We are drowning in numbers, and we no longer understand what they mean. Every day, headlines bombard us with figures meant to inform: billions in spending, trillions in debt, percentages signaling growth or decline. But for most of us, these numbers blur together. They register as “large” or “small,” but almost never as real. And that is more than a math problem. It is a civic one.
INFORMS has awarded Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) its 2026 Franz Edelman Award for Achievement in Advanced Analytics, Operations Research and Management Science, for reengineering how global cloud infrastructure is planned and delivered, applying advanced analytics and AI to orchestrate complex fulfillment decisions across its rapidly expanding data center network.
In the rush to adopt artificial intelligence, many employers are now requiring that employees use AI tools. As you’re using AI, be intentional and selective. It’s critical that you know yourself. Research published in Management Science found that AI is most valuable for people who understand their own abilities and limitations. Assess yourself, so you can factor this into your process for incorporating AI into your work.
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Both Amazon and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are demanding the biometric data of all Americans.
Too many people in the United States are dying of colorectal cancer (CRC). The #2 cancer killer in the United States, it impacts Black Americans disproportionately. Compared to White adults, Black adults aged 50 and above get colon cancer at a rate that’s 23% higher than White adults and have a 31% higher risk of dying from the disease.1 These disparities persist despite progress in screening and treatment and are particularly frustrating because CRC is highly treatable when caught in early stages and even preventable when pre-cancers are identified and removed through screening. These differences in incidence and mortality persist even while we have made progress to make screening more accessible to all. A 2019 NIH study showed that a similar proportion of Black and White Americans are up to date with CRC screening2, a meaningful improvement since 20053. If screening access and uptake are now so similar, why do these disparities persist?
The test for any breakthrough technology is often where you least expect it, but once it “conquers” that application, even more possibilities may emerge.
Blame the presidential election for extra early Christmas shopping this year.
Insider secrets for getting reservations at always-booked restaurants, tickets to popular sporting events and concerts, important medical appointments, and more
OR/MS Today is the INFORMS member magazine that shares the latest research and best practices in operations research, analytics and the management sciences.
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