(This column originally appeared in Forbes)
Here are five things in tech that happened this week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?
1 — Nvidia’s Jensen Huang says artificial general intelligence is 5 years away.
According to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, general artificial intelligence (AGI) will be here before the end of the decade. Unlike generative AI (classified as “weak AI) AGI functions autonomously, can make its own decisions, and follow self-guided instruction without human input. It’s consciousness. This type of AI — characterized as “strong AI” — will possess human-level intelligence with the capacity to surpass the limits of our understanding. Huang also says that AI hallucinations — inaccurate data that’s been produced by tools such as chatbots — can be resolved “easily” by applying “retrieval-augmented generation,” the practice of comparing the AI’s answer to “known truths.” “The AI shouldn’t just answer; it should do research first to determine which of the answers are the best,” Huang said. (Source: TechCrunch)
Why this is important for your business:
Within a few years, inanimate objects like cameras, speakers and of course robots will be thinking, feeling and acting like humans. I’m not sure anyone can fully understand how this will impact our businesses and our lives. Yes it’s terrifying. But it’s also exciting and — I believe — a major advancement in human civilization for the better.
2 — AI to create a half billion new jobs — here’s why.
Lucas Mearian of Computerworld presented an optimistic take on the subject of AI and its impact on jobs. Rather than eliminating jobs, AI will reorient employees in their daily routines, allowing them more time to focus on other tasks and enhance their productivity. Mearian cited intriguing data from research firm Gartner that projects a half billion jobs will be created by AI by 2033. Companies are also increasing their hiring rates based on their needs to integrate the technology. Breaking down those numbers, Mearian included an Upwork survey of 1400 business leaders across industries on how AI will directly impact their business. Forty-nine percent said they plan to hire more freelancers, and 64 percent of C-suite leaders indicated they’ll “hire more professionals of all types due to generative AI.” (Source: Computerworld)
Why this is important for your business:
Technology always replaces jobs. How many blacksmiths do you know? Typing pools? Horse and buggy drivers? People evolve and find other — and mostly better — things to do. As a business owner, don’t worry about jobs. Instead think about how AI can be used to make your people way more productive and to get more things done with less people involved.
3 — Windows 11 March update may be a disaster for some devices — how to uninstall it.
The most recent Windows update is wreaking havoc on computer systems as shared on a Reddit thread and Microsoft’s Community page. The KB5035853 update has caused sluggish system boots and the dreaded blue screen of death (BSoD). There’s also been a complaint from a Windows 10 user which was shared on another website. Until Windows releases the next patch (April 9 th) the quickest fix at this point is to uninstall the update. (Source: Laptop Mag)
Why this is important for your business:
Be careful with this latest update — talk to your IT firm first and consider waiting until there’s a green light from Microsoft.
4 — New mass Gmail rejections will start in 14 days, Google says.
The clock’s ticking for Gmail users to authenticate their emails. In an ongoing report Forbes has confirmed account holders who send at least 5000 emails per day have 14 days to follow Google’s authentication requirements or they’ll be blocked from recipient inboxes. In an effort to reduce spam and “keep email more secure” Google has been working with other companies like Yahoo to strengthen protections due to the volume of daily email traffic. The company stated they plan to ramp up rejection of “non-compliant traffic” in April. (Source: Forbes)
Why this is important for your business:
If you’re sending 5,000 emails a day you should probably be using a good e-mail campaign platform like Constant Contact, MailChimp and others. These services are designed to deliver your messages and have many controls to stop spam and deal with restrictions like Google’s.
5 — Amazon’s latest AI feature will let sellers generate product listings from their existing websites.
Amazon’s newest AI tool that allows merchants to create appealing and concise product listings, will also include the URL to their websites.. (Source: GeekWire)
Why this is important for your business:
The company shared that many sellers have made them aware of their own “direct-to consumer websites.” To integrate that information, Amazon stated it’s “launching the ability for sellers to simply leverage their existing listings by providing [us] with a URL, which is automatically parsed by our generative AI-based features.” They’ve also reported that over 100,000 sellers are now using their AI tool that has enhanced product descriptions significantly, saving users time.
