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From the spinning jenny to AI technologies, America’s unwavering commitment to innovation continues to shine.

Back in 1776, the American colonies were on the edge of a political revolution. But another revolution was already under way: the First Industrial Revolution, where invention after invention transformed life and work. James Hargreaves’s spinning jenny, an automated spinning wheel, completely disrupted the “cottage industry” of home spinning wheels, sending masses of women into factory jobs for the first time. And the list goes on: the Franklin stove, bifocals, hot air balloons, and steam-powered mills.

241 years later, the age of invention continues, defined by innovations as diverse as robotics, flying cars, gene editing, even cloning. And the crown jewel of today’s Fourth Industrial Revolution: artificial intelligence, of course, a technology poised to reinvent, transform, and disrupt practically every aspect of our lives. Ben Franklin would approve.

Rapid and inspired innovation, an explosion in productivity, and the transformation of everyday life and work—the world of 1776 set off a technological revolution that powers on. 
Entefy’s enFacts are illuminating nuggets of information about the intersection of communications, artificial intelligence, security and cyber privacy, and the Internet of Things. Have an idea for an enFact? We would love to hear from you.

Morse code allows people to communicate over great distances. But long before dot-dot-dash, nature had already invented a Morse-like communication standard: the flash of a firefly. 

Fireflies are full of surprises that we’ll cover in this video enFact. Take a flight around the amazing world of fireflies and their unique form of communication. 

Read the original version of this enFact here.

Entefy’s enFacts are illuminating nuggets of information about the intersection of communications, artificial intelligence, security and cyber privacy, and the Internet of Things. Have an idea for an enFact? We would love to hear from you.

Early computers used punch cards. With the PC came the keyboard and mouse. Today, conversational interfaces are improving in accuracy and effectiveness. What’s next?

If scientists and entrepreneurs have their way, the future of computer interfaces is devices that connect us to computers using just our thoughts. It sounds like science fiction but when you’re talking about rewriting the rules of human communication, it’s worth considering just how feasible the technology might be. After all, the human brain contains around 100 billion neurons with more than 100 trillion synaptic connections between them, arranged in a system that is as unique as a fingerprint. It’s not that easy to mimic its function in silicon.

And yet there are already working examples of precursor technologies that might one day enable brain-to-computer or even brain-to-brain communication. Two leading technologies for brain-implanted devices are neural lace and neural dust. Here’s what we know about each of these technologies, still very much in the laboratory stage of development. You can read more about the science and fiction of brain-to-brain communication in Entefy’s article, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking? The new science behind brain-to-brain communication.”

Neural lace is a fine mesh studded with electrodes and designed to be injected into brain tissue using a syringe. The material then unrolls in the brain where it begins recording nearby neural activity. Neural lace has been successfully implanted in rodents, where it recorded neuronal activity without triggering an immune-system response.

A second promising brain interface concept is neural dust, tiny silicon sensors designed to read neural activity and stimulate nerves and muscles. Neural dust is stimulated by an external ultrasound transmitter that both controls the dust and reads its informational output. The ultrasound also powers the dust, eliminating the need for a separate power source.

Are we likely to buy brain-to-computer devices at the local electronics store any time soon? Don’t throw away your keyboard and mouse just yet. These advancements, along with other frontiering technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, and self-driving cars, are aimed to fundamentally change how people communicate, live, and work. 

Read the original article here.

These days, it’s tough to miss newspaper headlines touting the idea that “Artificial intelligence is coming for your job.” The problem is that the only thing these oversimplifications get right is that there is in fact an important connection between AI and work. What’s surprising is how many examples there are of AI acting as the catalyst for new hiring, higher wages, and happier employees. But of course AI success stories aren’t as exciting as the job-stealing-robots narrative. The reality is that the impact of AI on the workforce is complex, nuanced, and still very much in transition.

Here’s an example. A Deloitte study of automation in the UK found that 800,000 low-skilled jobs were eliminated as the result of AI and other automation technologies. But get this: 3.5 million new jobs were created as well, and those jobs paid on average nearly $13,000 more per year than the ones that were lost. 

Positive, worker-friendly outcomes like this illustrate a more complete range of possibilities for automation. Technology is changing the way we work, that’s not in dispute. These changes can improve people’s lives and lead to a more creative, intellectually engaged workforce. AI often means that employees can spend more time on complex tasks for which they are uniquely suited, like interacting with customers or brainstorming innovative new campaigns. 

Over the long term, creativity is what will distinguish humans from machines. And not just the capacity for creative work but the ability to reimagine what jobs might look like in the near future and beyond. To that end, we’ve compiled three examples of automation creating jobs and helping leaders develop better companies.

