David Lidsky's Blog, page 180

Change the world with AI? You need global data first

Data often comes with built-in blind spots, and is at this point, trained on Western viewpoints.

The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership opportunities, events and more.

Funding cuts devastate agricultural researchers and farmers working to fight climate change

Experts think it will be a blow in other countries where climate change is already decimating yields, driving hunger and conflict.

Erin McGuire spent years cultivating fruits and vegetables like onions, peppers and tomatoes as a scientist and later director of a lab at the University of California-Davis. She collaborated with hundreds of people to breed drought-resistant varieties, develop new ways to cool fresh produce and find ways to make more money for small farmers at home and overseas.

How client-centric thinking drives growth

Marketing agencies need to partner with clients and dive deep into understanding their needs and motivations.

The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership opportunities, events and more.

Reality shows are embracing ‘real songs’ and here’s why

‘Love Is Blind’ isn’t the only reality show that walks the line between what viewers have labeled ‘real songs’ and unfamiliar music.

When a couple decided to take their relationship further on the most recent season of “Love Is Blind,” the moment was soundtracked with a familiar song: Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather.”

This brain-computer interface allowed a stroke survivor to speak after 18 years

Although it’s still experimental, scientists hope the brain-computer interface could someday help give voice to those unable to speak.

Scientists have developed a device that can translate thoughts about speech into spoken words in real time.

Primark CEO resigns over ‘error of judgment’ with a woman

Paul Marchant, Primark’s CEO since 2009, acknowledged misconduct toward a woman in a social environment.

The chief executive of Primark, one of Europe’s biggest fast fashion retailers, has resigned after an investigation into his behavior toward a woman in a social environment.

Donald Trump keeps talking about a third term. Is that really possible?

President Trump says he’s ‘not joking’ and that there are ‘methods’ to get around term limits. Here’s how he might go about it.

Constitutionally, Donald Trump cannot be elected to a third term as president, but that’s not stopping him from talking about it—and that rhetoric is already on the rise, just 69 days into his second term. Trump, on Sunday, told Meet the Press host Kristen Welker that “a lot of people” wanted him to serve a third term, adding he was “not joking” about the idea.

Report: Blue-collar workers feel less satisfied and less respected in their jobs

Only about 43% of blue-collar workers are very happy with their jobs, according to a Pew study, compared to 53% of other workers.

It’s safe to say that worker happiness and well-being is shaky at best. In 2024, just about half of all American employees reported feeling very satisfied with their jobs, and only about a third were happy with their pay or opportunities for promotion. Younger employees seem particularly frustrated by their working conditions: The latest edition of Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report found that just 34% of workers said they were thriving, with a marked drop from 35% to 31% among those under the age of 35.

Marine Le Pen banned from France’s 2027 presidential race—a major blow to the far right

Only an appellate ruling that overturns the ban on public office could restore Le Pen’s hopes of running.

A French court on Monday convicted Marine Le Pen of embezzlement and barred her from seeking public office for five years — a hammer blow to the far-right leader’s presidential hopes and an earthquake for French politics.

Trump administration sued over effort to end collective bargaining for federal workers

The National Treasury Employees Union claims that Trump’s executive order last week exempting more than a dozen agencies from collective bargaining obligations violates federal workers’ labor rights and the U.S. Constitution.

A union that represents 150,000 U.S. government employees filed a lawsuit on Monday seeking to block President Donald Trump from stripping hundreds of thousands of federal workers of the ability to collectively bargain with government agencies through their unions.