Blockchain

All aboard: Bitcoin’s rise inspires even big banks to staff up on crypto talent [Anders]

On 11/01/2021, in Blockchain, career development, change, economics, emerging technologies, MBA, society, strategy, universities, vendors, vision/possibilities, workplace, by Daniel Christian

All aboard: Bitcoin’s rise inspires even big banks to staff up on crypto talent — from linkedin.com by George Anders

Excerpt:

That’s according to a new analysis by LinkedIn’s Economic Graph team, which finds that major financial services firms will add more than three times as many staff steeped in digital-asset experience this year than in 2015. That pace jumped 40% in the first half of 2021 alone, compared with the same period last year.

“The opportunities in digital assets are plentiful,” BNY Mellon’s Roman Regelman, the bank’s CEO of asset servicing and head of digital, told LinkedIn News. “We can now attract talent in a very different way.”

Also relevant, see:

Wharton’s New Crypto Course to Take Crypto for Tuition Fees — from insidehighered.com by Suzanne Smalley
Excerpt:
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania last week announced it would become the first Ivy League school and the first American business school to accept enrollment payments in cryptocurrency via Coinbase. The announcement came alongside news that the prestigious business school also has launched an online certificate program focused on the economics of blockchain and digital assets.

The Metaverse is Taking Over the Physical World — from interestingengineering.com by Rupendra Brahambhatt; with thanks to Dan Lejerskar for this resource
The virtual world is expanding with real world avatars and digital economy.

Excerpt:

The advent of AR, blockchain, and VR devices in the last few years has sparked the development of the metaverse. Moreover, the unprecedented growth of highly advanced technologies in the gaming industry, which offer immersive gameplay experiences, not only provides us a glimpse of how the metaverse would look like but also indicates that we are closer than ever to experience a virtual world of our own.

What is the metaverse?

The Metaverse is Taking Over the Physical World Source: Kelvin Han/Unsplash

A metaverse is a group of persistent, shared 3D virtual environments where you (in the form of your digital avatar) can visit places, shop for products, subscribe to services, work with your colleagues, play games, and even customize the scenes around you to meet your personal tastes and requirements, and the digital assets you own. So essentially, a metaverse is a virtual world or worlds, that would allow you to go inside the digital world — to be in rather than on the digital space.

From DSC:
Again I wonder….on the legal side of things…how will this impact what lawyers, judges, legislators, general counsels, and more need to know? Along these lines see:

What Skills Do Lawyers Need to Excel in a New Era of Business? — from jdsupra.com

To do this well, legal department heads and the lawyers and professionals in the department will have to learn, and practice, some new skills: embracing technology, project management, change management, and adaptability.
…
The first, and likely most obvious, skill an attorney needs in a rapidly evolving business environment is a firm grasp on existing and emerging technology. There are two important categories of technology to consider—the first is legal technology and the second is broader technology trends.

Twitter rolls out tipping with bitcoin, explores verifying NFT profile pics [Morse]

On 09/24/2021, in Blockchain, business, emerging technologies, entrepreneurship, experimentation, future, game-changing environment, platforms, social learning / networks, social media, tools, by Daniel Christian

Twitter rolls out tipping with bitcoin, explores verifying NFT profile pics — from mashable.com by Jack Morse
Bitcoin is coming to Twitter.

Excerpt:

Twitter is leaning into the blockchain.

The social media giant announced Thursday that, starting immediately, users around the globe will be able to post their bitcoin wallet directly into their profile — while a more limited subset will be able to more directly integrate a bitcoin payment app. The addition of cryptocurrency payments to Twitter, via Tips (formerly dubbed Tip Jar), coincides with the larger rollout of Tips to all iOS users globally, with Android access promised in the near future.

Reflections on “How tech will change the way we work by 2030” [Lamb]

On 09/20/2021, in 21st century, analytics, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Blockchain, business, career development, change, corporate / business world, Daniel S. Christian, data related items, future, technology (general), trends, United States, vision/possibilities, workplace, by Daniel Christian

How tech will change the way we work by 2030 — from techradar.com by Rob Lamb
Everyday jobs will be augmented by technology

Technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and Blockchain will have a significant impact on work in the next decade and beyond. But if you believe the sci-fi hype or get bogged down in the technology, it can be difficult to relate them to today’s workplaces and jobs.

