Trust, transparency, and the rise of explainable AI
Most organizations are currently in the process of investigating, planning, or deploying artificial intelligence (AI) implementations, but there’s a problem: businesses -- or even AI designers -- don’t understand how or why the AI arrived at a specific decision. This is a big hurdle for businesses who want to begin relying on AI-based dynamic systems for their decision making. In fact, a recent PwC survey found that 37 percent of executives said ensuring AI systems were trustworthy was their top priority, and 61 percent would like to create transparent, explainable, and provable AI models.
The need for transparent, explainable AI goes beyond individual business preferences. Interpretability, fairness, and transparency of data-driven decision support systems based on AI and machine learning are serious regulatory mandates in banking, insurance, healthcare, and other industries. In addition, regulations like GDPR’s right to explanation clause or the upcoming California Consumer Privacy Act will compel businesses to know what their AI algorithms are thinking. The solutions to these issues of trust and explainability typically have been to stick with simpler models, improving transparency at the expense of accuracy. From my perspective, understanding how to create trust -- more so than creating transparency -- in AI is going to be crucial to success.
Bill Belichick installed an Event-Driven Architecture, so should you
Widely regarded as the greatest football coach of all time (much to the chagrin of NFL fans outside of New England), Bill Belichick has now 'enjoyed' six Super Bowls as coach of the Pats (plus two more as Defensive Coordinator for the Giants) and led the Pats to three-fourths of AFC Championship games (including a record-setting 8 consecutive trips).
But what’s really made Belichick great is his belief that you shouldn’t just "run what we run," but that you should game-plan specifically for each opponent. This means the strategies and actions they employ are based on what they expect each specific opponent to do. And if things aren’t working as planned, they switch it up and adapt (Belichick is the master of in-game adjustments). Here’s a few examples:
Now you can unsend messages in Facebook Messenger
Facebook said some time ago that it would be bringing an "unsend" option to Facebook Messenger, giving users the ability to delete messages they change their mind about.
Today is the day this feature finally appears with the addition of a new "Remove for everyone" option. While this will be welcomed by Facebook Messenger users, it will not please everyone; as well as there being a time limit on when messages can be deleted, there is no stealth deletion option as all chat participants are informed when a message is removed.
Google launches new tools to help protect your accounts
To coincide with Safer Internet Day, search giant Google is launching two new tools to help users detect if their username and password have been compromised.
Google's own research published today shows that many people still reuse passwords. The new tools are designed to raise awareness of account issues.
Regardless of budget, there's a new Logitech G gaming headset for you
There are many companies making PC accessories and peripherals these days, and yeah, many of them are quite good. With that said, the market is flooded with low-quality Chinese offerings too -- it is easy to be attracted to the low cost of some no-name company's mouse or keyboard, for instance, but you will likely regret your purchase quickly when buttons malfunction or it stops functioning entirely. This is why I recommend sticking to a reputable and proven brand like Logitech.
Logitech G is that company's gaming brand, and today, it announces four new gaming headsets. Yes, four! Is that mad? No, because there is a very specific reason to have so many new models -- it can meet the needs of all gamers regardless of budget. In other words, they all come in at various price points -- with differing features, of course. The G332 is a basic stereo model, while the other three offer 7.1 surround sound.
Most people believe they're more secure online than they really are
New research commissioned by Google, carried out by Harris Poll and released to coincide with Safer Internet Day suggests there is a gap between perception and reality when it comes to online security.
The majority of people (69 percent) give themselves an A or B when it comes to protecting their online accounts -- only five percent give themselves a D or an F. In fact, most people (59 percent) believe that their accounts are safer from online threats than the average person and 61 percent say they are too smart to fall for a phishing scam.
Flickr starts to delete users' photos today -- act fast to save yours!
It is a few months since Flickr announced major changes to its free accounts, and today is the day the impact starts to be felt.
Users unwilling to upgrade to a Flickr Pro account are now limited to storing 1,000 photos online, and any images above this number will be deleted starting today. Anyone who hasn't downloaded or backed up their photos risks losing them forever.
Can't connect to Windows Update? You're not alone
If you're experiencing problems downloading updates from Windows Update, don't worry -- it's not just you.
