Artificial Intelligence, Administrative Oversight & Reparation Claims

 Here is one viewpoint from a reader in response to the contents of an earlier post (dated 22 May 2020): 

Dear Prof. Kaushik....It's really interesting to note that the 80s of your time in the USA passed through the same melding of the physical world with the virtual world, as Corona has foisted on us now. Marx had presciently observed: History repeats itself first as a comedy, and then as a farce. We must not commit a comedy of errors now, by hustling through this process of synthesis, lest it becomes a farce later, with unintended consequences. 

With my limited experience of teaching, writing and research, I can not  agree with you any more, that learning should be voluntary in a congenial environment, where both teachers and students learn and evolve  and course correction is the only  constant.............Being a Keynesian by inclination I can only repeat  what he said at the end of the first world war in his rarely read master piece 'Economic Consequences of Peace and War' that, no reparation claim should be overly oppressive, and more importantly it's time to reflect, repose and ruminate. The lock down, hopefully will not slow us down our process of thinking clearly, unhurriedly and hopefully  encourage the 'Argumentative Indian' in all of us, in different measures. 

[The above response is from a senior colleague formerly with the Indian Economic Service.]

Here are my comments:

Sir, I would not say that there was exactly a "melding" of the virtual with the physical world of the 1980s in USA. Actually, the design automation projects initiated during that period were all part of a journey from the mass production era to the mass customization era around sustainable growth challenges which had already been initiated earlier [The shift from "Taylorism to Tailorism" is important here].  These were partly influenced by the noted economist Herbert A. Simon's "Sciences of the Artificial'' (1969) with one of his quotes "The proper study of mankind is the science of design" giving us the necessary impetus to apply Artificial Intelligence in Design and Manufacturing. Various Architectures for capturing Domain Independent Expertise were being proffered in the form of prospectives around product life cycles for the "supply chains of the future" (all during late 1980s to early 1990s). The aim of our research was to leverage the power of technology for common good with design thinking guiding action.

The University of Massachusetts (Amherst) where I did my doctoral studies, also exposed me to the views of civil rights activists. Like all other students, though I am not sure of the latest position, I had the privilege of accessing the world's tallest university library (@UMASS). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._E._B._Du_Bois_Library 

"According to scribd.com (retrieved 16 Sep 2014), ........it is the 2nd tallest library in the world, and it is the tallest university library in the world.^[2]" Named after a prominent civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois - an advocate for intellectual freedom and civil equality. [in respect for Du Bois's life-long commitment to the cause of social and racial justice.] The United States' Civil Rights Act, embodying many of the reforms for which Du Bois had campaigned his entire life, was enacted a year after his death.

UMass also had close ties with Nelson Mandela and his quest for freedom and democracy. In 1978, UMass Amherst became the second American public university to divest its holdings in apartheid South Africa.

It was quite ironic for me when I returned to India in 1992. [....it made me think of the "internal apartheid" in our country.] No wonder, therefore, post-liberalized India hardly made any progress in terms of freedom and democracy.

After returning to India, various interim developments took place from 1992 to 2018 [such as, launching of the SCM course or establishing the Computer-Aided Product and Process Development lab, Soliciting industry support for the CSMRP lab precursor to the ERP Center, VDIS for SMEs (Upto 2000), Manufacturing Management, e-Governance related articulations (2001 to 2005, Design Thinking & PLM initiatives (2005 to 2015); CBCPLM for MSMEs (2014 to 2018) etc. in Odisha] all along championing the need for virtual platforms for the Indian context. But the physical world around was slow in embracing these ideas because of the already "hardened organization structures" adopted from the mass production era (recall: "division of labor and its exploitation under capitalism" or one may say, "the division of labor with its intoxicating effects on capitalism"). So it was painfully slow in the Indian context. DRDO's CAIR was a relatively new set up under your former department's purview around the early 1990s (if I am not wrong). And you must be knowing best why productive resources were being held back on Indian soil. Hence, the delay in the virtual world working synchronously with the physical world for realizing the true value of  technology for the Indian purpose in domestic supply chains. This delay makes it all the more difficult for the physical world to catch up with the virtual world now when India needs it the most. 

