ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
An AI-native strategy firmGlobal Advisors: a consulting leader in defining quantified strategy, decreasing uncertainty, improving decisions, achieving measureable results.
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Decreased uncertainty, improved decisions
Global Advisors is a leader in defining quantified strategies, decreasing uncertainty, improving decisions and achieving measureable results.
We specialise in providing highly-analytical data-driven recommendations in the face of significant uncertainty.
We utilise advanced predictive analytics to build robust strategies and enable our clients to make calculated decisions.
We support implementation of adaptive capability and capacity.
Our latest
Thoughts
Global Advisors’ Thoughts: Is insecurity behind that dysfunction?
By Marc Wilson
Marc is a partner at Global Advisors and based in Johannesburg, South Africa
Download this article at http://www.globaladvisors.biz/inc-feed/20170907/thoughts-is-insecurity-behind-that-dysfunction
We tend to characterise insecurity as what we see in overtly fragile, shy and awkward people. We think that their insecurity presents as lack of confidence. And often we associate it with under-achievement.
Sometimes we might be aware that insecurities can lie behind the -ias, -isms and the phobias. Body dysmorphia? Insecurity about attractiveness. Racism? Often the need to find security by claiming superiority, belonging to group with power, a group you understand and whose acceptance you want. Homophobia? Often insecurity about one’s own sexuality or masculinity / feminity.
So it is often counter-intuitive when we discover that often behind incredible success lies – insecurity! In fact, an article I once read described the successful elite of strategy consulting firms as typically “insecure over-achievers.”
Insecurity must be one of the most misunderstood drivers of dysfunction. Instead we see its related symptoms and react to those. “That woman is so overbearing. That guy is so aggressive! That girl is so self-absorbed. That guy is so competitive.” Even, “That guy is so arrogant.”
How is it that someone we might perceive as competitive, arrogant or overconfident might be insecure? Sometimes people overcompensate to hide a weakness or insecurity. Sometimes in an effort to avoid feeling defensive of a perceived shortcoming, they might go on the offensive – telling people they are the opposite or even faking security.
Do we even know what insecurity is? The very need to…
Read the rest of “Power, Control and Space” at http://www.globaladvisors.biz/inc-feed/20170907/thoughts-is-insecurity-behind-that-dysfunction
Strategy Tools
Strategy tools: Effective transfer pricing
So much has been written about transfer pricing. Yet it remains a bone of contention in almost every organisation. Transfer pricing is not merely a rational challenge – it often raises the emotions of internal service users and providers who argue regarding scope, quality, price and value.
We have found that effective transfer pricing relies on some fairly simple best practices and critical success factors.
Many organisations recover costs as a regular ‘below-the-line’ deduction from operating division income statements. In our experience, charge out is almost always preferable. This results in internal value judgements and negotiation regarding delivery happening closer to time of use.
We have typically seen that the realisation that internal pricing plays this role and the consequences of poor implementation are not well understood.
Results of poor transfer pricing implementation
Sub-optimal economic use decisions
Where costs / prices are higher than they should be, buyers pass this on as an inflated cost to their customers, experience margin squeeze, or utilise less of the service than they might have.
Strategically this can lead to incorrect decisions regarding the provision of services to the market and loss of market share.
Where costs / prices are lower than they should be, this can lead to overuse of a product or service and poor cost recovery from external customers.
Strategically this can result in the over promotion and sales of products and services that are achieving lower margins than thought, or that might even be making losses.
Sub-optimal investment and resourcing decisions
Incorrect pricing can lead to over- or under-investment in capacity and product or service quality. Further, the resourcing decisions will be incorrect should the price signal to the supplier be incorrect.
Political and emotional argument
Where buyers are unable to obtain assurance that an internal price is correct, there is typically resentment regarding the cost of the internal product and service and the sheltered position employees of the internal service provider occupy – in the buyer’s eyes free from commercial pressures.
Buyers and suppliers typically also argue regarding the quality of the service or product relative to the price paid.
Suppliers may react to criticism claiming their product or service is strategic in nature and refute its availability in the external markets.
Poor product / service quality
Poor price signals will result in lack of comparable product and service quality benchmarks. This can result in ‘gold-plating’ or poor-quality product and service provision.
Read more at https://globaladvisors.biz/2021/01/06/strategy-tools-effective-transfer-pricing/
Fast Facts
Fast Fact: The rate of technology adoption exploded in the 1990s
The 1990s were an inflection point in the adoption of new technologies. While radio showed fast adoption in the 1920s, new technologies introduced post 2010 had reached penetrations of more than 30% of the United States population within 3 years from launch. PCs...
