How Generative AI Can Augment Human Creativity

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How Generative AI Can Augment Human Creativity     There is tremendous apprehension about the potential of generative AI—technologies that can create new content such as text, images, and video—to replace people in many jobs. But one of the biggest opportunities generative AI offers is to augment human creativity and overcome the challenges of democratizing innovation. Continued here

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How Machine Learning Can Improve the Customer Experience     Machine learning is a promising technology for improving the customer experience. Why? It’s simple: because it can predict customer behaviors. Prediction as a capability is the Holy Grail for foreseeing each customer need and personalizing products and services accordingly. From the consumer’s perspective, when ML’s ethical pitfalls are avoided, prediction can be the ultimate antidote to the information overload that we all face every day. By deploying ML to predict which content is most relevant for each individual, customers can receive better recommendations, less junk mail, very little inbox spam, and higher quality search results, among many other things. These improvements to customer experience aren’t only a nice-to-have, pleasant side-effect of profit-driven ML deployments. They pursue the raison d’etre of any company — to serve customers — and will ultimately translate into further benefits for the business. After all, a happier customer is a more loyal customer, and a higher customer retention rate means a higher customer growth rate. Continued here

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Report: Small-Business Confidence Improved in May, But They Still Face a Challenging Economic Outlook     Inflation and labor-quality challenges topped small-business owners' concerns--though some industries are struggling more than others. Continued here

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A company called Atari is releasing a brand-new 2600 cartridge this year     The company that currently owns the Atari name and trademarks has decided to give owners of the old Atari Video Computer System (aka the Atari 2600) something new to do. Mr. Run and Jump is a new Atari-published platformer that is coming to vintage Atari consoles in cartridge form, complete with a box and instruction manual. Preorders for the cartridge begin on July 31 for $59.99. Continued here

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Nuggets Coach Michael Malone Shared This Brilliant 26-Word Poem After Winning the NBA Finals. It's a Lesson in Emotional Intelligence     In his postgame interview, the Denver Nuggets coach taught a great lesson in how to overcome adversity. Continued here

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When Small Stresses Lead to Big Problems     It’s easy to see how big stresses at work or home — like layoffs, illnesses, or even a complex and important project — cause anxiety too spike. But sometimes the stresses that cause the most hard are the tiny, everyday ones that build up over time into a much bigger problem because we don’t take the time to recognize and manage our reactions to them. Former HBR editor Karen Dillon and Babson College professor Rob Cross studied the most common types of “microstress” and the ways in which they impact individuals, teams, and organizations. They explain why, if left unchecked, microstress can lead to mistakes, burnout, damaged relationships, and poor mental and physical health. But they also offer advice for better handling it — and helping others to do the same. Dillon and Cross wrote the book The Microstress Effect and the HBR article “The Hidden Toll of Microstress.” Continued here

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Fun Ways to Network as a Newbie     Beyond finding a job and gaining a leg up in the competitive market, networking can open your mind to ideas and paths you’d otherwise have never explored. If you’re just starting out and looking for fun and easy ways to build out your network, here are a few ways to begin outside of attending an overcrowded conference or sticking solely to LinkedIn. Continued here

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What New Leaders Shouldn't Do     Businesses hire new leaders every day, but rarely do they receive the training they need to succeed in their roles. Good leaders inspire excellent work and foster great relationships, but the skills they need to do so come with time, experience, and the knowledge of qualified mentors. Below are five things young managers often struggle with as they learn to navigate their growing responsibilities. As a new manager, here’s what not to do in your new role, and what to do instead. Continued here

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4 Factors to Consider Before Expanding Into a New Sales Channel     Breaking into a new channel can have a steep learning curve. Having the right resources and partners in place can help make it easier, faster, and more successful. Continued here

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Consumer Prices Cool Heading Into the Fed's June Meeting     As small businesses continue to battle inflationary pressures, consumer prices take a step in the right direction. Continued here

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Sam Altman's India comments spark a heated backlash     Late last week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman triggered a heated debate over India’s tech capabilities.On June 7, at an event in Delhi, Altman was asked whether three Indian engineers with $10 million could build something similar to OpenAI. In response, Altman said it was “hopeless” for a young team from India with limited resources to build a foundational artificial intelligence model similar to OpenAI. “The way this works is we’re going to tell you, it’s totally hopeless to compete with us on training foundation models [and] you shouldn’t try. And it’s your job to try anyway. And I believe both of those things. I think it is pretty hopeless,” Altman said. Continued here

