Singapore in Race to Host Chess Summit Clash

Singapore keen to host World Chess Championship at end-2024
https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/singapore-keen-to-host-world-chess-championship-in-end-2024

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The reigning champion is from China and the challenger is from India. A scenario very much representative of where APAC stands beyond chess! 

Singapore, India and Argentina are among the contenders for hosting the clash that will determine the next world champion. Will China also enter the fray? China is already a giant in across-the-board sport, an Olympic titan!

I would love to see Singapore getting the opportunity to host the event. The Government can fund it by itself without having to rely on sponsors. 

The outcomes may not match that of the Taylor Swift shows earlier this year. Chess is not a glamour event with entertainment appeal. It cannot even be seen as a spectator sport. 

The Straits Times does not even consider chess a sport. It often puts chess reports in the general pages, not under Sport. That appears to be changing lately, with even this report taking prime space in Sport!

Yet, yes, chess does not have to be confined to the shallow pages of the newspaper where horse racing gets a big coverage. 

It is a game with the strength to boost cognitive, visionary thinking, which is a vital leadership attribute in business and governance. After all, it involves planning deep ahead, strategising, effective timing and execution with precision!

At the same time, merely knowing the rules of the game and how the pieces move on the 64-square board will not make one a master of all things strategy. 

With distraction-free focus, chess can induce sharp, logical thinking which can serve individuals well on and beyond the board. A game of life!

That can help Singapore utilise its small resource pool and sharpen its competitive edge. In essence, its native population can combine to contribute to the continued development of the country and its economy.

Singapore has already seen big success in chess with four Grandmasters and one woman Grandmaster, significant for a small country. 

My vote is for Singapore to host the event that will determine who will scale the chess summit! The gains from it can go well beyond inspiring new players!

G Joslin Vethakumar

Warren Buffett Draws an AI Parallel with Nuclear Bomb!

https://www.livemint.com/market/stock-market-news/5-key-highlights-from-warren-buffett-s-berkshire-hathaway-annual-meeting-2024/amp-11714879427553.html

That’s saying it as only Warren Buffett can: “As someone who doesn’t know a damn about  it (AI), it has enormous potential for good and enormous potential for harm.”

The ace investor that he is, he goes on to say that AI scamming will be the biggest growth industry.

The investing legend like no other (and philanthropist) also struck a comparison between AI and the atomic / nuclear bomb. He has for long been vocal about the nuclear threat. 

“We let the genie out of the bottle when we developed the nuclear bomb. And that genie has been doing terrible things lately,” he said, wondering how the world could put it back in the bottle. “AI is something similar.”

A brilliant, pertinent read! I intend to listen to his full speech as well!

At 93, his ideas keep audiences spellbound, embracing the young and the old alike. 

Just as his investment portfolio includes both firms with rich fundamentals and those with a visionary appeal in harmony with a strong growth potential! 

All the top AI leaders are among companies he has invested big on!

When he speaks, the media throng the venue and business head honchos listen, ready to learn and act on!

G Joslin Vethakumar

Meta’s Fumbling AI Chatbot!

askST: Does Meta’s new AI chatbot read my WhatsApp messages?
https://www.straitstimes.com/tech/askst-does-meta-s-new-ai-chatbot-read-my-whatsapp-messages

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Meta jumped the gun on metaverse and saw failure at its doorstep.

Then it appeared slow in hitting the public stream with Generative AI.

Now its AI chatbot is all over its platforms – FB, WhatsApp and Instagram, so much so that Meta AI cannot be disabled.

Recently while reading an FB post on Shakespeare, I accidentally pressed the available Meta AI button, and it brought up an image of a dilapidated building with the caption, “460 years ago Shakespeare was born here. Or somewhere.”

It brought a chuckle in me though it was not beyond me that nothing conclusive will emerge from AI search.

Interestingly, as I had no question for Meta AI, it asked one itself: “Tell me more about Shakespeare’s early life.” Now that’s proactive AI listening and answering!

I see in it a reminder for myself: “Be careful what you do NOT ask for. It will be a question tagged against your name as AI captures it in the tool / database.”

Care or Dare?

G Joslin Vethakumar

What Link Does Politics and Chess Have? A Silly Rahul Analogy!

www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha/i-hope-my-little-joke-is-not-seen-as-expertise-kasparov-after-post-on-gandhi-goes-viral/article68138294.ece/amp/

I hope the real chess champs do not take it as an insult and resign, bidding adieu to the game!

I did not know until now that Indian PM-wannabe Rahul Gandhi plays chess!

What link does he see between chess and politics? Politicians only have to be crooked in their moves, there is little room for non-linear fair thinking in their world.

When I think of Kasparov, inescapably his brave showdown with the IBM-developed AI-powered supercomputer, Deep Blue, comes to my mind. He lost the game, not surprisingly, as machines, man-made as they are, can analyse hundreds of thousands of moves in seconds!

