Some reflections on the importance of awareness of algorithmic decision making

You could probably name half a dozen or so instances where you come across algorithmic decision making in your interactions with commercial organisations. There’s the news displayed on your phone, the adverts shown while you are browsing, the content recommendations in your streaming service, or the product suggestions on your online shopping platform, whether your … Continue reading Some reflections on the importance of awareness of algorithmic decision making

If the (self-service) technology broke it, the (self-service) technology should fix it

I have recently come across an interesting paper examining under what conditions customers preferred to interact with a human vs a non-human agent, after a failure with self-service technology (SST). That is, if a customer is using technology to perform a task (say, ordering something online), and something goes wrong, would customers prefer to be … Continue reading If the (self-service) technology broke it, the (self-service) technology should fix it

Book review: “Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You” by Sam Gosling

This is a non-fiction book, authored by Professo of Psychology Sam Gosling. It draws on vast research by Gosling and others about how we are connected to the places where we live (e.g., the country or region where we end up settling) and those that we inhabit (our bedrooms, offices, desks…). The book unpacks how … Continue reading Book review: “Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You” by Sam Gosling

[Miscellany] Lack of originality, lack of empathy, and the upside of competition

This is another one of those blog posts where I put together some interesting stories that I have come across, recently. I will go chronologically (i.e., by date in which that blog post was published). Same old, same old One of the worries about generative AI is that it will result in the end of … Continue reading [Miscellany] Lack of originality, lack of empathy, and the upside of competition

From metaverse games to serious customer insight

Enthusiasm for the metaverse as a business asset seems to have cooled down a bit. OK, a lot. At least, judging by Google searches for the term. Nonetheless, if there’s one area where the Metaverse is still promising to deliver business value is in terms of generating customer insight. The combination of technologies such as … Continue reading From metaverse games to serious customer insight

New research grant: The role of consumers in driving UK manufacturing’s digital transformation

I am delighted to share the news that I am part of group that has just secured funding from ESRC’s InterAct initiative. The project is entitled “The role of consumers in driving UK manufacturing’s digital transformation” and aims to identify the factors that lead consumers to adopt new Everything as a Service (XaaS) models of consumption of … Continue reading New research grant: The role of consumers in driving UK manufacturing’s digital transformation

Rethinking existential risk from AI

In a recent interview on Lex Friedman’s podcast, Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, was asked whether he worried about the existential threat presented by the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems. He replied: “My own view is that, where we really need to be careful is on the development of autonomy, and how you think about that… … Continue reading Rethinking existential risk from AI

Implications of open vs closed metaverses for users and developers

In the June issue of MISQ Executive, Mary Lacity, Jeffrey K. Mullins and Le Kuai reflect on the evolution of Metaverse. The paper, which takes the form of an interview, is entitled “Evolution of the Metaverse”, and can be found here. Me, as ProfAbobora, on Roblox Since last summer, I have been doing some work about … Continue reading Implications of open vs closed metaverses for users and developers

The importance of focusing on a target segment (and how to decide which one)

In episode 11 of season 11 of the Marketing Companion, Mark Schaefer and his guest, Jay Acunzo, discuss “the meaning of brand and personal relevance in a world exploding with new creative output”. Their discussion is focused on content creation, but the points that they cover are relevant well beyond this application. For instance, they … Continue reading The importance of focusing on a target segment (and how to decide which one)