Latest news with #philosophy
Forbes
9 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
Exploring The Human Side Of AI
Sometimes in the push toward evaluating these big new technologies that we're seeing spring up, our responses to artificial intelligence seem somewhat schizophrenic. On the one hand, we're thinking a lot about hardware, data centers, energy needs, and how to support models. We have a lot of technical analysis involved in figuring out how AI applications are going to work logistically. There's also the other side of it – where I've repeatedly called for AI companies to hire an army of philosophers to figure out the human side. How will we interact with AI? How will it shape our social and emotional worlds, our family lives, our job lives, our lives in our communities? I heard an important voice on that second point recently in a TED talk by Noelle Russell who is the head of the AI leadership Institute and has a lot to say about progress toward accomplishing 'human' AI goals. An Interesting Journey Russell started at IBM, but went on to work at Red Hat and VMWare before landing at AWS, where she got some unique experience in building humanity into AI engines. Notably, Russell worked on the early Alexa project, which eventually became something so many of us are familiar with smart technology in our homes. Specifically, though, she worked on giving Alexa traits like mindfulness and kindness. Working on 17 different research models, Russell brought a unique perspective, and was sometimes challenged by her teammates. She talks about how as a mother and someone in the 'sandwich generation' also caring for a parent, she had a unique position on the team, and a different approach. Some, she said, thought of her as a 'buzzkill.' In terms of Alexa, more than a few early innovators didn't think AI would need, as Russell says, 'mindfulness in the kitchen,' but she was convinced that it would be an important aspect of this project – and it was, partly because we have begun to use Alexa for a lot more than just recipes. 'I realized that my unique perspective was not only changing life for the people that I work with, for the people in my own home, but it was actually changing the product for everyone, and that unless so many more people started providing this unique perspective, the product wouldn't serve everyone,' she said. Charting a Course: Aphorisms for Today Russell founded the AI leadership institute in 2016, and the organization offers certifications and all kinds of tools aimed at this central idea, that we need to promote mindfulness and deliberate user interface design for powerful LLMs. In interviews and presentations, she talks about the 'baby tiger' concept – AI is cute now, but what about when it matures? Russell also uses her own lamplighter metaphor that is markedly different from the one I often quote from Sam Altman. Altman's adage was that the modern knowledge worker, the equivalent of the old gas lamplighter, will be left behind in new technological revolutions, as workers re-skill and rise, phoenix-like, from their own ashes. Russell's lamplighter analogy is different. She says the lamplighter may go away, but future generations will still see the light of the lamp in question. That on its own provides more continuity between generations interacting with AI, and a generally positive outlook for crafting UX that works - for people. The Future - and History Presenting on that new job - of managing AI well - Russell noted a kind of unfortunate catch-22 or irony in modern communication. 'The number one skill (for AI management) is clarity of thought,' she said. 'You need to think about what you want, articulate what you want with words that a machine can understand. And here's the sad news. Over the last 10 years, we've gotten further and further away from that clarity of knowing who we are, and how we want to say things. We use emojis, right? We use these short words and (reductive symbols) and now these students are counting on us to be clearly, definitively identifying what we want to do, and how we want to build it.' She did offer a brighter note, though, in conclusion: Russell closed the TED talk with a quote from Hamilton, exhorting new generations to be bold in tackling things like AI design problems. 'I know that greatness lies in you,' she quoted, 'But remember from here on in… history has its eyes on you.' I guess history has its eyes on all of us. We should be mindful about what we create, and how we wade into our relationships with AI.