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Maintaining a Strong Company Culture Amid Rapid Growth: Essential Tips for Leaders     Create an environment where your company's shared vision thrives--even as your team grows. Continued here

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How to Fire Your Customers     Not all of them. Just the ones you don't need. Recently, insurers State Farm and Allstate demonstrated how that's done by dumping longstanding clients in California. Love'em when they're profitable; leave'em when they're not. Continued here

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Salesforce's Plan to Get Employees Back into the Office. The Right Call or Emotional Manipulation?     Salesforce is telling employees to come back to the office and if they do, the company will make a donation to charity. Will it work? Continued here

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The Mystery of Australia's Paralyzed Parrots     Rainbow lorikeets are Australia’s most abundant native bird. What is paralyzing thousands of them every year?When the patient arrives, it can barely move its body. Sometimes it can’t blink. Vibrant green wings falter as the parrot tries—and fails—to fly. A nurse props up the bird’s limp, violet-blue head on a makeshift cushion and slides a bowl of nectar in front of its bright red beak. It is just one of dozens of rainbow lorikeets being treated for a mysterious paralyzing illness at this wildlife hospital in eastern Australia. Continued here

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Why 'coming out' can take a lifetime     I had my first brush with overt homophobia when I was 10 years old. My family were staying with some elderly relatives for a few days, and as my brother and I sat watching a sitcom on TV, I heard the adults' conversation turning to the topic of a former lodger. He'd been kicked out, my great uncle declared, for having had men in his room."We never knew he was a homosexual," my great uncle continued. He'd worked as a radiographer at the local hospital, and he pronounced the word with a medical precision that barely concealed his distaste at having ever allowed the man under his roof. Continued here

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A Consultant Complains About Our Meetings, but Doesn't Want to Skip Them     How do we navigate this fairly? Continued here

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Is Your Company Prepared for the Effects of Wildfires?     Today’s wildfires and smoke can travel hundreds of miles, blurring the lines between what happens within and outside the workplace when it comes to workforce health. Now is the time for employers to develop a plan to get ahead of this and other climate change-driven health issues. The author recommends taking six actions: 1) Connect global wildfires to local health; 2) Collect and assess air quality data, developing thresholds for workforce advisories; 3) Identify the key stakeholders in your corporate response team and activate your command center; 4) Identify when to take action for outdoor workers; 5) Identify how to support indoor office employees; and 6) Develop communication and education plans for your employees. Continued here

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Arnold Schwarzenegger Just Gave the Perfect Reason to     Go all in when you start a business? Not when it limits your options, and decisions you can make. Continued here

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3 Strategies to Become a Subject Matter Expert -- Fast     Wondering how to make yourself stand out as an industry expert? These tips will help you boost your credibility rapidly and gain the benefits of a strong subject matter expert reputation. Continued here

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The SoftBank-backed fintech that helped Nigerians through a cash crisis is eyeing "innovative partnerships"     Olu Akanmu is the co-CEO and president of OPay Nigeria, a SoftBank-backed fintech startup that helped Nigerians deal with an acute cash shortage from late 2022 to early 2023. OPay is one of the biggest fintech companies in Africa, with more than 30 million users, over 500,000 agents, and 300,000 merchants.  We have a digital-native infrastructure that has the agility and flexibility to respond to transaction surges. We have the natural advantage — unlike the old, legacy technology infrastructure of traditional players. The core analog infrastructure of traditional incumbent players ultimately determines the agility of their overall system. At OPay, our platforms deliver low latency and high transaction concurrence that guarantee the highest reliability of transaction success. The market clearly noticed. Continued here

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Here's How Hackers Steal Your Password and How You Can Create a Safer One     Every year the private digital security company NordPass publishes a list of the most popular passwords across 30 countries. And as always, the current list from 2022 also contains shockingly simple ones. The top five are: “password,” “123456,” “123456789,” “guest” and “qwerty.”Needless to say, these are weak passwords—but what makes a good one? Most people know a few rules of thumb: it should be as long as possible, contain special characters and not be a simple word. You should also change it regularly, choose a different password for each user account and never write it down. Meeting all these requirements at the same time seems almost impossible. And once you have found a good password, a website may not accept it: either it is too short, contains an illegal character—or is somehow too long. PayPal, for example, does not allow passwords longer than 20 characters. These restrictions make password selection extremely frustrating for most users. Continued here

