boiMAG.com "May 2022" by boiMAGazine & boiMAG.com

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EDITORIAL Publisher: BOI Magazine, Inc. Editor: Nate Daniels Media: Sylvia Stewart Graphic Design: Titanium Graphics Social Media: Mike At Night Tech: Jack Santo Health: Dr Charla Waxman

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COVER Faouzia

MOTHERS DAY

Brunch Hot Spots in Chicago Mother’s Day this year is coming up on Sunday, May 8. If you haven’t made plans yet, here are some Mother’s Day brunch hot spots that are here to save the day. Treat your mom to eggs benedict, pancakes, towering plates of French toast, and bottomless mimosas with the the help of these special Mother’s Day menu options. (in alphabetic order) Avec, a Mediterranean Style Restaurant in the West Loop Treat your mom to a five-course Mediterranean spread at Avec, which is whipping up dishes like syrupy brioche lokma with raw honey and toasted walnuts, coalroasted lamb shoulder and French toast in ricotta and blueberry compote. Drinks are a la carte, but don’t miss tasty options like a Bloody Mary made with dill- and cucumber-infused vodka or the perennially popular espresso martini. $55 per person. Reservations available via Tock. Beatrix, an American Style Restaurant in the River North area Treat Mom to breakfast in bed with Beatrix’s brunch to-go package, which includes scrambled eggs, melon and berries, brown sugar berries, maple chicken sausage and lobster and crab enchiladas with soft scrambled eggs and salsa verde. Round off your meal with an order of take-and-bake cinnamon rolls for a sweet treat. $43 per person. Order via Tock by May 7 for pick-up May 8. Bistronomic, a French Style Restaurant in the Rush & Division area Opt for a classic brunch at Bistronomic’s Mother’s Day celebration, which includes a three-

coure meal of Belgian endive salad, smoked salmon eggs benedict, ahi tuna nicoise salad and more luxurious menu items. Tack on a bottomless mimosa option for an additional $20. $49 per person or a la carte. Reservations available via OpenTable. Crab Cellar, a Seafood Restaurant in Lincoln Park Hoping to grab reservations a little later in the day? Take your seafood-loving mom to Crab Cellar for an endless parade of lobster, crab dip, and jumbo shimp cocktail, which is available from 4–8pm on Mother’s Day. Starting at $105 per person. Reservations available via Tock. Etta in Wicker Park Feeling a little stumped in the gift department this year? Let the folks at Etta take care of things. Reserve a spot at the restaurant’s River North or Bucktown locations for a three-course, family-style meal that boasts delicious brunch options (think blueberry coffee cake, soft scrambled eggs with fava beans and challah French toast) along with complimentary roses and rosé for your mom. $65 per person, $25 per child. Reservations available via SevenRooms. Hotel Zachary in the Wrigleyville Neighborhood Have a proper Mother’s Day with the help of Hotel Zachary’s Mother’s Day afternoon tea, which treats guests to a tea service complete with sweet and savory bites like spinach and artichoke tart, cucumber salmon bites and panna cotta with seasonal fruits. $45 per person, $35 per child. Reservations available via Resy.

Le Sud Restaurant in the Roscoe Village area Head to Roscoe Village to try Le Sud’s Mother’s Day menu, which features tasty a la carte options like smoked ham and cheese croquettes, duck Lyonnaise, steak and eggs and salmon; for a sweet touch, add as dessert plates such as bread pudding and sorbet. Make things extra fancy by opting for bottomless mimosas or Bloody Marys for an additional $25 per person. Prices vary. Reservations available via Resy. Lips, an American Style Restaurant and Show Lounge, South Michigan Ave. Enjoy the ultimate in Drag Dining with mom on this special day! Experience Chicago’s only true LaCage Drag Show set in an opulent and outrageous show palace! Dinner, Drinks and Fabulous Drag Shows can be enjoyed every Thurs, Fri, Sat and for Gospel Brunch on regular Sundays! More information at http://www.lipschicago. com/ or call (312) 815-2662. Prime & Provisions, a Steakhouse Restaurant in the Loop Pick and choose from Prime & Provisions’ buffet-style brunch, where you’ll find options like eggs benedict, cinnamon French toast and made-to-order Belgian waffles, among other treats. If you want to go above and beyond, add on a $75 flower bouquet to complement breakfast options. Prices vary. Reservations available via OpenTable. Soul & Smoke, a Barbecue Restaurant in Evanston Prefer to stick closer to home? Pick up a Mother’s Day offering of three jerk grilled lamb chops from Soul & Smoke, which are served with a side of sweet-and-tangy pineapple salsa. The lamb

