As tech businesses boom across the UK, FDM Group, whose mission is to bring people and technology together, has given their top tips on attracting, engaging and retaining women in the industry.

With this growth, it is imperative businesses start taking action to improve gender equality within the industry in order to see its continued growth. At the current rate, the gender gap is not expected to close until 2120 – which demonstrates the need for proactive change and significant strides to be made.

In fact, according to the European Institute for Gender Equality, improving gender equality would result in a 3.5% increase in GDP per capita by 2025, equating to a huge one trillion euros in financial gains.

FDM, comments: “Women make up some of the most skilled professionals in the industry and by failing to attract, engage and retain women in tech, businesses are losing out.

“It should be every business’ priority to address its current practices and make the appropriate changes to attract and retain more women.

“Making these changes not only leads to financial gains for organizations – but aids in closing the gender pay gap and filling the huge demand for digital skills.”

Here are five ways to attract, engage and retain women in tech: ​

1. Take action to address the gender pay gap in your organization

A staggering 91% of tech companies pay their male employees a higher salary than female employees, resulting in a significant 16% gender pay gap – 11.6% higher than the national average!

To address this, it’s imperative businesses focus on tackling issues such as implicit bias in the hiring and promotion processes. While this will vary depending on the type of organisation, to begin, identify the gender pay gap at your company and look at the areas needing the most improvement. From there, you can take steps to reduce this.

Having an annual report to document any findings can be effective in keeping track of any progress – and holding the company accountable. This report should also be available to the public, for all employees and prospective workers to view. This way, your organization is able to provide transparency, while being held responsible for making any necessary changes.

Continue reading: https://www.fenews.co.uk/work-leadership/five-ways-to-attract-engage-and-retain-women-in-tech/

Women accounted for 34% of India’s IT sector workforce in 2021. This also, not surprisingly, coincides with the fact that the number of women enrolling in B-Tech programmes has doubled in the last few years given how the IT industry has boomed in recent times. A recent survey by the Ministry of Education of India also revealed that this enrollment has gone up from 8% in 2016 to 19.72% in 2021. While one can argue that the representation of women in C-suite roles is yet to see any significant uptick, there has surely been a gradual shift in the approach of women towards roles that were predominantly led by men.

Organizations these days are also making conscious efforts to create a more gender-diverse workforce, which according to research has proven to accrue multiple benefits for businesses. McKinsey found that gender-diverse organizations have a 48% chance of outperforming companies with the least gender diversity. Moreover, companies with a strong representation of women at the top earn up to 50% higher profits. All this doesn’t even take into account the intangible benefits of a diverse workforce like a variety of new ideas, a range of perspectives, better collaboration and improved talent retention.

Evidently, organizations would serve their interests better by taking concrete steps to boost gender diversity. Initiatives could include mentorship/leadership programs for women, diversity and inclusion training for all employees, as well as equal access to projects, training and allied resources that can accelerate skill-building.

At the same time, women in the technology industry need to challenge themselves more and develop a growth mindset. Here are a few ways in which they can build a strong profile for themselves:

Continue reading: https://www.expresscomputer.in/gues...ass-ceiling-in-the-world-of-technology/96973/

Last year’s ransomware attack showed “cloud averse” employees in New York’s Suffolk County the benefits of moving away from legacy technology.

Read More: https://gcn.com/cybersecurity/2023/...ates-countys-modernization-cloud-push/385456/

My daughter is in her first year of college. She’ll be charting her career path in today’s workforce in just a few short years. My advice is finally hitting home as I’ve spent my professional life creating opportunity for people through career success. At TEKsystems, a global provider of business, technology and talent solutions, I lead our human resources team and corporate social responsibility strategy.

We’ve prioritized diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives because we believe they will continue to have a positive impact on the work experience. In fact, our recent study found that 96% of IT workers say their leadership makes it clear that DEI initiatives are a critical impact of company strategy.

