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Trump reportedly floated 'using military force' in Venezuela https://read.bi/2S3MWgj Associated Press/Jacquelyn Martin
President Donald Trump reportedly weighed using the "military option" in Venezuela in recent weeks, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told Axios on Sunday. "He said, 'What do you think about using military force?'" Graham said. "And I said, 'Well, you need to go slow on that, that could be problematic.'" Speculation has been mounting over the Trump administration's next moves in Venezuela, where the US and several other foreign countries have recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the legitimate interim president over Nicolas Maduro. The acting White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney ,also hinted at the military option on Sunday, telling "Fox News Sunday" that Trump "is looking at this extraordinarily closely." "I don't think any president of any party who is doing his or her job would be doing the job properly if they took anything off the table," Mulvaney said. Trump has previously floated the option in public, saying in August 2017 that the US had "many options for Venezuela, including a possible military option." Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters; Marco Bello/Reuters Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also pushed the United Nations Security Council on Saturday to "pick a side" on Venezuela and support Guaidó's transition until fair elections could be held. "Now it is time for every other nation to pick a side," Pompeo said. "Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or you're in league with Maduro and his mayhem." Maduro's tenure as president has seen crisis after crisis play out under his leadership, with food shortages and economic turmoil sparking hyperinflation and starvation, and prompting millions to flee the country. Maduro was re-elected in May 2018, but critics have accused Venezuela of holding a fraudulent election. Guaidó then declared himself interim president on January 5, with the support of the country's National Assembly.
NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy' See Also:
Business via Business Insider https://read.bi/1IpULic January 27, 2019 at 11:24PM
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Tom Brokaw apologizes after saying 'the Hispanics should work harder at assimilation' https://read.bi/2TiECX4 NBC/William B. Plowman via Getty Images
NBC's Tom Brokaw drew swift backlash on Sunday after arguing on "Meet the Press" that "the Hispanics should work harder at assimilation." The comments came up during a panel discussion on how Americans' varying perceptions of immigrants, immigration, and the necessity of a border wall. Brokaw began by saying that Americans "on the Republican side" view Hispanic immigrants as people "who will come here and all be Democrats." He continued: "I hear when I push people a little harder, 'I don't know whether I want brown grand-babies.' I mean, that's also a part of it. It's the inter-marriage that is going on and the cultures that are conflicting with each other. I mean, that's also a part of it. It's the inter-marriage that is going on and the cultures that are conflicting with each other." Brokaw they offered up his own opinion on Hispanic immigrants, arguing that they should take responsibility for integrating themselves and their children into their communities. "I also happen to believe that the Hispanics should work harder at assimilation. That's one of the things I've been saying for a long time," he said. "They ought not to be just codified in their communities, but make sure that all their kids are learning to speak English, and that they feel comfortable in their communities, and that's going to take outreach on both sides, frankly." Another panelist, PBS correspondent Yamiche Alcindor, pushed back on Brokaw's comments at the end of the segment. "We also need to adjust what we think of as American," she said. "The idea that we think an American can only speak English — as if Spanish and other languages weren't always part of America — is in some ways troubling." Brokaw took to Twitter later on Sunday and made several attempts at apologies. His initial remark, saying he felt "terrible a part of my comments on Hispanics offended some members of that proud culture," fell flat. He tried again several hours later: Read more:
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Business via Business Insider https://read.bi/1IpULic January 27, 2019 at 10:18PM
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Trump says he doubts Congress can strike a deal on the border wall and says another government shutdown is 'certainly an option' https://read.bi/2BhaXH9 Associated Press/Evan Vucci