Excerpt:

Here are three everyday examples of their potential, expressed in terms of the business challenge they are addressing or how consumers will experience them. I don’t mean to over simplify – these are powerful tools – but I think their potential shines through best when they’re expressed in their simplest terms.

From DSC:
I have an issue with one of their examples that involves positioning AI as the savior of the hiring process:

The problem with this process isn’t just that it’s hugely time-consuming, it’s that all kinds of unconscious biases can creep in, potentially even into the job advert. These issues can be eradicated with the use of AI, which can vet ads for gendered language, sort through applicants and pick out the most suitable ones in a fraction of the time it would take an HR professional or any other human being.

AI can be biased as well — just like humans. Lamb recognizes this as well when he states that “Provided the algorithms are written correctly, AI will be key to organisations addressing issues around diversity and inclusion in the workplace.” But that’s a big IF in my mind. So far, it appears that the track record isn’t great in this area. Also, as Cathy O’Neil asserts: “Algorithms are opinions embedded in code.”

AI may not be as adept as a skilled HR professional in seeing the possibilities for someone. Can person A’s existing skillsets be leveraged in this new/other position?

What is a Smart Contract Audit? [Gwyneth Iredale out at 101blockchains.com]

On 09/17/2021, in Blockchain, law schools, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, by Daniel Christian

What is a Smart Contract Audit? — from 101blockchains.com by Gwyneth Iredale

Excerpt:

Blockchain applications use smart contracts for interacting with the blockchain, and smart contracts have profound security vulnerabilities. This is where you need a smart contract audit. You might be wondering about the definition of auditing a smart contract and the resources you need for the same. The following discussion offers you a detailed guide on smart contract auditing with an outline of its definition, types, and processes.

This 12-year-old coder is set to earn over $400,000 after about 2 months selling NFTs — from cnbc.com by Taylor Locke

Excerpt:

But lately, non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, and the smart contracts, or collections of code, that power them, have caught Ahmed’s attention.

“I first learned about NFTs earlier this year,” Ahmed, who is based in London, tells CNBC Make It. “I got fascinated with NFTs because you can easily transfer the ownership of an NFT by the blockchain.”

From DSC:
Law professors who teach property and contracts might be interested in this as well. 🙂

And speaking of emerging technologies and the law, also see:

How AI-powered tech landed man in jail with scant evidence — from apnews.com by Garance Burke, Martha Mendoza, Juliet Linderman, & Michael Tarm

The Role of Blockchain in Web 3.0 [Chain]

On 08/14/2021, in Blockchain, emerging technologies, internet, society, technology (general), Web3, by Daniel Christian

The Role of Blockchain in Web 3.0 — from blog.simbachain.com by Simba Chain

Excerpt:

The internet is a constantly evolving and growing place. As new sites and companies add to the internet with websites and programs, the way we use the internet is changing as we learn to adapt to the new technologies. Technology experts view the age of the internet we’re currently in as the end of Web 2.0 with the beginning of Web 3.0 just around the corner. Since Web 3.0 has been spurred on by the advancements of blockchain technology, we thought we would take this opportunity to explain how they are connected. What is Web 3.0 and how does it use blockchain technology? Let’s find out…

Several legal-related resources including new business models for law firms

On 07/21/2021, in 21st century, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Blockchain, changing business models, emerging technologies, game-changing environment, law schools, Legal operations, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, library / librarians, new business models, trends, United States, vendors, vision/possibilities, workplace, by Daniel Christian

How to apply Midyear 2021 lawsuit data to make your digital content more inclusive. — from UsableNet

Redefining the Future of Law: Alternative Legal Service Models — from clio.com by Joshua Lenon; with slides of the recording here.