chops alone are enough to feed a small family, but we won’t fault you if you tack on a half-pound of the restaurant’s succulent brisket or some corn-bread muffins. $30.50. Order via Tock for pick-up May 7–8. Sueños at Soho Friends, a Mexican Restaurant in the West Loop Try former Leña Brava chef Stephen Sandoval’s latest concept, a Baja-inspired, seafood-forward spot that’s taking over Soho House’s restaurant incubator space for six months, on Mother’s Day, when moms will be treated to a complimentary mimosa. Mom can pair her drink with dishes like avocado and asparagus salad, tuna tostada and pancakes topped with plantains, mascarpone and berries. Prices vary. Reservations available via Resy. The Bristol, a Contemporary American Restaurant in Bucktown If you’ve got picky kids coming to brunch, we bet they’ll be satisfied by The Bristol’s selection of hotcakes, sausage, buttered noodles and scrambled eggs for the little ones. Even more importantly, adults will dig special a la carte Mother’s Day dishes with luxe touches, like deviled eggs and caviar or fromage omelet with watercress and truffle. Prices vary. Reservations available via OpenTable. The Langham (Hotel) Downtown Chicago Go all-out this Mother’s Day at The Langham’s flowers and brunch extravaganza, where guests can arrange their own bouquets and enjoy a customizable three-course menu, plus buffet stations of pastries, seafood and carved meats for grazing. A live acoustic duo provides music to set the mood, and kids can check out a card-coloring station to make something creative for Mom. $225 per person, $50 per child. Reservations available via Tock. boiMAG.com

COVER STORY Faouzia

Internationally acclaimed MoroccanCanadian singer, songwriter, multiinstrumentalist Faouzia has announced her new project, CITIZENS to be officially released on Thursday, May 19. On the prequel to her forthcoming debut album, Faouzia explores what it means to be a citizen. Born in Morocco and growing up in Canada, the tri-lingual artist takes a vulnerable approach in exploring how it feels to be “swallowed” up by the power of a big city and living as insignificant as a citizen. The announcement of the project will include Faouzia’s recent single, “RIP, Love,” alongside a lyric video on YouTube. The track, which incorporates elements of Moroccan and Arabic music styles, inspired by the music of Faouzia’s upbringing, has proven an immediate global smash, with over 14.3M worldwide streams spanning such far-flung countries as the US, Indonesia, Malaysia, Canada, Morocco, Germany, Singapore, Egypt, France, the United Kingdom, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, India, and the Netherlands, to name only a few. Written by Faouzia and co-written and produced by Jakke Erixsen and Tor Eimon (Lauren Spencer Smith’s “Fingers Crossed”), “RIP, Love” has also drawn ecstatic praise from such top outlets as Rolling Stone, PEOPLE, Billboard, Entertainment Tonight, UPROXX, and more. Faouzia initially teased “RIP, Love” on her hugely popular TikTok, currently boasting over 3M followers. An official companion video is currently in production, featuring local creator Selvi who kicked off the “RIP, Love” TikTok dance trend. Currently nominated for a prestigious JUNO Award for “Breakthrough Artist Of The Year,” Faouzia kicked off her run of new music with the empowering single, “Puppet,” joined by an electrifying official music video, directed by Emmy® Award winning filmmaker Kyle Cogan.

