Tag: AI

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/18/18

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

One of the big arguments in favor of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is that machines have no emotions and hence no biases. The first assertion is true – at least so far – but the part about having no biases? Maybe not so true because, after all, machines are programmed, at least initially, by people and people, unlike machines, do have emotions. As AI becomes more and more ubiquitous in our everyday lives, it seems like a good idea to think about just how unbiased machines really are.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/22/18

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell
AI & Life 3.0

Have you ever wondered what it means to be human in the age of Artificial Intelligence? If not, now is a good time to start pondering because the age of AI is upon us. A recent book tries to at least begin a discussion about that question. It’s called “Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” by Max Tegmark. Here are some of the questions that book raises, questions we are all going to have to answer for ourselves very soon.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/25/18

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Advanced Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are wonders of digital technology. They are becoming more and more important in our everyday lives from deciding who will get a mortgage to deciding who will get bail if someone is arrested. But there is a sort of dirty little secret here: we don’t actually know how AI systems reach the decisions they make, or even if those decisions are right or wrong. Let’s think about this for a moment…

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/18/18

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

As we enter 2018, let’s take a moment to look at some recent research in Artificial Intelligence that may be becoming part of everyday life before too long: a poker bot that can win big at Texas Hold-em; another big step in making it possible for computers to read minds; and a bot that can tell if someone is lying better than humans. Tomorrow is becoming today…

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/10/17

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

There are differing views of what Artificial Intelligence should be, and what it will mean for us humans. For us and those who come after us, it’s worth thinking about which possible future is best for humanity. Here’s a starter kit for reflection.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/25/17

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

We hear a lot about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning these days, mostly when a computer program beats a human champion at chess or GO or now poker. But AI is a part of everyday life these days in ways many of us aren’t aware of. We’re often not aware of something else: machines can be just as biased as humans, and that can make a big difference in people’s lives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/2/17

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Some estimates suggest that there could be 50 billion connected devices in the world by 2020 making up a huge web that many refer to as the Internet of Things (IoT). From interconnected devices in our cars to our homes to our children’s toys and beyond, we humans are going to be interacting regularly with often artificially intelligent sensors and electronic devices. Are we ready to handle them all? A recent report from the Community Computing Consortium raises some pretty important questions. If you’d like to see the whole report yourself, take a look at http://cra.org/ccc/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/02/Safety-Security-and-Privacy-Threats-in-IoT.pdf.