Latest news with #Sieber
The Star
16 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
Helpful AI prompts for your next job search
AI chatbots can be surprisingly helpful when you're looking for a new job, so long as you are nailing the right prompt. One AI expert has explained what delivers results – and what doesn't. — Photo: Patrick Pleul/dpa BERLIN: Looking for a new job is a full-time job in itself, and one that can test your nerves. But this is where AI has become a valuable companion, helping you save time on your job hunt. Indeed, AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and Perplexity can be cleverly used to simplify the job search process, says Guido Sieber, managing director at a Germany-based recruitment agency. 1. Finding the right job vacancies One way to use AI is for job searching. There are plenty of job platforms, but going through each one individually to find suitable vacancies takes time. This is where AI chatbots can help. Sieber advises starting with precise job queries, such as: "Find current job offers for financial accountants in X city with a remote working option." The more specific the query, the better the results are likely to be. For those wanting to learn more about employers in their desired industry, Sieber suggests trying prompts like: "List the top five employers for IT security in X country." According to the recruitment expert, it is important to refine all queries during a chat session with the AI. "The first answer is rarely perfect," Sieber says. AI can also be used to improve application documents. In the next step, AI tools can help optimise CVs and tailor them to the desired job. Suitable prompts include: "What skills are currently most frequently sought in job advertisements for UX designers?" This can help identify trends in the targeted field and align applications with the requirements. "Draft a cover letter for a junior controller position based on this job advert. Highlight my experience with SAP and Excel." 2. Adapt your cover letter to the job By providing the job advert to the AI chatbot, applicants can improve their cover letters with the response. "Analyse my CV for potential red flags that HR managers might view negatively." This allows the AI to check the application for possible weaknesses. However, Sieber notes that overly general queries, such as "Improve my CV," provide too little context to be helpful. 3. Use AI to prepare for your interview AI can also assist in preparing for job interviews, and chatbots can serve as effective training partners for interviews. Sieber suggests prompts such as: "What questions are frequently asked in interviews for data analysts?" "Simulate an interview for a position in human resources with questions about my recruiting experience." "How can I convincingly answer a question about my salary expectations?" The AI can also provide feedback on the applicant's responses upon request. Sieber says that AI should only be used as a tool in the application process. All suggestions must be critically reviewed and adapted to your personal style, as HR managers are quick to discard generic documents. Additionally, you may want to check the data protection policies and options for limiting data usage of the AI tool you've chosen. Sensitive data, as well as complete application documents, should not be entered into the chat. It is better to work with snippets and anonymised versions. – dpa
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Uber Freight bets big on AI tools to grow its business
Three years ago, as the pandemic caused chaos for companies big and small, Colgate-Palmolive's chief supply chain officer Luciano Sieber orchestrated a 'logistics blitz.' The result gave Sieber a better understanding of how Colgate-Palmolive moves its products around the world. But it stuck Sieber with another problem: too much data. About a year ago, Sieber says he found a solution to that problem with Uber Freight. The ride-hailing service's long-running logistics and analytics arm has been developing new ways to wrangle large amounts of data by using artificial intelligence. Colgate-Palmolive became one of the first companies to use one of its newest products, a logistics-focused LLM Uber Freight calls Insights AI. Now, Uber Freight is more formally launching a suite of AI features to shippers around the world as part of its existing supply chain software. That includes an expansion of Insights AI, which Uber Freight quietly launched in 2023, as well as more than 30 AI agents built to 'execute key logistics tasks throughout the freight lifecycle.' Uber Freight is not alone in trying to tame unruly supply chains with modern artificial intelligence tools. Flexport announced its own suite of AI tools in February, and there are myriad startups trying to help companies wrangle data, reduce inventory stockpiles, and better predict supply and demand. But Uber Freight is betting its AI solutions can make an immediate impact on the bottom line of both its blue-chip customers and the nearly 10,000 other shippers it works with. That's largely because of the knowledge base and relationships it has established in the eight years since it was created to match long-haul truckers with shippers. 