“Through the looking glass: envisioning new library technologies” pandemic response technologies: tracking technologies and artificial intelligence

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (10) ◽  
pp. 17-20
Author(s):  
Peter Fernandez

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on tracking technologies and artificial intelligence, two technologies many of us carry as part of our smartphones every day in the context of the 2020 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach This column is part of a series using examples and headlines generated by this unique pandemic to explore larger technological trends and to provide a glimpse into the future of these underlying technologies. Findings Looking ahead, it is clear that the current pandemic has heightened the value and importance of these technologies, accelerating existing trends and heightening the importance for information professionals to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Originality/value This column will help information professionals have the context they need to understand these technologies as they evolve and enable them to prepare their organizations and communities to effectively use, promote and develop policies to deal with them. Once a technology has been integrated into our lives, its impact can feel invisible, regardless of its impact. Over time, as the technology continues to improve and change, those evolutions may remain unseen. Yet, extraordinary circumstances, such as a global pandemic, can provide a new lens for understanding these underlying technologically evolutionary trends. This is particularly true if the technology interacts with our lives in novel ways.

foresight ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olle Häggström

PurposeThis paper aims to contribute to the futurology of a possible artificial intelligence (AI) breakthrough, by reexamining the Omohundro–Bostrom theory for instrumental vs final AI goals. Does that theory, along with its predictions for what a superintelligent AI would be motivated to do, hold water?Design/methodology/approachThe standard tools of systematic reasoning and analytic philosophy are used to probe possible weaknesses of Omohundro–Bostrom theory from four different directions: self-referential contradictions, Tegmark’s physics challenge, moral realism and the messy case of human motivations.FindingsThe two cornerstones of Omohundro–Bostrom theory – the orthogonality thesis and the instrumental convergence thesis – are both open to various criticisms that question their validity and scope. These criticisms are however far from conclusive: while they do suggest that a reasonable amount of caution and epistemic humility is attached to predictions derived from the theory, further work will be needed to clarify its scope and to put it on more rigorous foundations.Originality/valueThe practical value of being able to predict AI goals and motivations under various circumstances cannot be overstated: the future of humanity may depend on it. Currently, the only framework available for making such predictions is Omohundro–Bostrom theory, and the value of the present paper is to demonstrate its tentative nature and the need for further scrutiny.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 20-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Fernandez

Purpose As technology becomes more sophisticated, there is an increasing demand for flexible operating systems that can automatically respond to emerging challenges. The concept of artificial intelligence (AI) is, therefore, increasingly integral to many of the most exciting technological developments occurring today. Design/methodology/approach This is a literature review. Findings Broadly defined, AI is the aspect of computing that enables the machine to take in information about its environment and make choices that help it succeed. This paper will explore some of the key concepts behind AI and demonstrate how they apply to emerging technology. Research limitations/implications To get a sense of the importance of AI, we need look no further than Google. Although many companies are working on AI, Google is of particular interest to libraries because its mission to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful” shares many similarities with libraries. Originality/value AI has been contemplated for as long as humans have considered the nature of their own intelligence and pondered how artificial beings might be able to accomplish similar tasks. The idea of AI can be seen as far back as the ancient Greek myth of Galatea. Philosophers and scientists from René Descarte to Alan Turing have posed questions that are still relevant to modern AI.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 337-341
Author(s):  
Paul Campbell

PurposeThis paper explores the role of professional collaboration and agency during the global COVID-19 pandemic and possible lessons for the future from the perspective of a teacher, leader and postgraduate researcher.Design/methodology/approachThis essay explores the complex role of collaboration and agency in responding to the challenges arising during the global COVID-19 pandemic utilizing research as well as the author's lived experience.FindingsThe author finds that through a renewed emphasis on effective professional collaboration and agency, not only are there opportunities to embed lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is also scope to work towards education systems that reflect the complex global socio-political contexts communities may find themselves in and the evolving needs that result from them.Originality/valueThis paper offers insights into the work of teachers and school leaders, the increasing complexity of their roles over time, and particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, considering what this might mean for the future.


2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-281
Author(s):  
Raul V. Rodriguez ◽  
Sanjivni Sinha ◽  
Sakshi Tripathi

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to highlight the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the healthcare industry through the Ayushman Bharat health protection scheme by analyzing various technologies being integrated to improve the customer service and experiences in India. The key focus lies on the understanding of the influence of AI in the healthcare system services, the clinical treatment, and the facilities to progress with accurate and precise health screening in India.Design/methodology/approachA systematic study on the emerging technologies of AI and the applications in the healthcare sector is presented in the form of a viewpoint.FindingsAI certainly enhances experiential services; however, it cannot surpass the human touch which is an essential determinant of experiential healthcare services. AI acts as an effective complementary dimension to the future of healthcare.Originality/valueThis viewpoint discusses the applications and role of AI with the help of relevant examples. It highlights the different technologies being applied and how they will be used in the future focusing upon the Ayushman Bharat health protection scheme in India.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 5-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Fernandez

