Episode 59: Facial Recognition, Facebooks's Supreme Court, and Sales After the Pandemic
Release Date: 05/12/2020
Episode 207 - Bigger and Bigger MSPs, AI, and How to Consume Advice
The Killing IT Podcast
Check out the bonus Killing IT content on MSP Radio's Business of Tech podcast! Today's a great day to subscribe to that: https://www.businessof.tech/subscribe/ -- -- -- Topic 1: The Current State of Mergers, Acquisition, and MSP Consolidation Mergers and Acquisitions are alive and well in the MSP channel. Jay McBain from Canalys predicts a growth of M&A of 50% in 2024. In addition to MSPs themselves, he says that we’ll see some major vendors acquired as well. The promise of these larger organizations is always that they’ll bring efficiency and profit. So far, that hasn’t...
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Episode 206: ChatGPT Year 1, Robots Multiplying by Thousands, and Destructive Private Equity
The Killing IT Podcast
Topic 1: Chat GPT 1 year later. AI Article Summary: Elon Musk creates his own AI company called X.AI, while Satya Nadella of Microsoft invests in OpenAI and accelerates plans to incorporate AI into Microsoft's products. OpenAI releases ChatGPT as a "low key research preview," which becomes a hit. Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg, faces challenges with its own chatbot and struggles with the decision to go open-source. Microsoft introduces its own chatbot in Bing, surpassing Google's efforts. Geoffrey Hinton, a prominent AI scientist at Google, decides to quit and reflects on the rapid advancements...
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Episode 205 - Overworking, AI, AR, and More!
The Killing IT Podcast
We're Baaaaaack! The Killing IT team returns . . . with a fun and educational Q4 show. Topic 1: Overworking Have you heard the term Over Employment or Overworking? These are folks who manage to hold down two or three full time jobs using apps and BS. Are these just eager, hardworking "gig" folks, or are they thieves who are simply more interested in making money than earning an honest living? A few links: They even have their own web site. Topic 2: Catch up on Artificial Intelligence Wow! What a year. Are we in the middle of a singularity? ow much is this like the early...
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Episode 204: KIT LIVE at the SMB Online Conference
The Killing IT Podcast
Topic 1: How much will AI change our business in the next twelve months? ChatGPT now has over 100 million users. Government wants to regulate it. We’re past the hockey stick moment. --- Topic 2: Oh Dear God - Minority Report crack for Ryan: Movie clip reconstructed by an AI reading mice's brains as they watch Researchers have put together a 30-second movie clip based on a group of mice's brain activity data that was recorded while they watched the footage --- Topic 3: How dead is the metaverse? KP: Not every “cool” technology has a big future. It will find its...
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Epsiode 203: AI is Moving Fast, Killing IT Revisits the Cabana, & This Isn't Goodbye but See You Later
The Killing IT Podcast
Topic 1: The Arms Race is Here...AI is Definitely Moving Fast, but Will It Break Things? ChatGPT is now integrated in Bing as “Prometheus.” That sounds ominous. But Bard is also coming. And now Ernie. And Claude. Soon there will be AI bots generating “conversations” and disrupting the search industry on all sides of the globe. Is that a good thing? Sample alternative tools - ...And also, apparently writing software is about to become a less-lucrative career path. --- Topic 2: Revisiting the Cabana... Four years ago, we set out to change the way our industry discussed...
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Episode 202: The Good Guys win the Cyber Wars, Scientist Using Wifi to See Through Walls, & AI and Ethics
The Killing IT Podcast
Topic 1: Score 1 for the Good Guys in the Cyber Wars In a significant development in the fight against ransomware, the FBI announces that they have shut down a notorious cyber gang after infiltrating their system months ago and secretly giving decryption keys to ransomware victims. Topic 2: Ummmm … This is Some Seriously Scary Big Brother Stuff Scientists have announced that they are able to see people through walls using WiFi technology. And not just the “heat blob” from Hollywood movies … but detailed movements and positions. On a scientific note, this is cool. On a security /...