'Supply chain is inherently a data-rich problem. It's complex, it's nuanced, and AI can serve a fundamental role in shaping it and accelerating it,' Uber Freight founder Lior Ron said in an interview with TechCrunch. Uber Freight began as a more straightforward brokerage business model when it launched in 2017. But the Uber subsidiary has steadily evolved over the years into more of a service provider to companies that ship goods around the world. Many modern companies are trying to find ways to incorporate artificial intelligence (often to mixed results); it should come as no surprise that Uber Freight is putting the technology front and center. After all, both Ron's undergraduate work and his master's thesis were centered around AI -- way back 'in the dark ages when it was called 'neural networks,'' he joked. Ron continued to work with machine learning technology when he was running Google Maps from 2007 until 2016. It was there, he said, that he saw 'the potential of digitizing the physical universe.' 'That sort of led me to the foundational belief, nine years ago, that supply chain is fundamentally a data-first, technology-first challenge that could be accelerated with data connectivity, and over time, AI,' he said. 'We've been building towards this moment, I think, since I started Uber Freight.' Ron said Uber Freight has used machine learning in its work since the beginning. But it was around two years ago that the team started trying to work with more advanced generative AI capabilities. That 'hasn't been an easy road,' Ron said. Uber Freight's initial attempts at building a sort of 'co-pilot for logistics' were riddled with hallucinations and returned accurate answers only around 60% to 70% of the time. Now that technology has been 'battle tested' and is 'driving real business outcomes,' with an accuracy rate of 98%, according to Ron. The company says the Insights AI model has been trained on internal and external data related to the $20 billion worth of freight that it helps move every year. It also leverages multiple undisclosed AI models "providing optimal combinations of price, precision and performance," according to Uber Freight. Ron said this AI push creates new ways for customers to work with the data related to their supply chain. They can ask Insights AI to quickly pull up, say, the worst-performing origin points for particular shipments. Or they can ask to be shown 'all shipments to CVS in 2023.' Ron stressed that the queries can be far more complex than this, too, and the model always keeps up. Insights AI is presented to customers much like other popular LLM interfaces; it will also show its work and make clear where all the data is coming from, just like other reasoning models. All of this lets a customer 'gain insights on your network much faster, at close to 100% accuracy instantly, versus formulating what you want to know, sending it to some analysts, and waiting for two weeks for the PowerPoint presentation to come back to have a discussion,' Ron said. Uber Freight works with a lot of Fortune 500 companies, but it found a particularly willing partner in Colgate-Palmolive to trial Insights AI and its other new tools. The conglomerate already makes a suite of AI models available to all of its employees, according to Sieber. It also makes those workers take a mandatory training on AI ethics that was developed in-house. 'I think it's great, because it turns the conversation from fear into, 'how that makes me more efficient, and how [do] I become a better professional and deliver more by having access and using those new technologies,'' Sieber said. For instance, Sieber said his company has used Insights AI to easily identify carriers who are accepting fewer shipments than they're contractually obligated to move. From there, they can work out why those levels are low, and either come up with a solution to get the carrier back in compliance or drop them in favor of another. This was previously a challenge to solve in real time, Sieber said, because companies like Colgate-Palmolive work with thousands of carriers. Each of those might work with different systems and workflows, and all of that resulting information was never really centrally managed. The next step with AI, both Sieber and Ron said, has been finding ways to create more proactive solutions. Ron said this is another place Uber Freight can flex its data strengths. 'We know the facilities, we know the lanes, we know the prices,' he said. 'What do you want to know?' These more proactive integrations come in the form of alerts that tell a customer like Colgate-Palmolive they're overpaying on certain routes, or that there are faster options available for a particular shipment. Any single suggestion like that may only save a few hundred, or perhaps a few thousand, dollars. But aggregated over an entire network, it could make a big difference. That's why, when asked, Sieber was quick to answer that Colgate-Palmolive's chief financial officer is the executive who's most pleased with what Uber Freight's enabled. 'He loves to see logistics costs coming down,' Sieber laughed. This article originally appeared on TechCrunch at Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