Advantages of Automated and Bundled Legal Services — from clio.com

The Law Firm of the Future — from joetechnologist.com by Joseph Raczynski

The impact of blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and NFTs on the legal industry with Joseph Raczynski — from the ABA Center for Innovation

Reimagining Law: The Importance of Law Librarians in a Digital World — from legaltechmonitor.com

AI CLM Company LinkSquares Raises $40M, Says It Will Soon Release First-of-its-Kind Product — from legaltechmonitor.com by Bob Ambrogi

“Today, we’re witnessing the next major step up in power, thanks to artificial intelligence software,” Sunak wrote. “AI is creating legal solutions that can outpace and outperform traditional software in the same way steamships and diesel-powered vessels could outperform even the most impressive wind-powered tall ships.” And just as the step up to power changed what boats could do, “Linksquares is changing what a legal software solution can do and be.”

From DSC:
AI has plenty of pitfalls, no doubt. But a range of AI-based technologies continues to move forward and become further integrated into numerous industries and disciplines. The legal realm is not only using AI-based applications already, but it will also need to have the knowledge to be able to support clients who bring cases involving AI (and other emerging technologies) to them.

The impact of blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and NFTs on the legal industry with Joseph Raczynski [ABA Innovation Network]

On 07/18/2021, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, analytics, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Blockchain, business, change, changing business models, economics, emerging technologies, game-changing environment, innovation, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, by Daniel Christian

The impact of blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and NFTs on the legal industry with Joseph Raczynski — from buzzsprout.com by the ABA Center for Innovation

Today we will discuss blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and NFTs and their impact on the legal industry. Joining us is an expert in all things blockchain and crypto, Joseph Raczynski. Joseph Raczynski is a Technologist & Futurist with Thomson Reuters.

Also see:

The Law Firm of the Future — from joetechnologist.com by Joseph Raczynski

Excerpt:

Attorneys look to precedent to solve today’s legal problems. “Steeped in tradition” is how we often describe the legal profession. As result, it’s no surprise that there is inherent tension between emerging technology and the legal profession. The American Bar Association’s 2020 TechReport, which surveys firms and tracks attorney use of technology in their practices, reported that only 7% of attorneys are using tech tools, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), for document review and research. Firms with more than 100 attorneys are more likely to use AI, as well as firms that engage in mass tort litigation. Despite promises of increased efficiency, productivity, and profitability, a significant number of attorneys cite distrust of the technology and underlying algorithms.

Even though the legal services market is estimated to be a $1T industry globally, Forbes reports that it is also one of the least digitized…

This excerpt re: Deloitte’s implementation of Cura reminds me of a cloud-based learner profile [Christian]

On 07/07/2021, in Blockchain, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, credentialing, Daniel S. Christian, ideas, innovation, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, learner profiles, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, by Daniel Christian

Learning technology lessons from the front lines — from chieflearningofficer.com by Neda Schlictman
Deloitte’s accelerated rollout of its global LXP during the initial onslaught of the pandemic yielded many lessons for the organization. Following are insights for those who are seeking what’s next for their learning strategies.

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

More than 330,000 people at Deloitte, across 170 countries, have access to Cura, which aggregates learning content from both internal and external sources and personalizes learning based on the user’s defined skills and interests. Cura enables individual discovery of learning but also allows users to follow prescribed pathways as well as the opportunity to create content.

A cloud-based learner profile may definitely be part of our future learning ecosystems!

DC: How will the legal realm deal with robotics, AI, IoT, blockchain, & other emerging techs? What place do these discussions have in law schools?

On 04/21/2021, in 21st century, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Australia, Blockchain, computer science, Daniel S. Christian, emerging technologies, engineering, ideas, innovation, internet, law schools, legislatures / government / legal, policy, programming, society, by Daniel Christian

A reasonable robot in the eyes of the law — from innovationaus.com by Stuart Corner

Excerpts:

“But what happens when an autonomous vehicle kills someone? A robot is not subject to the law. So is the car manufacturer liable, or the developer of the software? And how do you pinpoint the cause of such an accident?”

You can’t tax a robot worker
“If my employer, the University of Surrey could get a robot to automate my job, which they will someday, they would save money doing that, even if we were both equally good, because they have to make National Insurance contributions [a UK earnings tax that funds state pensions and other benefits] for my work and a host of other reasons, but the machine is taxed more favourably.