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Recently gracing the cover of VULKAN, Faouzia stunned at this year’s New York Fashion Week, Faouzla has been named one of Variety’s “Artists to Watch for the 2022 Grammys,” Vogue’s “Style Stars Set to Make 2022 Exciting,” PEOPLE’s “Talented Emerging Artists Making Their Mark on the Musical Landscape,” and Entertainment Weekly’s “Artist to Watch in 2022.” Faouzia made her television debut in 2019 on The TODAY Show and The Kelly Clarkson Show alongside John Legend for stunning performances of their rising single “Minefields.” Currently boasting over 220M streams, “Minefields” continues to rise, still streaming over 2.5M times per week after over a year after release. Truly becoming a global artist, Faouzia has found fans in VOGUE Arabia, GQ Middle East, Gazelle Magazine, and more. Faouzia recently performed “Minefields” with Legend at an exclusive Chanel Event in Dubai. The CanadianMoroccan artist was also featured in a YouTube Canada campaign “Every Day, Canadians Count on YouTube” and recently nominated for “Breakthrough Artist of the Year” at Canada’s JUNO Awards and “International Breakthrough of the Year” at France’s NRJ Awards. With over 775M global streams to date, Faouzia has a combined social reach of over 8M followers. Boasting over 1.8M YouTube subscribers, 1.9M Instagram followers and more than 3.1M Tik Tok followers, Faouzia has cemented herself as a surefire social media artist to watch. With collaborations with John Legend, Kelly Clarkson, David Guetta, and more, the landmark star has been praised in global publications spanning VOGUE, Harper’s Bazaar, PEOPLE, ELLE, Rolling Stone, Genius, Seventeen, Billboard, and UPROXX, to name but a few. Currently hard at work on her eagerly awaited debut album, Faouzia remains focused on turning her unbridled selfexpression into a powerful outlet for her audience. “My favorite thing is hearing that one of my songs helped someone feel motivated or empowered, or even helped them to have a good cry, which sometimes is all you need,” Faouzia says. “I really believe that immersing yourself in music can help you through the tough times in life, and I always hope that my songs can do that for everyone.”

FITNESS

Stay In Shape, Get Fit and Stay Healthy Reciently, many people bought whatever strength-training equipment they could get their hands on. Kettlebells, especially, became an Instagram fitness craze, causing shortages around the country. Fast forward a year and a half later, kettlebells remain the ruler of the weight room, or your home gym, and for good reason. Kettlebells are some of the most versatile fitness tools because they can be used for both building strength and conditioning. Kettlebell swings, for instance, strengthen your hips, glutes, and core, while challenging your cardiovascular endurance. Plus, kettlebells can be used to mimic everyday functional movements. For example, doing a kettlebell deadlift simulates lifting groceries off the floor. Fhitting Room, a HIIT-based kettlebell training studio in New York, also recently launched an advanced kettlebells class, where people hone in on their skills and technique while building strength. “We have a community within our community who are ready to spend less time on basics and focus on perfecting their technique and mastering more advanced kettlebell skills,” says Kari Saitowitz, founder and CEO of Fhitting Room. “Due to their ballistic nature, unique shape, and versatility, kettlebells are perfect for progressive programming.” Generally, more people are gravitating toward using strength-training equipment, Nakhlawi says. “I definitely see more strength equipment. Not just kettlebells but also adjustable dumbbells, barbells, and an entire squat rack, even in small apartments.” Why? Besides building muscle and improving strength, lifting weights also boasts some major mental health benefits. According to a 2018 meta-analysis in JAMA Psychiatry, resistance training is associated with reduced depressive symptoms. We could all use workouts that promote a positive mind-set and put us in an uplifting mood. If swinging kettlebells or doing barbell deadlifts is going to help us get there, so be it.

On another topic: Pilates. According to ClassPass’ 2021 comeback fitness and beauty trends report, Pilates ranked fourth in the most-booked in-person classes. In fact, twothirds of ClassPass members said that access to Pilates equipment is one of the reasons they’re returning to studios. Today, Pilates classes aren’t just taught with the traditional reformer. Studios, such as SLT, Lagree Fitness, solidcore, are offering classes with the megaformer, a machine inspired by the Pilates reformer that includes cables, bars, and handles. ClassPass users attended more than a million megaformer classes in 2019. At The Fit In Bedford Stuyvesant, a Pilates, barre, and strength training studio aimed at making wellness accessible to underserved communities in Brooklyn, there is a Pilates Reformed fundamentals class, which offers an intro to using the Pilates reformer, tower, and chair. There’s also a Pilates chair fundamentals class, where people can learn how to use this challenging piece of equipment. “We’ve had to go as far as adding fundamental classes for a number of our class types because we had many new people join us over the last year and wanting to really hone in on their form and technique,” says Ife Obi, founder of The Fit In Bedford Stuyvesant. The progression of using different types of Pilates equipment has been a great way for members to track their success. “Pilates was originally designed as a way for people to be able to measure their progress. There are moves like the teaser that can be done using different pieces of Pilates equipment to either provide support or a challenge,” Obi explains. “We are really seeing people paying more attention to their growth and celebrating when they can finally do that move they couldn’t before. Months ago, they may have needed the push-through bar on the Pilates tower to help them up into the position, but now they are able to do it on top of the reformer.” As more people become interested in lowimpact forms of training that incorporate breathing (read: less stress) and focus on improving posture from sitting all day and leading more sedentary lifestyles.