After that triumph of machine over man in 1997, IBM dismantled the supercomputer, making a Smithsonian museum as its permanent home!

Perhaps a tribute to Big Blue’s application of AI ethics even back then, abandoning the headstart it had in Machine Learning!

Kasparov’s interest in politics made him quit the game and even flee Russia, settling down in the U.S.

The former world champion (I hold him second-best to Bobby Fischer in the list of all-time greats) ended up getting branded as a terrorist for simply being a strong critic of Russian leader Vladimir Putin!

That, to me, ended his political aspirations as well. Freedom of expression has no place in today’s democracies!

G Joslin Vethakumar

Apple and Google on top, Some MNCs Come Short

Interactive: Looking for a career move? Here are S’pore’s best employers in 2024
https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/interactive-looking-for-a-career-move-here-are-s-pore-s-best-employers-in-2024

Surveys such as this can bring up a silent tussle of egos – the inflated one vs that of the deflated!

The list of top 250 employers in Singapore is dismal for MNCs, interspersed as they are with local firms.

Cisco has come in at rank 222, E&Y at 234, PWC 205, Accenture 244, Meta 168, KPMG 169, Mastercard 229, Citibank 180, HPE 129 and Nokia 200.

Genesys is not in the list as the survey is only for firms employing 250+ personnel in Singapore.

Infosys was placed 220th, two ranks higher than Cisco, with TCS Singapore at 159.

Microsoft (26), Amazon (46), SAP (47) and DHL (56) have fared a little better.

I doubt the rankings are taken seriously by MNCs – with all those at the bottom half here scoring high and coming at the top in global surveys!

Still, it will deflate the egos of those working for companies with a poor rank!

I do take pride in having once worked for Cisco, particularly because it had a visionary appeal under the leadership of John Chambers when I joined them. At that time, the hiring process at Cisco was among the toughest – I went through 11 interviews followed by reference checks and background screening! It took more than six months for the hiring to be formalised.

These days even three interviews over a two-month period are frowned upon, ending up with wrong choices!

G Joslin Vethakumar

Hope SIA Challenges the Indian Order – Silly Issue, Absurd Redressal

Singapore Airlines ordered to pay $3,580 to couple after recliner seats failed to work
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/singapore-airlines-ordered-to-pay-3580-to-couple-after-recliner-seats-failed-to-work

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With a simple compromise, this Business Class passenger (Director-General of Police, Telangana, India) could have used the manual recline function, which appeared to have been working, and avoided spending the 14-hour flight without sleep! He and his wife perhaps did!

Per SIA, its crew had been checking on the passengers through the flight for helping them with manual reclining!

Or, should the airline be responsible for any sleep disorder that passengers may have?

This appears to be a petty issue blown out of proportion. The decision of the Dispute Redressal Commission is, to me, absurd. What mental agony and physical suffering did the passengers face? I hope SIA does not pay the penalty and challenges the order. 

Digital malfunctioning is not uncommon on flights. 

Earlier this year, I experienced a minor issue on a SIA flight from London to Singapore. The electronic button did not work at first, prompting me to request help from a stewardess. 

She was also unable to get it functioning on first try. After I got up from my seat, she pressed the button and, voilà, it started to recline! Thereafter, it was smooth-going for the rest of the journey!

That said, I hope SIA does not allow such QC issues on its flights. It is not just about seats reclining, it is more about arresting any declining standards!

G Joslin Vethakumar

Will Gen AI Kill the BPO Sector?

https://www.ft.com/content/149681f0-ea71-42b0-b85b-86073354fb73

…And that in as soon as a year! What’s frightening is that he may be right! Does this mean this is the end of the BPO bull run? Even if I have my doubts (I am not a doubting Thomas, though), I realise it will be naive to believe that AI will touch all sectors except that of the BPO!

Per this report, more than 5 million people work in IT / BPO sectors in India.

The Philippines, too, thrives on the BPO rage.

If the Generative AI projects of TCS have “doubled quarter over quarter to be worth $900 million to the end of March” that’s credible data to be relied upon. 

It is not for nothing that rapid advancements in Generative AI have had policymakers everywhere worried.

A recent McKinsey report has it that “Gen AI could add US$2.6 trillion to $4.4 trillion annually to the economy.” McKinsey expects Gen AI use cases to have an impact of up to $690 billion in the Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) space alone. It points out that the impact of Gen AI on telcos can be very significant.

It is certain that what is upon us is not a gloom and doom scenario. A vibrant economy can keep the job market robust too!

As with every disruptive transformation, new opportunities will arise and smart individuals will seize the moment, acquire new skills and get ready for the future!

Enough has been said about the need for continuous learning and upskilling to keep pace with the demands of the market. There is no harm in me reinforcing the message!

#GenAI #BPO

G Joslin Vethakumar

A Young, Confident Chess Champ!