Windows 10 users started to complain about problems with Windows Update last week after their computers displayed the message "We couldn't connect to the update service". While it initially appeared to be an ISP-related DNS issue, the problem was later determined to be with Microsoft. Despite an apparent fix, many people are still unable to download updates.
Logitech Tap is an elegant touchscreen controller for meeting rooms
Nowadays, it isn't uncommon for a company to have several locations that need to communicate regularly. Not to mention, more and more folks are working from home. Ultimately, remote meetings are absolutely essential. And yet, it still isn't the great experience it should be. Believe it or not, in 2019, having a remote meeting in a conference room is still a clunky and awkward affair.
Today, Logitech unveils a new device that it hopes will make remote meetings in conference rooms a much more pleasant and easy experience. Called "Tap," it looks like a wedge-shaped tablet, but actually, it is not a standalone device. Tap connects to either a Windows 10 or Chrome OS computer and essentially manages USB-connected accessories, such as a webcam. It can even be mounted to a wall if you'd like -- it can sit on a table too, of course. Best of all, it is compatible with many platforms, such as offerings by Google, Microsoft, and Zoom.
Instagram to introduce 'sensitivity screens' to hide self-harm images
The head of Instagram has announced plans to introduce "sensitivity screens" in the wake of concerns about the spread of photos of self-harm on the image-based social network.
Adam Mosseri says that Instagram will use image-blurring similar to that used on Facebook to hide graphic content. The move comes in the wake of the suicide of a British teenager, the parents of whom said self-harm images on Instagram were a contributing factor.
New tool makes it easier to secure IoT devices
Internet of Things devices are appearing in more and more companies, but with them comes the threat of cyberattacks.
To reduce this risk Extreme Networks is launching a simple security solution to help organizations protect unsecured IoT devices.
Want to edit tweets? Here's how Jack Dorsey says it could work
The ability to edit tweets is one of the most frequently requested features for Twitter. The most common reason for wanting to make edits is to fix typos, but concern has been voiced about the potential for an editing facility to be abused -- which perhaps explains Twitter's apparent reticence at rolling out such a feature without careful thought.
While tweet editing has yet to appear, there has long been speculation about how it could be implemented. In a move that is sure to fuel rumors that an edit function is just around the corner, Twitter chief Jack Dorsey has talked about how the feature could work.
Cisco joins Apple in calling for a US version of GDPR data protection and privacy laws
The roll out of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) has changed the face of privacy and data protection for millions of people across Europe. The regulation not only grants people access to the personal data companies hold about them, but also controls how this data can be used and transferred.
Apple's Tim Cook has already voiced his support for GDPR and said that the rest of the world should implement similar regulation. Now he has been joined by Cisco in calling for data laws to be embraced by the US as they have been in Europe.
Don't want to watch Super Bowl LIII today? Install the Kodi 18 Leia-focused LibreELEC 9.0 Linux distro instead!
Well, folks, it is finally here. After a rather lengthy beta period, LibreELEC 9.0 is available for download. Wait, are you not familiar with this specialized Linux-based operating system? Please know it is a lightweight OS that only exists to run Kodi -- the very popular open source media center. It provides an easy to use environment for consuming media, such as movies and music. This new version of LibreELEC is based on the recently released Kodi 18 Leia and can run on a lot of different hardware, including the very popular Raspberry Pi devices. Yes, with LibreELEC, you can turn a Pi (or many similar devices) into a powerful media box!
If you are dreading watching Super Bowl LIII later today, why not install and play around with LibreELEC 9.0 instead? Look, not everyone enjoys spectating sports -- don't let society make you feel bad about preferring to tinker with Linux than watch football. This new version of LibreELEC even has game emulation support, making it far more interesting than merely watching video and listening to music.
Brexit: criticism mounts against Android-only app to apply for settled status
A number of British and European politicians have written to the UK home secretary, Sajid Javid, to complain about the government's EU Exit mobile app.
The app was created to enable EU citizens to apply for "settled status" in the UK in the wake of the referendum vote that saw the start of the Brexit process. The government stands accused of "digital discrimination" because the app is only available for Android devices -- and only relatively modern ones at that. iPhone users have been left out in the cold, as have those with older Android phones, adding to the stress and concern that already surrounds Brexit.
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