Murena Advisors

The Fairwork Amazon Report 2024 (issued by https://gpai.ai/ - The Global Partnership on Artifical Intelligence) focuses on the transformation of Amazon's warehouse sector through the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI). It examines how AI has reshaped work environments, particularly in Amazon's UK warehouses. Report key points: a - The introduction of AI and robotics has automated many repetitive tasks, theoretically reducing physical strain. However, it has intensified work by increasing performance monitoring, resulting in higher pressure to meet algorithmically set productivity targets. b - Interviews with Amazon associates reveal that AI-driven systems like the "Associate Development and Performance Tracker" (ADAPT) create stress as workers are constantly monitored and pushed to maintain a high "rate" of tasks completed. Many workers expressed feeling like they were working at the pace of robots. c - AI systems like the SCOT (Supply Chain Optimization Technology) that manage logistics at Amazon contribute to work intensification. Workers report physical and mental strain due to long shifts, high targets, and repetitive tasks. Although robotics reduced the need for long-distance walking, workers feel the pace of work has become more demanding. d - AI also allows for increased surveillance of workers through technologies like scanners and pick-by-light systems, leaving little room for worker autonomy. e - The report evaluates working conditions based on Fairwork's five principles: fair pay, fair conditions, fair contracts, fair management, and fair representation. While Amazon has implemented some improvements, workers still face significant challenges in pay, workload, and representation. #AI #gpai #artificialintelligence #work #workenvironment

Murena Team (Alessandra Bognetti and Andrea Musso) is attending the Platform Global 2024 in Antibes the annual meeting for technology and AI leaders, public markets and private equity investors, developers and owners of digital infrastructure, looking at challenges and the central role of its supply chain. A dive into the digital infrastructure exponentially evolving market, its role on decarbonisation and digitalisation, providing with insights and connections instrumental for advancing DC business locally and globally. Murena Advisory is engaging with leading players, potential investors, buyers, and sellers and fostering meaningful longer-term relationships. #platformglobal2024 #artificialintelligence #datacentres

The New Yorker article delves into an emerging strategy to revitalize downtown areas hit by the pandemic and changing work habits: converting office buildings into residential apartments. The COVID-19 crisis drastically reduced office occupancy as many companies reassessed the need for large physical spaces due to the success of remote work. This situation has left numerous skyscrapers and office complexes empty or underutilized, especially in central urban areas. Proponents of converting offices into residences highlight several advantages. Firstly, it presents an opportunity to meet the growing demand for urban housing, often in short supply. Converted office buildings can become modern and affordable apartments, helping to alleviate the housing crisis. Moreover, transforming offices into residences can rejuvenate urban areas, bringing in new residents who support local businesses and enhance the safety and vibrancy of city streets. However, this process is not without its challenges. Office buildings are often not designed to become living spaces, requiring significant structural and infrastructural renovations. Additionally, there are economic and regulatory considerations, such as differences in building codes for commercial and residential structures and potential resistance from local communities concerned about the impact of new residential developments. The article examines various case studies, highlighting experiences in cities like New York, San Francisco, and Chicago, where conversion projects have been initiated. Some of these projects have succeeded, leading to an increase in the resident population and greater economic activity in the surrounding areas. In other cases, technical and economic difficulties have slowed or halted projects, leaving buildings in a state of limbo. Converting office buildings into apartments represents a promising but complex strategy to save downtown areas from post-pandemic stagnation. It requires a coordinated approach among public administrations, private investors, and local communities, along with creative solutions to overcome technical and regulatory challenges. If successfully implemented, this transformation could not only address housing demand but also revitalize the economy and vibrancy of urban areas. #revitalize #urbanstrategies #buildingconvertion #realestatechallenges

A financialized real estate market is both an abstraction of global capital flows and a localized driver of gentrification. Under this premise, architectural form and urban design become a performance of contradicting value formations. Drawing on the methods of urban history, geography, architectural criticism and performative writing strategies, this paper develops a theoretical perspective on the architecture of financialized rental housing based on a relational understanding of architecture and social space. The paper’s point of departure is the financialization of Germany’s social rental housing stock. The analysis identifies five strategies for cost-optimization that, taken together, outline the characteristics of an ideal city of financialization which promotes the destruction of social cohesion in the interests of shareholders. #gentrification #financialization #affordability #housingdesign