Friday Fives
Friday Fives
A round up of five things that have caught our eye (or ear) this past week.
1. ALL GOOD WITH AI?
Recently we delved into the world of AI with some positive, some negatives and some in-betweens. And it seems that the second annual AI Index report goes in a similar direction with its analysis. Essential reading for anyone in the tech space, or those curious about the lay of the land for Artificial Intelligence, the report pulls together data and expert findings on the field’s progress and acceleration.
Read more here
2. MCKINSEY GOES CAMPING
After a little intriguing end of week reading about the state of global politics and where this intersects with familiar corporate names? This report from The New York Times on “How McKinsey Has Helped Raise the Stature of Authoritarian Governments”, should raise some eyebrows and some questions.
“It turns out that McKinsey’s role in China is just one example of its extensive — and sometimes contentious — work around the world, according to an investigation by The New York Times that included interviews with 40 current and former McKinsey employees, as well as dozens of their clients.”
3. TRADE FRICTION - HOW MULTINATIONALS ARE FACING THE CHALLENGES OF THE US, CHINA RELATIONSHIP
Harvard Business Review pens an interesting read on what western multinationals could face as trade tensions rise between The United States of America. With an emphasis on value chains, HBR highlight how frictions could negatively affect the cost of production for giants like Apple, while perhaps providing buoyancy to the likes of Cambodia and Vietnam. As well as highlighting how regional vs global value chains could reign supreme in the light of technological advances.
Read more here
4. A MAP OF INNOVATION IN AUSTRALIA
Getting an idea of all the people in play in an ecosystem is tricky, so we are incredibly impressed by this recently released map of the Aussie innovation ecosystem AND the openness about the methodology that went into creating it.
5. CAN YOU BEAT GOOGLE?
Somewhat topically for New Zealanders, conversations about the ubiquity and power of tech giants have only grown in the latter half in 2018. We have heard about the power of Facebook to influence elections, of Twitter to fan fires and Google to breaking laws - so one could feel helpless in the face of these goliaths. But there have also been rebel wins, and the win of small guy vs Google is somewhat surprisingly that game you wish your 10 year old spent less time on - Fortnite.