Blockchain 50 2021 [del Castillo]

On 04/15/2021, in 21st century, Blockchain, business, change, corporate / business world, economics, entrepreneurship, global / globalization, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Blockchain 50 2021 — from forbes.com by Michael del Castillo
(From DSC: I missed this one…yet wanted to get this out there.)

Excerpt:

No longer dismissed as a haven for criminals and drug dealers, Bitcoin and blockchain have gone mainstream. Bitcoin’s 2020 surge grabbed the attention of C-suite executives worldwide; not only are companies employing the technology underlying Bitcoin to perform tasks such as reconciling invoices and verifying product provenance, but dozens are now holding Bitcoin as a treasury asset. Our third annual Blockchain 50 features companies that lead in employing distributed ledger technology and have revenue or a valuation of at least $1 billion. Twenty-one newcomers—including the world’s largest bank, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and four others from Asia—make their debut. They take the spots of such U.S. companies as Facebook, Google, Amazon and Ripple, all of whom are still active in blockchain but kept lower profiles in the space over the past 12 months.

Resistance to legal tech ‘fast evaporating’ [Doraisamy]

On 03/23/2021, in Australia, Blockchain, corporate / business world, experimentation, game-changing environment, innovation, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, by Daniel Christian

Resistance to legal tech ‘fast evaporating’ — from lawyersweekly.com.au by Jerome Doraisamy

Excerpt:

Thomson Reuters’ 2021 Report on the State of the Legal Market was recently released, which found that 85 per cent of law firms of all stripes are planning to increase their investments in technology this year, in the wake of the upheaval caused by 2020.

The past year, the multinational corporation said, really emphasised just how much attitudes have evolved about day-to-day legal practice, particularly with regards to digital workflow tools and solutions using the cloud.

The report also surmised that the legal profession, on the whole, absorbed five to 10 years’ worth of technology adoption into 12 months, by virtue of the age of coronavirus.

In light of this, “longstanding resistance” by lawyers to adopt cutting-edge technology is “fast evaporating”, said Thomson Reuters Legal Professionals interim president Paul Fischer.

Also see:

Bitcoin, blockchain and cybersecurity: The hot tech topics law students should know about — from legalcheek.com by Adam Mawardio

According to Butler, lawyers hoping to transform the profession should ask themselves: if they were designing the system from scratch, what would it look like? “The client has a legal need — what’s the best way of meeting it?” he said. This ‘blank sheet’ approach, popularised by legal futurist Richard Susskind, offers “huge potential” for those entering law, he concluded.

New Opportunities in 2021: Improved Academic Mobility, Flexible Degree Attainment and Skills Verification — from campustechnology.com by Stan Novak
The pandemic has accelerated trends in alternative credentials that will be essential to student success in an evolving higher education landscape.

Excerpt:

Interoperable learning records (ILRs) are being studied as an achievable way to communicate skills between workers, employers, and education and training institutions with the goal of creating a single profile that represents all of an individual’s abilities. The value of an ILR is that it would allow efficient and consistent comparison of a person’s capabilities to fulfill specific job requirements.

These opportunities represent only a slice of what lies ahead for higher education as the world emerges from the pandemic. The dramatic shift in the learning landscape highlights the ways that higher education must adapt to make degree attainment more flexible, achievable and relevant for the future workforce.

From DSC:
I’ve often thought there could be real benefits in cloud-based learner profiles — which could store our learning preferences, our past learning experiences, certificates, programs, courses, etc.

Learning Ecosystems

All aboard: Bitcoin’s rise inspires even big banks to staff up on crypto talent [Anders]

The Metaverse is Taking Over the Physical World [Brahambhatt]

What is a Smart Contract Audit? [Gwyneth Iredale out at 101blockchains.com]

The Role of Blockchain in Web 3.0 [Chain]

This excerpt re: Deloitte’s implementation of Cura reminds me of a cloud-based learner profile [Christian]

Blockchain 50 2021 [del Castillo]

Resistance to legal tech ‘fast evaporating’ [Doraisamy]

New Opportunities in 2021: Improved Academic Mobility, Flexible Degree Attainment and Skills Verification [Novak]

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