TechCrunch
21-05-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
Uber Freight bets big on AI tools to grow its business
Three years ago, as the pandemic caused chaos for companies big and small, Colgate-Palmolive's chief supply chain officer Luciano Sieber orchestrated a 'logistics blitz.' The result gave Sieber a better understanding of how Colgate-Palmolive moves its products around the world. But it stuck Sieber with another problem: too much data. About a year ago, Sieber says he found a solution to that problem with Uber Freight. The ride-hailing service's long-running logistics and analytics arm has been developing new ways to wrangle large amounts of data by using artificial intelligence. Colgate-Palmolive became one of the first companies to use one of its newest products, a a logistics-focused LLM Uber Freight calls Inisights AI. Now, Uber Freight is more formally launching a suite of AI features to shippers around the world as part of its existing supply chain software. That includes an expansion of Insights AI, which Uber Freight quietly launched in 2023, as well as more than 30 AI agents built to 'execute key logistics tasks throughout the freight lifecycle.' Uber Freight is not alone in trying to tame unruly supply chains with modern artificial intelligence tools. Flexport announced its own suite of AI tools in February, and there are myriad startups trying to help companies wrangle data, reduce inventory stockpiles, and better predict supply and demand. But Uber Freight is betting its AI solutions can make an immediate impact on the bottom line of both its blue-chip customers and the nearly 10,000 other shippers it works with. That's largely because of the knowledge base and relationships it has established in the eight years since it was created to match long-haul truckers with shippers. 'Supply chain is inherently a data-rich problem. It's complex, it's nuanced, and AI can serve a fundamental role in shaping it and accelerating it,' Uber Freight founder Lior Ron said in an interview with TechCrunch. Techcrunch event Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot for our leading AI industry event with speakers from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Cohere. For a limited time, tickets are just $292 for an entire day of expert talks, workshops, and potent networking. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you've built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | REGISTER NOW 'We've been building towards this moment' Uber Freight began as a more straightforward brokerage business model when it launched in 2017. But the Uber subsidiary has steadily evolved over the years into more of a service provider to companies that ship goods around the world. Many modern companies are trying to find ways to incorporate artificial intelligence (often to mixed results); it should come as no surprise that Uber Freight is putting the technology front and center. After all, both Ron's undergraduate work and his master thesis were centered around AI – way back 'in the dark ages when it was called 'neural networks,'' he joked. Ron continued to work with machine learning technology when he was running Google Maps from 2007 until 2016. It was there, he said, that he saw 'the potential of digitizing the physical universe.' 'That sort of led me to the foundational belief, nine years ago, that supply chain is fundamentally a data-first, technology-first challenge that could be accelerated with data connectivity, and over time, AI,' he said. 'We've been building towards this moment, I think, since I started Uber Freight.' Ron said Uber Freight has used machine learning in its work since the beginning. But it was around two years ago that the team started trying to work with more advanced generative AI capabilities. That 'hasn't been an easy road,' Ron said. Uber Freight's initial attempts at building a sort of 'co-pilot for logistics' were riddled with hallucinations and returned accurate answers only around 60% to 70% of the time. Now that technology has been 'battle tested' and is 'driving real business outcomes,' with an accuracy rate of 98%, according to Ron. The company says the Insights AI model has been trained on internal and external data related to the $20 billion worth of freight that it helps move every year. It also leverages multiple undisclosed AI models 'providing optimal combinations of price, precision and performance,' according to Uber Freight. Ron said this AI push creates new ways for customers to work with the data related to their supply chain. They can ask Insights AI to quickly pull up, say, the worst-performing origin points for particular shipments. Or they can ask to be shown 'all shipments to CVS in 2023.' Ron stressed that the queries can be far more complex than this, too, and the model always keeps up. Insights AI is presented to customers much like other popular LLM interfaces; it will also show its work and make clear where all the data is coming from, just like other reasoning models. All of this lets a customer 'gain insights on your network much faster, at close to 100% accuracy instantly, versus formulating what you want to know, sending it to some analysts, and waiting for two weeks for the PowerPoint presentation to come back to have a discussion,' Ron said. 