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national autonomous VEHICLE DAY

Fun Facts

It inspires everyone to share in our love of autonomous cars The autonomous vehicle industry has been making great strides to change the future of travel as we know it, and we are here for the revolution. If more and more people knew about it they can be prepared for what will be our future.

Major companies all have a stake Apart from automotive giants, major companies like Google, Apple, Amazon, Cisco, and Microsoft are also exploring this technology. Stats support it The Brookings Institution says one-quarter of all cars will be autonomous by 2040. Governments are investing in this, too Governments across the globe are investing trillions of dollars into automated technology. From Mars to cars NASA technology used in Mars rovers would be incorporated to control Nisan MotoCorp’s fleet of driverless cars, the company revealed. There’s a special place for such vehicles North Dakota proposed Autonomous Friendly Corridors for such vehicles. We’re going (back) to the future! Self-driving cars are what the movies and sci-fi books have promised us for a while now, and we’re excited to see how this reality will look. This day helps us take a quick stroll down memory lane and see how reality compares to the showbiz version of autonomous cars. So far, they’ve surpassed our expectations. Safe driving is a thing of the future The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported around 94% of all traffic crashes are caused by human error. Reducing the human role is expected to reduce car accidents and save lives. This also has the add-on benefit of saving money. If you don’t crash, you don’t need to rehabilitate your vehicle, saving you countless dollars over the years.

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What year will self-driving cars be available? Predictions in 2016 mentioned 2020/2021 as the time autonomous vehicles would be mainstream. While the pandemic has derailed the plans for the moment, expect to see much more innovation in the future. What are the five levels of autonomous vehicles? Automotive experts break autonomous levels down to levels from 0 to 5, all with varying degrees of automation, ranging from almost no automation to complete driverless vehicles. Which cars are fully autonomous? Models like the 2020 Tesla Model S., 2020 Volvo XC60, and the 2021 Toyota RAV4 are all autonomous. Learn about autonomous vehicles Celebrate by doing the very thing the founders of this day intended, learn more about autonomous vehicles and their history in the world. Also, learning more about the past innovations and explorations of autonomous vehicles can tell you more about where we’re headed. Share your experience If you’ve been fortunate enough to set foot (or see) an autonomous vehicle in person, don’t be shy, share your experience with the world. Post about this on social media or simply talk about it. Tell the world what these vehicles can do. Your experience can help excite more people about this innovation. Attend autonomous car expositions Keep an ear out for special autonomous car expositions or showcases, and make sure to attend them if you can. It’s a great chance to learn about the latest technology driving this sector and meet fellow autonomous vehicle enthusiasts at the same time.

HEALTH & WELLness

Bystander Depression Support by: Dr. Charla Waxman BS, MBA, EdD

Director of Business Development

Just exactly what does that title mean? It means that, according to NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five of us will have or be impacted by mental illness in our lifetime. It means that you may have a life partner, someone you care deeply about, who is living with depression. What do you do if you are a bystander of what can be a devastating mental health condition? Is there something you can do to help? First, know that, although you may feel helpless, and sometime hopeless, there are ways you can reach out. It involves education and some honest conversations, but it can be done! Just as your partner is not alone in this process, though, start with some self-care and seek some support for you. Being a helper, is necessary and important, but, not easy. Take care of you always in all ways! Network for support for yourself. You will be glad that you did. Let’s start with the signs of depression. Have you noticed that the general mood for your partner shows that he/she feel hopeless, helpless, or worthless? Do he/she express feeling sad? Do he/she look sad and down, with minimal energy? Feeling listless, and down; withdrawing and seeming that nothing brings happiness or joy are key clues that depression is at work. Sometimes anger masks depression, so watch for your partner being or talking about being on edge and angry.

