Apple Intelligence - the Easy button

How Not to AI – Examples from Apple Intelligence

Apple Inc rolled out Apple Intelligence to great fanfare. The feature set is supposed to provide the latest compelling reason to upgrade iPhones. The marketing campaign for Apple Intelligence (AI) includes a series of commercials that celebrate mediocrity. In each advertisement, Apple Intelligence saves someone from embarrassment. The click of an AI button covers up […]

Celebrating Ron Howard's Impact, Dr. Duru and Professor Ron Howard (September 8, 2018)

In Honor of the Man Who Started My No Regrets Life: Professor Ron Howard

No Regrets and Transformation I live a no regrets life thanks to Professor Ron Howard. Everything started after I took Howard’s Decision Analysis 101 class at Stanford University in the first year of my graduate studies in Engineering-Economic Systems (now Management Science and Engineering (MS&E). I learned the basic yet fundamental premise that a decision’s […]

The semantic layer is critical to AI business (Source: "Chat with your data for AI-powered insights")

The Case for Human Conversations: Why Data Professionals Remain Critical in the Age of AI Agents Like Gemini in Looker

In Google’s latest Gemini At Work webinar event, the company reviewed AI agents for Looker. Gemini is Google’s AI ecosystem.; Looker is its business intelligence (BI) platform. These artificial intelligence agents are data agents that assist users at each step along the path of transforming data into insights. I am intrigued by Google’s seductive promise […]

Repair or Replace? How Bad Information Can Derail Decision Quality.

Repair or Replace? How Bad Information Can Derail Decision Quality.

Over the summer my 18-year old recumbent exercise bike failed. The bike had saved me countless trips to the gym over the years, especially in the early years when I lived many miles away from a gym and bike trails. Now, with the pedaling locked into the hardest effort level, I faced an age-old decision: […]

How to Combine Cognitive Diversity With Data Tools for Effective Organizational Decision-Making

How to Combine Cognitive Diversity With Data Tools for Effective Organizational Decision-Making

Introduction This post is the first in a series of “working papers” where I will explore how cognitive diversity, knowledge management, artificial intelligence, and data democratization can work together to support effective organizational decision-making. These are exciting times for practitioners of data across the entire spectrum of professions. Our tools are expanding at a rapid […]

Nutrients vs Weight - Impact Graph - Model 2

Sugar Bad, Fiber Great: How to Use ChatGPT to Analyze Diet’s Impact on Weight

Introduction For almost two and a half years, I have recorded my diet, weight, and exercise data in MyFitnessPal. I recently decided to use ChatGPT’s Data Analyst to analyze my diet’s impact on weight. This analysis supplements my growing understanding of my personal metabolic dynamics. The results all at once surprised me, confirmed intuitions, and […]

Generative AI for content analysis

How to Use Generative AI for Content Analysis

Generative AI has opened up a variety of possibilities for content analysis. The AI engine can take unstructured language, such as free-form text in a survey, and organize it into categories and themes. The AI engine can also take structured writing and score it against goal-oriented criteria. Both processes help content creators and analysts alike […]

how to beat stealthflation

How to Beat Stealthflation

In “The scourge of ‘stealthflation’ – Companies have found sneaky ways to raise prices. Where will it end?” The Economist aired a litany of egregious ways in which companies try to foist higher prices on consumers. Some of the violations appear to result from insufficient competition in the marketplace. Some of the violations come from […]

Budgeting - How to Create Healthy Principles

Budgeting: How to Create Healthy Principles

Budgeting Is Hard Budgeting is the challenging nexus connecting what you WANT to do, what you SHOULD do, and what you CAN do. The first step toward success in budgeting involves understanding and aligning the roles each of these points play in your life. What you want to do reflects your values. What you should […]

convoluted carpool lanes (Credit: Michael Patrick, HOV-lane-access sticker on hybrid's back bumper, Albany)

The Convoluted California Carpool Lanes

Convoluted Carpool Lanes Carpool lanes started as a simple energy-conservation and pollution-reducing incentive: multiple people riding in a car get access to a special lane that typically moves faster than other lanes of traffic. Over time, transportation agencies and regional governments have piled on a range of goodies into these lanes. Electric vehicles and hybrids […]