TECH COMPANY TRENDS

• Nvidia Overtakes Apple, Microsoft As Most Valuable Company
• Enterprises Prioritize Tech Spend Over Cost-Cutting, PwC Says
• Employees Say They're Staying Put For Now
• Ready to Upskill? Look to the Edge (where it's not all about AI)

AI NEWS & TRENDS

• How ChatGPT is Impacting Freelancers
• OpenAI Expands Healthcare Push with Color Health's Cancer Copilot
• McDonald's Pulls AI Ordering from Drive-Thrus - For Now

POTENTIAL TECH BREAKTHROUGHS

• Battery Breakthrough Can Deliver Higher Performance for Wearable Devices, TDK Says
• GM Seeks to Patent System that Evaluates Driver's Mental Well-being - & May Ask Car to Take Over

POSSIBLE DOWNSIDE OF TECH

• Social Media Should Come with a Warning Label, U.S. Surgeon General Says

In How is the Landscape of Cybersecurity and Ransomware Threats Evolving?, Alvaka states that proactive defense is key to safeguarding your digital assets and ensuring the continuity of your operations in the face of cyber threats. Alvaka elaborates on regular backups, advanced threat detection, employee training, patch management, and incident response planning. They also discuss how Lloyd's of London has issued updated guidance on cyber war wordings - aiming to prevent disputes over policy coverage and ensure clearer guidelines for cyber-attack policies. (LA)

In Are you expecting too much from your board?, Dave tells CEOs that you will probably cross a line if you ask a member of the board to consult to the company, spending considerable time with other employees regarding issues that might be handled by others than from a board. Depending upon the board member, it is appropriate for you to offer a consulting fee for this time spent above the call of board duty. Any such informal contracting of service should always be preceded with an agreement between the CEO and board member as to the amount to charge and estimate of time to be spent before further agreement is necessary.
AND, in I've been sued as a board member, Dave shares that he has been sued five times as a board member over the past 25 years of service. He explains that whenever there are outside shareholders or noteholders, or unhappy employees, and when there is a product in release, there is a chance, no matter how slight, of a lawsuit against members of the board as well as against the corporation itself. He then discusses Directors and Officers insurance, as well as employee practice liability insurance.
ALSO, read Dave's How do you pay an early-stage board. (LA)

In How to leverage technology for a wider talent pool, Clovers outlines 10 tools all HR professionals can use to enhance their talent pool. In summary, they include: AI-based tools to screen resumes and applications; Job boards specifically designed for candidates from various backgrounds; Chatbots to answer initial queries from candidates; Data analytics that track and measure candidate demographics; Technology for skills assessments; and more. Clovers adds that deciding which software will serve your hiring needs is only the first step - choosing the tech organization to partner with is next. (LA)

In Safeguarding Data Across Its Lifecycle: A Comprehensive Cybersecurity Approach, Envision Financial Systems discusses effectively mitigating risks and safeguarding data at rest, in transit, and in use. Protecting data across its lifecycle demands a proactive, multifaceted cybersecurity strategy. (OC)

In this edition of Fixed Ops News - in a 2:30-minute video, myKaarma discusses Pickup & Delivery - the Ultimate in Convenience.
AND, in this 1:36-minute video, CEO Ujj Nath addresses High performers don't want to work with mediocre performers - an important lesson from sports legend John Wooden.
PLUS, Ujj talks about how Innovation is never a destination. It's continuously evolving, in a 56-second video. (OC)

In How to Build an Effective Employee Training Plan, ProProfs details what an employee training plan is, why it's important, common types of these programs, what to include, what makes it successful, and sums it up with the top 7 strategies to build an effective employee training plan.
AND, in How Investing in Help Desk Software Increases ROI, ProProfs provides 8 ways this software helps reduce business costs, enhances productivity, and increases return on investment. Topics include a knowledge base, capturing more leads, preventing customer churn, identifying loyal customers, and more. (LA)

