Back in November 2020, I was supposed to do a Keynote during a 3-day Hackathon hosted by the Dutch Government. The keynote was focussed on finding synergy between humans and technology, a perfect fit for the Hackathon which evolved around anti-discrimination in algorithms. The event was to take place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and accommodations were included. However, the pandemic forced the organizer's hand as restrictions were increased and the event moved from offline to online. This meant the schedule changed as well, eliminating 2 of the total 5 speakers. Instead, I was asked to participate as my job evolves…
The basics of being human — especially in a work environment — are changing rapidly. Technological innovations are getting more advanced to the point it’s getting better at doing some of our jobs. Companies are eager to implement new technologies into the customer journey to boost efficiency and cut costs. That sounds great, but where does it leave us — the human workforce — in the foreseeable future? There’s still a vast difference between what machines (let’s call them “robots”) can do and the traits humans are master at.
Robots ≠ Humans
In spite of more and more machines taking over everyday jobs…
Let me define “stealing” first. I don’t think Artificial Intelligence is going to take over any random job, get the person in it fired and leave them on the streets. I would think of it as “swapping”, really. AI is going to take over jobs that machines are better at. At the same time, it will create new jobs for us that we are better at. The reason — to make it sound way easier than it is — lies in the fact that technology is nowhere near as intelligent as humans. Yes, jobs being taken over by Artificial Intelligence…
I’ve been with the same insurance agency for over 15 years. It started when I bought my first car — and with that my first car insurance — and now includes our home, household effects, and travel coverage. To be fair, they aren’t the cheapest but they have always been there for me. And as my dad always says to me: “ you only know if your Insurance Company is any good once sh*t hits the fan”.
And it hit the fan — Stranded in Belgium
It was a really rainy Sunday night somewhere in the early winter of 2016, some 50 kilometers from Spa in Belgium. My fiance…
You hear it often: “I get my best ideas when I’m taking a shower” or “it came to me when I was driving home”. Many times you’re most creative when it’s not being forced. You could compare it to finding a nice painting for your home. If you go out and frantically search for it, you’ll probably not find it. Weeks later, shopping for a new chair you might stumble upon the best painting ever. The same goes for me. I get great ideas in the shower and often send them to my best friend — who happens to be…
Do you know people over 60? Call them and tell them there are people making 6 figures playing games on the internet and talking to people they can’t even see. Now, look at their response. Is it disbelief? Laughter? Are they asking you “how” and “why” questions? For people older than the “digital generations”, working means going to the office, factory, or harbor for example, and working 8–12 hour shift. Working has a certain image and it surely doesn’t contain playing games online, chatting on some amateur radio (podcast), and creating short videos for millions of people. …
It’s rumored that between 618 and 907 AD — The period of the Tang Dynasty — the first printing of books started. Although the spoken language is much older, reading has “always” been an important part of how we share knowledge and absorb new information.
In an age of endless digital information, we can feel overwhelmed and actually learn less from the information overload we get on a daily basis. That’s why I personally committed to reading physical books on a daily basis and with the sole purpose of learning.
I have found ways to read more books even during…
If you’re reading this, I’m just going to assume you’re a human being. You can be recognized by many external features, such as your 10 fingers, the fact you walk — and stand up — straight and your general shape and posture. However, that’s just what you look like. Do you actually know how to BE a human and do you know that we aren’t always (or actually, hardly) being the best humans we can be? Let me tell you this: we have forgotten what it’s like to actually be human.
We’re humans, we love making things easier
Technology is probably one of the most important things…
Dear leaders, ministers, policymakers,
We are living in complicated and somewhat uncertain times during this COVID19-pandemic. It’s very understandable that you are looking for technological solutions to a — literally — ever-growing problem of the spread of the Coronavirus. However, through this open letter, I wish to address all who are involved in the making and/or approving of the various “Corona-apps” that are being developed to monitor, control and terminate the spread of the Coronavirus.
Although I am all for finding quick solutions to problems, especially with the aid of technology, I do fear that we could fall victim to…
Baby’s use older people as their main point of reference to understand the world. Whether it’s a parent, a random adult or a child that’s just a couple years older: everybody is a reference. The more time a baby spends with a specific person, the more it will see him or her as their example. They will copy them too. Baby’s will mimic their reference’s behavior, but also their vocabulary and ultimately their thoughts. A baby doesn't have any references other than the ones that are around him or her the most. …
