Is AI reducing the value of a university degree? Big tech is under attack from all directions. And while the cat came back – the data didn’t.
 |
 |
 |
These and more top tech stories on Hashtag Trending
I’m your host Jim Love, CIO of IT World Canada and Tech News Day in the US.
LinkedIn, a pivotal platform for recruiters, emphasizes that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping job hunting and skill development, potentially diminishing the weight of a four-year degree on a CV.
LinkedIn introduced a slew of new AI-driven features, including AI-assisted candidate discovery for recruiters and AI-powered coaching in LinkedIn Learning.
And LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky highlighted that rapid shifts in skill requirements in the age of AI will stress the need for learning throughout a career, as a single degree will not suffice for a lifetime in the evolving job market.
Until recently, post-secondary degrees have had a real impact on job prospects and salary.
Currently, although less than 4 out of 10 people in the US or Canada have a university or 4 year college degree, this group dominates knowledge workers and what some have termed “decision makers” – and of course these are also the most highly paid workers. Plus, the unemployment rate for people with degrees is far lower than for those without a degree.
But that could change due to the potential of AI and a number of other factors.
With the growing cost of a degree, students are also taking a long look at signing up for the huge debt load that they have after getting a degree.
And 72 per cent of American executives value soft skills, even over AI skills. And with labour shortages, there is growing recognition that over-credentialing not only overlooks skilled candidates without degrees but it also forces employers to pay a premium.
All of these factors are causing many employers to rethink the value of a post-secondary degree.
Source include: Axios
UK regulatory agency Ofcom has referred the public cloud infrastructure market to the Competition and Markets Authority for further investigation, following a yearlong study that revealed potential limitations to competition among major cloud providers, particularly market leaders Amazon and Microsoft.
The 254-page report highlighted concerns about policies that could lead to vendor lock-in and identified features that make it challenging for businesses to switch providers or utilize multiple clouds, such as data egress fees and technical specifications restricting interoperability.
While competition among hyperscalers has driven innovation, it has also potentially hindered multi cloud adoption. AWS and Microsoft, dominating the global market, account for over half of all cloud spending, which is estimated to reach $600 billion this year.
Source include: CIO Dive
And in another story, a former executive from Samsung Electronics’ venture capital arm testified that Google pressured Samsung to prevent the installation of a mobile app developed by Branch Metrics on its smartphones.
The testimony was given during a landmark antitrust trial against Google’s parent company, Alphabet. The executive proposed the installation of non-Google search software in Samsung smartphones but faced resistance which he claimed was due to Google’s influence.
Google reportedly pays billions of dollars to companies like Samsung and Apple to ensure that Google’s search software is used by default on smartphones and other devices. This has led to complaints that Google is using unfair tactics to retain its dominance in search. Recently Satya Nadella had testified that despite Microsoft’s inclusion of ChatGPT in its search engine and the huge interest in generative AI software, Microsoft’s Bing search engine had failed to make any real competitive dent in Google’s market share.
Source include: Reuters
HP Inc. is also facing a class-action lawsuit, alleging that it designs its multifunction printers to disable scanning and faxing functionalities when the ink runs low.
The lawsuit asserts that HP intentionally does not disclose this to consumers to enhance profits from the sale of its high-priced ink cartridges.
While HP has sought to dismiss the lawsuit twice on technical legal grounds, a federal judge has allowed the case to proceed. The plaintiffs argue that ink is not necessary for scanning or faxing and that HP could manufacture printers that operate without ink for these functions.
Source include: ABC News
And finally, a four-hour system disruption at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri, was reportedly caused by a cat jumping on a technician’s keyboard, leading to the deletion of server profiles. This incident was discussed during a regular IT problem review call with the US government department’s CIO, Kurt DelBene, and about 100 participants, including contractors and vendors. While the Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed the system issue and its swift resolution, it did not verify the cat’s involvement. The incident did not have direct impacts on veterans, but it highlights an unusual and somewhat humorous potential hazard in IT work environments, leaving the actuality of the cat’s involvement in a state of whimsical uncertainty.
Meanwhile, we are wondering if this would be CATagorized as catastrophic?
Source include: The Register
That’s the top tech news stories for today. For more fast reads on top stories, check us out at TechNewsDay.com or ITWorldCanada.com on the homepage.
Hashtag Trending goes to air 5 days a week with a special weekend interview show we call “the Weekend Edition.”
You can get us anywhere you get audio podcasts and there is a copy of the show notes at itworldcanada.com/podcasts
I’m your host, Jim Love. Have a Fabulous Friday. And remember that Monday is Canadian Thanksgiving so we’ll be back on Tuesday morning.