When anger is the way depression manifests, it makes it harder for a caring helper to feel like helping out. Lashing out at you makes you want to pull away and makes your partner isolate as he/she feels guilty for angry behavior and outbursts. These can be tough times for both of you and for your relationship. Hang on! There is hope and help. The National Council for Mental Well Being in their Mental Health First Aid course (take this course, it’s great!) indicates that major depressive disorder is a period of at least two weeks or more where there is a depressed mood that is connected to symptoms like feelings of sadness, changes in eating habits, overall fatigue, anger, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. Add to the list lack of enjoyment in life, isolation, difficulty focusing, a multitude of physical complaints and thoughts of suicide and you can see how complicated depression can be. As a partner, learn everything you can. Know that organizations like NAMI can help and they are nationwide. Programs like “Family to Family” will offer you a chance to speak and explore ways to help with family members who have a lived experience of trying to help their own loved ones. They can get you over the hurdle of feeling that you are alone as a helper. Just as your partner has you, you will have others who make sure that you are not alone. When you gather information on depression, you can share information you have learned with your loved one. Continued >>

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his or her plans. If you believe he or she is safe, move on with your plans to find support. If your partner indicates that he or she has thought about suicide, even fleetingly, take it very seriously. Get help right away. Even if your partner is angry, safety first. Get help. Now that the subject of suicide has been broached, here are some warning signs: Any talk about suicide is to be taken seriously. Do you know how to listen? Pay attention. This is not a skill that should be taken for granted. Ask open-ended questions, be empathic. Here is where Mental Health First Aid comes in, be a non-judgmental listener. You didn’t cause someone to be depressed and your partner did not ask to be depressed. Avoid judging the cause and help your partner move toward recovery. Be there for them. Keep being there. Be helpful. Let him or her know they are valued, and that they are important to you. Let them know you are partnering for support and you are in it for however long it takes. Help them with daily tasks as depression can make everyday responsibilities seem impossible. Try to do fun things with them. Get them up, out, and moving. Compliment him/her on any effort to find health. Positive feedback creates optimism and optimism creates hope. Be the difference. Talk about it. This may be awkward, but share what you are seeing. Just saying, “I’m concerned”, is a great way to start. Let your partner know you have done your research; tell them some of things you have learned about depression. Ask important questions. Make sure suicidal thoughts and considerations are not in

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If there are available means for completing the act of suicide, be concerned and remove them. If there is talk about gathering the means for suicide, you need to act, get help.

A quick change in mood, especially from sad to glad, may not be real improvement. It may mean that your partner has made a decision to suicide and is feeling relieved that a decision has been made. Pay attention to these details. Increasing or beginning use of substances (that includes alcohol) is a sign for concern. These may be fueling and disinhibiting your partner. Watch for risk-taking behaviors. Giving away prized possessions may be showing that planning to end one’s life is in the works. This is a very serious sign that your partner is in crisis. Suicide is a risk with depression. Don’t ever be afraid to call 911 or take your partner directly to an emergency room. Even if they are angry, remember that you are working to save a life.

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PRIDE JOURNEY Indianapolis, Indiana

By Joey Amato

The last time I wrote an article about Indianapolis was back before I was living here. Sometimes you view a city differently as a tourist, so I decided to become a tourist again to explore my beautiful city. Indianapolis is in my opinion one of the most underrated cities in the country. Its people, culture, and opportunities are some of the greatest strengths of the city, not to mention, a thriving LGBTQ culture. Pride is celebrated here throughout the year. You can walk through neighborhoods and see countless rainbow flags hanging proudly from homes and businesses all year round. Indianapolis is a very gay city, especially when it comes to LGBTQ philanthropic organizations and community initiatives. There are numerous local charities here such as Indiana Youth Group, Trinity Haven, Gender Nexus, Damien Center, Trans Solutions and StepUp just to name a few. If you are looking to mingle with LGBTQ locals, you can definitely find a group that suits your interest. We like things big in Indy. The city is home to the largest children’s museum in the world as well as the largest sports venue in the world, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the annual Indy 500 is run. The Circle City boasts some wonderful LGBTQ bars and restaurants including

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English Ivy’s, Greg’s Our Place, Downtown Olly’s, FortyFive Degrees, Metro, Tini, and the newest drag bar, Almost Famous.

Animal lovers should head to the Indianapolis Zoo, home to the Indianapolis Prize, the most prestigious preservation and conservation award in the world. This May, the new Kangaroo Crossing exhibit will open in the current MISTery Park area, which has been home to the Zoo’s sloths since 2019. Construction is now under way to completely transform the space with beautiful new planting, creating a backdrop for red kangaroos that will offer a feeling of Australia in Indianapolis. Kangaroo Crossing will offer visitors a chance to walk into a large open area to mingle with the roo’s without barriers.

