From the real world to the virtual realm, and everything in between

It's been a bit of a wild ride this week, bouncing between conversations on ESG, sustainability, financial inclusion, and fintech innovation, to the metaverse, NFT, and Lego bricks.

The diversity of the topics mirror the Future 100: 2023 report from Wunderman Thompson that I shared recently.

Needless to say, we are living in really interesting times, and with no lack of technology innovation happening at breakneck speed.

The Metaverse

Let's take the Metaverse for a second. According to 麦肯锡 , "It’s too big to ignore—yet its future is far from certain."

But ... there is cause for optimism.

Considering that Tiffany sold out a collection of 250 NFTs in 22 minutes ...

And even LEGO is actively hiring for their Metaverse team ...

Perhaps, the party has just begun.

Question is, "Are you ready?"

While we are on the topic of emerging technologies, a few interesting reads caught my eye this week.

Responsible innovation

First, let's start with ChatGPT. Chances are, you have heard about it. Or even tried it. And as with any technologies, there are pros and cons, with both sides arguing passionately for or against it.

Does it encourage creative thinking or plagiarism? And where do we draw the line on what tools can be used and how?

Some compares it to the use of calculators. But really? What about critical thinking skills — something that we need to practice and learn? What would happen when younger students are being spoon-fed quick and easy answers instead of learning to solve problems on their own?

And don't get me started on the use of the chatbot on mental health patients. Capability aside, we need a deeper conversation on the ethical use of technology on something that is so sensitive and personal.

Can human empathy truly be replaced by lines of code?

As Abhishek Gupta and Emily Dardaman wrote, "Responsible AI adoption is even more urgent and important with Generative AI systems. Some existing issues constituting Responsible AI become exaggerated and varied in their impact, yet our responses haven’t evolved to address these changing needs."

Time to act, is now.

While we can't stop innovating, the onus is on us, to make sure that people are not harmed.

Yikes.

It's time for a more uplifting story on using technology for good.

“With each project, we discover something new, and that opens up a whole new world to explore. The biggest driver of our work in the future will be what we think is impossible, but that we could make possible." Fadel Adib

Shared accountability. Shared prosperity.

On Tuesday, I hosted a LinkedIn Audio Event with Jessica Scott , Susan Shumway , and Tom Raftery on sustainability and innovating for the future. With so much going on, it is easy to forget just how far we have come. This conversation served as a wonderful reminder on the importance of evangelizing with positive stories that inspire.

If you missed the session, you can listen to it here.

We've also dropped the links for the case studies mentioned in our chat on the event page. You can find them here as well:

?? IBM IBV Study: IT sustainability beyond the data center ??

?? BBVA Case Study on CO2 emissions

?? Phoenix Systems Case Study ?

?? Achieve Green Computing with Open Hybrid Cloud Green IT Blog

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Speaking of positive stories, thank you Rutger van Faassen for hosting me on the Curinos (F)insights podcast to talk about the social importance of financial services, innovating with impact, and our book, Beyond Good .

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Having just returned from Retail's Biggest Show (and recovering from the daily 16,000 steps), I did a recap on some of the trends from the Expo floor.

Hint: IoT everywhere.

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In this week's One Vision episode ...?

Trying to define the Metaverse is akin to trying to define the internet when the internet wasn’t there. While the technology components such as artificial intelligence and blockchain are not new, convergence of these technologies is novel and still evolving.

In this episode of One Vision, we chat with Dr. Martha Boeckenfeld , Dean and Partner of the Metaverse Academy and Strategic Metaverse & Web3 Advisor, on the challenges and opportunities of this future vision of the internet. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear Dr. Martha predict the unpredictable future.

Hint: It’s all about the community.

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Beyond Good is available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble,?Bookshop.org , Kogan Page and anywhere books are sold. You can check out what others are saying about our book?here .

If it resonates, please leave us a review on Amazon or goodreads.com.

Thank you!

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