President Donald Trump said Sunday he's skeptical lawmakers can cut a deal on the $5.7 billion in border-wall funding he has demanded, telling The Wall Street Journal in an interview that another government shutdown is "certainly an option." The longest shutdown in US history ended after 35 days on Friday, after Trump caved and signed a short-term funding bill that included no money for the wall. The government is funded only until February 15, at which point another shutdown would begin if Trump doesn't sign a subsequent funding bill. But Trump told The Journal on Sunday that he believed there was less than a 50% chance that a newly convened group of 17 Democrats and Republicans from both the House and Senate would reach an acceptable deal. "I personally think it's less than 50-50, but you have a lot of very good people on that board," he said. Trump added that he doubted he would accept anything less than $5.7 billion in wall funding, and he also doubted he would agree to exchange citizenship for so-called "Dreamers," young immigrants brought to the US as children, in exchange for the wall funding. "That's a separate subject to be taken up at a separate time," he said. Trump previously tried to exchange protection for Dreamers with the wall, offering Democrats a three-year extension to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Democrats scoffed at offer, complaining that such protections would only only temporary, and that Trump himself was responsible for the program's termination. Associated Press/Andrew Harnik Meanwhile, Democrats appeared equally stubborn on refusing the wall funding, no matter what sweeteners Trump could include in a deal. "Have I not been clear on a wall?" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters on Friday. "I've been very clear on the wall." Trump's capitulation on Friday was widely perceived as a humiliating defeat, after Trump vowed for weeks that he wouldn't reopen the government without the funding. Instead, he walked away empty-handed while Democrats crowed over the victory, leaving doubts that he could secure a deal for his desired funding in just three weeks. Some of the staunchest conservatives and immigration hardliners came down hard on Trump for backing down on the funding, including the far-right commentator Ann Coulter, who complained vehemently over the weekend that Trump was a "wimp." Trump told The Journal on Sunday he'd heard about Coulter's rage. "I hear she's become very hostile," Trump said. "Maybe I didn't return her phone call or something." The Trump administration has also been hinting heavily in recent days that Trump will seek to bypass Congress for the funding by declaring a national emergency. "We have been hoping for months to do it through legislation with Democrats because that's the right way for the government to function," Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, told Fox News. "But at the end of the day, the president's commitment is to defend the nation and he will do it either with or without Congress."
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Business via Business Insider https://read.bi/1IpULic January 27, 2019 at 09:30PM
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Embody uses VR and tracking to center the body http://bit.ly/2RWRENp Embody from Melissa Painter’s team at MAP Design Lab is being shown at Sundance 2019, featuring full body tracking with only a headset attached to the body. Embody’s “visual metaphors” help guide visitors back to their bodies. That might sound a bit abstract, but with no controllers or additional body attachments beyond a headset, the experience begins by freeing people of hand controllers or Vive Trackers. VIDEO In a demo at an office in Venice, California, the team employed a very sensitive foot mat to hone in movement tracking combined with body movement data captured from a ZED stereo camera pointed at the play space. “By combining computer vision, neural net algorithms / cutting edge machine learning algorithms, the pressure sensitive mat and headset tracking, the system provides a virtual world responding to full body user inputs,” according to the company. We’re “thinking around how we use spatial computing as an opportunity to use technology to help enhance people’s relationship to their physical body,” Painter said. “Our goal with this was to create a shared experience where you are taken through a guided series of movements where I didn’t have to put anything on your body but a headset.” In one of several scenes that are part of Embody, the player sees colorful petals floating all around above the ground. There’s a transparent outline of a human stepping forward and simultaneously raising both arms above the head. The project is an official selection at New Frontier Sundance 2019, and Embody was created in partnership between MAP Design Lab with lululemon Whitespace. It’ll be shown with Samsung Odyssey on Windows Mixed Reality. As I start to move my arms I realize the petals around me move too, and I begin to understand that by repeating the movement of the character, as my arms swing upward the petals all around me will come to life and fly up. It is as if they are caught in the air around me by the wind of my arms cutting the air. Very quickly I begin to tune my movements to more closely reflect the transparent outline, and to my satisfaction the petals seem to fly up again and again in close relation to my movements. There’s a surprise at the end of the experience I don’t want to spoil too much for those who see it at Sundance, but suffice it to say there’s a powerful metaphor in centering oneself before reaching out to others. This is the same company behind MoveStudio on the Microsoft Store, an exploratory experience that starts with head movements and hand movement to manipulate the world around the player. That experience is available on Microsoft VR headsets while MAP Design Lab also built AR projects like HEROES for HoloLens and In Orbit for VR headsets, available now for free on Steam. The company is also working on Magic Leap prototypes. Painter is being very thoughtful in exploring the cutting edge of spatial computing, and the MAP Design Lab