Worker data rights
What’s trending? Calls for worker data rights are growing. Workers lack proper protection for the data that employers collect about them. The range collected is wide, depending on the type of industry involved, company policies and legal regulations. These include HR information, time and motion data, geo-location data, shift and scheduling data, personal payroll data […]
Overtourism Pushback
What’s trending? Tourist spots around the world are beginning to introduce measures to counter overtourism – the phenomenon whereby places are inundated by tourists, causing undesirable side effects. Bali is a textbook example of a destination plagued by overtourism. The island of 4.3 million people saw 6.3 million visitors in 2019, the year before the […]
AI in Healthcare
What’s trending? It’s not an exaggeration to say that artificial intelligence has revolutionised the healthcare sector. It seems like every other day, it is reported that AI-enabled medical breakthroughs are taking place. In August alone the following case studies have emerged: researchers at Radboudumc revealed in Nature Genetics that their computer model based on facial […]
Keeping it cool
What’s trending? It’s not just humans who are feeling the heat – animals and plants are too. In the midst of a planet that is experiencing extreme heat in many parts, humans are trying to keep their cattle and crops cool. Human ingenuity combined with technology, both advanced and ancient, is being used to adapt […]
Single mums by choice
What’s trending? Single mums by choice (SMC) or solo mums refers to women who choose to become parents alone, i.e. without a partner. While this is not a new phenomenon, a growing number of women are opting for this lifestyle. Melissa Cameron, a fertility specialist at Melbourne IVF, says, “We[‘ve] certainly had big increases steadily […]
AI Advisors
What’s trending? Whom do we want to be receiving advice from? Humans or machines? We are beginning to see instances where artificial intelligence is capable of giving credible advice to humans. Google is busy testing an AI chatbot that could behave as a personal life coach. An AI tool has passed a mortgage advice qualification […]
It’s time to bet on Africa, rather than the dollar.
This article was previously published in the Brainstorm Magazine. “Always bet on yourself, no matter what the odds are. It means more to be in the race than to watch the victory laps from the stands.” ~ Pete Wentz I recently spent some time visiting Morocco (highly recommended). In my conversations with the locals, I […]
Women reshaping homeownership
What’s trending? Women are challenging the traditional notions of home ownership, that ownership comes with a husband and marriage. According to Lightstone Data, women own or co-own more than half of SA’s homes. This reflects the growing participation of women in the South African economy. Some are choosing to delay motherhood and focus on their […]
Global warming and the world of work
What’s trending? Persistent weather patterns are leading to longer heatwaves, which are becoming the new normal due to ongoing climate change. In July 2023, scientists at the University of Maine recorded at least three instances of global temperatures breaking world records. In Southern Europe, particularly, over 60 summer days could pose serious health risks, potentially […]
AI Underclass
What’s trending The advent of AI has led to the creation of an ‘underclass’ of society – a lower rung – whereby some are either losing jobs to AI or being mistreated and underpaid as contract workers. In the case of job losses, actors who play extras in film and TV productions – already low […]