A Broad Reflection on 2022

3 books, 2 podcasts and one broad reflection as we end the year!

Limping back to normal – that’s my enduring image of 2022. I remember standing in a very long queue to receive a booster dose of the Covid vaccine just a year ago – fast forward to today when I’ve spent most of December on the road is a significant change. The offices though are only partially full and the supply chain shortages and the war are emblematic of things not being in balance. But limping forward is still progress – here’s to racing ahead in 2023.

I wanted to recommend three books that I’ve read this year – the first is actually one I just finished. ‘Power failure – the rise and fall of an American Icon’ is about GE which was an iconic company in the 90s and the early noughties. GE bought new management paradigms to the market and was seen as a real hothouse for global talent – I worked with many GE leaders throughout my career and was always impressed by the drive and the clarity of their vision. This book is an inside look at a company that found and lost its way – always useful to read and reflect on as we build Infosys into a 100 year corporation!

The second book I’d recommend is ‘Act of Oblivion’ by Robert Harris – I’ve always loved his books since Fatherland and this one is a gripping page turner. It’s the story of two regicides who fled England for America in the 1660s after the Stuart restoration – it’s a wonderful read. Thank me later!

Finally, Nicole Perlroth ’s book – ‘This is how they tell me the world ends’ is about the cyberweapons arms race. It’s a revealing look at a world where espionage, crime and high tech merge in an unholy mess.

In 2022, I’ve walked an average of 11,000 steps a day – up from 7000 in 2021. The credit for this should go to a couple of podcasts that have kept me engaged all the while. The first is ‘The rest is history’ by the historian duo of Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook – the topics are well chosen and broad and the banter is terrific! The second is ‘How to Invent a Country’ on BBC sounds – it's hard to describe this hugely enjoyable mix of history, geography, demographics, economics and popular culture but it's worth the investment in time to find out.

Finally, as 2023 rolls around, I’m struck by the advances that AI has made in the past twelve months. Like many of us, I have been tinkering around with GPT 3 and Dall-E 2 and am just so impressed with what is possible with these tools. They will reinvent entire industries and change the way we think about Art and education and technology.

I have always been a huge fan of the work of Arthur C Clarke and a lot of commentators have spoken about his third law in the context of these technologies – Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. I agree – there is something magical about creating a brilliant new artwork on Dall-E or marvelling at GPT3’s amazing articulation. The road ahead looks very exciting indeed.

To the sceptics, I point you towards his first law - When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.

On that cheery note, happy holidays and the very best for leaping onwards and upwards in 2023!