The Wrap #4 | Our Take On The Xmas Sandwich
A shot of thinking fuel, brought to you each month by Futurestate Design Co.
December, hello and good tidings to you.
This month we’ve selected a mix of topics that alternately put humans and machines in unexpected roles, sandwiching a common focus for us: how to turn something old into something new.
(Also, a quick note to flag the launch of our podcast, The Wilson Fletcher Studio. Very much in its infancy, it comprises content from our Medium-hosted blog, The Human Layer, all in audio form – with lots more to come. Not to be missed if you are a CEO or change leader wanting to future-proof your business. Subscribe here.)
Now to the news.
AI lets its creativity show
What’s going on?
Originally set up with the aim of making a program that could play Atari games, UK AI company and research lab, DeepMind, are using their technology to advance drug discovery, solving a 50 year-old problem that could lead to radical advances in medicine… by ‘feeling’ its way to the answer.
Why it matters
The notion that AI can’t be creative is just nonsense: it will just be a different type of creativity. Much like dogs don’t smell like we humans do, so machines will come up with ideas in new ways, and potentially, a totally new type of ideas. In the meantime we will see AI helping to solve an increasing number of problems that need more than brute computing power: we could see the rules of many industries rewritten and new horizons opened up at a pace that we mere humans may struggle to cope with.
Read the original article on Unherd
From parcels to packets
What’s going on?
Cloud computing is well established now, and to implement edge computing infrastructure (distributing data centres rather than relying on one of a dozen Cloud data centres) takes a huge network of storage. It just so happens that FedEx are perfectly poised to offer this, adding to their client offering by partnering with Dell and Switch to do more than ship parcels.
Why it matters
When you ask yourself ‘what if we use what we currently do to do something new?’ you can unearth surprising opportunities. Amazon used being, well, Amazon to become a world-leading web services provider. Now FedEx are doing the same, putting their core data infrastructure to work in new ways, and it’s a reminder that everyone should explore how their core business assets might be reimagined – to create a new generation of services or, perhaps, a replacement for the whole business.
Read a summary on Light Reading
Second chancers need not apply
What’s going on?
HR teams have spent billions on expertise-backed processes to get the hires their companies need. Greyston Bakery in the US, however, put out a job ad and hired applicants on a first-come-first-served basis, and no other. Guess what? It works.
Why it matters
When purpose is made manifest like this, the dividends can be huge – like increased brand loyalty, improved retention, and a truly diverse – and unexpected – pool of experience to tap into. Doing exactly what Greyston does might not be right for you, but it shows that when a company goes beyond paying lip service to purpose, people take note – and good things happen. We’ve seen how much good can come from rethinking working patterns this year: maybe this can inspire an equally liberal rethink of how to build great teams?
Read a great summary on Fast Company