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Episode 201: Jobs Again, FBI Crime Data is NOT Good, & First Personal Drone to be Produced by India
The Killing IT Podcast
Topic 1: Sorry: Let’s talk jobs. December: Total new jobs UP 235,000. That is despite the fact the enterprise companies (500 employees+) reduced jobs by 151,000 ← Great summary stats Spotify 600 (6% of workforce) Twitter 3,700 (50% of those who lasted this long) Salesforce 7,000 (10% of workforce) Microsoft 10,000 (5% of workforce) Tesla 10,000 (10% of workforce) Google 12,000 (6% of workforce) Amazon 18,000 (1% of workforce) Oh, and . . . Apple 0 (0% of workforce) - Minor adjustments at retail locations See also the big Layoff-Tracker Service at TrueUp -...
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Episode 200: Labor Hoarding, Tech Workforce 2023, We Got the Digital Workplace Wrong
The Killing IT Podcast
Topic 1: Small companies are “labor hoarding” while large companies are laying off. Keeping employees at any cost! Topic 2: Understanding the Dynamics of the Tech Workforce in 2023 Data Point 1: Tech Layoffs are Happening … But Not Because Tech is Suddenly Less Valuable Data Point 2: Tech Jobs are Less Attractive to Young Professionals Data Point 3: Shifting Preference for Generalists vs. Specialists … Plus a Mainstream Rise of “Business IT” Contributors Amazon layoffs delivered by email. ← Low class or just modern times? Topic 3: Cal Newport on the Digital Workplace: We...
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Algorithms in need of MGMT Training, Microsoft drops $1B on ChatGPT, & Apple to Create Their Own Chip
The Killing IT Podcast
Topic 1: Algorithms Need Management Training, Too! From Wired Magazine. Human beings excel at avoiding responsibility for difficult decisions. Management and personnel decisions are often difficult. Therefore, they are great candidates for turning decision-making over to the bots. What could possibly go wrong? Topic 2: Microsoft drops $1 Billion on ChatGPT I should have bought more Microsoft stock yesterday. :-) Looking to the true “next level” of product development. Microsoft was an early investor in ChatGPT Topic 3: Apple to drop Broadcom chip and make their own. Is this...
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Episode 198: the Generative AI Race, Last Pass Security Incident, and Intelligent Elevators
The Killing IT Podcast
Topic 1: Generative AI is Fun … Until the “Other” Guys Start Doing It Too China is aggressively building their own versions of generative AI platforms (with some obvious / inevitable filters) that do essentially the same thing as ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion. The question is whether they will be able to out-race us to the auto-content future … and whether that is a problem. Topic 2: LastPass - Lessons for the Channel Should we be worried? What do we expect from vendors? What’s reasonable and realistic? Is this worth discussing as a larger topic of always-on monitoring and...
info_outlinePlease check out our new “Killing IT Reading List” - at https://killingit.smallbizthoughts.com.
Promo: Join us at the SMB Online Conference May 19-20. As a bonus, we're doing a "Killing IT Live" session. Check it out at https://www.smbonlineconference.com.
Topic 1: The Next Evolution of Facial Recognition - good and bad
Makers of facial-recognition technology are trying to figure out how to adapt to a world in which people cover their faces to avoid spreading disease.
Scouring social media and other apps for facial recognition database. Is this legal? Ethical? Also - finding children who have been victims of crimes. Sounds good, but also has some drawbacks.
Links:
How Well Can Algorithms Recognize Your Masked Face?
https://www.wired.com/story/algorithms-recognize-masked-face/
Topic 2: The Facebook “Supreme Court”
Facebook announces a board beyond Mark Z. to determine what is acceptable on their platform. Self regulation takes a different spin when you get to appoint the board that governs you - in hopes that governments won't.
https://www.wired.com/story/facebook-names-20-people-overrule-mark-zuckerberg/
An interesting take-away for the previous two topics: Government regulation and self-regulation are important factors. You need to engage in these discussion with your clients.
Topic 3: Technology after the Pandemic - The Small Business Sales process
What will change after we get to leave our houses? Some things won't go back. In addition, many people are now comfortable doing a totally-online sales pitch. Others are eager to get back to the way things were.
We add our perspective.
. . . This episode brought to you by Bob's Metal Bending Shop . . .
:-)