What is happening in the world around us?

Two developments that could affect us here!!

I would like to present two developments in Europe that could affect your business also. I hope you will find this interesting!

1. Are we working too much or too little?

Are we actually working too much or too little?

The focus has shifted from just money to flexibility and leisure. Meanwhile, Greece is introducing the option of a six-day workweek, and Germany proposes tax-free overtime pay, arguing that Germans work too little. Who can make sense of it all?

It’s time to stop ignoring the new realities and to respond appropriately to the current situation.

But what does this mean for the contentious issue of working hours? What constitutes good working conditions and how time sovereignty can function heavily depends on the company and the qualifications of the employees. There can be no uniform solution or individual wish list that satisfies both employees and employers.

Nonetheless, changes are necessary. Companies are implementing flexible shift schedules and offering four-day work opportunities with the same weekly hours and productivity. Some will want to seek new jobs, while others may need to find new employment.

One thing is certain: for the transformation to succeed, everyone must adapt, and discussions should move beyond finger-pointing.

2. Is the EU saving the world from dangerous AI?

January 2025 is going to be a rough month for AI companies in Europe. That's when the EU AI Act kicks in, requiring every AI model to prove it's safe, ethical, and compliant with the new regulations.

According to new research from ETH Zurich (a public university in Switzerland), not a single major model today would make the cut. Are we Shocked (not really…).

Here’s what happened: the researchers from Zurich built COMPL-AI, the first framework for evaluating whether language models meet The EU AI Act's requirements. Basically, it’s a report card for scoring language models against EU regulators.

The researchers tested 12 major AI models—we're talking GPT-4, Claude 3, Llama 3—checking everything from how well they resist hackers to whether they're biased against certain groups.

The results? Mixed…

•GPT-4 Turbo scored highest on Ethical Principles and Technical Requirements.

•Meta’s Llama 2-7B Chat scored lowest.

• “...almost all examined models” struggled with non-discrimination and fairness.

Even the star pupils (GPT-4 + Claude 3) only scored about 83%, and every single model failed some basics, like including watermarks to track AI content.

The big AI startups might want to launch a group chat with Meta, Google, and Amazon to chat through dealing with EU fines. Those three have already racked up multiple big Euro penalties!

My take: Europe gave AI companies a two-year heads up about what would be on the test—and with only a few months to go, even the most advanced models in the world are struggling to pass the practice exam.

And what happens next will determine whether these companies can keep doing business in one of the world's largest markets.

Now get this: the AI industry criticizes the EU’s AI Act as going too far— accusing the Act of turning Europe into overregulation. But when Hacker News readers dug into the details, most agreed they actually pretty much make sense?

I hope you find these two ‘stories’ interesting, as both may affect your business. The EU’s AI Act will definitely affect the BPO industry. I look forward to your comments; please contact me at [email protected]