Cheddar Crystal Ball: Where Artificial Intelligence Is Heading in 2019
*By Conor White*
If you thought artificial intelligence took major strides in 2018, buckle up; 2019 may well be an even bigger year for the industry. What are insiders watching ー and what will make the biggest entrance in 2019? Cheddar's Crystal Ball has generated a prediction: Open source A.I., which allows information to be shared freely across many platforms.
"This isn't just like throwing a website together using open source," said Lauren deLisa Coleman, digi-cultural trend analyst for Forbes.
"This is replicating our intelligence," she said.
But there's a glaring danger that accompanies open source A.I.: It may be co-opted by bad actors.
"Technology is always neutral," Coleman told Cheddar in an interview Friday. "Until you decide to use it for good or bad."
Adding to the complexity is that A.I. is virtually unregulated.
"There aren't any standards in place. No one is really checking for cultural bias \[for example\],"deLisa Coleman said.
"We know that policy makers on the Hill are looking at this," she added.
Twenty-three percent of respondents have a negative perception of artificial intelligence, according to a study by The Brookings Institute, a number the industry would like to see shrink ー and fast.
"It's kind of astounding and terrorizing at the same time," she said of the technology.
Although many workers fear A.I. will render them irrelevant, Coleman said that theory is a product of "panic."
In fact, "we're going to see human judgement needed more than ever," Coleman added.
Nestlé has dismissed its CEO Laurent Freixe after an investigation into an undisclosed relationship with a direct subordinate. The company announced on Monday that the dismissal was effective immediately. An investigation found that Freixe violated Nestlé’s code of conduct. He had been CEO for a year. Philipp Navratil, a longtime Nestlé executive, will replace him. Chairman Paul Bulcke stated that the decision was necessary to uphold the company’s values and governance. Navratil began his career with Nestlé in 2001 and has held various roles, including CEO of Nestlé's Nespresso division since 2024.
Kraft Heinz is splitting into two companies a decade after they joined in a massive merger that created one of the biggest food companies on the planet. One of the companies will include brands such as Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese. The other will include brands like Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles and Lunchables. When the company formed in 2015 it wanted to capitalize on its massive scale, but shifting tastes complicated those plans, with households seeking to introduce healthier options at the table. Kraft Heinz's net revenue has fallen every year since 2020.
About 780,000 pressure washers sold at retailers like Home Depot are being recalled across the U.S. and Canada, due to a projectile hazard that has resulted in fractures and other injuries among some consumers.