Sundance demonstration is an intriguing look into what can be done with full body tracking as a user input. The lab’s overall “mission is to utilize cutting-edge immersive technology to provide unique experiences that expand the appeal of AR/VR across genders and generations in ways that can improve the user’s overall wellness and brain chemistry.” Here’s the team behind Embody at MAP Design Lab: Melissa Painter (Founder, Creative Director), Thomas Wester (Creative Technologist), Joey Verbeke (Sound Designer and Engineer), Ben Purdy (Lead Developer), Peter Rubin (Lead Artist), Candice Colbert (Lead Technical Artist), Olivia Barry, PT (Movement Expert), Kate Wolf (Producer), Yuehao Jiang (Concept Artist), Quin Kennedy (Unity Developer), Jeremy Rotsztain (Unity Developer). This story originally appeared on Uploadvr.com. Copyright 2019 Business via VentureBeat https://venturebeat.com January 27, 2019 at 09:29PM
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VentureBeat is hiring an Editor for AI coverage http://bit.ly/2RgPlzv We’re looking for a skilled editor to help lead our pioneering coverage of AI and machine learning. VentureBeat has a thriving AI channel that we believe is not only the current revolutionary technology for business, but can help answer a lot of the world’s biggest problems. Idealistic, you might say, but we are realistic idealists here at VentureBeat. AI is disrupting every market: cars, health care, communications, and more — and has been aptly described as more profound than electricity or even fire. Some companies have referred to themselves as “AI first” as we head into a radically different age. But as we tap into these benefits, AI also presents huge challenges, including around fairness and privacy. As VentureBeat’s Editor for AI, you’ll head up the coverage for a team that is already producing more articles about AI than any other publication. We want to keep adding depth, perspective and organization to maintain the lead in this intriguing field. We’ll want you to do this strategically, making sure we are writing the most relevant, impactful news and analysis for our executive audience. You’ll have a wide mandate. You’ll contribute to the editing strategy of the wider editorial team, and lead important initiatives such as video, and a budding community project we have under way. We’d also like you to help lead our guest posts strategy, where we invite tech insiders, investors, and other thought-leaders to contribute to our pages. You should be familiar with AI, machine learning, and the major trends in the space, for example the rise of the smart assistant, and the various ML and AI projects companies are working on. You’ve used chatbots on your phone, and you already understand why an autonomous car makes sense. You love innovation and have three-to-five years experience assigning and editing articles that provide smart insights, fresh angles on current news, and, above all, explaining why something matters. You’re eager to collaborate with a wider team, and you want to build a project that is No. 1 in the industry. You know when to dive in and do a wholesale rewrite and when to back off and simply buy a vowel or insert that mot juste. Ideally you’d work full time at our San Francisco headquarters, but we will also consider candidates who want to work remotely. Finally, it would be great if you love to read VentureBeat. Seriously, though, you should already read VentureBeat! If you’re as excited as we are, please send a resume, desired compensation, and cover letter containing at least three links to your best clips (as editor) and three links to your best clips (as writer) to jobs@venturebeat.com. Business via VentureBeat https://venturebeat.com January 27, 2019 at 08:25PM
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Kamala Harris kicks off her 2020 campaign with a massive rally in Oakland https://read.bi/2MBd4K3 Katie Canales/Business Insider
Sen. Kamala Harris kicked off her 2020 presidential campaign on Sunday at a large rally in her hometown of Oakland, California, where she positioned herself as the "moral leadership" America needs to challenge President Donald Trump. Thousands crowded the streets in the hours leading up to and during the event, which law enforcement officials estimated was attended by over 10,000 people, with another 12,000 packing the streets surrounding the venue. "What's up, Oakland?" Harris began her speech, to raucous cheers. She went on to tell the story of how her Indian mother and Jamaican father came to the US to pursue education, work, and the American dream. "I'm so proud to be a daughter of Oakland," she said, as the crowd roared. "My parents came here in pursuit of more than just knowledge. Like so many others, they came in pursuit of a dream — for themselves, for me, and for my sister Maya." Katie Canales/Business Insider The event placed people of color front and center, beginning with the national anthem sung by the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, and the pledge of allegiance, delivered by an elementary school-aged black girl. A black pastor also delivered the invocation and SambaFunk, a Bay area arts collective representing the African diaspora performed — all before Harris took the stage. Harris ascended the American flag-decorated stage to the tune of the Mary J. Blige song "Work That," and left it to Lin-Manuel Miranda's "My Shot" from his hit musical, "Hamilton." Read more: What you need to know about Kamala Harris and her 