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In an AI Era, Lessons From Dinosaurs Help Us Adapt to the Future of Work
The ancestors of modern birds were the sole survivors of one of the most severe mass extinction events in the history of the world. Today, 10,000 known bird species exist, all of them the descendants of dinosaurs. Polar adaptations, seed-based diets and even nest designs may have played roles in determining who lived and who… Read More
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The Dying Art of Conversation – Has Technology Killed Our Ability to Talk Face-to-Face?
What with Facetime, Skype, Whatsapp and Snapchat, for many people, face-to-face conversation is used less and less often. These apps allow us to converse with each other quickly and easily – overcoming distances, time zones and countries. We can even talk to virtual assistants such as Alexa, Cortana or Siri – commanding them to play… Read More
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Humans and Machines Can Improve Accuracy When They Work Together
Whether artificial intelligence systems steal humans’ jobs or create new work opportunities, people will need to work together with them. In my research I use sensors and computers to monitor how the brain itself processes decision-making. Together with another brain-computer interface scholar, Riccardo Poli, I looked at one example of possible human-machine collaboration – situations… Read More
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Artificial Intelligence Must Know When to Ask for Human Help
Artificial intelligence systems are powerful tools for businesses and governments to process data and respond to changing situations, whether on the stock market or on a battlefield. But there are still some things AI isn’t ready for. We are scholars of computer science working to understand and improve the ways in which algorithms interact with… Read More
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Fingerprint and Face Scanners Aren’t as Secure as We Think They Are
Despite what every spy movie in the past 30 years would have you think, fingerprint and face scanners used to unlock your smartphone or other devices aren’t nearly as secure as they’re made out to be. While it’s not great if your password is made public in a data breach, at least you can easily… Read More
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Will Talking to AI Voice Assistants Re-Engineer Our Human Conversations?
When you’re lost, Siri can be your best friend. But if she can’t retrieve the right address from your contacts, she can drive you crazy. And so it is with the legion of virtual personal assistants that are entering our lives. From Amazon’s Alexa to Google’s Home, people are busy talking to intelligent machines as… Read More