Weekly Update | Copilot Wave 2 | LinkedIn AI | WFH Stereotypes | AI Environmental Concerns | End of Mortality?

Future-Focused with Christopher Lind

It's that time of week for another rundown on the latest happenings at the intersection of business, technology, and human experience. As a favor, if you find these updates helpful, comment, like, and share it with a friend.

With that, let's get to it.

Copilot Wave 2 - Will Copilot 2.0 be the end of large swaths of professional jobs, as many advertisements subtly imply? I have concerns some leaders will fall for it, but it'd be a big mistake. A deeper reflection on how work is really performed quickly highlights AI's capability to replace human capacity.

LinkedIn AI - I understand social media platforms want to use their users' data to train their AI and ultimately improve their products. And, as a user, I recognize there are tangible benefits that come from engaging in that transaction. What I don't appreciate is that functionality being quietly turned on without a heads up, allowing me to understand the terms and make a conscious decision.

WFH Stereotypes - My post this week may have given you a teaser on my feelings about USA Today's gross misrepresentation of WFH/Hybrid employees by exploiting poorly gathered data from a recent survey. However, I have a lot more to say on the matter, and it's not about piling on the RTO hype but encouraging leaders to focus on performance not activity.

AI Environmental Concerns - How much are we willing to scorch the earth so AI can develop a catchy pirate jingle or draft an email that'd take 30 seconds of your time? At the rate we're going, the Earth might start to resemble our red planet neighbor in the span of our lives. What worse? There are completely reasonable solutions to all the problems if we'd just slow down a little bit.

End of Mortality? - Will AI really be the end of mortality as we know it? An upcoming documentary is shining light on the tragic stories of people who were sold that tale at elaborate prices but ultimately lost more than their savings. What's strange about the whole thing is that the person resurrected with tech never sees any benefit from it. I can't help but ask, who is all this even ending mortality for?

Show Notes: In this Weekly Update, Christopher explores Microsoft's new Copilot 2.0 and its potential impacts on business workflows, the ethical concerns surrounding LinkedIn's data usage for AI training, and the ongoing debate about remote work efficiency. Additionally, he examines the environmental costs of AI advancements, specifically the water consumption and energy dependencies and discuss the controversial emergence of digital 'eternity' bots aiming to keep deceased loved ones 'alive'. The episode calls for a holistic approach to integrating new technologies while highlighting the importance of human judgment and ethical considerations.
00:00 - Introduction and Overview
01:17 - Microsoft Copilot 2.0: Revolutionizing the Workplace?
13:03 - LinkedIn's Controversial AI Data Usage
21:39 - Debunking Remote Work Stereotypes
26:10 - Understanding Human Performance at Work
33:20 - Environmental Impact of AI
42:19 - The Ethics of Digital Immortality
52:33 - Final Thoughts and Cautionary Advice #ai #leadership #futureofwork #linkedin #flexibleworking