2020 presidential bid Harris focused the first part of her speech on her 25-year legal career as San Francisco's district attorney and California's attorney general. "It was just a couple of blocks from this very spot nearly 30 years ago as a young district attorney, I walked into a courtroom for the first time and said the five words that would guide my life's work: Kamala Harris for the people," she said. "My whole life I've only had one client, the people." Katie Canales/Business Insider She appeared to defend her claim — contested by many on the left — that she was a "progressive prosecutor," highlighting a prisoner re-entry program she founded that helped reduce rates of recidivism in San Francisco, and arguing that what she did was unusual for the time. "'For the People' meant fighting for a more fair criminal justice system at the height of the War on Drugs by creating a first-of-its-kind initiative to allow first-time offenders to get skills and job training instead of jail time — at a time when re-entry and prevention and redemption were not in the vocabulary or mindset of most district attorneys," she said. Harris slammed the Trump administration, calling out specific anti-immigrant policies, including migrant family separation, and argued that the "American dream feels out of touch" for many Americans struggling economically. "We are at an inflection point in the history of our world," Harris said. "We are here at this moment in time because we must answer a fundamental question: Who are we? Who are we as Americans?" Repeating the phrase, "Let's speak truth," Harris addressed a litany of major issues, including the gender pay gap, pharmaceutical companies' raising drug prices, climate change, bigotry, and global authoritarianism. She quoted Bob Marley and Robert Kennedy and appeared to strive for a tone of unity, arguing that "the biggest truth of all" is that Americans have "so much more in common than what separates us." But, she added, she isn't asking Americans to ignore important differences. "Let me be perfectly clear: I'm not talking about unity for the sake of unity," she said. "I believe we must acknowledge the word unity has often been used to shut people up and preserve the status quo." Katie Canales/Business Insider The first-term senator promised to guarantee healthcare as a human right with Medicare for All, education as a right with universal pre-K and debt-free college, and boost struggling families with "the largest middle- and working-class tax credit in a generation." She mentioned immigration policy on several occassions, promising to open the country's doors to refugees, and give DACA recipients, known as "Dreamers," a pathway to citizenship. Harris warned that the presidential campaign trail will be challenging. "We know what the doubters will say. It's the same thing they've always said: they'll say, it's not your time ... they'll say it can't be done," she said. "But America's story has always been written by those who can see what can be, unburdened by what has been." Katie Canales/Business Insider The large, diverse crowd appeared enthusiastic about Harris' message and life story. "I think that she actually is for the people, like she says. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had someone in Washington who actually was?" Julie Hartford, a 57-year-old retiree from Vacaville, told INSIDER. Harris has joined several other progressive Democratic presidential candidates, including two Senate colleagues, in what will likely be a crowded and hyper-competitive primary field. But her relative youth, identity as a black and South Asian woman, ties to both the Democratic establishment and progressive wing of the party, and popularity on social media have pundits declaring her a front-runner. NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy' See Also:
SEE ALSO: What you need to know about Kamala Harris and her 2020 presidential bid Business via Business Insider https://read.bi/1IpULic January 27, 2019 at 07:48PM
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5 Leadership Traits Every Boomer Entrepreneur Should Possess http://bit.ly/2RjZOdq By Deborah Sweeney According to FreshBooks' second annual Self-Employment Report, "Dramatic workforce shifts in American history could happen in as little as two years—with potentially 27 million Americans leaving traditional work in favor of self-employment by 2020." Also, according to the report, 61% of self-employed baby boomers plan to work through retirement by choice, a much higher percentage than Gen-Xers (47%) and millennials (45%). While the prospect of baby boomers embracing self-employment and entrepreneurship is exciting to witness, the shift does not come without its set of obstacles. Boomer entrepreneurs will still need to adapt bits and pieces of their personality to the changing world to stay relevant and successful. Luckily, most “boomerpreneurs” possess great leadership traits—and these traits can be emulated by other generations, as well. Here’s a look at boomers' top strengths: 1. An understanding of how to be strategic and creativeBaby boomers have years of experience on their side, working in roles that have allowed them to be imaginative and thoughtful, while also allowing them to make plans to reach their goals. For entrepreneurs who are in their fifties (or older) to take on leadership roles, they must have an understanding of how to be equally creative and strategic. One trait should not overshadow the other, or worse, not be present at all. Rather, there should be a balance where practical decisions support creative, out-of-the-box ideas. 