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joslinv_chess-gukesh-activity-7188544423712980992-0nOr?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

The photo in the post linked above does not show any obsession with oneself. It is not even self-promotion in any way! It is a young chess champion oozing confidence and clarity of thought with bold, direct and precise positioning of individual priorities!

Even if it is about the self, why not? After all, the Candidates is an event where Super Grandmasters / Grandmasters play to assert their individual prowess and earn the right to challenge the reigning World Champion.

In contrast, in corporate life, we see self-promotion being peddled as a virtue even as leaders tirelessly preach the value of a team culture!

Do businesses subscribe to the idea of a team sport or are they playing a game of individual one-upmanship?

It is self-defeating when it ends up as a game played by people missing out in the individual calibre stakes with a “mediocrity begets mediocrity” syndrome!

Chess by itself is an individual game unlike, for instance, tennis with room for doubles, giving those lacking in singles proficiencies a chance to win some honours! They do get to show skills around coordination in a less-competitive scenario, yet nowhere near the kind of stress and practice singles’ players go through!

Then, there are true team games such as football where all players come together to demonstrate lyrical execution. There may still be a player or two who excel and contribute to the success of a team. There will also be some who will play a self-centric game and drag the team down.

It all boils down to just one question: do businesses and teams want meritocracy or mediocrity? Football or Tennis Singles?

Chess is also played as a team game such as in World Team Championships. When pure talent, cognitive strength and a true team spirit combine to deliver a win strategy for a fail-proof competitive assault, who will dare say no!

G Joslin Vethakumar

The Asian Era in Chess Has Arrived! Gukesh, Youngest Ever to Win Candidates!

www.espn.co.uk/chess/story/_/id/39991714/fide-candidates-2024-india-gukesh-wins-draw-nakamura-round-14-youngest-chess-history-challenge-world-championship

Interesting, exciting developments in chess have put the focus on India and China like never before.

With India’s D Gukesh (17) and Tan Zhongyi of China having just won the Candidates tournament, they will be playing against D Liren and Ju Wenjun later this year for a chance to become World Champions in their respective categories – Men / Open and Women!

The Asian era in chess, too, has arrived!

The reigning World Champions are both from China. China will have the opportunity to repeat the feat even as Gukesh will go all-out to take home the honours!

World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen had decided against playing in the Candidates!

The Candidates’ win for Gukesh has come against all odds!

Carlsen had dismissed the Candidates’ chances of all three Indians in the fray, saying that it will be a shock if anyone other than Fabiano Caruana or Hikaru Nakamura (both representing the U.S.) or Russia’s Ian Nepomniatchchi wins the title.

I had also then thought the three Indians lacked the ability to improvise, demonstrate creative spontaneity and play “outside-the-book” chess.

Gukesh may have proved all wrong, well done, boy!

In the Women’s section, it was China’s Tan Zhongyi all the way, a consistent and convincing winner, with compatriot Lie Tingjie coming second. India’s Koneru Humpy and Vaishali finished joint third.

G Joslin Vethakumar

Takeaways from Ecosperity 2024!

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joslinv_sustainability-ecosperity-activity-7186407400281718785-2PMo?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

ESG considerations have come to be a core part of decision-making for both businesses and investors.

This to me is a key takeaway for me from Ecosperity 2024, the annual sustainability event of Temasek, Singapore’s global investment company, that drew to a close today (April 17) after three days of excellent coverage by Channel News Asia.

I did not attend the event on site. I had to rely on this coverage to draw some perceptions / conclusions,

— It came out clear that Temasek applies the ESG assessment framework through its investment process.

— In general, for the continuous focus that businesses and the media have on sustainability and climate change, I ended up with some lingering doubts if they paid adequate attention to Ecosperity, an interesting name that combines ecology and prosperity!

Some challenges and scenarios that came out of the event are:

— APAC is at risk of losing 35% of the region’s GDP due to climate change, as assessed by the World Economic Forum.

— 85% of Asia’s energy consumption is from fossil fuels: IRENA

— US$ 5 trillion annual investment needed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.

— More than US$ 3 trillion needed annually until 2050 for net-zero economy.

— US$ 5.9 trillion needed by 2050 for developing countries to hit climate goals, according to WEF.

— US$ 6.9 trillion in investments needed to meet climate objectives, per OECD.

— Early retirement of coal-fired power plants key for clean energy move.

— SE Asia’s solar and wind generation slow at 4%.

— Most SEA countries are slow to increase renewable energy.

— Emissions’ trend in SE Asia not on pace to meet 2030 goal.

— SEA accounts for around 7% of global emissions.

Hosted by Temasek in Singapore, Ecosperity is a global platform with thrust on achieving climate and nature-positive actions.

— Standard Chartered Bank, Temasek and Bain are among those who published green economy reports.

From what I came to understand, this is the 10th edition of Ecosperity.

As I was not at the venue, I cannot be certain that it wound up as a low-key event for the crucial importance it carried – https://www.ecosperity.sg/

G Joslin Vethakumar