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How to Proactively Defuse Tension on Your Team     Unaddressed and unresolved interpersonal tensions and toxic behavior can lead to organizational failure. They can impact team performance, collaboration, and productivity, create operational friction among teams, and cause employees to feel disengaged, distrustful, and unmotivated. While conflict at work is inevitable, we often have our own agency to proactively root out problems and stop them from escalating swiftly with empathy, accountability, self-awareness, and courage. The author, a Chief People Officer, offers five steps to do this: 1) Root out toxic behavior and tensions, 2) seek to understand, not just be understood, 3) assess the right time to intervene, 4) ask for help, and 5) repair harm; repair trust. Continued here

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Canada's Wildfires Are a Warning of the East Coast's Smoky Future     Ontario and Quebec could see wildfires grow more intense and frequent as a changing climate brings unusually hot and dry conditionsCLIMATEWIRE | Wildfires are still raging in eastern Canada, even as much of their smoke has dissipated from the northeastern United States. Continued here

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The planes that will fly at the edge of space     It is June 2022, and a flying machine that looks like a cross between a prehistoric beast and a spaceship is about to take off. Named the Zephyr S, it has long spindly wings the length of an airliner's. Together with its small, thin body and head, these make it resemble a pterodactyl. Its shimmering tinfoil-like solar panels and lightweight skeletal frame are more like something you'd see on a craft meant for space.It takes five or six people to lift the Zephyr. When it's ready to launch, they run across the runway holding the craft above them. The machine's two small propellers turn frantically before the plane begins its slow climb up into the cloudless sky to 60,000ft (18,300m) or 70,000ft (21,300m) – a relentless ascent into the stratosphere that can take 10 days. Continued here

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To think like the philosopher Descartes, throw out all your beliefs and start over     Excerpted from How to Think Like a Philosopher: Scholars, Dreamers and Sages Who Can Teach Us How to Live by Peter Cave, run with permission of the author, courtesy of Bloomsbury Continuum, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. © Peter Cave, 2023Where philosophy is concerned, anyone with a slight familiarity — even many with no familiarity — may find themselves occasionally announcing sagely, “I think, therefore I am”; they may even offer the Latin original as cogito ergo sum, even je pense, j’existe, muttering something about a French philosopher, Monsieur Descartes, and his famous “Cogito.”  Continued here

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Scientists Beam Solar Power to Earth from Space for First Time Ever     The MAPLE experiment was able to wirelessly transfer collected solar power to receivers in space and direct energy to EarthA space solar power prototype has demonstrated its ability to wirelessly beam power through space and direct a detectable amount of energy toward Earth for the first time. The experiment proves the viability of tapping into a near-limitless supply of power in the form of energy from the sun from space.  Continued here

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Evidence of 1-Billion-Year-Old 'Lost World' of Microbes Discovered Beneath Australian Outback     Fat-like compounds in ancient rocks point to a vast array of previously unknown microbes that once dominated complex life on EarthRocks hundreds of metres beneath the Australian Outback have yielded clues to a lost world of primitive microbes that once populated the world’s oceans and might have eventually given rise to modern plants and animals. Continued here

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Alan Wake II preview: A waking nightmare     Over a decade ago, the release of Alan Wake cemented Remedy Entertainment—then best-known for the Max Payne series—as the arbiter of mind-bending, original, and somewhat experimental experiences that blend traditional action-adventure gameplay with atmospheric environments and existential dread. Despite a generally favorable critical response, slow sales stifled the game’s franchise potential (launching the same week as Red Dead Redemption certainly did Alan Wake no favors). In the years since its 2010 release, however, Alan Wake has become something of a cult hit; a remastered version that dropped in 2021 renewed interest and paved the way for the sequel’s announcement at the Game Awards later that year. Continued here

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A Game Plan for Funding Carbon Offsets     The most common types of carbon offsets are nature-based offsets such as forests. Unfortunately, while emissions remain in the atmosphere around 1,000 years, possibly longer, a tree can only remove carbon for its lifespan of 10o or so years, which means a forest planted as a carbon offset must be maintained with trees replanted at least ten times to  match the emission it is offsetting. Most businesses will be reluctant to tie up capital in this way, but such projects can be (and have been) financed by perpetual bonds, which represent attractive investments for investors such as university endowments that have very long liability streams extending far into the future. The use of financial instruments such as perpetual bonds can make considerable quantities of capital available to offset producers, spurring the production and the creation of spot markets in offsets that can definitively and reliably be offset against emissions. Continued here