All posts tagged: Automation

How Will AI-Driven Automation Actually Affect Jobs?

How Will AI-Driven Automation Actually Affect Jobs?

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Alex Imas and Soumitra Shukla via Ghosts of Electricity, One of the most widely cited findings in AI policy comes from a 2023 paper by Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin, and Rock titled “GPTs are GPTs.” The title is a nice double meaning: the paper studies how general-purpose technologies (GPTs) powered by large language models (also GPTs) may reshape the labor market. The headline finding is that around 80% of U.S. workers could have at least 10% of their tasks affected by LLMs, and roughly 19% may see half or more of their tasks impacted. Broadly, these exposure measures try to capture how “exposed” the occupation is to AI as a function of whether AI can augment the tasks involved in the job: direct exposure is defined as “whether access to an LLM or LLM-powered system would reduce the time required for a human to perform a specific DWA or complete a task by at least 50%.” The authors are crystal clear on this in the paper: exposure corresponds to the capacity of AI to …

I found a free Task Scheduler replacement that makes Windows automation actually simple

I found a free Task Scheduler replacement that makes Windows automation actually simple

Published by skeptic

Task Scheduler is one of those tools that you either use too much or never touch. There’s no in between. With it, you can automate almost anything on your Windows PC, from simple daily reminders to complex system-level tasks. The problem is not what it can do, but how it feels to use. FluentTaskScheduler is essentially a wrapper for the Task Scheduler API, so it doesn’t replace the core functionality. What makes it worth using, though, is its thoughtful design. It also follows Microsoft’s Fluent Design System, which means it has a clean, modern look that feels consistent with newer Windows apps. OS Windows Price model Free FluentTaskScheduler is a wrapper for the Windows Task Scheduler. It simplifies automating tasks on your PC with a clean, intuitive UI. FluentTaskScheduler is a modern replacement for Task Scheduler Windows automation, modernized If you’ve ever tried using the built-in Windows Task Scheduler, you already know how dated it looks compared to other built-in tools. Sure, it gets the job done, but it’s not exactly user-friendly. Navigating through menus …

Why Europe’s social democrats can’t stop losing – POLITICO

Why Europe’s social democrats can’t stop losing – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Tobias Cremer, a German social democratic lawmaker in the European Parliament, said the announcement was spurred by the poor results in the regional elections, and showed the party was serious about delivering “on the bread and butter issues.” “It’s about economic growth, it is social justice, but it’s also [about] reforming our economy in a way that it’s for us to determine how we work, not for the White House, not for the Kremlin, not for China,” he added.  The Trump bump One unlikely boost for Europe’s center left has come from U.S. President Donald Trump, whose provocations have helped mobilize some voters. One unlikely boost for Europe’s center left has come from U.S. President Donald Trump. | Alex Wong/Getty Images MEP Cremer said Denmark’s Social Democrats, who have been in power since 2019, would likely have suffered an even worse defeat in the election had it not been for the voter sympathy generated by Frederiksen’s refusal to give in to Trump’s threats to annex Greenland. “Our comrades in Denmark did an outstanding job, they …

The AI Scientist takes a big step toward end-to-end automation of scientific research

The AI Scientist takes a big step toward end-to-end automation of scientific research

Published by Jenni Sidey

A paper built entirely by artificial intelligence did not arrive with a flashy headline. At its core, the study delivers a surprisingly flat result: a promising technique that does nothing to improve how artificial neural networks learn. That outcome isn’t what’s important. What matters is the method itself—the way the research was carried out, which is where the paper’s real contribution lies. The real story is that an AI system, called The AI Scientist, helped carry out nearly the whole research pipeline that produced it, from generating ideas and searching prior work to running experiments, writing the manuscript and reviewing the result. The research findings, published in Nature, describe this as a step toward end-to-end automation of scientific research, at least in machine learning, where experiments can be run entirely on computers. That claim lands at an uneasy moment for science. Large language models are already being used to help with coding, literature reviews and data analysis. The AI Scientist pushes further, aiming to automate not just the routine labor around research, but the parts …

WIRED Article Production automation page/Only for QA/Do not click/Do not publish

WIRED Article Production automation page/Only for QA/Do not click/Do not publish

Published by skeptic

WIRED is obsessed with what comes next. Through rigorous investigations and game-changing reporting, we tell stories that don’t just reflect the moment—they help create it. When you look back in 10, 20, even 50 years, WIRED will be the publication that led the story of the present, mapped the people, products, and ideas defining it, and explained how those forces forged the future. WIRED: For Future Reference. Source link