The Hindu
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Burma Burma returns to Delhi with tea, stories, and a sweet new chapter
After a seven-year hiatus, Burma Burma, the vegetarian Burmese restaurant and tea room, has made its way back to Delhi-NCR's dining scene. Known for its layered flavours, warm hospitality, and immersive storytelling, the brand has launched three new outlets—at DLF Promenade in Vasant Kunj, Worldmark 3 at Aerocity, and Worldmark 65 in Gurugram—marking a significant expansion in the region. 'Delhi is, and will continue to be, one of our most exciting markets,' says Ankit Gupta, co-founder of Burma Burma. 'People here love to eat, they love to go out, and food is a big part of their lives.' A tea-forward menu Tea has always been central to Burma Burma's philosophy, and the new From Burma with Tea menu takes this focus further. 'We are one of the very few restaurant-forward brands that explicitly calls itself a restaurant and tearoom,' says Ankit. 'In Burma, tea–or Laphet Yay–is at the heart of daily life, so much so that it is even eaten. Tea shops, not restaurants, have long been the country's social hubs, where people gather after work to share tea and watch movies together,' he adds. India's deep-rooted chai culture made it easy for Burma Burma to introduce Indian diners to Burma's vibrant tea traditions. What began as a cultural parallel soon evolved into a deeper exploration, culminating in the addition of pulled tea to the brand's offerings, an ode to a ritual that's as beloved in Yangon as it is in Delhi. The pulled tea is a creamy, layered drink made with black tea and three types of milk—regular, evaporated and condensed—and pulled to achieve the perfect texture. The limited-edition menu features Yangon Royal Tea, layered with cream and best enjoyed with Chin state potato croquettes—crisp bites of five-spice mock meat, served with a spring salad and black bean dip. The creamy bagan tea brings a richer, rounder flavour, while chilled choices like iced milk tea (with spiced black tea and milk foam) and the coconut iced tea (with coconut milk and custard) bring a refreshing counterpoint. At Burma Burma's tea shop, snacks and noodle bowls elevate a simple tea break into a satisfying meal. Begin with the seared tofu and avocado salad, a dish made of crisp tofu, creamy avocado, tomatoes, and scallions tossed in a chilli-garlic lime dressing. The corner cart skewers, inspired by Burmese street food, feature pan-seared mock meatballs in a sticky chilli glaze. For something bold, try the cracklin' Burmese dumplings, that are stuffed with edamame and shiitake, spiced with Kalar Lay curry, and paired with a mustard-chilli dip. End on a sweet note with tea shop toast, honey-glazed and soaked in custard apple milk, finished with clotted cream. A sweet finale The brand's expansion is also marked by a reimagined dessert programme, The Sweet Life. Curated in collaboration with award-winning patisserie expert chef Vinesh Johny, the menu draws from Burma's tropical abundance, think bananas, coconuts, peaches and berries, while also playing with nostalgia. Start with the celebration cake. Seven layers of moist chocolate sponge with tart cherries, finished tableside with a pour of molten chocolate. The milk tea cheesecake, infused with Burmese laphet ye, is a Basque-style treat served with cinnamon-spiced apple compote. For a tropical finish, try the Coconut and pineapple crème brûlée, topped with caramel and served with pineapple compote, cinnamon gelato, honeycomb, and a semolina cake crumble. Burma Burma is already eyeing its next phase of expansion in Delhi-NCR, with potential locations at Pacific Mall in Rajouri Garden and Dwarka, the upcoming DLF Mall of India in Gurugram, and Ambience Mall, also in Gurugram. 'As the city grows and new spaces emerge, we will capitalise on the right opportunities,' says Ankit adding that the brand has also filed patents in the UK and UAE in preparation for international expansion. From Burma with Tea, available from August 1 to September 30, 2025 at the three newly opened restaurants in Delhi NCR. This special menu will subsequently be available at all 18 Burma Burma restaurants across India from Sept 1 to 30, 2025.
Time of India
a day ago
- Health
- Time of India
Vinay Prasad education and career: How a summa cum laude MSU graduate rose to lead roles in oncology and at the FDA
Vinay Prasad education and career: How a summa cum laude MSU graduate in philosophy and physiology rose to leading roles in oncology and at the FDA Vinayak "Vinay" Kashyap Prasad, a US physician and health policy researcher, has had a career that spans medicine, academia, and regulatory roles. Known for his work in cancer policy and clinical trial design, Prasad held a prominent leadership position at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before stepping down in July 2025. Prasad served as the Director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) and held the role of Chief Medical and Science Officer during his short tenure at the agency. His appointment and departure from the FDA came amid scrutiny around regulatory decisions involving gene therapy. Academic foundations at Michigan State and beyond Raised in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, Prasad later moved to northern Indiana. His academic journey began at Michigan State University (MSU), where he graduated summa cum laude with a double major in philosophy and physiology in 2005. While at MSU, he studied healthcare ethics and gave the commencement address on behalf of the Philosophy Department. Prasad went on to earn his medical degree from the University of Chicago in 2009. He completed a residency in internal medicine at Northwestern University in 2012, receiving the Gerald Grumet Award for best resident teacher. He was board-certified in internal medicine the same year. In 2014, he received a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. He completed a fellowship in oncology at the National Cancer Institute and in haematology at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in 2015. During his time at the US National Institutes of Health, he was named Chief Fellow and completed a cancer prevention fellowship. Career in academia and cancer policy research From 2015 to 2020, Prasad served as assistant and then associate professor at Oregon Health & Science University. He later joined the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), as a professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. There, he led the VKPrasad Lab, focusing on cancer drugs, clinical trials, and health policy. He also worked clinically at San Francisco General Hospital. Prasad is the author of over 500 academic articles and two books: Ending Medical Reversal (2015) and Malignant (2020). His research focuses on drug