Posts By: Harold Jarche

“it was 20 years ago today”

Today marks the 20th anniversary of Jarche Consulting. There were several times when I thought that I would not make it this far. The roller coaster ride continues, having weathered the great recession and a pandemic. Who knows what the future will bring? For now, I am grateful to my friends, colleagues, and especially my… Read more »

work is human

Is there a talent shortage today, or merely ineffective hiring practices? While employers lament a talent shortage, they are scrambling to increase talent attraction and retention. They offer new incentives and promises of increased flexibility and an inclusive company culture. However, most of these efforts ignore one key factor that could make a significant difference–including… Read more »

the button

Ethan Mollick discusses the impact of ‘The Button’ on our writing. The Button is in Google Docs but similar GPT-LLM tools are or will soon be available in many other writing tools. They can immediately create a credible piece of writing, such as a letter of recommendation or a proposal, increasing anyone’s speed of writing… Read more »

blessings and curses

On the last Friday of each month I curate some of the observations and insights that were shared on social media. I call these Friday’s Finds. “Until a drag queen walks into a school and beats eight kids to death with a copy of ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, I think you’re focusing on the wrong shit.”… Read more »

the act of creation is human

In 2005 I wrote a business plan for a client that was based on an operational model of employing ‘knowledge artisans‘. Next-gen knowledge artisans are amplified versions of their pre-industrial counterparts. Equipped with and augmented by technology, they rely on their human capital and skill to solve complex problems and develop new ideas, products and… Read more »

technology analyzing technology

I have written almost 100 posts referencing Marshall McLuhan’s Laws of Media using the media tetrad. I recently came across a tweet where the author, Ethan Mollick asked ChatGPT, “Create a Marshall McLuhan tetrad for larger language models. Be creative and insightful. Think like a theorist.” The image below shows the ChatGPT response.

automation vs augmentation

Understanding machine learning (ML), generative pre-trained transformers (GPT), and large language models (LLM) has become a part-time job for me. Not only is there a lot of information and discussion, but a wide range of opinions. The topic of ‘AI’ constantly pops up in professional meetings. Researcher danah boyd discusses the difference between the perspectives… Read more »

“a pandemic of thoughtlessness”

Christopher Lydon, host of Radio OpenSource, interviews two humanists on failing intelligence. “Robert Pogue Harrison is our Dante scholar at Stanford, our professional humanist, and a West Coast friend in smart podcasting. We asked ChatGPT about his voice, and we got the instant answer that his voice “has a certain mellowness and introspection” that go… Read more »

step lively

It seems that today everyone is chatting about GPT (generative pre-trained transformers) and what feeds them — large language models (LLM). I am always skeptical when the next techno-hype cycle comes around but this one seems different. The worst case scenario does not look good, especially for knowledge workers. In a few months, maybe a… Read more »

“moments, not models”

On the last Friday of each month I curate some of the observations and insights that were shared on social media. I call these Friday’s Finds. “The ability to learn from experience in the present — from moments, not models — is what is needed when the past has become a hindrance and the future is… Read more »