Sales automation startup Rox AI hits .2B valuation, sources say

Sales automation startup Rox AI hits $1.2B valuation, sources say

Published by skeptic

Rox, a startup developing autonomous AI agents to boost sales productivity, has raised a new funding round valuing the company at $1.2 billion, according to multiple sources. The funding included a lead investment from returning backer General Catalyst, two of the people said. Rox and General Catalyst did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment. At the time of the fundraise, which closed last year, Rox was projected to close 2025 with $8 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), according to two people familiar with the deal. In November 2024, Rox announced it had raised a total of $50 million, including a seed round led by Sequoia and a Series A round led by General Catalyst, with participation from GV. Rox was founded in 2024 by the former chief growth officer of New Relic, Ishan Mukherjee. Mukherjee joined New Relic following its 2020 acquisition of Pixie, a software monitoring startup he co-founded. The startup positions itself as an intelligent revenue operating system that plugs into a company’s current software setup — from Salesforce to Zendesk …

Set up an Obsidian Vault for Claude Code Automation Workflows

Set up an Obsidian Vault for Claude Code Automation Workflows

Published by skeptic

Combining Claude Code with Obsidian creates a structured yet adaptable system for managing information and projects. In a recent breakdown, Chase AI explores how this integration uses Obsidian’s markdown-based “vault” for organizing interconnected notes alongside Claude Code’s automation capabilities. For example, Claude Code can automatically generate and link files within Obsidian, streamlining workflows and reducing manual effort. This pairing not only simplifies note management but also enhances the ability to analyze and retrieve data efficiently. In this March 2026 guide, you’ll discover how to set up and optimize this integration for tasks like daily note management, research organization and even team collaboration. Learn how to automate file linking, define consistent naming conventions and scale your system as your projects grow. Whether you’re building a personal knowledge base or managing complex workflows, this breakdown offers actionable steps to help you make the most of these complementary platforms. Claude Code + Obsidian Integration TL;DR Key Takeaways : The integration of Claude Code with Obsidian combines powerful automation with robust note-taking, creating an efficient system for organizing, retrieving …

Refurbishment automation at the heart of circular electronics

Refurbishment automation at the heart of circular electronics

Published by skeptic

Challenges, opportunities, and Wisematic’s role in the future of smart device refurbishment. The rapid expansion of the global secondary market for consumer electronics has established refurbishment as a central component of the circular economy. In Europe, where sustainability, resource efficiency, and carbon reduction are high political priorities, the refurbishment of smartphones and other smart devices is increasingly recognised as a strategic industry with high importance and long-term growth possibilities. This field sits at the intersection of several technological and operational disciplines: flexible robotics, machine vision, artificial intelligence (AI), reverse logistics, and materials circularity. Refurbishment automation is not merely an extension of traditional manufacturing automation. It represents a distinct discipline with high focus on flexibility and adaptation—it must handle high variation, uncertain conditions, device-specific requirements, and rapidly evolving consumer technologies. Unlike industrial production lines optimised for predictable, uniform inputs, refurbishment facilities encounter a near infinite mix of device types, age profiles, physical conditions, and software states. This positions refurbishment automation among the most technically demanding automation domains. At the same time, the societal and environmental stakes …

This easy automation reminds me when my laundry is done

This easy automation reminds me when my laundry is done

Published by skeptic

Laundry is never fun. While tossing clothes into the washing machine is simple, the sorting beforehand, fluffing before transferring to a dryer (or hanging up to dry), then folding and putting away, can be a full day’s work for bigger households (and bigger wardrobes!) Add a busy schedule to the mix and I can’t be the only person who has tossed a load into the washing machine only to get caught up with other tasks and forgotten about it. Having to re-run the cycle wastes not only time and electricity but also money. That’s why I use a simple automation with my washer and dryer. This prompts me when it’s time to transfer clothes to the dryer or to ask someone else to do it if I’m not at home. Or it will remind me to take the clothes out of the dryer before they become wrinkled. Full disclosure: this automation, leveraging features of the ThinQ app from LG, only works with washers and dryers from that brand. But many other appliance manufacturers have similar …

Europe’s AI ambitions require more investment in advanced and trusted connectivity

Europe’s AI ambitions require more investment in advanced and trusted connectivity

Published by Sam Flores

It seems impossible to have a conversation today without artificial intelligence (AI) playing a role, demonstrating the massive power of the technology. AI has the potential to impact every part of business and society, and European policymakers are on board. In February 2025, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said: “We want Europe to be one of the leading AI continents … AI can help us boost our competitiveness, protect our security, shore up public health, and make access to knowledge and information more democratic.” Research from Nokia suggests that businesses share this enthusiasm and ambition. Eighty-four percent of more than 1,000 respondents said AI features in the growth strategy of their organization, while 62 percent are directing at least 20 percent of ICT capex budgets toward the technology. However, the equation is not yet balanced. Three-quarters state that current telecom infrastructure limits the ability to deliver on those ambitions, while 45 percent suggest these limitations would delay, constrain or entirely limit investments. There is clearly a disconnect between the ambition …