UK government investigates AI bias in decision-making

The UK government is launching an investigation to determine the levels of bias in algorithms that could affect people's lives.

A browse through our ‘ethics’ category here on AI News will highlight the serious problem of bias in today's algorithms. With AIs being increasingly used for decision-making, parts of society could be left behind.

Conducted by the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI), the investigation will focus on areas where AI has tremendous...

20 March 2019 | Ethics

Surprise! Machine learning jobs are high-paying and in-demand

According to a report from job site Indeed, machine learning engineer is the best job of 2019 due to growing demand and high salaries.

The career boasts a current average salary of $146,085 with a growth rate of 344 percent last year.

Tech-related jobs, in general, continue to be winners. Indeed set out to find the top 25 jobs for 2019 in their report and nine of them are comprised of tech roles.

Roles such as software developer continue to rank highly due to a...

15 March 2019 | Machine Learning

Ben Dias, Royal Mail: On building out data science teams and ensuring deep mathematical understanding

For Ben Dias, head of advanced analytics and data science at Royal Mail, there are three non-negotiables when it comes to looking for prospective data scientists. Candidates need to want to learn, and be able to pick things up quickly, be able to program, and have a deep understanding of mathematics.

The latter is not overly surprising given Dias (left) describes himself as a ‘computational mathematician’ and that his undergraduate studies were in mathematics and...

14 March 2019 | Big Data

IBM causes a stir after releasing Flickr photos it used for AI training

IBM has caused something of a stir after releasing thousands of photos it obtained from Flickr to train its AI.

The computing giant was technically within its rights to obtain and use the photos as they were posted by users under a Creative Commons license allowing free use.

Flickr CEO Don MacAskill sent a couple of tweets on Tuesday about IBM’s use of the photos:

"We love & support photographers and their right to choose their own licenses for their...

13 March 2019 | IBM

IBM hopes machine learning is the key to solving Alzheimer’s

IBM has developed a machine learning algorithm which shows promise for detecting and slowing the progress of Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s is a brutal disease not just for sufferers, but their loved ones too. The disease currently has no cure and causes an increasing loss of memory, confusion, and difficulty completing once familiar tasks.

IBM Australia published a paper today providing details of how machine learning and AI can be used to predict the severity of...

11 March 2019 | Healthcare

Website checks if you can tell a real face from an AI fake

A new website has gone live to check if you can tell a real face from an AI-generated fake in this world of uncertainty.

The website, WhichFaceIsReal.com, is created by Jevin West of the Information School and Carl Bergstrom of the biology department at the University of Washington.

West and Bergstrom gained some degree of fame after presenting a class titled ‘Calling Bullshit in the Age of Big Data’ back in 2017.

Their website continues along these lines...

7 March 2019 | Society

McAfee: Keep an eye on the humans pulling the levers, not the AIs

Security firm McAfee has warned that it’s more likely humans will use AI for malicious purposes rather than it going rogue itself.

It’s become a cliché metaphor, but people are still concerned a self-thinking killer AI like SkyNet from the film Terminator will be created.

McAfee CTO Steve Grobman spoke at this year’s RSA conference in San Francisco and warned the wrong humans in control of powerful AIs are his company’s primary concern.

To provide an...

6 March 2019 | Security

Transhumanism: AI could figure out how to make humans live forever

During a panel discussion on transhumanism at this year’s MWC, one expert predicted AI could figure out how to make a human live forever.

‘If You're Under 50, You'll Live Forever: Hello Transhumanism’ was the name of the session and featured Alex Rodriguez Vitello of the World Economic Forum and Stephen Dunne of Telefonica-owned innovation facility Alpha.

Transhumanism is the idea that humans can evolve beyond their current physical and mental limitations using...

28 February 2019 | Healthcare

#MWC19: AI requires innovation, values, and trust

During an MWC keynote, a range of experts and policymakers explained the keywords they believe are behind ensuring responsible AI deployments.

The keynote featured IBM’s SVP of Global Business Services, Mark Foster; the EU’s Digital Economy and Society Commissioner, Mariya Gabriel; and the Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Angel Gurria.

Foster opened the session with a foreboding tone: “What we want to talk about is...

25 February 2019 | Ethics

UK investment in AI startups nears the rest of Europe combined

The UK is splashing the cash on artificial intelligence startups so much that it almost totals the rest of Europe combined.

Venture capital firms invested a record $1.3bn (£998m) in UK-based AI companies last year.

The figures are provided by Dealroom and show a fourfold increase in five years. A couple of notable rounds includes $200 million for Graphcore in your humble editor’s hometown of Bristol, and $50 million for what feels like my second home of...

21 February 2019 | Europe