Bringing in the New Year 2024!
Thank you for being part of our ATMA INSIGHTS global community.
Hello,
Uncertainty has certainly become a recurring theme in our world. It seems almost redundant to talk about uncertainty and yet here we are, looking forward to a year where possible black swans, unexpected but highly impactful events, will likely continue to impact us at the global, business, and community levels—perhaps even personally.
It seems like a familiar place as we welcome a new year.
Atma Global operates at the intersection of business, global affairs, and culture, utilizing education and technology to transform how professionals, educators, and students equip themselves with critical, accurate, and unique insights.
We’re still in the midst of a multi-year sequence where inflation, supply-chain issues, AI, and increasingly geopolitical events continue to upend traditional attitudes toward globalization—all perpetuating a cycle of unpredictability. Add to that the lingering impact of Covid on the world at large. It’s hard to believe that just three years ago, we were all in unprecedented global lockdowns.
It’s tempting to offer predictions, but the last four years have, at a minimum, shown us that we are living in unpredictable times.
Technology innovations continue to disrupt every aspect of daily life. Algorithms across our information platforms fuel the misinformation that seeks to divide us, hindering our ability to find common ground. Not only does misinformation impact our social interactions, but there’s a deeper impact on businesses as these misinformed perspectives influence a range of stakeholders including employees and customers.
With new frontiers in AI technology, we’re uncovering new possibilities with how we engage with information, build our knowledge bases, and perform a range of business and technical tasks. The word artificial can be misleading because the stakes are real. While the tech world has been developing AI for years, it wasn’t until the release of ChatGPT a year ago that everyone became aware of (and deeply concerned by) the technology’s immense power.
The headlines can make it seem like the future is a gloomy one. But my observations and experiences of the range of factors this past year—from using artificial intelligence in new, principled, and ethical ways to seeing firsthand the digital progress being made in some of the traditionally emerging and developing countries around the world—have reinforced my belief that innovation, with a foundation of fact-based knowledge, ethical guidelines, and visionary societal and business leadership, can continue the progress of a better world.
The global game has changed: 2023 was just the start. Change remains a constant, and it’s essential that we as professionals get (way) better at anticipating change. Upheaval is now the norm—both globally and locally. Professionals need to be prepared for any disruptive event, no matter how far-fetched.
While we can’t predict the future, we know that our world remains intertwined. When it comes to technology, climate, geopolitics, and more, we find ourselves debating priorities and the global rules of the road.
It remains less clear how globalization will operate when not all countries agree about these rules and priorities—which complicates how businesses can function efficiently across and within borders. Openness to change with resiliency and adaptability are how many professionals and businesses are navigating these unchartered waters.
I think that our best way of navigating uncertain times is to keep exploring and learning. And how we explore and learn is increasingly important. With new advances in artificial intelligence, including ChatGPT, it can be tempting to think that access to knowledge is just a simple click away. But as with all technologies, AI is not without errors. Being able to know the difference between factual knowledge and AI inaccuracy still requires human interface. We need to trust our sources of learning now more than ever—whether as professionals, educators, or lifelong students.
At Atma, our model remains centered on human knowledge, experience, and expertise—especially for nuanced subject matter such as business practices, cultural anthropology, and human interactions. We rely on our proprietary cultural framework to help our global community of professionals and lifelong learners understand how to effectively interact, communicate, manage, develop trust, and operate across countries—skills and knowledge that technology cannot yet replicate.
Ever the optimist, I’m sure we’ll eventually find ways to integrate the efficiencies of artificial intelligence and technology into our personal and professional toolkits. Staying nimble and flexible helps us respond to the array of known unknowns and unknown unknowns—aka the black swans.
Whether we’re advising institutions on the impact of culture on the intersection of business, countries, and global affairs or working with educators and professionals on lifelong learning, we know more than ever that access to accurate, balanced information and knowledge is essential.
Learn more about our Atma approach, which integrates a distinctive blend of accurate facts and analysis infused with our unique content methodology, philosophy, and editorial approach.
Our Content Methodology
We recognize that as institutions transform globally, they are often hiring social scientists to guide their understanding of an international market, either by geographic region or by culture.
We’re grateful for the expanding enthusiasm for our products and services, and we look forward to continuing to be your reliable global resource and guide.
I welcome your feedback, ideas, and suggestions.
Wishing a more peaceful and brighter new year for all!
Sanjyot
Sanjyot P. Dunung
Founder & CEO, Atma Global