Artificial intelligence responsible for high customer demand and new jobs 

Panera Bread announced in April that it would create 10,000 delivery driver and in-café jobs in response to the popularity of its delivery service. High customer demand for ordering soups and sandwiches through the chain’s AI-powered digital platform led the company to decide to expand the service to 40 percent of its stores. The company said that its drivers would enjoy “daytime hours and competitive wages” and would further bolster the customer experience. 

Panera Bread’s decision to hire its own drivers rather than outsource deliveries to a third-party service could hint at another automation-driven trend. If all companies have access to the same cost-saving, service-expediting technologies, competitive advantage may come from differentiated customer experience. The sort of unique customer experience that comes from human creativity.

Automation opens the door to better margins and higher wages 

The Marlin Steel factory in Baltimore is a classic case of automation driving innovation. When Chinese manufacturers undercut Marlin Steel’s prices for its core wire basket product line, the company was forced to pivot. Marlin Steel purchased robotic wire-forming machines and began focusing on making high-quality precision products for companies such as Boeing and General Motors. It also hired more people and increased wages, attracting workers whose diverse backgrounds complemented the computer-aided production processes around which the factory now revolves. 

Drew Greenblatt, CEO and owner of Marlin Steel, credits automation with not only providing a lifeline to the company but to its employees as well. “All of a sudden they’re super productive and it’s because we’ve given them the tools—it’s robotics and automation,” he said. “Thank God for robots. If it wasn’t for robots, these guys would be unemployed.” 

Leveraging robotics helped Marlin Steel land major clients by creating higher-quality products. The company’s success suggests yet another positive side effect of automation: the opportunity for companies to enter into higher-margin product lines. Staying competitive means always finding a new edge, a differentiator that inspires people to choose your company over the next. 

AI and robotics support a company’s values

When AI and robotics replaced the need for 100 fulfillment workers at Boxed’s New Jersey facility, the online grocery startup retrained and promoted them into different departments. Some of the workers became trainers teaching co-workers how to use the new fulfillment systems, while others transitioned into customer service roles. A number of former temp workers became full-time employees and enjoyed a 13 percent pay increase. 

After spending millions of dollars to bring AI and automation to its fulfillment processes, Boxed could have cut costs if it had simply laid off the workers whose jobs were automated. But instead the company made a values-driven decision to retain its workforce.

According to a recent study, 10,000 new AI jobs will be created in the U.S. this year alone. The disruptive nature of automation is forcing a conversation about the best ways to use AI tools. What will companies look like, how will work and productivity change, even how might society evolve in response to these shifts—these are challenging and exciting questions to ask. Change allows us to examine our values and define who we are. AI and automation help us implement those solutions once we discover the answers.

Who speaks more, women or men? Well, there’s the myth then there’s the science. And the science is pretty convincing: both. Well, neither.

A sophisticated major study into how much people talk during the day used a wearable device to record 30-second segments of subjects’ speech every 12.5 minutes. Researchers then tallied up the audio data to calculate the differences between genders. The result: women speak an average of 16,215 words daily while men speak 15,669 words. Just a 3% difference.

There are nuances, however. Men tend to show a wider variability in words, and included both the least talkative and most talkative test subjects. Topics of discussion differ too, with women more likely to talk about people while men are more likely to talk about things. 

And just how much talking is 16,000 daily words? Well, it equates to 35 printed pages. And is the same number of words in Shakespeare’s Midsummer’s Night’s Dream. 

Entefy’s enFacts are illuminating nuggets of information about the intersection of communications, artificial intelligence, security and cyber privacy, and the Internet of Things. Have an idea for an enFact? We would love to hear from you.

For all the excitement around artificial intelligence and other automation technologies, we’ve only seen a fraction of the opportunities automation will create. With all the change still to come, it’s worth considering now the role these technologies will play in your company’s future.

The practical benefits of automation are many: fewer data-entry errors, faster customer service response times, workload automation, better resource management, and the ability to turn legacy data into powerful insights. These functions enable your company to operate more efficiently. They also empower your employees to excel in new and exciting ways.

Chatbots present an interesting example of this. Most chatbots are a rather basic application of artificial intelligence. But recent advances in AI and natural language processing have made chatbots more capable at delivering customer service. If a chatbot can handle basic to mid-level queries, you can reassign human customer service representatives to more in-depth tasks. The growing use of chatbots hints at the capabilities we’ll see with more advanced automation systems in the future.

But automation isn’t a silver bullet that’s going to remake your company overnight. You need to be selective about which tools you integrate and which tasks you leave to employees. Although we’re still in the early stages of the automation revolution, you want to be thinking now about the opportunities and challenges it creates. Given the accelerating pace of innovation of new technologies, it’s critical that you address the implications today so as not to get left behind tomorrow.

The following 5 action steps help prepare your organization for AI and other automation technologies:  

1. Evaluate existing processes

Thoroughly examine each department and all the processes within it. You may choose to automate some tasks so your employees can focus on higher-value responsibilities. Hold discussion groups or automation summits within the company to find out which processes can save time and money with automation.

