Busting the myth of ‘neutral’ AI

We encode our biases into everything we create: books, poems, and AI. What does that means for an increasingly automated future?

  • AI isn't "just technology," says Professor Ramesh Srinivasan. We have to bust the myth that AI is neutral and has no biases. We encode our biases into artificial intelligence. That fact will become more apparent as 5G 'smart cities' become a reality.
  • Business leaders must develop awareness and ask themselves: What are the data sets my technologies are learning from and what are the values that are influencing the development of these technologies?
  • The American public, across every demographic and both sides of the aisle, supports doing something about big technology issues that are creating an unequal future, says Srinivasan. We are at an inflection point, and good AI is possible if tech leaders act on these issues.
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The digital economy benefits the 1%. Here’s how to change that.

A pragmatic approach to fixing an imbalanced system.

  • Intentional or not, certain inequalities are inherent in a digital economy that is structured and controlled by a few corporations that don't represent the interests or the demographics of the majority.
  • While concern and anger are valid reactions to these inequalities, UCLA professor Ramesh Srinivasan also sees it as an opportunity to take action.
  • Srinivasan says that the digital economy can be reshaped to benefit the 99 percent if we protect laborers in the gig economy, get independent journalists involved with the design of algorithmic news systems, support small businesses, and find ways that groups that have been historically discriminated against can be a part of these solutions.
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What happens to your social media when you die?

Do you want Facebook or Google to control your legacy?

Photo by Josh Marshall on Unsplash
  • Faheem Hussain, clinical assistant professor at Arizona State University, says we need to discuss our digital afterlife.
  • One major problem is that we generally avoid talking about death in the first place.
  • Where and how we (and our data) will be used when we die remains a mystery.
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3 ways quantum computing can help us fight climate change

There's a lot we can do with current technology to help stem the tide of climate change, but future technology may help even more.

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  • Part of what makes fighting climate change so hard is that solutions take years or even decades to develop.
  • Meanwhile, the amount of CO2 already in the atmosphere means that climate change has momentum on its side, and its effects are already being felt.
  • However, quantum computing would represent a breakthrough that could cut down on the time needed to research and develop solutions exponentially, turning the work of decades into years or less.
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Hackers hit New Orleans city government website — are other cities at risk?

No harm done this time, but it's an ominous occurrence.

Photo by Soumil Kumar from Pexels
  • Late last week, the city of New Orleans was hit by a ransomware attack.
  • Government offices were able to avoid the worst of it, as the result of following existing procedures.
  • Attacks like this on city governments are more common than you'd think.
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