Sir, you may be knowing more about Marx since you presented a paper: "Was Marx  a precursor to Keynes?". I am, therefore puzzled with your reference to "Marx observing history as a comedy"; from what I gathered, please read this excerpt: 

History Repeats Itself? 

Marx never believed that “history repeats itself,” but in a famous quote he said:

“Hegel remarks somewhere that all great world-historic facts and personages appear, so to speak, twice. He forgot to add: the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.” [Marx, 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonapatre, Chapter 1.] 

[Source:https://www.marxists.org/glossary/terms/h/i.htm#history-repeats, 1852]

It is "tragedy" and not "comedy" as quoted in your email. In any case, I could not figure out if you were alluding to something or someone when you mentioned "farce". Since it is part of the paragraph on virtual processes, to me it does not look like repetition of history but it seems more like continuous development of technology (in this case as related to Artificial Intelligence) over time in service of humanity. The scary part now is that it may go out of control in the hands of people who don't want to use it for benevolent purposes (possibilities and possible perils of AI by Bernard Marr) or worse in the hands of unscrupulous people who do not believe in process integrity and transparency. Just like workers becoming extensions of "physical machines" during the mass production era, it is quite possible to envision a scenario where the "knowledge worker" now may become a mere appendage of the "virtual machine". 

Marx, as you know, had wanted an end to division of labor and alienation of the worker from the means of production along with the other types of alienation that weaken the workers. Here is an excerpt from one Policy Review Article by Ronald W. Dworkin (Feb 2012)

"Indeed, a story is unfolding in the West about the future of capitalism, one with two main characters, Karl Marx and medical science. Marx believed capitalism’s days were numbered. He might have been right, had medical science not been there to rescue it." 

Read this one: Retirement and the Social Contract | Hoover Institution    

Even though it is from 2012, it is very much significant even now with the world facing this Coronavirus pandemic. Also see my blog post titled "Holistic solution" (Monday, August 13, 2007) commenting on the Health Sector related Supply Chains of Odisha.

Sir, your being Keynesian by inclination worries me when you say "no reparation claim should be overly oppressive". I am sure you know that Keynes was leading the eugenics movement which Britain is now trying hard to forget. Meanwhile, you may like to note that, "Keynes' grandchildren have become Marxists." [Read this article from MIT Technology Review: Keynes' was wrong Gen-Z will have it worse.] by Malcolm Harris December 16, 2019. Here is an excerpt:

In a famous essay from the early 1930s called “Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren,” Keynes imagined the world 100 years in the future. He spotted phenomena like job automation (which he called “technological unemployment”) coming, but those changes, he believed, augured progress: progress toward a better society, progress toward collective liberation from work.  

[Do go through the article to see how supply chains exploit workers using technology.]

Finally How Does All This Connect Here (i.e., Higher Education in Odisha):

Rapid Response to Reparation Claims - Hallmark of a virtuous entity/society/civilization in an empathetic state.

Sir, your stated position regarding reparation claims cannot be generalized. It certainly does not absolve the administrative functionaries from their administrative responsibilities in promptly forwarding files related to post-retirement benefits/compensation claims of employees. I state this from my own experience relating to reparation claims where I have seen hapless victims not having the might to exercise overly oppressive influence on administrative functionaries. 

Similarly, I was hoping to see some response regarding the concerns I had raised on the MBA syllabus:

1. Plagiarism related concerns
2. Lack  of transparency on revisions related to the syllabus (which is not a personal property).
3. Unsubstantiated statements by the Coordinators.
4. Concerns regarding the online engagement of students.

In academic institutions (be it research or teaching) these are all important points to be given top priority. Since these are matters very much under the administrative oversight of senior functionaries, I was expecting a response on the content of deliberations more than the form. I hope these issues will be addressed soon.

Learning is any change in a system that produces a more or less permanent change in its capacity for adapting to its environment.  (Herbert A. Simon) 

Strengthen Academic Teams by Developing the Weak Links

We often see people making observations about teams. Like in the industry, educational institutes also need teams to design, develop and deliver courses. Here is one comment from an Administrator supervising a team of faculty in an educational set up that had to adopt the virtual mode of learning during the pandemic in March 2020:

"I do not have competence to comment on the issues relating to the SCM course content, but I have no hesitation in observing that  the group, comprising of  Prof U, Prof. V, Prof. W and Prof. Z is possibly the most promising academic group I have seen, in this school: quiet, competent and committed. 

