Michael Ashley, Forbes Journalist Profile

Articles

Graduate Smart: Career Advice For The AI Era

1 week ago | forbes.com | Michael Ashley

Spring has sprung. It’s getting warmer. April showers have commenced. Flowers are blooming—and so is all that once-dormant grass. We’re fast approaching graduation season. Soon it will be time for all those proud teens on adulthood’s cusp to parade across the stage, diplomas in hand. Only this year feels different. Uncertain. It’s not just the fact that a tariff war is well underway. AI is the underlying cause of so much head scratching and soul searching of late.
This Week In AI: Walmart Sets Fashion Trends Before They Ever Happen

1 week ago | forbes.com | Michael Ashley

Welcome to my first installment of this new series. The rationale behind it is simple. AI is evolving so rapidly—and with such seismic effects on business and society—keeping up is no longer optional. In that spirit, here are some of the top stories and why they matter to you. #1 Google launched Agent2AgentThe Story: It’s Monday morning. As an AI-powered recruiter you work smarter, not harder. You log into your company’s dashboard on your phone.
Overwhelmed By Compliance? AI Could Save Your Business

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Michael Ashley

One morning, the police arrive to arrest a man named Josef K. Josef K is an ordinary bank clerk with little to distinguish himself. He has no tickets to his name, no outstanding warrants. He can think of nothing he’s done wrong, nothing to explain the handcuffs slapped on his wrists. Worse, none of the authorities can explain his crime either. Things only get weirder from here. No one in the judicial system knows why he is summoned to court hearings. Yet Josef K is forced to defend himself.
AI Vs. Creativity: The Hollywood Battle You Haven’t Heard About

3 weeks ago | forbes.com | Michael Ashley

Tinseltown isn’t known as the most ethical industry. Back when I was in film school, my hardboiled professor wanted us to know just what we were getting into. (Hollywood had apparently chewed him up and spit him out.) Our assignment was to read the book What Makes Sammy Run by Budd Schulberg. Set in the 1930s, it tells the tale of Sammy Glick, a ruthless young man from New York who comes to the west coast with big dreams.
AI, Privacy, And Power: Are People Finally Reclaiming Their Data?

1 month ago | forbes.com | Michael Ashley

My, how things change.In 2019, I interviewed Cindy Goss, Founder/Principal ofPropel Business Solutions, Inc., a Southern California-based branding and marketing firm, about the dangers of Surveillance Capitalism. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it originates from a book by the same name by Harvard professor Shoshana Zuboff.
From Muskets To Drones: Tech Is Transforming The Battlefield

1 month ago | forbes.com | Michael Ashley

I still remember the moment I first learned about guerrilla warfare—in fifth grade. Mr. Schlamb regaled our class with the story of how the British army lost the Revolutionary War by relying on stodgy battlefield decorum. Dressed in their ostentatious red uniforms, British soldiers lined up in orderly formations to fire upon their enemies—and to be fired upon in return. Once the choreographed melee ended, the victorious army was the one still standing.
From Kitchen To Table: Robotics Is Reshaping Hospitality

1 month ago | forbes.com | Michael Ashley

Let me paint you a picture of a typical modern restaurant experience. You and your family sidle up to the hostess stand. Instead of greeting you warmly, the greeter holds up an index finger, telling you to wait. They are busy on the phone, coordinating a DoorDash delivery. You stand there for a few minutes before this person finishes the call. Then it’s time to finally add you to the waiting list. You’re given a beeper and told it’ll go off when your table is ready.
From Hunches To AI: Marketing’s Future Is Here

1 month ago | forbes.com | Michael Ashley

In the Mad Men pilot, the hero Don Draper (John Hamm) tells his prospect they desperately need to change how they sell their services. Draper, oozing charm and confidence in his expensive suit, is the quintessential ad man—a modern-day David Ogilvy, whose book Confessions of an Advertising Man once defined the industry. Using persuasive powers, Don describes how the prospect’s current ad agency intends to milk them for money while doing nothing to up their sales. The prospect isn’t impressed.
puzzle clues

1 month ago | roanoke.com | Michael Ashley

Hey, That Hurt!By Michael AshleyAcross1 Primary aspirant’s challenge6 Tough test metaphor11 Skunk River city15 “Let’s move it!”19 Historic Jordanian city20 Tree native to southern Brazil21 Bar purchase22 1985 U.S. Open champ Mandlikova23 “Fire!,” say?
From Lost Sales To Big Wins: How AI Can Close More Deals

1 month ago | forbes.com | Michael Ashley

“Approach each customer with the idea of helping him or her to solve a problem or achieve a goal, not of selling a product or service,” vaunted sales expert Brian Tracy once said. Unfortunately, many sales experiences feel like a one-way street—favoring the salesperson rather than the customer. This was the frustrating scenario I found myself in over the weekend. My son’s birthday is coming up.