David Lidsky's Blog, page 256

Labor Department fines more slaughterhouses for child labor

The Labor Department said that QSI employed children on overnight shifts at 13 meat processing plants.

The problem of kids working in dangerous slaughterhouses continues to be a concern as the Labor Department announced its third agreement this week with a company in the industry agreeing to pay a penalty and reform its practices to help ensure it won’t hire underage workers again.

Why we need to unleash a regenerative revolution

In the built environment, sustainability means people and nature are at the core of the urban experience.

Today, the world’s population is growing and urbanizing. Almost 70% of people worldwide will live in cities by 2050, which lies at the heart of our transition to a sustainable, circular, and resilient future. We need to ensure that we design and build cities in a regenerative way for those who live in them.

3 big predictions for AI in financial services in 2025

How your company can use artificial intelligence this year to improve efficiency and customer service.

As we look ahead to 2025, the financial services landscape will be shaped not by AI as a standalone innovation, but by how it enables smarter, faster, and more personalized experiences. Here are three key predictions for how AI will transform the industry:

With full speed ahead on AI investment, does ROI matter?

Whether companies are overspending on artificial intelligence depends on your view of the bigger picture.

In the great AI spending spree, does ROI matter?

Modular design makes tech personal (and repairable)

Modular design is reaching new audiences by letting users build systems that are suited to their unique needs and can evolve.

Decades before the first personal computer hit the shelves, American industrial designer Brooks Stevens popularized the phrase planned obsolescence—defining it as “instilling in the buyer the desire to own something a little newer, a little better, a little sooner than is necessary”—ushering in an epoch of products made to be disposable.

3 lessons in leadership I learned from the bass guitar

From practicing to moving everyone in the same direction, playing this musical instrument taught me a lot.

For me, the intersection of my scientific roots and the creativity that helps me lead innovation for one of the world’s largest food and agriculture companies came from an unlikely place—the bass!

Americans keep falsely claiming this random man from Vancouver is RedNote’s CEO

No, Jerry is not in charge of RedNote. Yes, he is amused by the mistake.

Americans flocking to the Chinese app RedNote thought they’d been welcomed by the platform’s CEO. Turns out, he’s just a guy from Vancouver.

Walmart is facing backlash from investors after cutting DEI programs

Shareholders are asking the retail giant to explain recent policy changes amid concerns about the company caving to pressure from anti-diversity activists.

More than 30 Walmart investors, representing $266 billion in assets under management or advisement, have asked the retail giant to explain the reasoning behind its decision to roll back DEI initiatives and the resulting implications for the company.

TikTok refugees or propagandists? China’s RedNote users share mixed responses to U.S. influx

Not everyone was happy, though, with some grumbling that RedNote was being taken over and nationalist bloggers warning against American influences.

Users of the Chinese social media app RedNote welcomed “TikTok refugees” from the United States with selfies and messages on Wednesday, as Beijing said it encouraged stronger cultural ties with other countries in response to the sudden influx.

‘Welcome, TikTok refugee’: Duolingo sees a 216% spike in U.S. users learning Mandarin

Millions are joining RedNote ahead of the TikTok ban. But the app’s default language is Mandarin.

“Oh so NOW you’re learning Mandarin,” Duolingo tweeted on Monday.