[SUNDAY FEATURE] Big Tech’s 2020 news push
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios By Sara Fischer | Axios Tech companies are ramping up efforts to support news companies as they face pressure to elevate quality news and information ahead of the 2020 election. Why it matters: Tech titans, particularly Google and Facebook, have been blamed for their role in spreading misinformation during the 2016 election […]
Read More →Food delivery robots target NAU, other college towns
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios By Marisa Fernandez Axios College students may soon have to share their campus sidewalks with thousands of 6-wheeled robots ready to deliver their dinners. Driving the news: Food delivery company Starship Technologies announced plans in late August to deploy cooler-sized, self-driving robots to 100 U.S. college campuses by 2022. The big picture: […]
Read More →[SUNDAY FEATURE] The problem with believing what we’re told
ILLUSTRATION: TOMASZ WALENTA In an age of information overload, it’s important to find ways to resist the brain’s difficulty in separating fact from falsehood By Gary Marcus and Annie Duke | The Wall Street Journal In a perfect world, to determine whether an idea or fact is true, we would patiently evaluate how it fits […]
Read More →‘Hey, Google! Let me talk to my departed father.
Andrew Kaplan, 78, at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif., on Aug. 14. Kaplan may be remembered as one of the world’s first “digital humans.” / Brinson+Banks for The Washington Post Will the rise of virtual beings be the next step in the human quest for immortality? By Peter Holley | The Washington Post When Andrew […]
Read More →What is the state of biometric data security in Arizona?
Illustration by Mike MacKenzie | Flickr/CC BY 2.0 Court okays class action against Facebook over facial recognition software By Jerod MacDonald-Evoy | Arizona Mirror A recent 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling on a case brought by residents of Illinois against social media giant Facebook over its use of facial recognition software could reignite conversations […]
Read More →Humans need to take charge of their robots
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios By Steve LeVine | Axios In 2013, two young Oxford University researchers ignited a provocative debate with a landmark forecast that 47% of U.S. jobs are vulnerable to automation. Since then, experts around the world have relentlessly argued whether the new age of robots will wipe out whole classes of jobs, or […]
Read More →Meet the researchers working to make sure artificial intelligence is a force for good
AI has plenty of success stories, with positive outcomes in fields from healthcare to education to urban planning. But there have also been unexpected pitfalls. By Alejandro De La Garza | TIME With glass interior walls, exposed plumbing and a staff of young researchers dressed like Urban Outfitters models, New York University’s AI Now Institute […]
Read More →ASU and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin refuse to release moon lander contract to public
By Ray Stern| Phoenix New Times Arizona State University and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company claim they’ll put a payload on the moon by 2024. But they can’t even release the payload contract they signed after two months. The lengthy delay to release a basic public record is somewhat ironic for both ASU, home to […]
Read More →Arizonans might have special protections from facial recognition software
By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services via PinalCentral A new federal court ruling coupled with a provision in the state constitution could give Arizonans new legal protections against the use of software by private firms that captures and stores facial images. On paper, the lawsuit involves claims of invasion of privacy being brought against […]
Read More →[REGIONAL NEWS] Is it time to regulate biohacking? California thinks so.
The mew law is the first to explicitly address the gene-editing technology CRISPR. The type of biohackers currently gaining the most notoriety are the ones who experiment on their bodies with the hope of “upgrading” or “optimizing” their physical and cognitive performance. By Sigal Samuel | Vox California wants to make it clear that tinkering […]
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