Recent episodes of Marshall's and Joel Kotkin's podcast, The Feudal Future, include:
> Understanding California's Recent Financial Deficit - Discover the unexpected fiscal twists and turns as California confronts its financial future, with insights from Steve Malanga of the Manhattan Institute and ex-Orange County Treasurer John Moorlach.
> Reviving U.S. Semiconductor Supremacy: Education, Reshoring, and Ohio's Tech Renaissance - Dr. John Berry and Ashwin Rangan, two trailblazers in the tech and education sectors, join the show to dissect the urgent need for reshoring this pivotal industry. Gain insights into the CHIPS Act's role in this mission and the formidable obstacles we face.
> Empowering California's Future: The Latino Workforce and Socio-Economic Challenges - With Latinos projected to make up 78% of all new U.S. workers by 2030, their impact on the state's socio-economic landscape is monumental. (OC)

Eckert & Ziegler SE (EZ) was recently honored with the "Best Managed Companies Award," bestowed to medium-sized companies by Deloitte Private, UBS, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and the Federation of German Industries. Companies were assessed for their excellence in strategy, productivity and innovation, culture and commitment, as well as finance and governance. ALSO, EZ recently successfully completed the 2nd annual Boston Radionuclide Theranostics Forum, bringing together leading experts, potential and existing partners, and key industry players to delve into the pressing topics and innovations driving the rapidly evolving radiotheranostics market. (LA)

Jason Ciment, CEO of Get Visible, is scheduled to speak at Tech Summit Silicon Valley on June 20, as part of a panel on the power of artificial intelligence.
MEANWHILE, Jason shares links to these useful tools: check grammar for huge files (e.g. a book); and an add-on to use AI with Outlook. (LA)

On the evening of July 24, NuSci Nutrition Science Foundation will show and discuss several short films: PlantStrong Legacy, which follows Rip Esselstyn as he transitions from professional athlete to firefighter to health coach who helps a small town become more healthy; and then short videos of Dr. John McDougall as he shares his carefully researched findings on topics that include diabetes, arthritis, milk, pregnancy, bowels, osteoporosis, acne, and pregnancy. The evening, to be held at Tanner Research in Duarte, includes a buffet dinner and dessert. Reserve your seat at the link above. (LA)

Optimum Info (OI) shares its success story with INEOS, a global leader in the chemical sector that has recently ventured into the auto industry to introduce their unique SUV to the North American market. They've chosen OI's AMOS to provide them a ground-up business management program for the Americas.
AND, in 6 Features to Increase Your Network and Performance, OI discusses features and capabilities of its NOVA solution, including network KPIs, territory analysis, performance and opportunity, optimization, impact assessment, and analysis and reporting. (OC)

Toast has been named a certified Great Place to Work in the U.S., Canada, India, Ireland, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.
AND, Toast has released its third ESG report highlighting its work across corporate governance, DEI, environmental impact, and more.
PLUS, check out Toast's Spring Release to see new features in its restaurant management suite. (OC)

In How data can help you prepare for the future of rural healthcare, Wipfli says that after implementing your foundational healthcare technology of EMR, EHR and CRM solutions, data is the next step to helping you advance further in your digital transformation. Among the facets that Wipfli then discusses, it suggests a focus on tools, people and processes that enable accessibility, transparency, integration and interoperability, security, quality, and visualization. (BA)

The Rowan Report recently published an article - The Right Way to Use AI in Healthcare, which spotlights Select Data and its SmartCare solution. An excerpt: "The new system, SmartCare, empowers clinicians to harness unparalleled insights, reducing bias and cognitive overload. It enables them to steer their decisions with enhanced precision while maintaining their pivotal role in patient care, eliminating one of the common reasons many administrators hesitate to invite artificial intelligence into a Home Health Agency's processes. It does, however, make the care team's job easier and facilitates better decision-making." (OC)

io Health has published a white paper showcasing the transformative power the company's 'Io Assist' AI-enabled charting tool at GrandCare Health Services. This tool has had a significant impact on home health documentation time and accuracy. Highlights discussed include improved functional scores, reduced documentation, continuing positive trends, and increased revenue. (LA)

