Abstract
Here at Business Information Review (BIR), we are going through the plans for 2017, reviewing what is going to be topical and of interest in the new year. Some things it seems never change, and we are still struggling to cope with information overload searching for the latest tools and best practice to cut through the ‘noise’ to get what we need at a particular point of time. Technology is, unsurprisingly, a very useful tool to achieve this if used in the right way. In fact, one of the things that strikes me the most is the speed of the continuing advancements in technology and the things we can actually do now.
When looking at the latest themes and developments for our 2017 issues, the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) was among the top contenders. Although programmers have always strived to build a computer that can operate like the human mind, it has really only existed in science fiction – until now…. With the amount of data and information readily accessible growing exponentially and the increasing sophistication of algorithms to search and collate it, we are entering into a time with near perfect conditions for AI development to leap forward. Machines that behave more like the human mind, with the ability to adapt and learn, are increasingly becoming reality.
I was interested to note in Forbes recently (December 2016 – http://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2016/12/06/what-is-the-difference-between-artificial-intelligence-and-machine-learning/2/#12b04cca2b9d an article by Bernard Marr on AI and machine learning) the differences between AI and machine learning. Machine learning is a branch of AI and is being heavily utilized in organizations today to make sense of large data sets. Neural networks have been developed to enable machines to categorize data similar to how the human brain would do, meaning that a machine can make simple judgments on, for example, music, identifying whether it is likely to be perceived as happy or sad and be able to find other similar pieces to match a certain mood. It goes on to look briefly at natural language processing – the idea that we can interact with machines on a more natural human level.
All this wonderful technological development does naturally lead us to think how will this affect the information profession in the future, are jobs at risk? I think perhaps jobs will evolve and change as they always have done with the relentless drive forward of technology but I think that a machine will always need to have human interaction at some level. The way that we make decisions and incorporate information into our own unique perspectives to develop new knowledge is something that we still struggle with identifying in ourselves and transferring to others in our workforces today. Knowledge management teachings and techniques recognize that. This is nicely encapsulated in a phrase often used by one of my mentors, Ian Wooler – I know more than I can say and I can say more than I can write down. The ability to capture and utilize intrinsic knowledge from one person to help another effectively is still very much a challenge. Until we are able to grasp this and write it down, I see it as highly unlikely that a machine will ever be able to duplicate the deep intricacies of the human mind and so the machine will always need a human mind to identify and analyze those subtleties in data, information and their meanings.
This led me to think about the importance of machines and humans working together. December’s editorial touched on the dramatic eight percent fall of Sterling against the Dollar on 7 October 2016 – was it human error or the effect of an algorithm relying on less than the best quality of information? We have long known that technology is only as good as the information we put into it or make available to it and in a world where there is now so much information and data floating around we need to be concerned more than ever about quality, truth and validation. It occurs to me that it might not be possible for machines to complete this task on their own without human intervention. While they are able to make certain judgments, there is a mass of misinformation out there that at best is misleading and at worst is fiction passed off as facts. Karen Blakeman touched on this recently in her blog post on how to write totally misleading headlines for social media – http://www.rba.co.uk/wordpress/2016/11/15/how-to-write-totally-misleading-headlines-for-social-media/. If the validity, reliability and quality of data and information that is being published is less than accurate or truthful how do we ensure that analysis and assessment of it is accurate and truthful. This is where human mind and machine need to work in harmony. We know that if something we read sounds too fantastical or too good to be true, then it probably is and needs to be investigated on a much deeper level, but how do you teach that knowledge to a machine? People have networks, trusted sources, and knowledge that what they are reading from the trusted source is the truth. Machines operate without such knowledge, viewing each piece of data and information without bias. While this is highly beneficial in some instances, it is not in all.
I was encouraged to see my view that it is important for humans and machines to work effectively together reflected to a point in a review of a recent Special Libraries Association (SLA) event – Artificial intelligence and the information professional: Threat or opportunity (http://www.sla-europe.org/2016/12/10/event-review-by-richard-nelsson-artificial-intelligence-and-the-information-professional-threat-or-opportunity/). Written by Richard Nelsson, information manager at the Guardian Media and News, he reflects on the event and the speakers. He looks at the advantages that AI is bringing to the information profession and the potential threats – a World Economic Forum report is predicting the loss of 5 million jobs by 2020, a number of them being knowledge workers in professions such as law and medicine…. The blog article, which is an interesting read particularly if you were not able to attend the session goes on to talk about the key speakers and the fact that there are still many things that only the human mind can accomplish, special nuances, a deep understanding of end user needs and requirements that a machine simply cannot duplicate.
