est. 2007

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Transform Digitally or Die

A famous quote by Leon Meggison might answer this question.“ It is not the strongest
of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives The quote attracted the attention of the blogmaster while reading the attached article distributed by the IADB titled Could Digital Transformation Help the Caribbean become More Resilient to Natural Disasters?…

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A famous quote by Leon Meggison might answer this question.“ It is not the strongest
of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives

The quote attracted the attention of the blogmaster while reading the attached article distributed by the IADB titled Could Digital Transformation Help the Caribbean become More Resilient to Natural Disasters? Anyone with a grip of the reality of the state of Caribbean economies appreciates that although the authors are well intention in the role technology can play to optimize activity in a disaster period, the prevailing ethos of the public service in the region makes this a huge challenge.

The blogmaster is tempted to opine that based on business requirements informed by the need to be efficient to make best use of scare resources, Permanent Secretaries in the Civil Service should be at the vanguard of digital transformation. Instead, we have to charge this group responsible for running the day to day affairs of state with being complicit with the political class in undermining the efficiency of government. The political class in Barbados are unanimous in the view- if we are to judge by policies enunciated through the years- that the pubic service should be used as the employer as last resort. Such an approach runs counter to the views expressed by the authors of the IADB article.

Clearly there is the evidence that the traditional business models utilized by the region have started to yield diminishing returns by any measurement, grasping new opportunities to build a digital economy is a nobrainer.

Read the full article: Could Digital Transformation Help the Caribbean become More Resilient to Natural Disasters?

 

60 responses to “Transform Digitally or Die”

  1. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    “Scotiabank is investing $250 million over the next decade to help its employees adapt to the digital economy, including funding to help workers who have or will be displaced by technological change.”

    https://windsor.ctvnews.ca/scotiabank-invests-250m-to-help-re-skill-employees-for-the-digital-economy-1.3878793

  2. David Avatar
    David

    Former CJ David Simmons is begging the police to use technology to improve crime detection. What is disappointing he mentioned CCTV and mobile phones. No Sir David, technology is better defined in the context.

  3. David Avatar
    David

    Another use for technology:

    A social media website that can scan your face for data. Warfare that involves swarms of drones, equipped with artificial intelligence. We’d like to tell you this is the ‘future’ issue of our newsletter, but instead, we’re here to say: That future is now.

    If that seems grim to you and you’d rather hear some good news, read on to learn about exciting initiatives at the Center to help better us engage with you.

    OUR LATEST:

    Pentagon official says America must join an arms race in weaponry with artificial intelligence

    Aerospace engineer Mike Griffin says he is taking the threat of drone swarms — including ones driven by artificial intelligence — seriously. So is his employer, the U.S. Department of Defense, as are top officials in the Air Force. “Certainly human-directed weapons systems can deal with one or two or a few drones if they see them coming, but can they deal with 103?” Published in partnership with The Vergehttps://www.publicintegrity.org/2018/04/12/21670/pentagon-arms-race-artificial-intelligence?utm_source=Watchdog&utm_campaign=d2c04a0fa1-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_02_20&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ffd1d0160d-d2c04a0fa1-101877161&mc_cid=d2c04a0fa1&mc_eid=e64f3581f8

  4. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    @David
    Check out this story from China where the authorities used facial recognition to arrest a man out of a crowd of 60,000. China uses facial recognition internally for things like airline travel etc. this will come to the West where in addition to scanning your person for illegal weapons at the airport they may do facial recognition to confirm you are who you say you are. In addition, authorities may use Facebook (aka Big Brother) together with facial recognition to pinpoint your movements which they will claim also helps them track terrorism suspects.

    http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2141387/facial-recognition-tech-catches-fugitive-among-huge-crowd-pop

  5. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    Additional story on use of facial recognition

    http://www.scmp.com/tech/social-gadgets/article/2132465/travel-and-retail-banking-chinas-facial-recognition-systems-are

  6. David Avatar
    David

    Thanks Sargeant, where the technology is taking us is mind blowing.

  7. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    Seeing the down sides of ‘technology’ more clearly now then David? 🙂
    It all sounds so impressive when we get the initial PR spin….
    …then reality sets in…

  8. David Avatar
    David

    @Bush Tea

    There is a downside to everything not so Bushie?

  9. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    LOL – True…
    There are downsides …and then there are down-sLides.

    In the wrong hands, everything is a downside. (put an idiot in charge of Heaven and you will have Hell…)
    In the right hands, anything can be an upside….(put a wise man in charge of the sewerage – and he will make millions from it)

    Technology is nothing but a potent tool.
    It is much more important to chose WISELY and CAREFULLY the hands that control it….
    than to focus on the power of the tool.

  10. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    @Sergeant and Mr Blogmaster, if I may be a bit ‘eponymous’ like and nit-pick pedantly the remark that “this will come to the West where in addition to scanning your person for illegal weapons at the airport they may do facial recognition…”

    I first got introduced to facial recog back at the end of 90s, start of this 2000 millenia at business conferences. Back then it was still used mainly by the defense and national security folks BUT heavily so given the bandwidths they could demand. However, even then it was a growing half billion $ industry. I would also add that back then too a 7 megapixel camera was considered beyond stupendous for a mass produced camera…in fact the four or five megapixel were comparatively expensive and most folks made do with 2 and 3 megapixel cams!

    All that to say that today face recog is a growing $23 billion market and that stunning growth is of course based on various factors, two being the advancement of mass used cameras with 7 or 9 megapixes as de riguer, and the tremendously expanded com’s bandwidth with light speed processing..

    Look, just wanted to clarify that China’s state controlled system allowed the big brother concept to explode there with very cheap high def cameras on almost every street corner or store front and definitely on every govt office…the US (and Europe too frankly) have gradually circumvented the protest of privacy advocates to also implement cameras (security on buildings, traffic monitor/violation, etc) all over but specifically have been using their very well refined face recog consistently at airports (surreptitiously !) at major sporting events and generally just as pervasively…BUT just not with China’s public fanfare.

    And yes all in the name of suppressing terrorism.. alas rightly so but also bluntly thrashing rights along the way.

    Just keeping it real, guys!

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