A few days before Christmas holidays, I received an email from a customer that said “... I want to tell you that I have really appreciated your help, your professional approach and your “human touch”: they are as important as knowledge is …”.

Moved by the Christmas spirit that surround us these days, made me change my priorities of publishing the next articles and I decided to dedicate a few lines to what I consider a very important issue: What is the human touch value of the CEOs in the IoT?

I do not intend to convert this article into an analysis of the types of CEOs, or a list of the best CEOs of IoT companies (for that there will be time). 

My objective today is in making IoT´s CEOs aware, especially those of large multinationals, of their responsibility to print a human touch on their actions and decisions. Not only will the stability and quality of work of millions of people depend on them, but also the conservation of our planet in favourable conditions for future generations.

The Human touch of IoT´s CEOs to save the World

Global Warming is very real.  Even if greenhouse gas concentrations stabilized today, the planet would continue to warm by about 0.6°C over the next century because of greenhouses gases already in the atmosphere. Its effects are already so visible that no one doubts its catastrophic consequences.

We know that the IoT can help in many ways to monitor and control Global Warning, and there are many great stories of how companies are making use of IoT technology to help save water, money … and the planet. 

In  the article “3 ways businesses can use the internet of things to save the environment“, Jayraj Nair - Global Head of IoT, Vice President Wipro-, suggest  a few steps that business leaders could take to lessen the effects of these barriers and set their companies on the right path to become champions of a more sustainable and connected future.

1.       Emphasize digital citizenship and individual responsibility

2.       Share knowledge and resources across departments

3.       Collaborate to create guidelines for tech development

We should reward those IoT´s CEOs who follow the slogan “ We develop the IoT that Save the World!..

The Human touch of IoT´s CEOs to build ethic AI

When I wrote  “Internet of Things – Kings and Servants” I gave great importance to the CEOs visionaries of the companies that were destined to change the world of the 21st century. CEOs like Sundar Pichai (Google) or Satya Nadella (Microsoft) have been responsible from conceptual shift for their companies, moving from “mobile strategy” to “cloud and artificial intelligence”.

Could we avoid psychopath and sociopath robots? CEOs of the Tech Giants companies need to influence in developers of AI the human touch. We do not want to live with fear surrounding by not ethic AI machines and robots. 

IoT´s CEOs involved in Artificial Intelligence must believe that machines and robots will help us to be better people. They need to boost the challenge in our future society and make sure that their Robots and Artificial Intelligence not only pursue productivity and profit but also other values eg justice, opportunity, freedom, compassion.

The Human touch of IoT´s CEOs to ensure democracy

We cannot conceive democracy today without the free use of technology. Technology, on the other hand, that is more difficult to control by citizens. Is it possible to democratize the technology, not only the Internet of Things? Could we avoid that a handful of companies come to dominate the Technology? and therefore our Democracies.

The temptation of the power is great in the IoT´s CEOs of the companies that manipulate huge amount of data of the people, of the intelligent devices at their whim.

I thought at some point that the Countries could prevent the creation of these monsters, but their powers already transcend the States. I fear that the fight of egos, in the heights in which these CEOs live, give priority to the Highlander philosophy "Only one can be left!" And drag the dormant democracies for their technology into the vacuum of complacency.

Today more than ever, we need CEOs with a human touch that ensures the health of our democracies.

The Human touch of IoT´s CEOs to ensure equality of job opportunities

Which IoT companies have a culture that allow dissent between the CEOs and the employees? IoT´s CEOs need to understand that people are not going to do what they want them to do unless I engender equal commitment and passion on their part.

I have worked for many years in different technology companies, and I have regrettably proved that their business cultures, far from differentiating themselves, are more and more similar.

We all know cases of companies, including those of IoT, that abuse salaries of interns or inexperienced employees, but the problem of overqualification when applying to a new job is no less true. Many of us have heard numerous times: Sorry, you are overqualified. Not sure I can manage you.

I am convinced that a human touch on the part of the CEOs would help to correct these endemic problems of the current business culture. What are you waiting for?