One of the speakers at that event was Marc Vollenweider, CEO of Evalueserve, who has recently published a book on the subject of human and machine working in harmony to deliver better, reliable and timely data analytics and intelligence. The book entitled Mind and Machine – A Decision Model for Optimising and Implementing Analytics looks at how to make sense of data analytics finding the right data at the right time, looking at what processes are best to automate to achieve the best results. Marc’s view is that the speed of the machine needs to be enhanced by qualitative analysis that only the human mind can achieve effectively. His book sets out to illustrate ways in which this can be achieved.
The Business Information Review aims to investigate changes that affect the profession and technology continues to be a key theme throughout this issue of BIR. Paul Pedley looks at the effect of technology in corporate libraries on privacy, is it an issue, should it be an issue? In his paper, Paul considers the developments in business information software which enable personalization and portability which comes along with greater usage of cloud computing. This means more recording and storage of personal data which creates privacy risks. He argues that good vendor management is important, ensuring that vendors know what privacy concerns there are. Regular data protection/privacy audits are also important.
In his second paper for BIR, Ian Hunter develops further his piece on leveraged finance. December’s issue covered researching the market size and trends. In this article, he focusses on how to find leveraged finance documents. It is an interesting paper reviewing what sources are available and how to find them, an important read for anyone starting out in corporate finance information teams.
Next is a paper from Lindsay Harris and journal board member Mary Peterson. Entitled The economic value and clinical impact of the South Australian Health Library Service 2011–2016, the paper explores one Australian state’s Health Department library service attempts to measure the economic value and clinical impact of its professional services and online resources. Developed as a case study of performance management, the paper outlines the context for the development of evaluation strategies and the key success indicators that emerged in relation to economic value. They note that “measuring in return on investment (ROI) in a cost quantifiable manner for entities such as libraries, whose central role is with the retrieval and dissemination of the abstract concept of ‘information’, shall likely always be demanding and complex to achieve. Nevertheless, libraries must now make the effort to measure and evaluate their performance in whatever ways work best for their particular conditions.” The paper presents a valuable study of the experience of measuring and communicating value to stakeholders beyond the information profession.
Our next article from Malawi, Professor Winner Chawinga, lecturer in the Department of Library and Information Science at Mzuzu University and his colleague George Chipeta, senior lecturer in the Department of Library and Information Science (LIS) at Mzuzu University, investigates how the synergy of knowledge management and competitive intelligence may be a key success driver in small and medium business enterprises (SMEs). They consider the turbulent environment that SMEs now need to operate in and the importance of identifying and gaining competitive advantage. Knowledge management techniques and competitive intelligence research are investigated as a way to achieve competitive advantage.
Out of the Box makes a one off appearance in this issue, addressing developments in AI and the challenge to professional roles. While AI is a technology that has long been on the horizon, the increasing adoption of AI technologies within professional and business services contexts points to a challenging future for a range of professional fields. Out of the box explores the latest development in the use of AI in commercial contexts and discusses the future of professional fields. A one-off feature, we hope out of the box will return in a more regular form in the near future to explore all aspects of technology in commercial contexts.
Perspectives – Martin White’s article in this issue reviews a number of interesting articles. Subjects covered include information overload – does age have an effect? The development and use of personas – how they are used in human computer design (HCD), whether or not they are a useful tool in the design process and what best practice methods to use to make the use of this tool as effective as possible. Also covered is a paper on the balance between employee autonomy and corporate control. A highly interesting subject the paper explores the increasing need for collaborative working and the tools and social networks available to achieve this against the need for corporate governance and control. What is the best way to work in the digital workplace? This paper in particular is highly recommended by Martin to read in context of your own organization.
Initiatives – We’re sad to announce that this long running column of Allan’s, which has been a fantastic contribution over the last 10 years, is going to be his last contribution to BIR. Allan has been with the journal since the beginning and up until last year had also been responsible for the annual business information survey that has been running since 1991, giving a detailed picture on developments within and the state of the information profession, delivery and use of business information. The initiatives column has run in many guises since late 1990s. Allan’s contributions started in 2007 and have provided consistent and detailed overviews of what is current and important in the information profession at the time. In his last column, Allan takes a brief look back at his time with BIR as well as updating us on the latest initiatives in the profession. Luke and I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank-you to Allan from us and on behalf of Sage for his valuable contributions and insights over the last 33 years.