Artificial intelligence chip and software leader Nvidia on Tuesday, June 18, took the crown as the most valuable company by market capitalization, surpassing previous top dogs Apple and Microsoft. Nvidia stock rose after getting its highest price target yet from a Wall Street analyst. Rosenblatt Securities analyst Hans Mosesmann reiterated his buy rating on Nvidia stock and raised his price target to 200 from 140. While Nvidia's graphics processing units grab the headlines, the company's networking gear and other hardware along with its software stack play major roles in its success, he said. With the advance, Nvidia on Tuesday has a market value of nearly $3.34 trillion. That compares with Microsoft's $3.32 trillion value and Apple's $3.29 trillion value. (https://www.investors.com/news/technology/nvidia-stock-overtakes-apple-microsoft-as-most-valuable-company/)

The C-suite is prioritizing investments in technology, including generative AI, over cost-cutting, according to a recent PwC report. The professional services firm surveyed 673 U.S. executives in May. Nearly three-quarters of C-suite leaders say they'll use generative AI adoption to change their company's business model. The percentage of companies investing in generative AI reached 51%, up from 46% in PwC's August pulse survey. More than half of executives say they fear they've fallen behind the competition in adopting new technologies, an increase from 48% in August 2023, PwC found. Leaders ranked costs as the top internal challenge on the road to adoption. (https://www.ciodive.com/news/new-tech-investments-cost-cutting-strategy-PwC/719180/)

A large majority of U.S. employees are choosing to stick with their current employer, citing pay, job security, health benefits and flexible work arrangements, research from WTW indicates. In Q1 survey, 72% of employee respondents said they plan to stay put, marking a major change from 2022, when 53% of employees said they were looking to leave. In addition, only 11% said they were open to offers compared to a quarter of those surveyed in 2022. Only 25% reported feeling stuck in their jobs, down from 35% in 2022.
      In the survey of 10,000 U.S. employees at medium and large private sector companies, the motivations for staying or leaving remained the same as in 2022. Pay continues to drive attraction and retention, with 56% of employees saying they might consider another job for better pay; they said they'd need at least a 10% increase to do so, however. Benefits also play a major role in attraction and retention, since nearly half of employees said they chose their current employer due to the benefits package, and 54% said they've remained with their employer for the same reason. About 40% said they'd leave their employer for better benefits elsewhere, even without a change in salary. But among those who said their benefits package meets their needs, 82% intend to stay put. (https://www.hrdive.com/news/the-big-stay-employee-retention/718064/)

There's been a huge surge of activity around computing at the edges. IoT and edge may even be reshaping or creating more technology opportunities than artificial intelligence is - despite AI currently enjoying the lion's share of attention. The pervasiveness of edge and IoT computing was borne out in a survey of 1,037 IT executives and professionals, which found that control logic, or embedded automation, surpassed AI as the most common edge computing workload (40% to 37%). The Eclipse survey found development increasing across all IoT sectors, including industrial automation (33%, up from 22% last year), followed by agriculture (29%, up from 23%), building automation, energy management, and smart cities (all at 24%). Java ranked as the top language for IoT gateways and edge nodes, while C, C++, and Java are the most widely used languages for constrained devices. (https://www.zdnet.com/article/ready-to-upskill-look-to-the-edge-where-its-not-all-about-ai/)

A report from the Imperial College Business School, Harvard Business School, and the German Institute for Economic Research, found the demand for digital freelancers in writing and coding declined by 21% since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022. Automation-prone fields like writing, software, and app development saw a 21% decrease in job listings, while data entry and social media post-production experienced a 13% drop. Image-generation roles, including graphic design and 3D modelling, fell by 17%. Google search trends confirmed a higher decline in sectors aware of and using generative AI. (https://www.techradar.com/pro/chatgpt-has-caused-a-massive-drop-in-demand-for-online-digital-freelancers-here-is-what-you-can-do-to-protect-yourself)
       AND, a recent BBC article - AI took their jobs. Now they get paid to make it sound human, says, "If you're worried about how AI will affect your job, the world of copywriters may offer a glimpse of the future." (https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240612-the-people-making-ai-sound-more-human)