The Human touch of CEOs to ensure a dignified life for the elderly

I was wondering a few years ago with the Smart Cities hype, How will be our life as retired workers in the Smart Cities we are building?.

In light of what I'm seeing, there are currently not many IoT´s CEOs that are worrying about the elderly. Of course, because, they consume less, they produce less, they do not understand the technology created for millennials or the digital native, the generations that is going to change the world.

Considering that all IoT´s CEOs, or at least that's what I want, will also be older people, a human touch in the investment of technology for the elderly will now make their lives more dignified in a few years.

Summary

In a time where digital premium on the physical, where business results are required not every quarter, but every day, in a time of robots, cryptocurrencies, virtual reality it is not easy to be a CEO with human touch. But to save the World, to make sure we build ethical AI, to ensure democracy in the technology, to ensure equality of job opportunities, to ensure a dignified life for the elderly, we need their human touch.

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With the global population expected to reach 9.7 billion people by 2050, innovation in the agricultural industry is more important than ever. This growth brings with it a need for increased food production and a dwindling availability of arable land. Projections show that feeding a population near 9 billion people would require raising global food production by some 70%. To provide for such steep demands, old farming techniques are simply no longer adequate. Thankfully, the agriculture industry is a burgeoning sector within the Internet of Things, and farmers globally are ready to reap the benefits.

Let’s look at a few ways IoT is helping the agriculture industry around the world.

1. Smart Ag Is Environmentally Friendly

Agriculture is responsible for a significant environmental footprint, accounting for 80% to 90% of US water consumption, releasing massive quantities of chemical pesticides, and producing more greenhouse gas emissions with animal agriculture alone than all combined transportation. IoT technology can maximize production capabilities and minimize required resources in order to reduce the industry’s environmental harm. Sensors can be implemented to test agricultural factors such as soil for moisture and nutrient levels to ensure resources are being used as efficiently as possible. This way water and pesticides can be reserved from unnecessary use and alternates can be implemented.

2. IoT Provides Precision Control for Farmers

The agriculture industry reaches far and wide, and each sector involves too much labor for one person to accomplish alone. As a result, much of the agriculture industry relies heavily on trusting intuition and human judgment. This also means that workers are nearly irreplaceable during illness or absence. Implementation of IoT technology can allow for real-time access to information that otherwise would take too much time or effort to obtain. Managers can have remotely controlled decision-making capabilities at their fingertips rather than having to wait for reports and then send out orders to workers. For example, rather than using valuable workers, drones are now available to monitor crops or apply treatment to specific areas. Also, companies like Lecia have developed GPS-guided combines and other agricultural IoT technologies. Aeris is helping to make solutions like these possible through cellular connectivity, perfect for remote real-time access to critical data.

3. Farms Are More Productive With IoT

As agricultural businesses gain more insight and control over their operations, they are able to make better business decisions and thus increase productivity. If a farm can use drones or sensors to monitor fields or cattle, for example, then the experience of the farmer can be utilized to make decisions while the manual labor previously needed to monitor these areas can be better repurposed elsewhere. IoT technology can also be applied to agricultural machinery, allowing for preventative maintenance and more accurate reports in the case of a malfunction, saving time and money. As smarter decisions are made regarding resources, productivity will improve.

4. Smart Farming Saves Money

According to the USDA, some of the top expenses of agricultural businesses include feed, labor, fuel, chemicals, and farm supplies and repairs, all expenditures that can be reduced with the help of IoT. Implementing IoT technology can allow businesses to make better decisions about efficiently using resources including assets, labor, and capital, significantly reducing operational costs. Replacing and improving past techniques will be the only way to maintain a competitive advantage with rising demands and ever-improving technology.

5. IoT Provides Transparency for Consumers

As more data is made available to the public, consumers demand high quality products more emphatically than ever. Concerns continue to emerge regarding the environmental footprint, personal health effects, and other details surrounding food production. Utilizing IoT technology in production is the only way to provide consumers with the data and transparency that is now the standard expectation, and thus maintain a competitive advantage in the industry.

When you’re ready to connect your agriculture devices to the Internet of Things, contact Aeris for a customized IoT solution.