IBM launches climate intelligence suite; Apple announces product event; and a chat with Talview’s chief I/O psychologist

IBM has announced a suite of environmental intelligence software that uses AI to help organisations prepare for and respond to weather and climate risks, the company said in a press release. Apple’s next hardware event is set for October 18, 2021, according to invites it sent out on Tuesday. In our tech conversation, we ask Fred Rafilson—chief I/O psychologist at Talview—what Indian startups can do to hire the best and retain them.  IBM has announced a suite of environmental intelligence software that uses AI to help organisations prepare for and respond to weather and climate risks, the company said in a press release on Tuesday. The software can help companies streamline and automate the management of environmental risks and operationalise the underlying processes—including carbon accounting and reduction—to meet environmental goals. The software suite uses existing weather data from IBM, advanced geospatial analytics already in use by companies around the world, and new innovations from IBM Research. According to the company, the offering is the first to bring together artificial intelligence, weather data, climate risk analytics, and carbon accounting capabilities in this way. Apple’s next hardware event is set for October 18, 2021, according to invites it sent out on Tuesday, The Verge reports. Apple is widely expected to launch new MacBook laptops, a redesigned, higher-end Mac Mini, and the third-generation AirPod earphones. The new MacBooks would be the latest step in Apple’s transition away from Intel processors, replacing them with an Arm-based chip called the M1X that Apple designs itself, according to The Verge. The event will stream live on Apple’s website at 10 a.m. PT or 10:30 p.m. Indian standard time. Eightfold AI, a talent intelligence platform provider, has struck a partnership with Tata Consultancy Services, the companies said in a press release. Through this alliance, TCS will offer services for the Eightfold Talent Intelligence Platform and develop innovative joint solutions to help customers improve talent management outcomes, retain top performers, upskill and reskill the workforce, recruit top talent more efficiently, and reach diversity goals. Open, an SME-focused neo-banking platform provider has raised Rs 735 crore ($100 million) in a Series C round. The funding was led by Temasek and saw participation from Google and SBI Investment, one of Japan’s leading venture capital firms. Existing investors Tiger Global and 3one4 Capital also participated in the round. Open plans to use the funding to further strengthen and accelerate its new product lines. These include Zwitch, its embedded finance platform and BankingStack, the cloud-native SME banking platform for financial institutions which is currently deployed at over 15 banks in India. Over the next year, Open aims to expand its base to 5 million SMEs and markets in South East Asia, Europe and the US. (3:32) Companies around the world spend billions of dollars on hiring the right people and retaining them. Increasingly, psychologists are playing a role across these processes to help enterprises better understand what motivates people as Gen Z enters the workforce. I spoke with Fred Rafilson, chief I/O Psychologist at Talview, on what companies can do with recruitment and retention of the best talent in a mobile-first world, and the emerging trends in this area.