those who represent them. Between election cycles, people, groups and communities should use all the tools available to them to make their voices heard. That might mean writing to or calling their representatives, posting their grievances on social media, or gathering in public to be heard. In short, anyone affected by an issue should raise awareness and seek redress by every lawful means available. When candidates do something positive, a like or a repost goes a long way. It tells them the work was noticed, and it tells people who missed it. Behind the polished façade a candidate presents to the public there may be an agenda shaped by personal belief, or paymasters who have already bought their loyalty on certain subjects. A candidate who depends on super PACs or big money has an interest in keeping those backers happy, and small donors cannot compete with that. Every few years you get to vote. It is your chance to ch...

I want to look at how AI can become part of normal business operations. For a lot of people, AI still sounds like something technical, something that needs specialist knowledge. It doesn't have to be. If you have reviewed a colleague's work, assigned someone a task, summarised a report, prepared for a meeting, checked a document or asked someone to improve a draft, you already have most of the skills you need to work with AI. The easiest way to think about it is this: AI is another member of the team. It can contribute ideas, analyse information and challenge your thinking. And like any team member, it needs clear direction and supervision. Start with an approved tool, and mind what you share Begin with an AI chatbot your organisation has approved. Check what the approval covers and what the guidelines allow you to upload. If there is no guidance, treat the model as a supplier bidding on a tender, and share accordingly. You would not hand a supplier everything you know abo...

This series explores AI use cases: how AI can help you reach a solution or outcome. Remember that AI is probabilistic and can make mistakes, so anything it helps produce should be clearly labelled as AI-assisted and validated by a human It should also have a disclaimer similar to what most chatbots display beneath their output. I had a story on my writing list about how I use AI. I wanted an example that was genuine and one a reader could relate to. I also wanted it to strike the right balance between being too simplistic and being overly complicated. Furthermore, I wanted the exchange to highlight some of what the more capable AI chatbots can now do. My article in the series The AI Revolution - History Repeating Itself on the topic of Education has autobiographical elements. After I finished the first draft of that article, I went on a search spree to find the Sharp calculator I had mentioned in the post. The hunt was purely nostalgic. As of this writing I have not managed...