Collision Day 2: H&M, Microsoft, rainforest, voice control and more.

Here are highlights from the second day of the Canadian tech conference Collision.

Music tech that makes you move: Oscar H?glund (Co-founder & CEO at Epidemic Sound), Susan Paley (CEO at DropLabs) and Jennifer Crichton (Founder at The Flock) debated how startups are changing the way we consume, create and interact with music. The industry is innovating like never before and is looking forward instead of looking back. Music is becoming a new sensorial experience. The young generation is putting music on everything and is also important to storytelling. The pandemic is an emotional time for people and music is helping them to get through these times. Live events have been disrupted and will probably resume in smaller venues (instead of stadiums), which can be an opportunity for smaller artists. 

Accuracy in the new age of information: Neal Mohan (Chief Product Officer at YouTube) told Dylan Byers (Senior Media Reporter at NBC News) how YouTube is combating fake news and keeping people informed. They have content policies, as well as guidelines against violence. Decisions are made on the content of the video itself, but they also take into account the context (eg. a documentary, news organization). Questioned about political figures, Youtube claims that they pay more attention to the content than to the speaker. They prioritize authoritative sources like they are doing with CDC and WHO during the pandemic, complementing the videos with information panels. Neal Mohan also highlighted the creative use of the platform during the pandemic, giving the example of Brazilian musicians that used live performances to raise money for charity.

Designing for the voice-enabled future: Nithya Thadani (CEO of Rain) offered an in-depth look at how the future of voice tech and how brands can design for voice with future generations in mind. Covid-19 pandemic is accelerating the adoption of some technologies like voice control. Its a very natural technology. Easy to use - accelerate adoption, wide age range. The interpretation of the emotional component and tensions of voices seems to be the next frontier.

Tech's role during the crisis: Brad Smith (President at Microsoft) spoke about the responsibility of tech companies during the Covid-19 crisis, in an interview with Steve Adler (Editor-in-chief at Reuters). Technology is an indispensable tool to manage a crisis. Imagine if the pandemic occurred 10 or 20 years ago without the same connectivity resources? Regarding racism in America, he said that certain things can be done to improve society, but internal organization changes are an obligation, and recruitment is key. Also, data availability and transparency are essential. Traceability will be important in returning to the new normal, but data privacy needs to be respected. Companies need to carefully manage the perils of technologies like face recognition. Microsoft is committed to the long term and sustainability engagements (eg. becoming carbon zero) have not diminished because of the pandemic.

Sustainable business beyond greenwashing: Anna Gedda (Chief Sustainability Officer at H&M) explained to Jennifer Crichton (Founder at The Flock) how a brand can promise transparency and conscious behavior all the way down the supply chain. The fashion industry has faced a lot of criticism concerning its production and distribution practices. She highlighted that the increased focus on sustainability and social aspects has been especially driven by customers. H&M has its own circular economy initiative, working on each different step and partner of the chain. They have also been testing other business models like clothing rental. 

Customer care will never be the same again: Fran?ois-Xavier Pierrel (Chief Data Officer at JCDecaux) and Ragy Thomas (Founder at Sprinklr) discussed how customer care has gone into overdrive since Covid-19 hit, mediated by Don Clark (Freelance Contributor at The New York Times). Consumers are using more digital channels and companies are investing in artificial intelligence and chatbots in order to improve customer support and, at the same time, to reduce its' cost.

Inside the New York Times: Sameen Amin (Journalist & Senior Video Producer at The New York Times) told the story behind the New York Times' Emmy- and Pulitzer-winning visual investigation and storytelling arm. Launched over 2 years ago, visual investigation is one of the newest trends. They collect and analyze images, look for evidence, verify details, use images to identify wrongdoings. They try to identify hidden pieces of information that are not immediately clear on images. She illustrated their work using two representative case studies: Rebuilding the exact timeline of the Las Vegas shootings by collating and synchronizing several amateur videos; Identifying excessive use of force and undercover police agents during HK protests.

How brands connect in a virtual world: Melissa Selcher (CMO at LinkedIn) and Neil Parker (Co-founder at co:collective) discussed how brands, teams and leaders are making meaningful connections with their employees, customers and stakeholders. LinkedIn content has evolved during the pandemic: initially, there were many posts about working from home, then the conversation shifted to the issue of massive unemployment. There were record levels of engagement and connection in the platform, which includes sales activities. Also, learning hours have surged: 4 million in March, 7.7million in April. The human side of their own employees was also a concern during this period. It's hard to be a leader: dealing with lots of uncertainty and needing to show compassion. Younger and experienced managers were never thought to deal with that, but they still need to be leaders and convey an optimistic message that the organization will get through this. Each individual context makes the team. Beyond what will happen to the workplace after the pandemic, there is a challenge to manage the culture.

Who owns what, and what we're free to say: Monica Drake (Assistant Managing Editor at The New York Times), Stephen Engelberg (Editor-in-chief at ProPublica) and Mathew Ingram (Chief Digital Editor at Columbia Journalism Review) debated how tech has democratized media ownership and which outlets to trust. Funding journalism is a key question and transition to online has been painful. Papers owned by private equity may have no interest in delivering truthful journalism. Maintaining control of distribution is a challenge. Large search and social media platforms control what their users consume worldwide using algorithms. How do you sustain a democracy without having information? Non-profit news model can be a way to move forward for independent journalism.

The internet of wild things: Topher White (Founder & CEO at Rainforest Connection) talked about how tech can be used to fight against biodiversity loss and climate change. He gave a great example: devices that were initially designed to can capture sounds of nature are being used to further protect it. Artificial intelligence is used to identify the pattern of chainsaw noises from a distance and alert the authorities, helping to stop illegal logging, opening roads and agriculture. 

Growing an e-commerce giant: Barbara Martin Coppola (Chief Digital Officer at Ikea) explained Brian Sozzi (Editor-at-large & Anchor at Yahoo Finance) how Ikea is responding to the shift towards online retailing. Demand for storage solutions, home office and children furniture increased during the pandemic. Even with the stores progressively reopening, the level of e-commerce seems to be maintained. This requires operational excellence and focus on order fulfillment - most stores are less than 1 hour away from the main consuming markets. Above all, the whole company has been experiencing an increase in digitalization and changes in decision making.