IT is critical to examine the impact of these initiatives and the difference they’ve made in the workplace for women. I’ve seen the impact organizations can make when they intentionally build pathways for opportunity, create a sense of belonging, and advocate for women in the workplace. Something I hope my daughter will experience—no matter her career path. But with women currently making up just 25% of the IT workforce, it is no time to slow down.

Finding job growth in a volatile labor market​

The labor market continues to fluctuate: Between an ongoing shortage of labor with the right skillsets for IT, to tech layoffs from the biggest names in the industry, to the lingering impact of the pandemic, it is hard to ascertain where the job market is headed and what that means for IT workers. Our study showed that while more than half of women in IT feel they have growth opportunities at their current workplace, it pales in comparison to the 89% of men who feel they have the same ability to grow at their jobs. It will be challenging to see dramatic changes in IT hiring given the high demand for and low supply of talent, coupled with how quickly companies move through the hiring process given immediate needs.

Continue reading: https://qz.com/there-is-a-road-to-parity-for-women-in-tech-1850349503

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized business operations, creating new opportunities and challenges for leaders. In today's AI environment, leaders must adapt to the changes and leverage the benefits of AI to drive their organizations forward.

This article will explore what it takes to be an effective leader in an AI environment. Here are the six steps leaders should take to succeed:

1. Embrace AI as a tool​

Leaders in an AI environment must embrace AI as a tool, not a replacement for human intelligence. AI can be a powerful tool to help leaders make informed decisions and improve operations, but it is not a substitute for human judgment and creativity. Leaders should work to develop a deep understanding of how AI works and how it can be used to achieve their organizational goals.

One example of how leaders can embrace AI as a tool is by using AI-powered analytics to make data-driven decisions. AI can help leaders quickly analyze large amounts of data and identify trends, patterns and insights that would be difficult or impossible to find using traditional methods. By leveraging AI, leaders can make informed decisions backed by real-time data, which can help them stay ahead of the competition and drive their organizations forward. Additionally, leaders can use AI to automate routine tasks, freeing time for strategic thinking and innovation.

2. Foster a culture of innovation​

Innovation is a crucial driver of success in an AI environment. Leaders should encourage their teams to experiment with new ideas and technologies to find innovative solutions to business problems. This means creating a culture that embraces failure as a learning opportunity and rewards creativity and risk-taking.

Leaders can foster a culture of innovation in an AI environment by encouraging experimentation and risk-taking. Leaders can set up innovation labs or other dedicated spaces where employees can experiment with new ideas and technologies without fear of failure. They can also provide incentives and recognition for innovative ideas and outcomes.

Another way is by promoting collaboration across teams and departments to encourage cross-functional problem-solving and knowledge-sharing. Leaders can also provide opportunities for employees to attend industry events and conferences to learn about new technologies and approaches and bring back fresh ideas to the organization.

Continue reading: https://www.entrepreneur.com/leadership/how-to-lead-effectively-in-an-ai-environment/449317

The Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday passed an ordinance limiting the city’s use of facial recognition technology.

East Anchorage Assembly member Joey Sweet proposed the measure. He raised concerns about the use of facial recognition by cities across the country, particularly by law enforcement. He said it’s not reliable, and runs the risk of violating people’s privacy.

Read More: https://alaskapublic.org/2023/04/18...ts-city-use-of-facial-recognition-technology/

As the world continues to embrace the transformative power of artificial intelligence, businesses of all sizes must find ways to effectively integrate this technology into their daily operations.

But successfully implementing AI can be a challenging task that requires strategic planning, adequate resources, and a commitment to innovation. Let’s explore the top strategies for making AI work in your organization so you can maximize its potential.

Identify Your Business Needs and Objectives​

Before diving into the world of AI, identify your organization's specific needs and objectives.

What are your current processes? Where could AI streamline systems or add value for your customers or internal teams?

Consider using AI to automate repetitive or time-consuming tasks, improve decision-making, increase accuracy, or enhance customer experiences. Once you have a clear understanding of your business goals, you can align them with the potential benefits of AI so you can have a successful implementation.