2. EnthusiasmWhen you’re enthusiastic about the work you’re doing, everyone can see it. It reflects off you and bounces onto those surrounding you, from employees to business partners. Boomer entrepreneurs generally start businesses, not with the end game of making money, but to pursue an interest or hobby they are genuinely passionate about. That kind of joy is necessary for leadership because it shows the world that you’re interested and invested in your ideas. Positivity is infectious. If you love what you’ve created and treat others with respect, the word will get out about your business, and customers will be attracted to your positive energy and drawn in. 3. A thick skinNobody gets through decades of hard work without having some of their thoughts or ideas rejected or declined, and boomers are more aware of this than any other generation. Rejection hurts, but the sting only lasts the longer you let it stick to your ego. To succeed in today’s market, you need to be tough and have a thick skin. This will prevent you from dwelling too long on problems in your business—like negative social media commentary, for example—so you can work to remedy situations instead. This characteristic is also one that can be passed down to employees—sort of. If you can’t give someone a thick skin, you can provide them with constructive criticism. This allows your team to have a better understanding of their weaker spots and gives you the chance to provide advice for how to make those areas stronger. Other Articles From AllBusiness.com: 4. Willingness to take risksNo entrepreneur should be content with playing it safe, no matter what their age. From Gen Z to baby boomers, leaping forward and going all in to chase your dreams should be your Plan A and Plan B. 5. FocusAs each day progresses and boomers get a little bit further away from their youth, this doesn't mean they can't be, or can't act, young at heart. To succeed as a boomer, the key is being alert and on task when it comes to every aspect of your startup. Channel the younger version of yourself who was laser-focused on everything you were assigned and was always hungry for more. You don’t have to dominate everything you do, but you should be able to step up to bat and take careful, practiced swings. I am CEO of MyCorporation.com, which provides online legal filing services for entrepreneurs and businesses, startup bundles that include corporation and LLC formation, registered agent services, DBAs, and trademark and copyright filing services. You can find MyCorporation on Twitter @MyCorporation and connect with me @deborahsweeney. Read all of Deborah Sweeney’s articles. RELATED: Forget Retirement—Many Baby Boomers Are Starting Small Businesses Instead This article was originally published on AllBusiness.com. Business via Forbes - Entrepreneurs http://bit.ly/dTEDZf January 27, 2019 at 07:09PM
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Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announces he's 'seriously considering running for president' as an independent https://read.bi/2S86Si6 FilmMagic/Michael Tran via Getty Images
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced Sunday he is seriously considering a 2020 bid as an independent candidate. "I love our country, and I am seriously considering running for president as a centrist independent," he tweeted Sunday evening. In an interview with The New York Times, Schultz said he'll be traveling across the country for a book tour during the next three months, during which he will decide whether to formally declare his candidacy. In a "60 Minutes" interview with correspondent Scott Pelley, Schultz hammered President Donald Trump for his lack of qualifications. But he also took aim at both Democrats and Republicans for sowing division across the country and contributing to what he said was a "fragile time" in America. "Not only the fact that this president is not qualified to be the president, but the fact that both parties are consistently not doing what's necessary on behalf of the American people and are engaged, every single day, in revenge politics," he said. Read more: Here's everyone who has officially announced they are running for president in 2020 Rumors of an independent campaign from Schultz have been percolating for weeks, and set Democrats across the country on edge. "I have two words for Howard Schultz on a potential run for president as an independent: Just. Don't," Washington State Democratic Party Chair Tina Podlodowski said in a statement, as Business Insider's Kate Taylor reported. When asked by Pelley whether he feared his candidacy could "siphon" votes away from Democratic candidates and propel Trump to a second victory, Schultz said his lack of party affiliation would be a "win" for Americans. "I want to see the American people win. I want to see America win," he said. "I don't care if you're Democrat, independent, Libertarian, Republican, bring me your ideas, and I will be an independent person who will embrace those ideas, because I am not in any way in bed with a party." Schultz was CEO of Starbucks until he stepped down in April 2017. He later stepped down as chairman in June 2018 and again triggered rumors of a presidential bid. Schultz's book, "From the Ground Up: A Journey to Reimagine the Promise of America," is coming out January 28. Lydia Ramsey contributed reporting.
