AI agents are increasingly popular in customer interface. Sometimes they are the only option, others the default one before consumers are escalated to a human agent. One example of AI agents in customer interface that I mention frequently is AI-powered chatbots. Firms may use AI-powered agents to cut costs, because of their superior analytical capability or, even, … Continue reading When do consumers actually prefer the AI option (and why)?
Category: Marketing in everyday life
AI in Marketing – slide set from introductory workshop
About a year ago, I delivered an introductory workshop to students of the MSc AI Strategy, about the role of Artificial Intelligence in Marketing. Recently, a colleague (from a different field) was asking me for an overview on this topic, and I shared this slide set with her. She said that it had been really … Continue reading AI in Marketing – slide set from introductory workshop
Dear ChatGPT, your answer is convincing but it is a complete fabrication
I have been spending some time exploring ChatGPT, the new AI powered, conversational chatbot, which is attracting a lot of attention for the range and the quality of its output. ChatGPT, by OpenAI, was launched at the end of November. It can do things as diverse as writing letters / e-mails, short answers, long articles … Continue reading Dear ChatGPT, your answer is convincing but it is a complete fabrication
On how algorithms are consequential – example from a newsroom
The paper “Designing What’s News - An Ethnography of a Personalization Algorithm and the Data-Driven (Re)Assembling of the News” is a great illustration of Kranzberg’s First Law of Technology, which states that “Technology is neither good nor bad, nor is it neutral.” In this paper, published in Digital Journalism, Anna Schjøtt Hansen and Jannie Møller Hartley … Continue reading On how algorithms are consequential – example from a newsroom
The problem with charging for Twitter’s blue tick is not the $8 amount, but mental accounting
I found myself in the rather unexpected position of agreeing with Elon Musk and even, possibly, defending one of his initiatives. Namely, I think that one good way of generating revenues for a social media platform could be by charging for value added features that people can sign up to, if they want to, but … Continue reading The problem with charging for Twitter’s blue tick is not the $8 amount, but mental accounting
What’s the most important impact of the ubiquity of smart and connected technology in our lives?
“What has been or will be the most important impacts of increasingly prevalent smart and connected technology in our lives, including in the home, in the workplace and in our towns and cities, and are they necessarily better than current systems?” This is the question that the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee posed … Continue reading What’s the most important impact of the ubiquity of smart and connected technology in our lives?
When it comes to AI adoption, ask “if” and “what”, but also “how”.
Last week, I joined a meeting to discuss a new survey to collect data on AI adoption and use in businesses across various countries, with the aim of informing policymaking. The survey developers are asking some really interesting questions around whether businesses are using AI, what type of AI they were using (e.g., AI for … Continue reading When it comes to AI adoption, ask “if” and “what”, but also “how”.
Will USB-C become the new charger standard everywhere, following the new EU law?
The EU parliament passed a new law stating that, from late 2024, small electronics such as smartphones, tablets, handheld consoles and cameras will all need to use the same type of charger (a USB-C charger, specifically). This means that a single charger can be used across different devices, from the same manufacturer as well as across manufacturer. … Continue reading Will USB-C become the new charger standard everywhere, following the new EU law?
New paper: Capabilities, opportunities and motivations that drive food waste disposal practices: A case study of young adults in England
Why is that so many young adults in England still generate a large amount of food waste, and fail to dispose of food waste separately from other waste? This was the question that inspired a research project conducted by a team at Brunel University London (of which I was a member), in collaboration with the … Continue reading New paper: Capabilities, opportunities and motivations that drive food waste disposal practices: A case study of young adults in England
What’s stopping organisations with data-centric practices from benefiting from their IT-related investments?
One of the advantages of using Google Scholar to check how your (academic) outputs are being used is that, now and then, you bump into really interesting papers that build on your previous work. This is what happened, recently, when I received an alert that the paper "Conceptualising a digital orientation: antecedents supporting SME performance … Continue reading What’s stopping organisations with data-centric practices from benefiting from their IT-related investments?
Ana Canhoto 