Choose the Right AI Solution​

There are a wide variety of AI solutions on the market — including chatbots, natural language process, machine learning, and deep learning — so choosing the right one for your organization is essential.

Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernar...ai-work-in-your-organization/?sh=74ed01414cc9

Conversational intelligence tools and artificial intelligence technology have always been tightly intertwined. The core challenge of conversational intelligence is to extract meaningful insights from large amounts of unstructured conversation data, and AI technology has long been the most effective way of doing so. Because of this, advances in AI capabilities result in new opportunities in the conversational intelligence space.

In the last few years especially, there has been an extraordinary rise in the capability and accuracy of AI systems to analyze voice, video and text data. Specifically concerning conversational intelligence, there are advances in three major areas that have created new possibilities.

1. Automated speech recognition.

2. Understanding and transformation of unstructured text.

3. Emotional analysis of video.

Automated speech recognition (ASR) refers to the technology used to transcribe spoken language into text. ASR relies on algorithms that analyze the acoustic characteristics of speech, such as pitch, tempo and phonetic content, to convert it into a digital format that can be processed by machines.

Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes...sational-intelligence-market/?sh=31884692b293

As artificial intelligence becomes a larger part of our world, it’s easy to get lost in its sea of jargon. But it has never been more important to get your bearings than today.

AI is poised to have a major impact on the job market in the coming years. Discussions over how to manage it are playing a larger part in our political conversation (see: Regulation). And some of its most crucial concepts are things that you won’t have been taught in school.

Trying to get up to speed can be difficult. AI research is complicated, and lots of the language is new even for the researchers themselves. But there’s no reason the public can’t grapple with the big issues at stake, like we learned to do with climate change and the internet. To help everyone engage more fully with the AI debate, TIME has put together a handy glossary of its most common terminology.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or you already know your AGIs from your GPTs, this A to Z is designed to be a public resource for everyone grappling with the power, promise, and perils of artificial intelligence.

AGI​

AGI stands for Artificial General Intelligence—a hypothetical future technology that can perform most economically productive tasks more effectively than a human. Such a technology may also be able to uncover new scientific discoveries, its proponents believe. Researchers tend to disagree on whether AGI is even possible, or if it is, how far away it remains. But OpenAI and DeepMind—the world’s two leading AI research organizations—are both expressly committed to building AGI. Some critics say AGI is little more than a marketing term.

Continue reading: https://time.com/6271657/a-to-z-of-artificial-intelligence/

Originally From: https://www.heliosvisions.com/2023/...-mixed-use-building-in-the-heart-of-the-city/


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St Regis Chicago also referred to as Vista Tower, is a remarkable example of modern architecture and eco-friendly design. Developed by Magellan Development Group and designed by Studio Gang, the building boasts 101 stories that reach a height of 1,196 feet and span over 1,900,000 square feet. The building features 393 condominiums and 192 hotel rooms, making it a multi-functional development.

High Altitude Drone Footage by Helios Visions​

Helios Visions, a leading provider of high-altitude drone footage, played a crucial role in the successful construction and completion of St Regis Chicago. Throughout the building’s construction process, the company captured stunning aerial footage that showcased the progress and intricate details of the project.

One of the key highlights was the innovative use of AGC Glass Company’s “coat-on-demand” glass, which was used to cover the building. The unique glass technology allowed for a precise and efficient application of coatings, resulting in a sleek and modern finish.

“The gradient of the glass is an essential component of our building’s design. We would have not been able to realize our ambitions without the Coating on Demand technology.” – Juliane Wolf, Design Principal, Partner Studio Gang

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Thanks to Helios Visions’ expertise in drone technology, the footage provided a comprehensive overview of the construction project and allowed stakeholders to see the building’s development from a new perspective. The high-altitude drone footage was an invaluable tool that helped ensure the smooth completion and marketing of St Regis Chicago.



