Editorial
Business Information Review
From science fiction to reality
Here at Business Information Review (BIR), we are going
through the plans for 2017, reviewing what is going to be
topical and of interest in the new year. Some things it seems
never change, and we are still struggling to cope with infor-
mation overload searching for the latest tools and best prac-
tice to cut through the ‘noise’ to get what we need at a
particular point of time. Technology is, unsurprisingly, a
very useful tool to achieve this if used in the right way. In
fact, one of the things that strikes me the most is the speed
of the continuing advancements in technology and the
things we can actually do now.
When looking at the latest themes and developments for
our 2017 issues, the development and use of artificial intel-
ligence (AI) was among the top contenders. Although pro-
grammers have always strived to build a computer that can
operate like the human mind, it has really only existed in
science fiction – until now . . . . With the amount of data
and information readily accessible growing exponentially
and the increasing sophistication of algorithms to search and
collate it, we are entering into a time with near perfect con-
ditions for AI development to leap forward. Machines that
behave more like the human mind, with the ability to adapt
and learn, are increasingly becoming reality.
I was interested to note in Forbes recently (December
2016 – http://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2016/12/
06/what-is-the-difference-between-artificial-intelligence-
and-machine-learning/2/#12b04cca2b9d an article by
Bernard Marr on AI and machine learning) the differences
between AI and machine learning. Machine learning is a
branch of AI and is being heavily utilized in organizations
today to make sense of large data sets. Neural networks
have been developed to enable machines to categorize data
similar to how the human brain would do, meaning that a
machine can make simple judgments on, for example,
music, identifying whether it is likely to be perceived as
happy or sad and be able to find other similar pieces to
match a certain mood. It goes on to look briefly at natural
language processing – the idea that we can interact with
machines on a more natural human level.
All this wonderful technological development does
naturally lead us to think how will this affect the informa-
tion profession in the future, are jobs at risk? I think per-
haps jobs will evolve and change as they always have done
with the relentless drive forward of technology but I think
that a machine will always need to have human interaction
at some level. The way that we make decisions and incor-
porate information into our own unique perspectives to
develop new knowledge is something that we still struggle
2017, Vol. 34(1) 6–8
ª The Author(s) 2017
Reprints and permission:
sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav
DOI: 10.1177/0266382117692438
journals.sagepub.com/home/bir
with identifying in ourselves and transferring to others in
our workforces today. Knowledge management teachings
and techniques recognize that. This is nicely encapsulated
in a phrase often used by one of my mentors, Ian Wooler – I
know more than I can say and I can say more than I can
write down. The ability to capture and utilize intrinsic
knowledge from one person to help another effectively
is still very much a challenge. Until we are able to grasp
this and write it down, I see it as highly unlikely that a
machine will ever be able to duplicate the deep intricacies
of the human mind and so the machine will always need a
human mind to identify and analyze those subtleties in data,
information and their meanings.
This led me to think about the importance of machines
and humans working together. December’s editorial
touched on the dramatic eight percent fall of Sterling
against the Dollar on 7 October 2016 – was it human error
or the effect of an algorithm relying on less than the best
quality of information? We have long known that technol-
ogy is only as good as the information we put into it or
make available to it and in a world where there is now so
much information and data floating around we need to be
concerned more than ever about quality, truth and valida-
tion. It occurs to me that it might not be possible for
machines to complete this task on their own without human
intervention. While they are able to make certain judg-
ments, there is a mass of misinformation out there that at
best is misleading and at worst is fiction passed off as facts.
Karen Blakeman touched on this recently in her blog post
on how to write totally misleading headlines for social
media – http://www.rba.co.uk/wordpress/2016/11/15/
how-to-write-totally-misleading-headlines-for-social-
media/. If the validity, reliability and quality of data and
information that is being published is less than accurate or
truthful how do we ensure that analysis and assessment of it
is accurate and truthful. This is where human mind and
machine need to work in harmony. We know that if some-
thing we read sounds too fantastical or too good to be true,
then it probably is and needs to be investigated on a much
deeper level, but how do you teach that knowledge to a
machine? People have networks, trusted sources, and
knowledge that what they are reading from the trusted
source is the truth. Machines operate without such knowl-
edge, viewing each piece of data and information without
bias. While this is highly beneficial in some instances, it is
not in all.
I was encouraged to see my view that it is important for
humans and machines to work effectively together
Editorial
reflected to a point in a review of a recent Special Libraries
Association (SLA) event – Artificial intelligence and the
information professional: Threat or opportunity (http://
www.sla-europe.org/2016/12/10/event-review-by-richard-
nelsson-artificial-intelligence-and-the-information-profes
sional-threat-or-opportunity/). Written by Richard Nelsson,
information manager at the Guardian Media and News, he
reflects on the event and the speakers. He looks at the
advantages that AI is bringing to the information profession
and the potential threats – a World Economic Forum report
is predicting the loss of 5 million jobs by 2020, a number of
them being knowledge workers in professions such as law
and medicine . . . . The blog article, which is an interesting
read particularly if you were not able to attend the session
goes on to talk about the key speakers and the fact that there
are still many things that only the human mind can accom-
plish, special nuances, a deep understanding of end user
needs and requirements that a machine simply cannot
duplicate.
