Google blew the minds of everyone at the Google I/O conference this week when it demoed Duplex, an AI assistant capable of mimicking a human voice over the phone so convincingly that people would have no idea they were talking to a robot. The crowd went wild after the demo, but not everybody is a fan. Critics wonder about the deception factor (shouldn’t we know we’re talking to a machine?) and the “robots are taking over” factor, but Australian tech leader Matt Barrie sees an even darker undercurrent. Quoted on an Australian news website, he called Duplex a Trojan horse, saying Google’s real aim is not to make calls but answer them, take payments, and know everything about your business. Brrr. producthunt.com
The financial industry ought to be bracing for an AI takeover. This, from a new report from research firm Autonomous, which cautions financial services employees to shine up their resumes and upskill for other jobs, because AI is coming for them. Within the next 15 years, banking and lending will potentially lose 1.2 million jobs, and save some $450 billion because of increased efficiencies and decreased head count. Insurance is next, followed by investment management. Total savings brushes up against $1 trillion. Fast Company
We already knew that your corporate brand means everything, but apparently Recruit Holdings knows it, too. The Japan-based company that also owns Indeed and Simply Hired acquired Glassdoor this week for $1.2 billion. Glassdoor is a website that posts anonymous employee reviews of their employers, basically Yelp for business. Negative reviews on Glassdoor are affecting companies just like negative Yelp reviews impact restaurants, and in this job market, they could spell real trouble for employers. Wall Street Journal
WorkLife podcaster Adam Grant, who is also a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and a bestselling author, sparred with Revisionist History podcaster Malcolm Gladwell in NYC this week about everything from comedians as social psychologists, work life, what makes an idea interesting, why country music can be sad and rock can’t, and why we shouldn’t root for the underdog. It’s worth a listen. PlayerFM
Executives serious about delivering value need to spend more time identifying their organizations’ top performers and most critical roles. The McKinsey Podcast
More than half of CHROs say their future role will be creating a “digital, consumerized employee experience” for their organizations, according to a new survey by ServiceNow. HR can play a key role in not just driving the digital transformation but getting employee buy-in and making employees comfortable with using the new technologies. Traditional HR roles seem to be winnowing away, according to this survey. Only 6 percent foresee traditional HR activities taking up much of their time. HR Dive