development, healthcare policy, and the quality of medical evidence. He is also known for examining financial conflicts in drug approvals. FDA appointment and departure in 2025 Prasad was appointed Director of the FDA's CBER on May 6, 2025. The role placed him at the centre of US regulatory oversight for biologics, including vaccines and gene therapies. He was later named the FDA's Chief Medical and Science Officer. According to a spokesperson from the US Department of Health and Human Services, Prasad resigned on July 29, 2025, to return to California and spend more time with his family. The resignation followed internal debate around the FDA's response to safety concerns involving the gene therapy drug Elevidys, manufactured by Sarepta Therapeutics. Teaching and public engagement Prasad has received multiple teaching awards, including the 2017 Craig Okada Award for best teacher in the Haematology-Oncology Fellowship programme and the 2019 J. David Bristow Award, voted by graduating medical students. He is also active in public education through his podcast Plenary Session, his YouTube channel, Substack publications, and The Drug Development Letter. He is based in California and continues his academic and clinical work at UCSF. TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here . Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
Forbes
4 days ago
- Politics
- Forbes
A Little Career Advice From Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein statue in Washington, D.C. Many years from now, historians will look back and see Albert Einstein as much a philosopher as they do a scientist. Here's one example of why. For nearly 40 years years, friends of ours hosted a lovely New Year's Eve party where many local friends, who have known each other for what seems to be forever, celebrate together. We're all well into our seventies and eighties, and parties like that are history, but lessons remain. Get a broad-based education Of all the subjects I've addressed over the 22 years I've been writing, the one that came up most at these parties was my series of articles imploring college students (with the support of their parents) to get a broad-based education, not just an intense, narrowly defined four-year vocational training in chemistry, finance, communications, or anything else. Interesting, no? Here's why this is interesting. By now, all of us are way past putting our kids through school, so we've got a deep perspective on it. Not only that, but as I looked around the sixty or so revelers, what I saw was a house full of very successful people: business executives, entrepreneurs, a published novelist, a judge, a doctor and other healthcare professionals, a creative advertising executive, a former mayor and other elected officials, a film festival executive director, IT professional, a couple of professors, school teachers, and the list goes on. What struck me is, we all had something in common; to a man and woman, we all enjoyed the benefits of great liberal arts educations as underpinnings of our specific areas of success. And decades later, we'd all had interesting, successful careers. Proof of the value of being well and liberally educated was all over the place. As a career coach and teacher, I've been strongly critical of the heavy over-emphasis on narrow training while ignoring broad education, of the rising number of college students who are pressured into selecting a major in their freshman year, of teenagers who are being asked to decide what to do for the rest of their lives and then putting the blinders on, of the loss of the opportunity to fill out as human beings. It's only gotten more extreme. Delay the declaration of a major If I had a magic wand to wave over the higher education system, it would be to delay the declaration of a major until a real education has taken place. To those who argue that graduates with degrees in finance, accounting, engineering, and IT are the ones who get the highest paid jobs out of college, I say you're right – in the short term. I also ask you to take a longer view. From the perspective of a career coach, I can tell you that, after years in the workforce, these things tend to level off, for a very compelling reason. Leadership demands – among other things – perspective, versatility, multi-dimension, a sense of social responsibility, and an identification with global citizenship. So go ahead and get into chemical engineering if that's your interest, but while you're at it, take courses in literature, history, logic, ethics, world affairs, writing, psychology, sociology, and – for sure – a foreign language. Starting a career well is one thing. To keep rising is entirely another. From the perspective of just one person at a great party, I can point to example after proven example of this point. Take it from Einstein, if you must Now let me elevate this point. Coincidentally, I've been reading Ideas and Thoughts by Albert Einstein. Published a year before his death, it's a collection of many of his papers, letters, and lectures. In a 1952 essay entitled 'Education for Independent Thought' published in The New York Times, he wrote: 'It is not enough to teach man a specialty. Through it he may become a kind of useful machine but not a harmoniously developed personality. It is essential that the student acquire an understanding of and a lively feeling for values. He must acquire a vivid sense of the beautiful and of the morally good. Otherwise he – with his specialized knowledge – more closely resembles a well-trained dog than a harmoniously developed person. He must learn to understand the motives of human beings, their illusions, and their sufferings in order to acquire a proper relationship to individual fellow-men and to the community. 'These precious things are conveyed to the younger generation through personal contact with those who teach, not – or at least not in the main – through textbooks. It is this that primarily constitutes and preserves culture. This is what I have in mind when I recommend the 'humanities' as important, not just dry specialized knowledge in the fields of history and philosophy. 'Overemphasis on the competitive system and premature specialization on the ground of immediate usefulness kill the spirit on which all cultural life depends, specialized knowledge included. Independent critical thinking 'It is also vital to a valuable education that independent critical thinking be developed in the young human being, a development that is greatly jeopardized by overburdening him with too much and with too varied subjects (point system).' Adamant as I've been on this subject, if I haven't made my point well enough or often enough, I should think 'Education for Independent Thought' does. Useful machine, well trained dog, or harmoniously developed person. The choice is all yours.