One of the speakers at that event was Marc Vollenwei-
der, CEO of Evalueserve, who has recently published a
book on the subject of human and machine working in
harmony to deliver better, reliable and timely data analytics
and intelligence. The book entitled Mind and Machine – A
Decision Model for Optimising and Implementing Analy-
tics looks at how to make sense of data analytics finding the
right data at the right time, looking at what processes are
best to automate to achieve the best results. Marc’s view is
that the speed of the machine needs to be enhanced by
qualitative analysis that only the human mind can achieve
effectively. His book sets out to illustrate ways in which
this can be achieved.
The Business Information Review aims to investigate
changes that affect the profession and technology continues
to be a key theme throughout this issue of BIR. Paul Pedley
looks at the effect of technology in corporate libraries on
privacy, is it an issue, should it be an issue? In his paper,
Paul considers the developments in business information
software which enable personalization and portability
which comes along with greater usage of cloud computing.
This means more recording and storage of personal data
which creates privacy risks. He argues that good vendor
management is important, ensuring that vendors know what
privacy concerns there are. Regular data protection/privacy
audits are also important.
In his second paper for BIR, Ian Hunter develops further
his piece on leveraged finance. December’s issue covered
researching the market size and trends. In this article, he
focusses on how to find leveraged finance documents. It is
an interesting paper reviewing what sources are available
and how to find them, an important read for anyone starting
out in corporate finance information teams.
Next is a paper from Lindsay Harris and journal board
member Mary Peterson. Entitled The economic value and
clinical impact of the South Australian Health Library
7
Service 2011–2016, the paper explores one Australian
state’s Health Department library service attempts to mea-
sure the economic value and clinical impact of its profes-
sional services and online resources. Developed as a case
study of performance management, the paper outlines the
context for the development of evaluation strategies and the
key success indicators that emerged in relation to economic
value. They note that “measuring in return on investment
(ROI) in a cost quantifiable manner for entities such as
libraries, whose central role is with the retrieval and dis-
semination of the abstract concept of ‘information’, shall
likely always be demanding and complex to achieve. Nev-
ertheless, libraries must now make the effort to measure
and evaluate their performance in whatever ways work best
for their particular conditions.” The paper presents a valu-
able study of the experience of measuring and communi-
cating value to stakeholders beyond the information
profession.
Our next article from Malawi, Professor Winner Cha-
winga, lecturer in the Department of Library and Informa-
tion Science at Mzuzu University and his colleague George
Chipeta, senior lecturer in the Department of Library and
Information Science (LIS) at Mzuzu University, investi-
gates how the synergy of knowledge management and com-
petitive intelligence may be a key success driver in small
and medium business enterprises (SMEs). They consider
the turbulent environment that SMEs now need to operate
in and the importance of identifying and gaining competi-
tive advantage. Knowledge management techniques and
competitive intelligence research are investigated as a way
to achieve competitive advantage.
Out of the Box makes a one off appearance in this
issue, addressing developments in AI and the challenge
to professional roles. While AI is a technology that has
long been on the horizon, the increasing adoption of AI
technologies within professional and business services
contexts points to a challenging future for a range of pro-
fessional fields. Out of the box explores the latest devel-
opment in the use of AI in commercial contexts and
discusses the future of professional fields. A one-off fea-
ture, we hope out of the box will return in a more regular
form in the near future to explore all aspects of technology
in commercial contexts.
Perspectives – Martin White’s article in this issue
reviews a number of interesting articles. Subjects covered
include information overload – does age have an effect?
The development and use of personas – how they are used
in human computer design (HCD), whether or not they are
a useful tool in the design process and what best practice
methods to use to make the use of this tool as effective as
possible. Also covered is a paper on the balance between
employee autonomy and corporate control. A highly inter-
esting subject the paper explores the increasing need for
collaborative working and the tools and social networks
available to achieve this against the need for corporate
8 Business Information Review 34(1)
governance and control. What is the best way to work in the
digital workplace? This paper in particular is highly rec-
ommended by Martin to read in context of your own
organization.
Initiatives – We’re sad to announce that this long run-
ning column of Allan’s, which has been a fantastic contri-
bution over the last 10 years, is going to be his last
contribution to BIR. Allan has been with the journal since
the beginning and up until last year had also been respon-
sible for the annual business information survey that has
been running since 1991, giving a detailed picture on devel-
opments within and the state of the information profession,
delivery and use of business information. The initiatives
column has run in many guises since late 1990s. Allan’s
contributions started in 2007 and have provided consistent
and detailed overviews of what is current and important in
the information profession at the time. In his last column,
Allan takes a brief look back at his time with BIR as well as
updating us on the latest initiatives in the profession. Luke
and I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank-
you to Allan from us and on behalf of Sage for his valuable
contributions and insights over the last 33 years.
Claire Laybats and Luke Tredinnick