Selected News
Quote: Dr. Fei-Fei Li – Stanford Professor – world-renowned authority in artificial intelligence
“I think robotics has a long way to go… I think the ability, the dexterity of human-level manipulation is something we have to wait a lot longer to get. ” – Dr. Fei-Fei Li – Stanford Professor – world-renowned authority in artificial intelligence
While AI has made dramatic progress in perception and reasoning, the physical manipulation and dexterity seen in human hands is far from being matched by machines.
Context of the Quote: The State and Limitations of Robotics
Dr. Li’s comment was made against the backdrop of accelerating investment and hype in artificial intelligence and robotics. While AI systems now master complex games, interpret medical scans, and facilitate large-scale automation, the field of robotics—especially with respect to dexterous manipulation and embodied interaction in the real world—remains restricted by hardware limitations, incomplete world models, and a lack of general adaptability.
- Human dexterity involves fine motor control, real-time feedback, and a deep understanding of spatial and causal relationships. As Dr. Li emphasises, current robots struggle with tasks that are mundane for humans: folding laundry, pouring liquids, assembling diverse objects, or improvising repairs in unpredictable environments.
- Even state-of-the-art robot arms and hands, controlled by advanced machine learning, manage select tasks in highly structured settings. Scaling to unconstrained, everyday environments has proven exceedingly difficult.
- The launch of benchmarks such as the BEHAVIOR Challenge by Stanford, led by Dr. Li’s group, is a direct response to these limitations. The challenge simulates 1,000 everyday tasks across varied household environments, aiming to catalyse progress by publicly measuring how far the field is from truly general-purpose, dexterous robots.
Dr. Fei-Fei Li: Biography and Impact
Dr. Fei-Fei Li is a world-renowned authority in artificial intelligence, best known for foundational contributions to computer vision and the promotion of “human-centred AI”. Her career spans:
- Academic Leadership: Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University; founding co-director of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI (HAI).
- ImageNet: Li created the ImageNet dataset, which transformed machine perception by enabling deep neural networks to outperform previous benchmarks and catalysed the modern AI revolution. This advance shaped progress in visual recognition, autonomous systems, and accessibility technologies.
- Human-Centred Focus: Dr. Li is recognised for steering the field towards responsible, inclusive, and ethical AI, ensuring research aligns with societal needs and multidisciplinary perspectives.
- Spatial Intelligence and Embodied AI: A core strand of her current work is in spatial intelligence—teaching machines to understand, reason about, and interact with the physical world with flexibility and safety. Her venture World Labs is pioneering this next frontier, aiming to bridge the gap from words to worlds.
- Recognition: She was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering in 2025—alongside fellow AI visionaries—honouring transformative contributions to computing, perception, and human-centred innovation.
- Advocacy: Her advocacy spans diversity, education, and AI governance. She actively pushes for multidisciplinary, transparent approaches to technology that are supportive of human flourishing.
Theoretical Foundations and Leading Figures in Robotic Dexterity
The quest for human-level dexterity in machines draws on several fields—robotics, neuroscience, machine learning—and builds on the insights of leading theorists:
The Challenge: Why Robotics Remains “a Long Way to Go”
- Embodiment: Unlike pure software, robots operate under real-world physical constraints. Variability in object geometry, materials, lighting, and external force must be mastered for consistent human-like manipulation.
- Generalisation: A robot that succeeds at one task often fails catastrophically at another, even if superficially similar. Human hands, with sensory feedback and innate flexibility, effortlessly adapt.
- World Modelling: Spatial intelligence—anticipating the consequences of actions, integrating visual, tactile, and proprioceptive data—is still largely unsolved. As Dr. Li notes, machines must “understand, navigate, and interact” with complex, dynamic environments.
- Benchmarks and Community Efforts: The BEHAVIOR Challenge and open-source simulators aim to provide transparent, rigorous measurement and accelerate community progress, but there is consensus that true general dexterity is likely years—if not decades—away.
Conclusion: Where Theory Meets Practice
While AI and robotics have delivered astonishing advances in perception, narrowly focused automation, and simulation, the dexterity, adaptability, and common-sense reasoning required for robust, human-level robotic manipulation remain an unsolved grand challenge. Dr. Fei-Fei Li’s work and leadership define the state of the art—and set the aspirational vision for the next wave: embodied, spatially conscious AI, built with a profound respect for the complexity of human life and capability. Those who follow in her footsteps, across academia and industry, measure their progress not against hype or isolated demonstrations, but against the demanding reality of everyday human tasks.

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