One of the many gems of Indy is the Eiteljorg Museum which will present a thought-provoking exhibition of Andy Warhol’s late-career artwork

that explores his interest in Western icons and his merging of the mythic West with contemporary art and popular culture. The exhibition will be on display from March 12 to Aug. 7, 2022. The traveling exhibition, Warhol’s West, presents a range of his Western imagery, including prints of Geronimo, General Custer, Annie Oakley, and John Wayne. Also in 2022, the Eiteljorg Museum will celebrate its 30th annual Indian Market and Festival on June 25-26, where more than 100 Native American artists will display and sell their beautiful art.

Speaking of museums, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is not just for children. In fact, they host numerous adult-only events throughout the year. This March, they will be debuting Dinosphere, an immersive experience where guest will experience the sights, sounds, and smells of dinosaurs who roamed the Earth during the Cretaceous Period 65-75 million years ago. Visitors will be transported back in time under the cover of a former Cinedome that vibrantly changes from dawn to dusk and features thunderstorms to overnight meteor showers. Significant dinosaur specimens will occupy the space, include Bucky the teenage T. rex which became the first dinosaur discovered to have a wish bone linking its relationship to birds. Also located at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is a tribute to Ryan White, the young man who died of AIDS in 1990. Ryan garnered international fame for his heartwarming story and was befriended by everyone from Michael Jackson to Elton John. A replica of his room is located in the museum. boiMAG.com 23

by: Dr. Charla Waxman

BS, MBA, EdD, Director of Business Development

Have you ever heard this phrase before? People used “nervous breakdown” to describe a complete mental break- a debilitating condition resulting in an inability to manage even the simplest of daily responsibilities. There is something very stigmatizing about this phraseit seems so outdated. Perhaps, it is best to talk about what extreme emotional distress can mean. The expression “nervous breakdown” is not a clinical descriptor and it is not even a mental disorder. According to the Mayo Clinic, a nervous breakdown is a description of mental illness from the past “used to cover a variety of mental disorders… no longer used by mental health professionals”. It is, according to NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) and the Mayo Clinic, most often related to prolonged and extreme depression or anxiety, resulting in an inability to manage normal day to day activitiesa “shutting down” of sorts. This can mean not going to work, attending to obligations, caring for children, letting relationships lapse, not paying bills, not eating, or engaging in appropriate self-care or hygiene.

If hopeless, helpless and worthless describe the feelings you are having on a day to day basis, finding help is of utmost importance. Such breakdowns are possible to avoid. Self-care, self-awareness and maintenance is key. Staying connected to friends and family can keep you both supported and grounded. Finding balance between work, time, and relationships with family and friends is necessary for health. When you start to think, “I can’t take any more!”, you need help. Exercise, healthy eating, hobbies, and time away from social media may help you “feed” your soul and mental health. Ask for help when you need it. You know yourself better than anyone. Trust your intuition. Make that call: Everyone needs help sometimes. Call a friend, call your local health department, dial an 800 support line like 800 273 TALK, just make that call!

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by Jack Santo

In 2022, we will see artificial intelligence continue along the path to becoming the most transformative technology humanity has ever developed. According to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, its impact will be even greater than that of fire or electricity on our development as a species. This may seem like a very ambitious claim, but considering it is already being used to help us tackle climate change, explore space, and develop treatments for cancer, the potential is clearly there. The full scale of the impact that giving machines the ability to make decisions, and therefore enable decision-making to take place far more quickly and accurately than could ever be done by humans, is very difficult to conceive right now. But one thing we can be certain of is that in 2022 breakthroughs and new developments will continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible. The Augmented Workforce There have always been fears that machines or robots will replace human workers and maybe even make some roles redundant. However, as companies navigate the process of creating data and AI-literate cultures within their teams, we will increasingly find ourselves working with or alongside machines that use smart and cognitive functionality to boost our own abilities and skills. In some functions, such as marketing, we’re already used to using tools that help us determine which leads are

