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The Unsexy Side of AI Jobs: Infrastructure, Cleaning and Portability

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  Image sourced from TechnologyAdvice.com This week, I read this article in the WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ai-jobs-demand-tech-layoffs-5b7344c0?mod=Searchresults_pos9&page=1 The article states that AI jobs are in higher demand than other tech jobs, which continue to experience layoffs. This seems to reflect an increased interest from firms in building deep learning algorithms and other AI software to drive decision-making and revenue. The article points out that firms are seeking to find computer scientists who can develop and author these deep-learning applications. What I didn't see was any reference to firms also filling support positions for these applications. Deep learning relies on feeding the AI clean, accurate data on which to learn, and having even more data to test the model, to ensure it works. So not only do firms need big data with which to make ongoing decisions, but they also need large amounts of data to train and refine their AI. All this requires massiv
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Digital AI Operations: Could Healthcare Benefit?

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 This week I watched this video on WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/video/series/travel-guides/how-ai-is-transforming-air-traffic-control-towers/1E2C984E-F047-47F7-B1AB-1F7D1104F9E1?mod=Searchresults_pos15&page=1 The video shows how digital AI traffic control towers are changing operations at Heathrow Airport in London. The system is powered by algorithms that identifies plans and then overlay satellite information, and can function in clouds or even "see through" buildings, improvements over human air traffic control skills.  This made me think about what other operations could be improved and made more efficient using AI. I work in healthcare, and one area of inefficiency is the process of consulting specialists for a patient. Currently, it works like this: The patient's primary team identifies a problem that they don't have the knowledge or skills to address (a mental health need, an infection, etc.)  The primary team identifies the best specialist service to consult S
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Girl Math: Bonds Edition

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 It's 2024, so we can't have a blog post about finance without talking about the hottest financial craze: Girl Math. For those who have yet to hear, Girl Math is a tongue-in-cheek method for financially analyzing purchase options and future values of money that uses cognitive gymnastics to make the preferred purchase decision look financially responsible. If you want to learn more, you can read about it here . An example of girl math is that if I return $100 of Amazon purchases, that means I now have $100 "to spend" on new throw pillows for the house! Girl Math!  Image from Reader's Digest This blog post is part satire, part math. It's math-tire.  Is it possible, though, that Girl Math might sometimes be right? Today I'm valuing a boring, respectable purchase of a Series EE Government Bond against what I actually want to buy: several new outfits from Ann Taylor for work. Let's dive in. The outfit in question from anntaylor.com The current Series EE Bon
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Why Can't We Fix Mental Health Care?

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 This week, I read this WSJ article about suicide rates during and after the pandemic: https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/americans-suicide-highest-level-2022-02eb10ea?mod=healthcare_more_article_pos44  This blog post is a long one, so bear with me. At the end of this article, you'll see why mental health care is so hard to access and how medical systems seeking to reduce their costs should counterintuitively hire more psychologists, not less, even though psychologists don't generate enough revenue to cover their  salaries and benefits.  Image from PlanStreet The article discusses ongoing populations at risk of suicide (older, white men), and how suicide rates are finally declining for younger people. Importantly though, the article points out that mental health care - which was hard to access before COVID - is now even harder to find. This begs the question, how can it be with all the increased attention on mental health and increased need for mental health care, that menta
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How Much Would You Pay to Spit in a Cup?

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 Pricing Strategy: How Much Would You Pay to Spit in a Cup? Image from Cancer.Net This week, I read about the fall in stock value for 23andMe, a mail-away genetic testing service that provides insights both on genetic ancestry data but also genes associated with health. I read this article: https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/23andme-anne-wojcicki-healthcare-stock-913468f4?mod=healthcare_news_article_pos4  Both my husband and I have taken 23andMe tests, signing up for the highest membership level, but only for one year. We also bought the kits on sale. For us, it was worth it, but as the article points out, the key issue with the 23andMe pricing strategy is that each individual only needs to take the test once. Genes don't change over time, so once customers have had fun assessing their ancestry profiles and heave a sigh of relief that they're not BRCA2 carriers, there's really not much point in continuing to pay for a subscription.  The article points out that at first,
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Why are urban, professional women buying construction worker overalls?

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 This week I read this really interesting style piece on WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/style/fashion/high-fashion-or-hunting-gear-why-chic-city-women-are-shopping-at-traditional-sporting-stores-ca4de233?mod=style_feat2_fashion_pos4 The article states that there is a rise in interest in brands that have traditionally been considered entirely functional, and even overtly ugly. Brands like Ariat and Barbour have been taken up by the fashion set for quite some time (I own Ariats and was *this close* to getting my husband to buy himself waxed Barbour jacket). Extending this trend, I've noticed an uptick in my friends showing up to parties in Carhartt jackets. What's going on? From a marketing perspective, it appears that traditionally functional brands are identifying new segments to target. We can see this in a range of products. The ubiquitous Stanley cup once belonged to a brand that made twist-top thermoses that my dad swears by. Today, I can't find the Stanley in the light pink
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Luxury Spending and Buyer Power

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  (Image sourced from Audemars Piguet website) This week, I read this article on WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/some-luxury-goods-had-a-better-christmas-than-others-973d5d3d?mod=retail_news_article_pos5  The article states that luxury goods that were marketed to the wealthiest customers did better in the 4th quarter of 2023 than other, more accessible luxury goods. This is interesting to me because theoretically, all luxury goods are very elastic. When there is a contraction in spending, the first place to cut would be unnecessary items like expensive watches. But, the article also points out that the wealthiest only decreased their luxury spending by 3%. Thinking about this, it makes sense. The more a family's income is, the less their luxury items are as a percent of their annual expenditures. So, purchasing a $15,000 watch on a $100,000 annual income is a significant portion of total budget, but that's not the case for someone making $500,000 per year.  The article
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