The article is about CAST, an organization that works to improve teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. They created the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, which guides the design of instructional goals, assessments, methods, and materials that can be customized and adjusted to meet individual needs. The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of UDL, offering concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning … read more >
“During the first three months of 2023, U.S. office vacancy topped 20 percent for the first time in decades. In San Francisco, Dallas, and Houston, vacancy rates are as high as 25 percent. These figures understate the severity of the crisis because they only cover spaces that are no longer leased. Most office leases were signed before the pandemic and have yet to come up for renewal. Actual office use points to a further decrease in demand. Attendance in the 10 largest business districts is still below 50 percent of its pre-COVID level, as white-collar employees spend an estimated 28 percent … read more >
The article discusses various topics related to the future of work, including the debate over returning to the office with incentives or consequences, job-switching pointing to resilience and reasons for optimism, jobless claims unexpectedly surging, an AI detector developed by the University of Kansas, and legislation that could impact candidate screening. The article also features an interview with Chobani’s Chief People Officer, Shari Eaton, about working for founders, raising wages for front-line workers, and responsible growth. read more >
The article discusses the ongoing battle over returning to the office at tech companies, with some companies like Salesforce offering incentives for employees to return to the office, while others like Google are factoring in-person attendance into performance reviews. However, some employees are pushing back against these policies, citing concerns about the practicality of in-person work and the lack of consideration for individual circumstances. The article also includes comments from readers discussing the pros and cons of remote work and office work. read more >
“While text-generating chatbots such as ChatGPT have been receiving outsize attention, generative AI can enable capabilities across a broad range of content, including images, video, audio, and computer code. And it can perform several functions in organizations, including classifying, editing, summarizing, answering questions, and drafting new content.”—What every CEO should know about generative AIread more >
In a McKinsey Global Institute podcast, business professor Ethan Mollick expresses his concern that the implications of generative AI are not being taken seriously enough, stating that the technology underlying ChatGPT is so transformative that he is betting his career on it. He believes that it will cause a shift in the way people work and interact as significant as anything seen in our lifetimes. The Forward Thinking podcast is focused on looking at the future of business and society. read more >
The article reports on how many people who worked in customer service jobs have lost their employment due to the rising popularity of chatbots. By interacting with customers over the Internet, chatbots have replaced some roles that were formerly carried out by human staff. Now, many former customer service workers have turned to new professions such as dog-walking or air conditioning repair, which require human skills and are less susceptible to being taken over by automation. read more >
There’s never a news story when a copywriter is replaced by a human copywriter.
“The Washington Post reported this week on two copywriters who lost their livelihoods because employers (or clients) decided that ChatGPT could perform the job at a cheaper price.”—AI eliminated nearly 4,000 jobs in May, report says
