Financial Times (January 14)
“It’s the dawn of a new era of conservatism in corporate America, as executives embrace Trump and the new Republican Washington.” The president-elect “has a history of making personal attacks on companies and executives he doesn’t like.” Amid the rush to get into Trump’s good graces, “companies are reshaping how they interact with society…. It’s a mirror image of the surge in support for social justice causes after a police officer killed George Floyd in 2020.”
Tags: Conservatism, Corporate America, Era, Executives, George Floyd, Personal attacks, Republican, Reshaping, Social justice, Society, Trump
New York Times (December 13)
Venture capital (VC) stands at a cross roads as firms adopt opposing paths. The “industry that funds and fosters American innovation” is undergoing “a profound debate” about its future. Some funds are remaining true to the lean, traditional VC model of infusing capital and not much else. Others are adopting a “bigger-is-better” approach in the belief that “even more money is needed to solve society’s thorniest problems with innovation. Small funds, they scoff, can back only small ideas.”
Tags: Bigger-is-better, Capital, Debate, Future, Innovation, Lean, Money, Society, Thorniest problems, Traditional, U.S., Venture-capital
Washington Post (November 3)
“Donald Trump’s retro economic plan could be a disaster.” Tariff-reliant “Trumpian protectionism can’t create a world-class manufacturing economy.” Tariffs may be useful in narrow cases like “protecting certain strategic industries, such as defense. Indiscriminate, across-the-board tariffs, however, are a recipe for a less efficient, dynamic, economy and, ultimately, a poorer, less equitable society.”
Tags: Defense, Disaster, Economic plan, Efficient, Equitable, Manufacturing economy, Poorer, Protecting, Protectionism, Retro, Society, Strategic industries, Tariff, Trump, World-class
CNN (July 19)
“Computers and tech systems around the world went down Friday.” The ensuing “chaos” was brought about by “a single cybersecurity company.” While “software updates are a critical function in society to keep computers protected from hackers,” it is absolutely “crucial” to get the process “right” and “safeguard” it from potential tampering. On Friday, our “trust in that process was punctured.”
Tags: Chaos, Computers, Critical, Cybersecurity, Hackers, Protected, Safeguard, Society, Software updates, Tampering, Tech systems
The Guardian (May 1)
“As the declining population continues to impact Japan’s society and economy, the number of vacant houses has topped nine million – enough to accommodate the entire population of Australia at three people per dwelling.”
Tags: Accommodate, Australia, Declining, Dwelling, Economy, Impact, Japan, Population, Society, Vacant houses
Deutsche Welle (February 2)
“EU member states on Friday finally came to agreement and approved new laws governing the safety and use of artificial intelligence, or AI…. The crux of the problem in finding unanimity came down to the balance between giving companies enough maneuvering room to make the development of AI products lucrative within the EU, while at the same time establishing rules for the use of a technology that is already affecting every aspect of society.”
Tags: Agreement, Approved, Artificial intelligence, Companies, EU, Lucrative, Rules, Safety, Society, Technology, Unanimity
New York Times (January 1)
In the years ensuing the appearance of COVID-19, “the big question… was whether America would ever fully recover from that shock. In 2023 we got the answer: yes. Our economy and society have, in fact, healed remarkably well. The big remaining question is when, if ever, the public will be ready to accept the good news.”
Council on Foreign Relations (December 27)
Development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to proceed at an exponential rate. Its rise “could mirror previous technological revolutions, adding billions of dollars worth of productivity to the global economy while introducing a slew of new risks that could upend the global geopolitical order and the nature of society itself. Managing these risks will be essential, and a global debate over AI governance is raging as major powers such as the United States, China, and European Union (EU) take increasingly divergent approaches toward regulating the technology.”
Tags: AI, China, Deployment, Development, Divergent, EU, Exponential, Geopolitical order, Global economy, Governance, Productivity, Risks, Society, Technological revolutions, U.S.
Institutional Investor (August 23)
“Proponents and critics of ESG claim it can change society. Both will be disappointed.” During the past five years, ESG investing has taken off. “By the end of 2022, global ESG funds had attracted more than $2.5 trillion in assets.” Regardless of this clout and “whether or not asset managers are ‘woke,’ ESG doesn’t hurt oil companies or provide capital for solutions to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.”
Tags: $2.5 trillion, Asset managers, Assets, Capital, Change, Climate change, Critics, Disappointed, ESG investing, Impacts, Oil companies, Proponents, Society, Woke
Newsweek (May 11)
“Business leaders are particularly enthralled by AI’s growing capabilities,” but the general public is unsold. “Two-thirds of American adults—across all income and education levels—don’t trust generative AI and believe it presents a threat to humanity.” The urgent challenge must be addressed. “As was the case at the dawn of the nuclear age, we all have a role to play in demanding governance of this new technology. Scientists, along with society more generally, have made it clear that now is the time.”
Tags: AI, Business leaders, Education, Enthralled, General public, Generative, Governance, Growing capabilities, Humanity, Income, Scientists, Society, Technology, Threat, Trust