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Key Players in the Project​

BKL Architecture served as the architect of record, ensuring the building’s structural integrity. Magnusson Klemencic Associates, James McHugh Construction Co., Curtain Wall Design and Consulting, Inc., Lee Herzog Consulting, GEI Consultants, Gensler, and RWDI were among the other consultants and contractors involved in the project. The building’s formwork was supplied by Doka GmbH.

Sustainability of St Regis Chicago​

St Regis Chicago is not only a stunning addition to the Chicago skyline but also a sustainable one. The building is aimed at achieving LEED Silver certification, reflecting the developer’s commitment to environmental responsibility.

By striving for LEED Silver certification, St Regis Chicago demonstrates its commitment to reducing its impact on the environment and promoting a sustainable future. This not only benefits the planet but also creates a healthier and more comfortable environment for its occupants. The building’s focus on sustainability is an example for others to follow and will undoubtedly contribute to the ongoing effort to create a greener and more sustainable future.

Comments from Magellan Development Group LLC​

J.R. Berger, Principal of Magellan Development Group LLC, stated that the collaboration with the iconic St. Regis brand and the Alinea Group aligns with the established standard of the Vista Tower brand and their dedication to offering unparalleled luxury for residents and hotel guests. The partnership with these brands sends a message that Chicago is strong and resilient.

“We’re pleased to collaborate with the iconic St. Regis brand. The St. Regis Chicago will be the city’s most desirable destination. The St. Regis, coupled with the Alinea Group, aligns with the established caliber of the Vista Tower brand, and our dedication to providing unparalleled luxury for our residents and hotel guests. The partnership with these brands sends the message that Chicago is strong and resilient.” – J.R. Berger, Principal, Magellan Development Group LLC

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Accolades Received by St Regis Chicago​

St Regis Chicago has received numerous accolades for its design and sustainability. In the 2022 CTBUH Awards, the building won the award for Best Tall Building 300-399 meters, Best Tall Mixed-Use Building, and Best Tall Building Americas. The building is now the third tallest in the Chicago skyline and is a true architectural landmark.

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Comments from Marriott International​

George Fleck, Vice President of Global Brand Management and Marketing at St. Regis Hotels & Resorts at Marriott International, stated that the St. Regis brand celebrates the best of luxury living and travel. The Residences at St. Regis Chicago will offer residents an exceptional lifestyle and personalized service through the signature St. Regis Butler Service combined with modern glamour and high design. Working with Magellan Development on the Vista Tower project allows them to offer Chicago’s Best Address and provide the ultra-luxury experience expected by guests and residents.

“The St. Regis brand celebrates the best of luxury living and travel. The Residences at The St. Regis Chicago will provide its residents an extraordinary lifestyle, consistent with the experience guests have come to know and love in exquisite St. Regis hotels and resorts around the world. Guests and residents of The St. Regis Chicago will enjoy the highest level of personalized service through the signature St. Regis Butler Service combined with the modern glamour and high design for which the brand is known. Working with Magellan Development on the Vista Tower project, a significant iconic building in Chicago, allows us to offer Chicago’s Best Address and provide the ultra-luxury experience that is expected by our guests and residents.” – George Fleck, Vice President, Global Brand Management and Marketing – St. Regis Hotels & Resorts at Marriott International.

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The concept of smart devices was first introduced in 1982 at Carnegie Mellon University with a modified vending machine to report on inventory. Ten years later, a toaster oven was connected and controlled over the Internet. However, the term Internet of Things, or IoT, wasn’t officially coined until 1999 by Kevin Ashton of Procter & Gamble, and it took over ten years for IoT to really take off.

Those early days of IoT involved applications that just needed to connect for a moment in time—to measure inventory or turn on a toaster. These devices, and the many IoT applications that came after, connected to the Internet using the same cellular technologies originally designed for mobile phones. And that’s because the technology met the connectivity needs for those applications.

Even when IoT started to take off in 2010, connected devices only accounted for 9% of global connections, yet are expected to reach 75% of all global connections by 2025. With that growth, connected devices that rely on the infrastructure built for mobile phones have evolved—but has the infrastructure evolved enough to support them?

