An evolving dictionary of Intelligent Automation
When I was actively involved as a researcher, it was a running joke (and also a truism) that scholarly distinction wasn’t earned through originality, but through the invention of new terms to describe old things. The same is most certainly true when it comes to … Continue reading An evolving dictionary of Intelligent Automation
Wellness Day
I WROTE A SONG đ¶đž Friday was a âWellness Dayâ at Pegasystems. What I love about these days is that you donât feel like youâre missing anything (because everyone is off) AND itâs unlikely that your family also has the day off, which means itâs … Continue reading Wellness Day
Youâre Going to Die: A Childrenâs Story
By Timothy Furstnau (2000). Film by Dennis Palazzolo and narrated by Vito Acconci. One day, youâre going to die. Your life will just end, right then and there. You will be no more. It probably wonât be pretty like in the movies or in fairytales. … Continue reading Youâre Going to Die: A Childrenâs Story
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
I am re-reading Max Weberâs classic sociological work âThe Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.â The main thesis (as I remember it from grad school) is that the Enlightenment represented a splintering of Worldview such that traditionally shared belief systems about God, humans, and … Continue reading The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
The best and worst career advice I ever received
Sometimes advice that is the most rewarding in the short term is also the most punishing in the long run.
The sentience of Googleâs LaMDA AI has been grossly exaggerated
On Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Virtue It is highly unlikely that Googleâs LaMDA AI chat it has become sentient, which is to say âself-aware.â What is more likely the case is that it simply represents a sophisticated simulation. But how would we know for certain? … Continue reading The sentience of Googleâs LaMDA AI has been grossly exaggerated
Bots donât care if you live or die
The best approaches to automation donât automate everything. Where processes are automated, exceptions are bound to happen. And when those exceptions happen itâs important that humans are able to address themâŠespecially when the life and death of humans are concerned. When too much is automated, … Continue reading Bots donât care if you live or die
How American musket manufacturing paved the way for low-code software development
The early days of computing relied on mechanical devices. From the abacus through to Charles Babbageâs engines, these devices â much like the modern computer â were developed to increase the speed with which individuals could perform calculations in support of commercial (accounting, insurance), scientific … Continue reading How American musket manufacturing paved the way for low-code software development
Hyperautomation is necessary to human survival
As a result of digitization (converting analogue to digital information) and digitalization (deploying processes that make use of digital information) congnitive load has INCREASED, not decreased. The speed that information travels today means that just being able to keep up is a competitive advantage. But … Continue reading Hyperautomation is necessary to human survival
âFaking itâ is passĂ©
The idea of âfaking it till you make itâ is passĂ©. A fad of the past decade that has seen devastating results at the same time as it has seen growing numbers of immatators. Fakers may grow fast, but they donât last. And they leave … Continue reading âFaking itâ is passĂ©
Timothy Harfield 