Report: 94 percent of IT leaders want greater focus on AI ethics

A study from SnapLogic has found that 94 percent of IT decision makers across the UK and US want a greater focus on ethical AI development.

Bias in algorithms continues to be a problem and is among the biggest barriers to societal adoption. Facial recognition algorithms, for example, have been found to be far less accurate for some parts of society than others.

Without addressing these issues, we’re in danger of automating problems such as racial profiling. Public...

26 March 2019 | Ethics

Samsung is looking to snag Paris-based AI startups

Samsung is opening up global AI centres at a rapid pace but reports suggest the Korean giant is hoping Paris can bolster the firm’s talent.

Around 30 AI experts are based at Samsung’s current Paris office working on research and development projects.

The Paris-based AI lab of Samsung is smaller than centres based in London, Toronto, and Montreal. While the lab itself is smaller than its counterparts elsewhere in the world, Samsung is seeking local partners to help...

25 March 2019 | Samsung

JD.com’s AI Accelerator enables new startups to push boundaries of real-world AI technology

With the launch of AI Accelerator in August, JD.com is enabling new AI startups to push the bounds of real-world applications of AI technology.

The firm’s first demo day, the company announced earlier this week, gave the accelerator’s inaugural group of startups an opportunity to showcase their projects. These include FaGouGou, a provider of AI-powered legal consultancy services. JD.com says the company is “now playing a critical role in fulfilling the needs arising from a...

22 March 2019 | Retail

Stanford’s institute ensuring AI ‘represents humanity’ lacks diversity

An institute established by Stanford University to address concerns that AI may not represent the whole of humanity is lacking in diversity.

The goal of the Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence is admirable, but the fact it consists primarily of white males brings into doubt its ability to ensure adequate representation.

Cybersecurity expert Chad Loder noticed that not a single member of Stanford’s new AI faculty was black. Tech site Gizmodo reached out...

22 March 2019 | Ethics

Become a modern-day Bach with Google’s AI-powered doodle

Google is honouring the 334th birthday of famous German composer Johann Sebastian Bach with an AI-powered ‘doodle’ that mimics his musical style.

Users can input their own melody and the AI will create a harmony in the Baroque style of Bach.

“Bach was a humble man who attributed his success to divine inspiration and a strict work ethic,” wrote Google in a post. “He lived to see only a handful of his works published, but more than 1,000 that survived in...

21 March 2019 | Google

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

SAS makes $1 billion investment in AI to focus on R&D innovation

Software giant SAS is making an investment of $1 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) in the coming three years through software innovation, education, and expert services.

The latest investment builds on SAS’ already solid focus in AI which includes advanced analytics, deep learning, machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision.

The move will focus on three main areas: research and development innovation, where SAS is building on the success...

19 March 2019 | Funding

Toy around with deep learning in Nvidia’s AI Playground

Nvidia launched an online space called AI Playground on Monday which allows people to mess around with some deep learning experiences.

AI Playground is designed to be accessible in order to help anyone get started and learn about the potential of artificial intelligence. Who knows, it may even inspire some to enter the field and help to address the huge skill shortage.

The experience currently features three demos:

Imagine InPaintingArtistic Style...

19 March 2019 | Deep Learning

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