The Chinese say : Feel the stones, while crossing the river. In this new academic virtual journey that we are all part of, I am sure, the Quartet would do everything to  ferry the students to a new, and promising destination." 

[Note: A somewhat positive comment/perception regarding the team where the members were facing an enquiry on teaching-learning matters]

Recalling my own experience with the curriculum design of Operations & Supply Chain Management courses in various Institutions of the state and one open University of the country, here are my remarks and response to the above comments/observations.

Proactive supply chains leverage on "informating" to improve supply chain performances on a continual basis. Teams in educational setups are no different when it comes to the development of learner centric curriculum. In line with my earlier views on "subject matter experts", one also does not need to be an expert to understand that a "chain is as strong as the weakest link". A supply chain is similar. Hence, it is a basic precept to be kept in mind while handling SCM related challenges. Without developing the weakest link it will be foolish to expect world class standards. In one board meeting on curriculum design, concerns were raised regarding "plagiarism and the poor quality of work" that was presented before the external subject matter experts (by the above internal team). Proper information sharing within the internal team may have averted this embarrassing situation. Such unhealthy practices need to be nipped in the bud - otherwise they become a habit and then keep on weakening the chain. One needs to keep in mind how to overcome such weaknesses by continually introspecting and improving so as to strengthen the team. A Japanese proverb: "Karma and shadows follow one everywhere". 

As the convenor of the board meetings, the Administrator also had a crucial role in getting the syllabus ready as per the desired quality standards. Even though a document titled "[Copyright Violations] A Suggestion for the Detailed Course Guidelines for proposed structural changes in course curriculum" was made available, the suggestions were not adopted and the embarrassing situation could not be avoided. The suggestions are valid  even now.  It is worth recalling Dr. Deming's quote: "Learning is not compulsory. It's voluntary. Improvement is not compulsory. It's voluntary. But to survive, we must learn." 

I have been a strong advocate of the virtual world complementing the real world and my journey had started as a part of the Project Pilgrim (that followed on the heels of Project Athena of MIT) during the late 80s aimed at improving operating system transparency in a distributed computing environment as was quite common in Universities. The supply chain becomes even stronger when the virtual chain complements the physical chain. Now if the virtual chain is not in sync with the physical chain (or vice-versa) then there is bound to be some form of disruption. Currently, the world is going through a crisis and there is an urgent need to slow down till these are in sync. 

Now my remarks on the Chinese proverb and perceptions. While the Deng Xiaoping quote is valid for cautious reforms, one must be careful when it comes to team formation. Teams being solo, duo, trio, quartet etc. is as much a matter of perception as are the human traits such as "quiet, competent and committed". Sometimes this perception makes us feel that it is a quartet when in fact it is a trio or a duo or even a solo doing the hard work - thus resulting in a dysfunctional that fails to add value on a continual basis.

Here is another Japanese Proverb: "If one can Do, You can Do. If no one can Do, You must Do." .....And sadly the Indian version: "If one can Do, Let him Do. If no one can Do, What can I Do?" [Source: Google Search]

The reality, however, is different from perception; at times it is a stone where we often stumble while crossing the river. Anyway, such experiences have given me opportunities to develop my own views regarding the areas and groups in most educational setups: it appears there are more silos within the areas or groups now than it was at anytime during my long association with Academics since 1986 (1992 and then in 2005) and such silos are unhealthy for the educational institutions where we develop manpower for all types of supply chains around us. 

A more responsive stance is required on all the teaching-learning related concerns that I have raised in the past. Recently, my concerns are also mostly linked with the need to go slow when the world is going through a crisis.

The old world order is ebbing and a new one is rising on the horizon.

Hence it is time to slow down and reflect. 

[Slow down to see this video clip] 

video forwarded as received from one egroup 

A Lesson for All: "Introspect, Restrain, Meditate & Listen to the Voices of Nature"

I hope stakeholders of the educational enterprise will be able to create this space for each individual entity so that they can participate constructively in building a learning community where the mind is without fear and the head is held high. 

[Teaching-Learning] Listen to the Voices of Nature