We are looking at the possibility of millions of knowledge work jobs being impacted by AI in the next 1 - 2 years. Here's why.

AI should make us better people, professionals, and organizations—but that won’t happen if we don’t focus on the responsible application of AI.

The report linked below was posted online today (November 12, 2022) by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).Title Impacts of Public Access to Computers and the Internet in Libraries Authors International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)...

On July 13th, 2022, a coalition of over fifty civil society organizations representing educators, researchers, libraries, archives and digital rights advocates sent a letter to the delegates representing the member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) at its 2022 General...

"Are you someone that thrives in a structured, on-campus learning environment, but is struggling to set deadlines at home and keep up with online learning? Associate Professor of Practice Julie Cajigas has some tips on how students can boost their success in an online learning environment."

Empathy connects us but strains under demanding settings. This study explored how third parties evaluated AI-generated empathetic responses versus human responses in terms of compassion, responsiveness, and overall preference across four preregistered experiments. Participants (N = 556) read empathy prompts describing valenced personal experiences and compared the AI responses to select non-expert or expert humans.

Results revealed that AI responses were preferred and rated as more compassionate compared to select human responders (Study 1). This pattern of results remained when author identity was made transparent (Study 2), when AI was compared to expert crisis responders (Study 3), and when author identity was disclosed to all participants (Study 4). Third parties perceived AI as being more responsive—conveying understanding, validation, and care—which partially explained AI’s higher compassion ratings in Study 4.

These findings suggest that AI has robust utility in contexts requiring empathetic interaction, with the potential to address the increasing need for empathy in supportive communication contexts.

The release of Language Learning Model (LLM) ChatGPT by OpenAI in November of last year opened the floodgates leading to alternatives including Google Bard and Microsoft Bing and Gen AI has proved massively disruptive, with businesses seeking to explore how they can apply the technology.

The guest for this episode of the INSPIRING STEM PODCAST is Adam Hyde, founder and principal architect of the Collaborative Knowledge Foundation - Coko and is responsible for oversight of all operations.

Coko’s motto is “We Build, You Publish”. The organisation exists to benefit the publishing community by building modern, open-source tools that enable the publishing of critical knowledge better, faster, cheaper.

Adam brings publishing and technical leadership as well as pioneering insights into publishing workflows and technologies. He is also technical advisor for the OA Switchboard project, holds a seat on the Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL) Management Board, and co-founder of the Coalition for Open Access Publishing Infrastructure in Africa project.

LINKS

Coko Foundation: https://coko.foundation/
ChatGPT: https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt
OA Switchboard: https://www.oaswitchboard.org/
Kotahi: https://kotahi.community/
Booktype: https://www.sourcefabric.org/software/booktype

ABOUT INSPIRING STEM CONSULTING:
https://inspiringstemconsulting.com

Inspiring STEM Consulting is an independent scholarly academic and scientific publishing consultancy. We undertake market research across STEM subject areas to inform clients' business and product development strategies. We run internal training workshops for our clients' teams and external training for client's customers. We design publication strategies to maximise research impact and reach. Our core expertise is in open science publishing and journal portfolio business development. We are a trusted and valued consultancy seeking to develop long-term and sustainable client relationships.

LatestOpen Access cOAlition S is seeking to engage the services of a consultant to explore how a globally fair pricing system for academic publishing could be devised and implemented. The European Science Foundation, which hosts the cOAlition S office, will award the contract on behalf of cOAlition S. cOAlition S is participating with UNESCO, the International Science Council (ISC), the Open Access 2020 Initiative (OA2020), Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL), the Association of African Universities, and Science Europe in organising a series of workshops on global equity in Open Access publishing. The first of these workshops focused on viewpoints from Europe and Africa, and participants formulated a variety of proposals, including a call for publishers to adopt more equitable practices, including but not limited to transparent pricing of Open Access publishing services based on purchasing power parity (PPP). As a follow-up to the workshop, cOAlition S wishes to commission a study to explore how a globally fair pricing system for academic publishing could be devised and implemented. We will work with our partners in the Global Equity Workshop in taking this forward. The key objective of this study is to identify ways in which readers and producers of scholarly publications (or their proxies, namely research funders and universities, could financially contribute to supporting the academic publishing services valued by their research communities as a function of their means in a manner that is globally equitable and sustainable. From subscription to producer-pays As observed by Osman & Rooryck (2022), the transition of academic publishing from the subscription model to Open Access shifts payments for publishing services from readers to producers of knowledge. Although this transition makes publications accessible to readers globally, many authors and institutions worldwide do not have access to publishing in journals whose prices they cannot afford. Inequities The current pricing practices in open access publishing models where costs are borne by the producers of knowledge – authors, funders, or universities – do not currently serve regional and global equity, as they do not reflect equitable standards such as local purchasing power. For example, APCs paid for Open Access articles are priced at an identical level for customers irrespective of their geographic location, unlike other products and services with a global reach that are typically priced as a function of local purchasing power. Global products and services tend to cost what the local market can bear. It is unclear why payments for open access publishing services do not. Admittedly, some researchers facing APC payments may qualify for waivers, but there is no globally agreed way for publishers to handle waivers. Moreover, they are perceived as patronizing and neocolonial. They are an in-or-out mechanism unilaterally controlled by the publishers, and do not afford any agency to recipients. Summing up, the current system for meeting the costs of academic publishing is both regionally and globally inequitable. Globally fair payment for academic publishing cOAlition S funders are committed to fair and transparent open access fees and encourage the diversity of open access business models (Principle 5 of Plan S). There is a need to transition towards a globally agreed system of payment for academic publishing services that is fair, equitable, and transparent. It should be fair in guaranteeing payment of a reasonable price for clearly defined services. It should be equitable by taking into account the ratio of readers and authors as well as their local purchasing power for any contributing country or institution. It should be transparent in making clear the criteria for inclusion in a specific pricing tier. The objective of the study for tender is to explore the current pricing and distribution of costs of academic publishing and explore alternative pricing models that are fair and transparent and that enable global participation and equitable cost distribution. Special consideration should be given to the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) model, which Osman & Rooryck (2022) suggested as a potential model for devising an equitable pricing model for academic publishing. Responding to this call An outline of the key tasks, deliverables, and available budget, along with an application template is available here. Those who wish to apply for this consultancy should send the completed template (Annex A) to npappleroy@esf.org no later than Monday, 13th March 2023, at 09.00 GMT.

While we strive to serve the Illinois State University community most directly, we are also part of a global community of researchers, scholars, and students. It can therefore be valuable for us to pull back and take a broader look at scholarly communication efforts around the world.

Is COVID-19 forcing you to move your learning online? Read on for tips that will help you transition from conventional learning to online learning.

The world has undergone a significant transformation in the last two years, and online learning has become a norm. It is no longer a choice but a necessity for students, professionals, and businesses alike. With the advent of 2023, online learning will continue to be the primary mode of education and skill development. In this article, we will discuss the top 10 tips for successful online learning in 2023.

Canva is a growing force in the content-creation world, so its Canva Create event last week had plenty of announcements for music-marketers to pore over. The company rounded up 10 of the highlights itself in its newsroom, including Canva Sheets, its take on spreadsheets with an emphasis on creating visualisations and presentations.