Start by asking your employees questions like:

• Which tedious, repeatable tasks eat up large portions of the day?
• If one low-value aspect of their jobs could be offloaded, what would it be?

The answers to these questions will illuminate your company’s areas of greatest opportunity. And with mundane, time-consuming responsibilities removed, you may see a jump in productivity among your newly liberated team members.

2. Encourage continuing employee education

It is now conventional wisdom that continuous learning is crucial to staying relevant as a professional. Pew’s research into the future of jobs and training found that 87% of Americans “believe it will be essential for them to get training and develop new job skills throughout their work life in order to keep up with changes in the workplace.” Investing in training helps your company stay competitive in the short-term and cultivate talented employees to become forward-thinking leaders in the future.

Harness this awareness to encourage learning wherever possible. You might subsidize the costs of online courses, university classes, or advanced degree programs. On-site trainings and workshops enable learning opportunities for all team members, even those who have limited time for outside learning due to family commitments or financial constraints. Such learning sessions should also be tailored to your company’s needs so you can ensure that the skills people are learning will be applied effectively within the organization.

Bear in mind that any policies toward ongoing education should be flexible, as new forms of credentialing and digital learning will emerge alongside automation. Support employees’ varied learning styles as well. Some will thrive in classroom settings, while others excel in self-directed capacities. The key is to foster a lifelong learning mentality so employees can evolve with the changing nature of their work.

3. Hold conversations about automation’s impact

No one likes boring, mundane work. This is especially true of younger professionals today, who desire meaning and fulfillment in their work. AI and automation technologies can help your company deliver that experience.

Beyond increasing profits and improving output, consider what automation means for your company’s mission. Invite employees to monthly discussion groups to explore automation’s broader impact. Discuss topics like:

• How will these tools improve the lives of your employees and customers?
• If team members have fewer tasks to complete, can they use their extra time to pursue their own ideas?
• Will automation equate to autonomy on when and where they work?

These are conversations you want to start now, before they become urgent. Automation might impact every member of your team, and every one of them should be part of the discussion.

4. Adopt modern collaboration processes

The rise of automation has put a premium on interpersonal skills. Machines can manage data and tackle simple tasks, but they can’t reassure anxious clients or resolve conflicts among team members. There’s no single goal for getting the most out of AI and automation. But the companies likely to thrive over the long term are the ones that use automation to refresh or even transform their business models.

Successfully managing this change requires teams that are adept, sophisticated collaborators. And the cornerstone of collaboration is strong communication practices. To ensure your company is prepared for this emphasis on collaboration, take the time now to evaluate your communication processes. Open dialogue and healthy conflict resolution will prove essential as employees collaborate on increasingly challenging questions.

5. Map out the road ahead 

Research into the fundamentals of automation suggests that many employees will experience significant evolution in their roles and responsibilities. As AI and other automation technologies mature into transformative products, it’s critical your company is working from a well-crafted plan for how to take advantage of the opportunities.

Automation will change your company – you know that for certain. The most exciting aspect of these changes isn’t the impact to day-to-day operations. It’s the opportunity to grow your company into a stronger, more productive organization.    

File this one under “modern complexity.” 

The United States Code, the complete collection of all Federal laws, consists of 22 million words with 80,000 connections between laws. Reading at 200 words per minute, it would take 76 round-the-clock days to read it. Or 46 work weeks.

Here’s an interesting way to visualize the size of the U.S. Code. A standard sheet of 8.5” x 11” paper holds 450 words in Arial 12-point print, which means printing the entire U.S. Code takes 48,888 sheets of paper—not to mention a small fortune in printer ink refills. Laid side-by-side, those pages would take up 31,744 square feet of floor space. 

Interestingly, there isn’t a definitive answer to how many laws there are in the Code. In 1982, the U.S. Justice Department tried to calculate the total number of criminal laws. After failing to determine the answer, one Justice Department official stated: “You will have died and been resurrected three times,” before finding the answer. The Library of Congress called the task “nearly impossible.” 
Entefy’s enFacts are illuminating nuggets of information about the intersection of communications, artificial intelligence, security and cyber privacy, and the Internet of Things. Have an idea for an enFact? We would love to hear from you.

There’s an old brain teaser that asks: Are there more stars in the sky or grains of sand on all the beaches? With all the messages flying around these days, we thought we’d update that question for the digital age: Are there more digital messages or stars in a galaxy? 

Every year, more than 100 trillion messages are sent and received worldwide. That’s a huge number. And like the physical universe, this number is expanding as more and more people come online and start messaging. 

In this video enFact we do the math on just how big 100 trillion really is. 

Read the original version of this enFact here.

Entefy’s enFacts are illuminating nuggets of information about the intersection of communications, artificial intelligence, security and cyber privacy, and the Internet of Things. Have an idea for an enFact? We would love to hear from you.