Purpose This is the second of a two-part series on artificial intelligence (AI). The first column summarized some of the basic concepts necessary to understand AI and why recent developments indicate that it is poised to radically transform an array of emerging technologies. Design/methodology/approach This column will assume some basic knowledge of AI, to more fully explore how this technology is likely to impact libraries in the future in the areas of search, educational technology and logistics. Findings At its core, AI is a group of technologies that attempts to enable computers to solve problems in more dynamic ways than they previously have been able to do. Often, these efforts are conceptualized as replicating human intelligence in their functionality, even if they often use radically different underlying methods. Originality/value One key difference is that computers have inherent advantages over humans in absorbing and processing certain types of data. As a result, what can be done once a computer is capable of making more complex inferences can be truly remarkable, particularly when AI is used to empower humans in accomplishing otherwise tedious or difficult tasks.


2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Peter Fernandez

Purpose This column aims to summarize developments in augmented reality and use those developments to help explain trends that influence the likelihood of mainstream adoption. Design/methodology/approach The idea of augmented reality also drives the development of many other related technologies, including wearables, haptic technologies and many others that have been featured in this column. Findings Developers invest in the future based on the idea that widespread use of augmented reality is just around the corner. Yet in many ways, it still appears to be a technology eternally on the cusp of mainstream adoption. Originality/value In 2014, this column looked at augmented reality as an important emerging technology. Nearly three years later, some libraries continue to use it in groundbreaking ways, and it has grown by leaps and bounds.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhumika Gambhir ◽  
Anindita Bhattacharjee

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight how Artificial intelligence (AI) and its subsets are changing the face of the accounting and finance (A&F) profession. Expectations from A&F professionals are changing due to the expeditious changes in technology. This paper proposes new skill set expectations from these professionals. Design/methodology/approach This is a viewpoint paper based on the opinions/views of the employees working in medium and large organizations in A&F in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The employee viewpoints were gathered through an emailed questionnaire. Findings This paper illustrates the need to embrace technology and acquire the necessary skills to work in conjunction with machines. This will help A&F professionals to meet the changing expectations of employers. Practical implications This paper emphasizes the usefulness of training, learning, and development of the skills necessary for A&F professionals to work with AI and its subsets. Originality/value This paper discusses how AI will bring in challenges and opportunities in the future. It suggests how A&F professionals can embrace technology (driven by AI) and understand to work with it.


Author(s):  
Emmet McLoughlin ◽  
James Hanrahan ◽  
Ann Marie Duddy

Purpose Despite indicators being regarded as ideal tools to help achieve sustainability in tourism, their application within Ireland remains under researched. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to advance the knowledge base in the hospitality and tourism field by presenting baseline research from the first application of all 43 of the indicators that make up the European tourism indicator system (ETIS) in county Clare, Ireland. Design/methodology/approach This study used the pre-existing visitor, enterprise and resident surveys that accompany the ETIS indicator system in a number of honey pot destinations within county Clare. This approach was complemented further through desk research to gather the necessary data on all 43 core indicators of the ETIS. Findings While the application of the ETIS in county Clare constitutes a significant advancement towards evidence informed planning for tourism. There does exist a number of information gaps relating to specific core indicators of the ETIS. Which, if not monitored and benchmarked over time, could have serious ramifications for the future sustainability of tourism in Ireland. Originality/value This paper not only discuss the findings from the application of all 43 core indicators of the ETIS in one specific destination but also develops new knowledge on the use of tourism indicators and the move towards evidence informed planning for tourism. Furthermore, this study contributes significantly to the theoretical development of our field, as the ETIS has not been applied in its entirety throughout Europe.


2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-7
Author(s):  
Christian Laesser ◽  
Thomas Bieger ◽  
Harald Pechlaner ◽  
Peter Keller ◽  
Dimitrios Buhalis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reconstruct and analyze the long history of Tourism Review and try to outline the future of this journal. Design/methodology/approach The authors show that Tourism Review has been a good example of multiple life cycles over time and of survival by adaption. Findings The authors illustrate also how this journal has seen decline, as well as revival, and stagnation, as well as innovation. Originality/value It is also a proxy of the state and issues of tourism research and publication over 75 years.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Fernandez

Purpose Understanding how the intersection of Facebook’s incentives and their potential misalignment with the values of libraries and society is likely to be a driving force in creating the technology of the future. Design/methodology/approach This column examines different models Facebook has tried to resolve the legitimacy challenges raised by its massive scale. Findings The misinformation example highlighted in the previous column and the XCheck controversy in this part underscore that an organization of Facebook’s size creates problems that may have similar dynamics to smaller social media companies or other large technology companies, but the resolutions to those problems might look very different. Originality/value Navigating the challenges of this kind of social media will be one of the primary tests of how libraries deal with technology in the future and set the course for the technology that comes after.


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