Tech Fail: Man Told He’s Dying via Video Link
The response statement from Kaiser Permanente, acknowledging failure, recognizes the problem, but only in part
Read More ›Denyse O'Leary
Who’s Afraid of AI that Can Write the News?
AI now automates formula news in business and sports. How far can it go?Software programs will not have more or better ideas than the people who designed them. As the audience for news, we must decide whether that level of information is all we need to know.
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Did a fish just show self-awareness?
What if the whole question is founded on a mistake about the nature of the mirror test?Overall, it’s a curious outcome for the mirror test. Those who felt reassured by close kinship with chimpanzees reacted quite differently when offered close kinship with fish.
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Has Science Shown That Consciousness Is Only an Illusion?
Using clever analogies, Philosopher Daniel Dennett argues that consciousness is all smoke and mirrors
How Can Consciousness Be a Material Thing?
Maybe it can’t. But materialist philosophers face starkly limited choices in how to view consciousness
Can an Algorithm Be Racist?
No, the machine has no opinion. It processes vast tracts of data. And, as a result, the troubling hidden roots of some data are exposed
Can genes predict which birds can learn to talk?
A recent study disappointed researchers, who really hoped to learn why humans use language
Can Big Data Help Make Your Book a Best Seller?
It’s more likely to help you picture your odds more clearly and clarify your goals
Science Confronts Credibility Issues?
Not to worry, prestigious researchers blame them on social media trolls and bots
Who Does the Concept of “Intellectual Property” Really Benefit?
Was traditional copyright law meant to protect algorithms that decide people’s financial fate?
Robert J. Marks Talks Computers with Michael Medved
Computers can magnify what we do, he says, and that's the real threat
Can Plants Be as Smart as Animals?
Seeking to thrive and grow, plants communicate extensively, without a mind or a brain
Does Democracy Demand a War on Twitterbots?
A key concern is that citizens could be induced to vote for a demagogue by Twitterbots spreading fake news.
Researchers find loneliness is hard on the brain
What we think about our lives really does affect our health.
Canada demands intimate banking data from a half million citizens
The goal of the program, recently uncovered by media, is to develop a “new institutional personal information bank” for government use.A Canadian TV station recently provided a dramatic insight into how far Western governments are prepared to go, using advanced data gathering techniques, to surveil the lives of citizens: Statistics Canada is asking banks across the country for financial transaction data and personal information of 500,000 Canadians without their knowledge. Global News has learned. Documents obtained by Global News show the national statistical agency plans to collect “individual-level financial transactions data” and sensitive information, like social insurance numbers (SIN), from Canadian financial institutions to develop a “new institutional personal information bank.” Andrew Russell and David Akin, “EXCLUSIVE: Stats Canada requesting banking information of 500,000 Canadians without their knowledge” at Global News Further investigation showed that the government agency has already Read More ›
Life after Google: More private and more profitable?
Reviewing Gilder’s Life after Google, Ralph Benko asks, If our attention is worth billions, shouldn’t we market it?
Too late to prevent being ruled by The Algorithm?
Dilbert’s creator, Scott Adams, tells Ben Shapiro why he thinks politicians soon won't matter
Should robots run for office?
A tech analyst sees a threat to democracy if they don’t
How AI could run the world
Its killer apps, in physicist Max Tegmark's tale, include a tsunami of "message" films