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Business via Business Insider https://read.bi/1IpULic January 27, 2019 at 07:06PM
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What you missed this weekend: The aftermath of Roger Stone, Louisiana shooting spree, and young champions https://read.bi/2sN84Jg Alex Wong/Getty Images
The news didn't stop this weekend despite the end of the longest government shutdown in American history. Trump continued to tweet and fallout continued following the arrest of Roger Stone. In Louisiana, a 21-year-old allegedly killed five people before leading police on an overnight manhunt. Dakota Theriot, the suspect, was arrested Sunday. Here are the weekend's top headlines. Sunday's political shows delved into possible next steps for Roger Stone, Trump's former campaign adviser who was indicted by the special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday.Associated Press/J. Scott Applewhite
Louisiana police led an overnight manhunt for 21-year-old Dakota Theriot, who is accused of killing 5 people, including his girlfriend and parents.Richmond County Sheriff’s Office via AP
Despite a short-term funding bill that reopened the government after its longest shutdown in history, Trump had a busy weekend full of tweets and criticism.Jacquelyn Martin/AP
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Business via Business Insider https://read.bi/1IpULic January 27, 2019 at 06:00PM
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How to win at marketing in 2019: Human-centered design led by AI http://bit.ly/2RgEndj Ocean Spray Cranberry company has always used a human touch when interpreting data about its customers. The company developed its wildly popular Craisins product after discovering that only 38 percent of U.S. consumers were eating or drinking cranberries but around 60 percent of Americans like dried fruit. When social media became popular, Michael Nestrud, the company’s senior manager of global sensory science and consumer affairs, made a hobby of analyzing Twitter posts about cranberries to get a sense of customers’ emotions associated with the fruit. In many ways, Michael’s approach is the wave of the future. However, unstructured customer data is unstructured and anecdotal — only useful when you are able to sense patterns and incorporate the insights gained from them into customer outreach and experience. Ocean Spray recently adopted an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that senses patterns in customer behavior to sense market conditions and then enable adjustments to price and targeted promotions designed to delight the company’s fans. While impressive and incredibly powerful, such AI platforms do have one fundamental flaw: They’re machines, not humans. Integrating design thinkingOcean Spray’s data scientists need to make sure its predictions sync with employees’ understanding of what makes customers tick. They’ll also need to think carefully about how the AI system’s predictions and recommendations will be experienced by their customers, whose emotions and emotional associations the machine can’t effectively interpret or predict. Heading into the new year, companies adopting AI platforms have a real opportunity to incorporate those human traits into making decisions. They’ll need to embrace design thinking. AI systems like these are unable to tap into empathy for the humans they’re analyzing, but integrating design thinking into the process infuses empathy and humanity into the system. Doing so is often a matter of situation-specific problem-solving. Imagine a scenario where a random fad for cherry relish reduces customers’ interest in cranberries at Thanksgiving one year. An AI system may recognize that customers who usually share cranberry recipes on social media around the holiday are sharing less of them than usual, or that they are using the word “cherry” alongside the word “cranberry” in a surprisingly large number of posts. The AI system may recommend offering a discount on cranberries in certain regions where the fad is strong and cranberry-related chatter is low. But with an understanding of humans’ interest in novelty and the emotional appeal of tradition, design thinking might inspire an ad campaign revolving around how to make cranberry-cherry relish or emphasizing family members’ probable disappointment on Thanksgiving if their favorite traditional cranberry sauce isn’t served. It might even recognize that we, the authors, love cranberries — because, admittedly, we do! This human-level interpretation makes design thinking tough to duplicate at scale. However, AI is designed to learn these patterns and trends. With each iteration of human intervention into the system, it can begin to incorporate new connections. Next time another similar fruit starts showing up next to “cranberry” in a lot of Twitter posts, the system may automatically recommend taking action that inspires customers to either combine the two fruits or to choose cranberries instead on Thanksgiving — without Ocean Spray having to lower the price. The power of computer-human partnershipIn this collaborative approach of design thinking and AI, each approach contributes its strengths and minimizes its weakness to deliver a more efficient development process — and a better user experience. AI systems gain a level of empathy and predictability — such as an understanding of why those cranberry searches are happening versus just that they are happening — while design-thinking practitioners get help with heavy lifting tied to data analysis, predictive analysis, and problem-solving. In this case, they’d be able to see and interpret the social chatter without having to wade through endless posts and hashtags. Once established, these systems can improve and enhance over time, gaining from the progress and insights collected during the development process. It’s one of the unique ideas powering AI-driven design thinking — AI has to constantly learn in order to get better, while design thinking leans on audiences to gain consumer insights. Together, a combined AI/design thinking approach can lead to the creation of products, services, and niches that most accurately align with customer wants and needs. What’s more, this process can get to the desired end goal even if customers can’t articulate what they want — and it can get there without endless customer research and trial and error. David Parmenter is Director of Data & Engineering at Adobe. Liang-Cheng Lin is Sr. Experience Design Manager at Adobe. Business via VentureBeat https://venturebeat.com January 27, 2019 at 04:52PM |
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