OpenAI is working with startup Color Health to expand the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare by applying its AI models to cancer screening and treatment. Color Health, which was founded as a genetic testing company in 2013, has developed an AI assistant or "copilot" using OpenAI's GPT-4o model. The copilot helps doctors create cancer screening plans, as well as pretreatment plans for people who have been diagnosed with cancer. The copilot is intended to assist doctors, not replace them, said Othman Laraki, co-founder and CEO of the startup. It is OpenAI's latest foray into healthcare. The AI lab announced in April a deal with Moderna where the biotech company uses AI to speed up business processes and tasks like selecting optimal doses for clinical trials. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/openai-expands-healthcare-push-with-color-healths-cancer-copilot-86594ff1)

McDonald's is pulling the plug on an AI-powered voice-automated ordering technology it was testing at more than 100 US restaurant drive-thrus, causing a hiccup in the rapid rollout of AI in the fast food industry. The company had worked with IBM on a global partnership to develop and test AI-driven ordering technology, which it plans to shut off "no later than July 26, 2024," according to reporting from trade publication Restaurant Business. McDonald's says this is not the end of its AI efforts. It plans to "evaluate long-term, scalable solutions" that can lead to a future voice-ordering solution by the end of 2024. (https://www.kxly.com/news/money/mcdonald-s-pulls-ai-ordering-from-drive-thrus-for-now/article_22bf8060-0144-5aa3-b75f-0c8906692135.html)

Japanese electronic parts maker TDK said it had successfully developed a material for its solid-state batteries, making a breakthrough that it estimates could deliver significantly higher performance for wearable devices. The Tokyo-based Apple supplier said the material for its small solid-state batteries had an estimated energy density approximately 100 times greater than that of TDK's conventional mass-produced solid-state battery. Solid-state batteries are viewed as a potentially game-changing technology because they can store more energy than lithium-ion batteries and charge faster, for devices like wireless earphones, hearing aids and smartwatches. TDK said its goal is to use its technology to replace existing coin cell batteries, a small stainless steel disc that provides power to portable devices [like the pedometer Mimi wears!]. (https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/17/apple-supplier-tdk-announces-solid-state-battery-breakthrough.html)

General Motors has applied to patent a technology analyzes the driver's behavior by reading data sent by onboard sensors - and can have the car take over if it detects unsafe behavior. Filed in November 2022, and published in May 2024, the patent describes a "vehicle occupant mental well-being assessment and counter-measure deployment" system. The technology was developed by a GM subsidiary named GM Global Technology Operations, and it aims to intervene when it detects that stress - regardless of where it comes from - can affect the driver's ability to operate the car. The system first records data points to establish a profile of your driving habits. It then uses this information as a baseline to decide when you're driving erratically. If the system decides something isn't right, it can ask the driver to perform "a mental health exercise," to call a friend or a family member, or to seek therapy from a trained professional. or call to "a trained advisor" on its own. Alternatively, it can leverage the onboard electronic driving aids to "autonomously [control] one or more driving functions of the vehicle." GM hasn't revealed when (or even if) it plans to deploy this driver-monitoring system. (https://www.autoblog.com/2024/05/21/gm-seeks-to-patent-a-system-that-evaluates-your-mental-well-being/)

Social media apps should have a warning label about their potential to harm young people's mental health, the U.S. Surgeon General said recently. Vivek Murthy wrote in a New York Times op-ed that social media is an "important contributor" to a mental health crisis among young people. A warning label could increase awareness and change behavior, he wrote, citing similar warnings applied to tobacco products. He said a warning label would be part of broader regulation for social media.
AND, in this video, CNN's Erin Burnett talks to Dr. Murthy about the risks of social media and phone use in children, and what his plan is with his own kids (not let them have smart phones until high school). (https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/17/health/video/vivek-murthy-phone-age-kids-ebof-intv-digvid)

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