Page 7 - BPW-UK - E-news - Edition 112 - May 2023 - Binded

When employees were surveyed, they felt nothing had changed, particularly
with under-represented groups. Her company suggested that driving inclusion
needs to be more encouraged. Open, frank discussions need to be made, need to
feel safe, need to feel that suggestions be encouraged. Managers and leaders have
to nurture talent intentionally. Managers need to encourage, admit their own mis-
takes and drive inclusive culture.

Larisa B. Miller – her focus was on technology, especially resulting from
the pandemic causing different ways of working. Talked about how we thought
these things would be in the 2050s/2060s. However, things have progressed much
faster than originally felt. Talked about the new automation and stressed it won’t
necessarily cause us to lose jobs, just that we change ways of working. Data is the
new ‘oil’ – firms need to collect data. Causes need for cyber-security etc. We went
from Encyclopaedia now to Google etc. In other words, we’ve had to change from
pen/paper to Word etc. Looking forward to technology in the future. It means you
don’t necessarily need the four-year degree – it will be acceleration of technical
and vocational skills e.g. we still need plumbers etc. We will need to make these
apprenticeships etc. accessible to all youth. ChatGPT – Generative Pre-trained
Transfer. She felt that this won’t diminish us or take away from educational stand-
ards. She did an interview with AI and herself – it took its research on Larisa and
used for the interview. She felt it allowed her to consider re-shaping her whole
thought process. Looking at how that will be used, she felt it will benefit. It seems
students will be using this and take less time to do their studies etc. She used the
comparison that the Stone Age didn’t end due to lack of stones, we progressed in
other ways. Felt that we need to use AI to progress against our competitors etc.
Encouraged all to embrace technology going forward.

Well worth attending this webinar I must say. I have worked in the technolo-
gy sector pretty much since its introduction into mainstream around the early 1980s
but I have to say from a personal viewpoint, AI does need to be monitored and reg-
ulated otherwise we just might be opening a Pandora’s Box . Purely my own
thoughts of course. It will be interesting to watch this new world we’re in.

I would definitely encourage you to go to the BPW International website and
watch the video of the meeting. It will definitely be time well spent in our busy
worlds.

If you would like to listen to the full recording click the link:

https://youtu.be/Q_94aoHgyzY

Margo Davidson-Wood
Proud to be a new member of BPW UK!