From the sunset of 2G and 3G networks to the introduction of 5G and regionally-specific regulations, the connectivity landscape is evolving quickly. Pair that with the emergence of increasingly sophisticated IoT applications, and traditional cellular connectivity is no longer enough.

New Innovations In IoT​

Today, patients conduct telehealth calls with doctors, leveraging data from remote patient monitoring devices. Cameras are installed to support real-time security monitoring. Delivery trucks are tracked in real time. Industrial robots are an integral part of some manufacturing plants. And the list goes on.

Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes...e-future-of-iot-connectivity/?sh=7a9ca71977dd

Blockchain technology is a decentralized system that allows for secure and transparent transactions without the need for intermediaries like banks. It was first introduced as the underlying technology behind Bitcoin, the world’s first cryptocurrency, and has since gained popularity in various industries beyond finance.

As more companies adopt blockchain technology, there has been a noticeable trend of remote-friendliness in the industry. This means that companies working with blockchain are more likely to offer remote work opportunities for their employees. This trend has been growing steadily, especially in recent years, as the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of remote work across all industries.

The remote-friendly trend in blockchain companies can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, blockchain technology is highly digitized, which means it can be accessed and managed from anywhere with an internet connection. This makes it easier for companies to operate remotely without the need for physical offices. Additionally, blockchain technology is still a relatively new and niche field, so finding the right talent can be challenging. Remote work allows companies to access a broader pool of qualified candidates without being limited by geography. Finally, blockchain companies tend to be more decentralized, with team members working from different parts of the world, making remote work a more natural fit for the company culture.

Blockchain and Remote Work​

One of the key benefits of blockchain technology is that it provides a high level of transparency. All transactions are recorded on a distributed ledger that can be accessed by anyone on the network, making it easier to monitor and verify activity. This transparency is particularly valuable in remote work settings, where it can be challenging to monitor employee activity.

Blockchain technology is known for its high level of security. All transactions are encrypted and validated by the network, making it extremely difficult to tamper with or manipulate data. This is particularly important for remote work settings, where sensitive data may be shared over the internet.

Blockchain technology is designed to be efficient, with transactions processed quickly and automatically. This can help remote teams work more efficiently, with less time spent on administrative tasks.

Blockchain technology is decentralized, which means that there is no central authority controlling the network. This makes it easier for remote teams to collaborate, as they can all access the same data and work on the same project from anywhere in the world.

Many blockchain companies use cloud-based infrastructure to host their networks, making it easy to access data from anywhere with an internet connection.

Continue reading: https://officechai.com/miscellaneou...ockchain-tend-to-be-the-most-remote-friendly/

The technology industry has become one of the fastest-growing and most influential industries in the world, with the potential to transform almost every aspect of our lives. Despite the many benefits of technology, there remains a significant gender gap in the industry, with women severely underrepresented in tech roles.

In this article, I will explore the importance of hiring more women in tech and why it should be a part of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

The Gender Gap in STEM​

According to recent data, only 15% of tech CEOs are women, and women make up just 26% of the computer and mathematical sciences workforce. Only 16% work in engineering.

This gender gap has several negative consequences, including a lack of diversity and limited perspectives in the tech industry. Women bring unique perspectives, experiences and skills to the table, and their underrepresentation limits innovation and progress. Research has also shown that companies with more diverse teams tend to be more profitable, innovative and successful.

The gender gap in tech also leads to unequal pay and limited opportunities for women to advance in their careers. Women in tech are often paid less than their male counterparts, even when they have the same level of education and experience. Furthermore, women are less likely to be promoted to leadership positions, and their career progression is often limited. This lack of opportunities can lead to fewer women entering the industry, and it perpetuates the gender gap.

Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes...t-a-part-of-their-csr-policy/?sh=4d5c530caac3

The current mad dash by Google, Microsoft and Open.AI to roll out new AI search functionality undoubtedly is leading marketers to wonder, “What’s it all about?” In their rush to be first, technology giants have launched amazing and oft-times inaccurate results to an awe-struck public. Anyone in marketing not asking how to tap the enormous potential of AI isn’t paying attention.

