IBM releases tool for tackling scourge of bias in AI algorithms

Bias and prejudice remains a serious issue across many societies, take away human input and the result could be disastrous. IBM is stepping in with a tool it calls ‘Fairness 360’ which scans for signs of bias in algorithms to recommend adjustments on how to correct them. AIs already have a documented bias problem. It’s rarely intentional, but typically a result of their developers coming from the predominant part of each society. Take facial recognition software, for example. A 2010...

19 September 2018 | Ethics

WEF predicts machines will do more tasks than humans by 2025 – but jobs still to go up

The year 2025 will see machines doing most of the tasks at workplaces – although this doesn’t mean that they will replace humans entirely. A new study titled “The Future of Jobs 2018” by the World Economic Forum (WEF) suggests that by 2025, more than half of all current workplace tasks will be performed by machines, in contrary to 29% today. This transformation will greatly shake the global labour force. But on the other hand, the outlook for overall numbers of new jobs is positive, as...

17 September 2018 | Machine Learning

Experts warn of AI disasters leading to research lockdown

Experts from around the world have warned of potential AI disasters that could lead to a subsequent lockdown of research. Andrew Moore, the new head of AI at Google Cloud, is one such expert who has warned of scenarios that would lead to public backlash and restrictions that would prevent AI from reaching its full potential. Back in November, Moore spoke at the Artificial Intelligence and Global Security Initiative. In his keynote, he said:

"If an AI disaster...

13 September 2018 | Government

Samsung continues global AI centre rollout with NY opening

The Big Apple is the latest city to be graced with a Samsung AI centre as part of the South Korean giant's international push. Samsung's New York AI centre will be led by Sebastian Seung, Executive Vice President of Samsung Research. Each of Samsung's AI centres focuses on different areas of research. The New York branch will be researching the important field of AI in robotics. Hyun-suk Kim, President and Head of Samsung Research, said:

“What we need now is...

10 September 2018 | Research

Study claims AI will spur growth on par with the steam engine

A study predicts AI will spur growth similar to groundbreaking technologies such as the steam engine, for at least the next decade. The simulation run by the McKinsey Global Institute shows artificial intelligence has the possibility to add 1.2 percent to annual gross domestic product growth until at least 2030. For perspective, that represents $13 trillion of additional global economic activity. Such growth is equivalent to other landmark developments such as that of the steam engine. AI is...

6 September 2018 | Government

New research explores potential of AI and machine learning in the healthcare sector

Machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), and deep learning are being used in every imaginable industry – and healthcare is not left untouched. The growing demand for smart applications, wearables and better healthcare services is increasingly creating the scope of ML and AI applications in the pharma and healthcare sectors. Two market intelligence firms, Infiniti Research and Tractica, have highlighted the main applications of these technologies in healthcare industry. According...

5 September 2018 | Healthcare

Box will launch ‘Skills Kit’ for building custom AI integrations

California-based cloud content management and file sharing service provider Box recently announced that its Skills Kit platform, which allows organisations and developers to build AI integrations for interacting with stored content on their own, will be available to all customers in December 2018. The Box Skills framework was first announced in 2017 and was developing an additional layer called ‘Box Skills Kit’ since inception. The latter is a toolkit that allows companies to develop their...

31 August 2018 | Cloud

Harvard and Google partner on earthquake aftershock-predicting AI

Harvard University has partnered with Google to create a potentially life-saving AI that can predict where aftershocks will hit following an earthquake. The AI uses data from 199 earthquakes and the more than 130,000 aftershocks. Manual predictions are possible but they consume time and have proven to be less accurate than those of the AI. Many believe aftershocks occur within a short timeframe of an earthquake. The AI, however, can predict aftershocks up to a year after the initial...

30 August 2018 | Google

Microsoft announces AI-powered OneDrive and SharePoint features

Microsoft is bolstering OneDrive and SharePoint with new AI capabilities to stand out from the competition, including searchable video transcripts. According to a report by CloudRail last year, OneDrive is lagging in popularity behind Dropbox and Google Drive by a substantial margin. The company will be hoping its new features help to close the gap. Omar Shahine, Partner Director of Program Management for OneDrive and SharePoint, said:

“We are announcing...

29 August 2018 | Enterprise

AI-driven insurance: AXA and Generali on how the industry is catching up

Often labelled old-fashioned, archaic and static, insurance is undergoing a dramatic transformation. New players like Amazon, Uber and Lemonade have shaken their respective industries to the core and are leading the way. Differentiated by a vastly improved customer experience and an emphasis on seamless integration of technology, the message is clear: innovate or die. Insurance may be deserving of its reputation as archaic and old-fashioned; legacy systems continue to prove a headache and many...

29 August 2018 | Insurance