Time Business News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Business News
WRSTBHVR Clothing: Street Couture with a Berlin Soul
WRSTBHVR—pronounced 'Worst Behavior' —is not merely a fashion label; it's a bold lifestyle statement rooted in rebellion and artistic expression. Emerging from the underground scene, it challenges norms with daring designs, creative collaborations, and a philosophy that champions personal authenticity. Founded by visionaries intent on breaking from mainstream fashion, WRSTBHVR draws deeply from countercultural influences—think urban grit, rave culture energy, and graffiti aesthetics. Its name encapsulates a rebellious ethos, encouraging wearers to embrace the unconventional. Experimental Graphics & Artistic Fusion Each piece blends bold imagery, street-style motifs, and often collaborations with visual artists. Rather than mass-produced imagery, designs feel more like wearable art. Each piece blends bold imagery, street-style motifs, and often collaborations with visual artists. Rather than mass-produced imagery, designs feel more like wearable art. Mixed Styling From oversized hoodies with sculptural prints to minimalistic monochrome basics, WRSTBHVR offers both flamboyant and refined statement pieces. 🔥 Elevate your style—explore the Wrstbhvr Hoodie Collection Sale now and save big on premium hoodies & sweatshirts! Craftsmanship & Materials The brand prioritizes premium fabrics and precision tailoring, investing in pieces meant to endure. The brand prioritizes premium fabrics and precision tailoring, investing in pieces meant to endure. Exclusivity Limited-edition capsule collections contribute to its cult appeal. These drops are often linked to artist collaborations or gallery‐style releases that emphasize scarcity and collectibility. Built on Community Beyond apparel, WRSTBHVR fosters a tribe of people who value outsider culture and self-expression. Events, artist collaborations, and social platforms amplify this sense of belonging. Beyond apparel, WRSTBHVR fosters a tribe of people who value outsider culture and self-expression. Events, artist collaborations, and social platforms amplify this sense of belonging. Voice for the Unheard The brand positions itself as more than fashion—it engages with social causes like justice, environmental activism, and mental health awareness, using its platform to elevate marginalized voices. ✨ Catch the Sabrina Carpenter merch sale—limited-time discounts! These are a few hallmark pieces that exemplify WRSTBHVR's aesthetic: Bold Hoodies & Sweatshirts Often oversized with dramatic graphics or street-inspired typography—core to the brand identity. Often oversized with dramatic graphics or street-inspired typography—core to the brand identity. Outerwear with Attitude Leather, shearling, and padded jackets with edgy design details and statement branding. Leather, shearling, and padded jackets with edgy design details and statement branding. Art-Infused Tees & Tops T-shirts featuring bold prints, rebellious slogans, and visual storytelling. T-shirts featuring bold prints, rebellious slogans, and visual storytelling. Accessories Caps, bags, and small items that complement WRSTBHVR's overall street aesthetic. Authentically Different : Designed for rebels and nonconformists who crave fashion that speaks beyond trends. : Designed for rebels and nonconformists who crave fashion that speaks beyond trends. Built to Last : High-quality fabrics and craftsmanship mean each piece is a durable investment. : High-quality fabrics and craftsmanship mean each piece is a durable investment. Creative Expression : Many garments double as creative canvases, speaking to both wearer and viewer. : Many garments double as creative canvases, speaking to both wearer and viewer. Cultural Relevance: With strong social media presence and cultural visibility, it resonates with youth and creatives globally. WRSTBHVR transcends clothing—it's an attitude. Rooted in underground culture, it fuses art, rebellion, and craftsmanship. Whether you're drawn to its striking visuals, its social philosophy, or the exclusivity of its drops, WRSTBHVR offers more than fashion—it offers identity. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