'What do you want to know?' Uber Freight works with a lot of Fortune 500 companies, but it found a particularly willing partner in Colgate-Palmolive to trial Insights AI and its other new tools. The conglomerate already makes a suite of AI models available to all of its employees, according to Sieber. It also makes those workers take a mandatory training on AI ethics that was developed in-house. 'I think it's great, because it turns the conversation from fear into, 'how that makes me more efficient, and how [do] I become a better professional and deliver more by having access and using those new technologies,' Sieber said. For instance, Sieber said his company has used Insights AI to easily identify carriers who are accepting fewer shipments than they're contractually obligated to to move. From there, they can work out why those levels are low, and either come up with a solution to get the carrier back in compliance or drop them in favor of another. This was previously a challenge to solve in real time, Sieber said, because companies like Colgate-Palmolive work with thousands of carriers. Each of those might work with different systems and workflows, and all of that resulting information was never really centrally managed. The next step with AI, both Sieber and Ron said, has been finding ways to create more proactive solutions. Ron said this is another place Uber Freight can flex its data strengths. 'We know the facilities, we know the lanes, we know the prices,' he said. 'What do you want to know?' These more proactive integrations come in the form of alerts that tell a customer like Colgate-Palmolive they're overpaying on certain routes, or that there are faster options available for a particular shipment. Any single suggestion like that may only save a few hundred, or perhaps a few thousand dollars. But aggregated over an entire network, it could make a big difference. That's why, when asked, Sieber was quick to answer that Colgate-Palmolive's chief financial officer is the executive who's most pleased with what Uber Freight's enabled. 'He loves to see logistics costs coming down,' Sieber laughed.
CBS News
19-02-2025
- General
- CBS News
Historian discovers Minnesota connection to Underground Railroad
At a presentation on Thursday, historian Karen Sieber will share her findings on Minnesota's connection to freeing enslaved Black Americans via the Underground Railroad in the mid-1800s. "Up until previously, it was thought that the role was minimal, it was assumed that like you said, this was a place of refuge. But we also know that historically that there was at least some activity here in the Underground Railroad," Sieber said. "Just this past year, I have discovered that quite a major player in the Underground Railroad was previously thought to be further south down the river was actually here in St. Paul during the territorial years of the state." That major player was Moses Dickson, a famous figure in America's Black history. "He was a Black abolitionist, he led two secret societies that were founded out of Galena and St. Louis that were used to organize both free and enslaved people throughout the U.S.," she said. Early research placed Dickson in cities along the Mississippi River. He's buried in St. Louis and helped establish a college there. "But I found him here in territorial St. Paul in the 1850s operating as a barber, which we know is a common profession for folks working in the Underground Railroad," she said. "Previously before working as a barber, he was a steward working on the steamboats." She shared newspaper clippings from the future Capital City referencing Dickson, leading her to believe his network of freeing slaves had vast reach up North, where his work was needed more than people might realize. "I think a lot of people grew up in the North thinking that the Underground Railroad, once you get to the North across that line, that things are fine and good. But the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 really changed that. And the fact that regardless of how far you got into the North and into the wilderness, you could still be brought back to that life," she said. "We know that the sheriff at the time during those territorial years was vigilant about trying to catch folks." Sieber will share more about the routes taken to reach freedom in Minnesota, while dispelling myths about the Underground Railroad, on Thursday night at the History Center of Olmsted County in Rochester.
