Thought-provoking Things Worth Sharing - Issue #131
In my humble opinion, AI is inevitable and will also be a disaster for many.
In last week's newsletter, I shared several opinions and articles about Generative AI.
This week, I also have a link to an article about using AI for learning and how it will upend traditional skill development.
In it, I mention spending much of the last week learning and experimenting with AI tools at my day job. It feels inevitable that many of us will have to figure out how to make AI work for us. There’s too much money invested in it to hope the hype goes away.
But that doesn’t mean it’s all good news.
Welcome to this week’s collection of thought-provoking things. Each week, I’ll share information about careers and workplace culture, mental health in the workplace, talent development, and important information about privacy, security, and legal tech.
You can find out all about me here - Mike McBride Online.
I might think it’s inevitable because of the invested money, but I also think it will be a disaster. Many companies and individuals will lose big in the race to AI gold.
The environmental harm will be a disaster. The power grids in many states have been failing for years, and they stand no chance of handling the ever-increasing need. Don’t believe me?
Amid explosive demand, America is running out of power
Microsoft is looking at fusion (which doesn’t exist) and building its nuclear plants (which aren’t operational in the US) to feed the power-hungry AI data centers at the heart of their trillion-dollar investment in AI.
This seems like a problem when people in many states routinely lose power when it gets too cold, hot, stormy, or windy. I know; I live in one of those states rebuilding its crumbling grid every few years thanks to hurricanes.
This will end poorly for most of us, while a handful of companies make a ton of money if we don’t make massive changes and upgrades to the power grids. I’m not optimistic about getting that done.
While we are talking about AI, here are a couple of more interesting thoughts:
Chris Taylor thinks the hype is over - AI isn't your boss. It isn't a worker. It's a tool.
Generative AI Tools Now Advanced Enough to Mislead Voters, Researchers Show - I feel like this has already been happening.
Careers and the Workplace
Did We Need Someone to Tell Us That Employees Don't Care About Shareholder Profits?
If you want to retain your talent, you should understand what motivates them. Shaich thinks having a therapist involved in employee relations would help you understand where people are coming from and what motivates them. It shouldn't take that to understand one essential truth: The further away you get from ownership and equity, the less talent will care about profits.
This is probably true for short-sighted leaders, and many will do it quietly to avoid getting called out over layoffs. - Bosses are back in power — so get used to companies quiet cutting and quiet firing workers this year
This is a good example of how you can still work remotely as a team. It’s just different - In-Depth: How Does Working From Home Influence Teamwork?
Speaking of remote work, if you work from home, do you appreciate the micro-breaks that allow you to get a quick chore done? Your boss should, too. Here's why - doing little chores while WFH is actually good for you.
Training and Development
Linked - No One Wants To Talk About These 3 Ways AI Copilots Will Reshape Learning
I ask Copilot because:
It's right there while I'm working.
I don't have to bring in another tool or trainer.
I don't have to take a class or watch a YouTube video to learn a new skill. (Imagine a Copilot prompt like - "How would I do a VLOOKUP with this data using ID as the unique identifier?")
Too many people seem to think you can automatically teach other people about something if you're an expert. Being an SME is great, but communicating that expertise so others can learn from you is a different skill. It's a set of skills. Skills we should encourage our SMEs to learn to help our whole team grow.
Mental Health in the Workplace
I’ve shared this quote: “Your culture is defined by the worst behavior tolerated.” I was reminded of that reading this - How To Successfully Combat Workplace Bullying And Harassment To Foster A Safe Work Environment.
I love the suggestion in this article to stop giving stressed workers more meaningless work.
From Exhausted to Fired Up: How to Prevent Employee Burnout
I will share this without comment - 10 Ways the American Hustle Culture is Ruining Lives.
Privacy, Security, and Legal Tech
You might want to turn this off, even if just to not be bothered by audio calls from X. Why would the default be on? - New X feature can leak your location without you realising.
I was recently on the Amazon website looking for an adapter and was struck by how many fake-sounding products appeared in my search results. Just page after page of companies I had never heard of selling what appeared to be the same product. Companies with odd names that I thought were surely made up. If you’ve seen the same thing, be very wary of buying doorbell cameras from them. (It’s not just on Amazon, either.)
These Video Doorbells Have Terrible Security. Amazon Sells Them Anyway.
Sarah Anderson shared some advice for anyone falling victim to a data breach. Don’t forget the employees whose data was breached and what you might owe them in compensation. - Despite privacy policies often directed at the public, as well as current and future customers, they also apply to employees.
Last but not least - Kudos to Stefanie Bier for telling her LegalWeek story to NPR and getting coverage for an important topic. - She was harassed at a tech conference. Now other women are sharing #MeToo moments.
That’s all, folks. If you found something interesting in this week’s newsletter, please share it with your friends. It’s the best way to help support the effort I put in each week to share this with you.