Artificial intelligence is many things, but it isn’t magic regardless of what Arthur C. Clarke may have to say on the subject. The technology offers significant upsides when compared to traditional techniques, but there are also significant pitfalls.

Impressive use cases for AI continue to accrue, some more ubiquitous than others. Who hasn’t interacted with an AI-powered customer service chatbot? Marketers are already using AI for optimizations, such as ad placements; increasing sales through targeted promotions and cross-sell/upsell efforts; and hyping customer loyalty through improved personalization and smart segmentation.

AI can add machine-based efficiencies to your ad design and copywriting. There are even new AI tools that create ads and video from text. There are AI solutions available to personalize the online experience to the specific customer, whether the interactions are proactive, such as a website visit, or reactive, such as a push notification. Personalized email messaging is a straightforward AI task.

Another task gaining momentum among marketers is AI-powered content creation. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have heard of tools such as Jasper.ai and Copy.ai. They each provide essentially the same thing: AI-generated copywriting for blogging, articles, etc. There are no shortage of options there, for AI-powered visual content either.

Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes...-and-how-you-can-leverage-it/?sh=796dea085e24

Payment processing platforms are crucial for businesses to conduct their transactions and operate seamlessly. However, with increasing digital transactions, fraud and security threats have also increased.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful tool that can help payment processing platforms reduce fraudulent payments, streamline client onboarding and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) checks, and optimize customer experience. In this article, we explore how AI can enhance the security and customer experience in payment processing platforms.

Reducing Fraudulent Payments​

Fraudulent payments can cause significant financial losses for businesses. AI-powered fraud detection systems can help payment processing platforms identify and prevent fraudulent transactions in real-time. For example, Exactly uses machine learning algorithms to analyze transactions and identify potential fraudulent activities.

These algorithms take into account several factors, such as transaction history, location, and device information, to determine the likelihood of fraud. By flagging suspicious transactions, AI-powered fraud detection systems can help payment processing platforms reduce the risk of fraudulent payments.

Client Onboarding and AML Checks​

Client onboarding and AML checks are necessary to ensure that businesses comply with regulatory requirements and prevent money laundering. However, these processes can be time-consuming and complex. AI-powered solutions can help payment processing platforms streamline these processes and ensure compliance.

Continue reading: https://techround.co.uk/news/artifi...s-enhancing-security-and-customer-experience/

Will artificial intelligence — especially generative AI — be an accelerant or a drain to the creativity and innovation of today’s workforce? No one knows for sure, but some industry observers are taking educated guesses about the direction things may take.

While the popular perception is that AI will eliminate or severely displace human creativity, it appears many humans are happy to have generative AI in their lives. A recent survey by Fishbowl, an anonymous social network for professionals, finds that 43% of professionals have used AI tools, including ChatGPT, for work-related tasks — without any prompting or even knowledge of their managers.

So we have a push-pull going on within workplaces when it comes to AI and generative AI. It may serve as a super-productive assistant to workers and professionals, or it may usurp their roles. Can AI be creative? Can it innovate on a greater scale that humans?

The conventional wisdom is that humans will always have the edge as creators and innovators. “Generative AI applications such as ChatGPT and Midjourney are threatening to upend this special status and significantly alter creative work, both independent and salaried,” according to David De Cremer, Nicola Morini Bianzino, and Ben Falk, writing in Harvard Business Review. “These new generative AI models learn from huge datasets and user feedback, and can produce new content in the form of text, images, and audio or a combination of those. As such, jobs focused on delivering content — writing, creating images, coding, and other jobs that typically require an intensity of knowledge and information — now seem likely to be uniquely affected by generative AI. What isn’t clear yet is what shape this kind of impact will take. "

Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joemck...-augmented-workplace-to-come/?sh=10cdc1ee200f