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worth pursuing and what value we can expect from potential customers. In engineering roles, AI tools help us by providing predictive maintenance, letting us know ahead of time when machines will need servicing or repairing. In knowledge industries, such as law, we will increasingly use tools that help us sort through the evergrowing amount of data that’s available to find the nuggets of information that we need for a particular task. In just about every occupation, smart tools and services are emerging that can help us do our jobs more efficiently, and in 2022 more of us will find that they are a part of our everyday working lives. Bigger and Better Language Modeling Language modeling is a process that allows machines to understand and communicate with us in language we understand, or even take natural human languages and turn them into computer code that can run programs and applications. We have recently seen the release of GPT-3 by OpenAI, the most advanced (and largest) language model ever created, consisting of around 175 billion “parameters”- variables and datapoints that machines can use to process language. OpenAI is known to be working on a successor, GPT-4, that will be even more powerful. Although details haven’t been confirmed, some estimate that it may contain up to 100 trillion parameters, making it 500 times larger than GPT-3, and in theory taking a big step closer to being able to create Continued >>

TECH TRENDS CONTINUED Artificial Inelegance (AI) language and hold conversations that are indistinguishable from those of a human. It will also become much better at creating computer code. AI in Cybersecurity This year the World Economic Forum identified cybercrime as potentially posing a more significant risk to society than terrorism. As machines take over more of our lives, hacking and cybercrime inevitably become more of a problem, as every connected device you add to a network is inevitably a potential point-of-failure that an attacker could use against you. As networks of connected devices become more complex, identifying those points of failure becomes more complex. This is where AI can play a role, though. By analyzing network traffic and learning to recognize patterns that suggest nefarious intentions, smart algorithms are increasingly playing a role in keeping us safe from 21st century crime. Some of the most significant applications of AI that we will see develop in 2022 are likely to be in this area. AI and the Metaverse The metaverse is the name given for a unified persistent digital environment, where users can work and play together. It’s a virtual world, like the internet, but with the emphasis on enabling immersive experiences, often created by the users themselves. The concept has become a hot topic since Mark Zuckerberg spoke about creating it by combing virtual reality technology with the social foundations of his Facebook platform.

AI will undoubtedly be a lynchpin of the metaverse. It will help to create online environments where humans will feel at home at having their creative impulses nurtured. We will also most likely become used to sharing our metaverse environments with AI beings that will help us with tasks we’re there to do, or just be our partner for a game of tennis or chess when we want to relax and unwind. Low-Code and No-Code AI A big barrier to the adoption of AIdriven efficiency in many companies is the scarcity of skilled AI engineers who can create the necessary tools and algorithms. No-code and lowcode solutions aim to overcome this by offering simple interfaces that can be used, in theory, to construct increasingly complex AI systems. Much like the way web design and no-code UI tools now let users create web pages and other interactive systems simply by dragging and dropping graphical elements together, no-code AI systems will let us create smart programs by plugging together different, pre-made modules and feeding them with our own domainspecific data. Technologies such as natural language processing and language modeling, like mentioned above, mean that soon it may be Continued >>

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TECH TRENDS CONTINUED Artificial Inelegance (AI) possible to use nothing more than our voice or written instructions. All of this will play a key role in the ongoing “democratization” of AI and data technology. Autonomous vehicles AI is the “brains” that will guide the autonomous cars, boats, and aircraft that are set to revolutionize travel and society over the coming decade. 2022 should be a year to remember when we look back in the future and contemplate with horror the fact that we thought it was normal that 1.3 million people died of traffic accidents every year, 90% of which were caused by human error!

As well as increasingly effective autonomous cars, Tesla says its cars will demonstrate full self-driving capability by 2022, although it’s unlikely they will be ready for general use. Its competitors include Waymo (created by Google), Apple, GM, and Ford, and any of them can be expected to announce major leaps forward in the next year. The

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year will hopefully also see the first autonomous ship crossing the Atlantic, as the Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS), powered by IBM and designed in partnership with non-profit ProMare, will once again attempt the journey (having been forced to turn back during its initial attempt this year). Creative AI We know that AI can be used to create art, music, poetry, plays, and even video games. In 2022, as new models such as GPT-4 and Google’s Brain redefine the boundaries of what’s possible, we can expect more elaborate and seemingly “natural” creative output from our increasingly imaginative and capable electronic friends. Rather than these creations generally being demonstrations or experiments to show off the potential of AI, as is the case now, in 2022, we will increasingly see them applied to routine creative tasks, such as writing headlines for articles and newsletters, designing logos and infographics. Creativity is often seen as a very human skill, and the fact we are now seeing these capabilities emerging in machines means “artificial” intelligence is undeniably coming closer in terms of scope and function to the somewhat nebulous concept we have of what constitutes “real” intelligence.