Monthly Archives: August 2017

Posted August 4th, 2017 at 11:00 am (UTC-4)

An illustration projected on a screen shows a robot hand and a human one moving towards each others during the AI for Good Global Summit at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland, June 7, 2017. (Reuters)

Hardly a day goes by without news about a breakthrough in machine intelligence or some debate about its pros and cons, more recently between Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg and Tesla Motors Elon Musk. Adding his voice to the mix, author and IT specialist Peter Scott warns that rapid AI growth comes with serious risks that, if mitigated, could take humanity to a new level of consciousness.

If we build ethical artificial intelligence and it becomes superintelligent, it could become our partner

In Crisis of Control: How Artificial SuperIntelligences May Destroy or Save the Human Race, Scott, a former contractor with NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, argues that there are two risks associated with rapid AI development. If these dangers are successfully mitigated, they will propel us into a new utopia, he said. Failing that, they could lead to the destruction of the human race.

FILE Product and graphic designer Ricky Ma, 42, poses with his life-size robot Mark 1, modeled after a Hollywood star, in Hong Kong, China, March 31, 2016. (Reuters)

The first risk is that AI could put biological weapons and weapons of mass destruction in the hands of average people so that someone in their garage could create a killer virus that could wipe out millions of people.

The second is that as the technology becomes more prevalent, someone could accidentally or deliberately cause a disaster through internet networks connecting global infrastructure. This crisis of control, as he calls it, is whether we can control what we create.

Will we be able to control the results of this technology, the technology itself? he asked. Theres always been a debate about technology going back to at least the atom bomb, if not the sword, but the further we get, the more volatility there is because of the large-scale potential effects of this technology.

There have been multiple revolutions throughout history that changed the way people lived and worked. But Scott said this time is different.

Where do we go from there? Whats left? There really isnt much room about that in what you would call a hierarchy.

FILE A woman inputs orders for a robot which works as a waitress in a restaurant in Xian, Shaanxi Province, China, April 20, 2016. (Reuters/China Stringer network)

One could argue that humans still need to program and maintain their intelligent machines. But that is also a knowledge-transfer function, said Scott. The point at which machines learn that job will transform the world in an instant because they will do it much, much faster. And the big question is when will that happen?

That could be in 10 or 50 years. Whenever it happens, humans need to come up with a new basis for employment that hasnt been done by machines, he said. And its very hard to see what that might be in an era where machines can think as well as a human being.

Alarm bells already are sounding off about the risks of automation to human workers. Scott predicts AI will take over jobs traditionally associated with the pinnacle of employment development such as chief executive officer, chief technology officer, and chief finance officer. It will take longer to automate jobs like therapists and psychologists that require sensory skills, and acute understanding of the human psyche, grounded in human experience

But the process has already begun, with AI systems like IBMs Watson already tackling complex medical problems. And the boundaries of what we call artificial intelligence keep getting moved, he said. AI, which was little more than parlor tricks back in the 1980s, now extends to chatbots,

FILE A man takes pictures with humanoid robot Jiajia, produced by University of Science and Technology of China, at Jiajias launch event in Hefei, Anhui province, April 15, 2016. Jiajia can converse with humans and imitate facial expressions, among other features. (Reuters/China Stringer Network)

humanoids like Chinas Jiajia robot, and voice assistants holding a conversation with humans the stuff of science fiction.

Science fiction writers have already tackled some of these dilemmas. In the 1940s, prominent science fiction writer and biochemist Isaac Asimov introduced the Three Laws of Robotics to govern the creation and ethics of intelligent machines.

There are similar efforts underway to create a set of AI ethics. In January, a group of AI experts came up with The Asilomar Principles, 23 statements they agreed upon on how to create ethical artificial intelligence.

But its not just about ethics. A new renaissance of the study of the human heart is needed, said Scott, to deal with the threats of not just machine intelligence but people who could wreak havoc if they get their hands on this technology. Given enough attention and funding, he said the next revolution will be in human consciousness.

His hope is that professions that repair wounds in the human heart will evolve in partnership with an ethical AI to develop medicines more quickly and cure cancer, disease, aging, and perhaps have something to teach us in psychology, in philosophy, ethics as well.

If we do that, then we will be able to coexist on a planet that has a new species of silicon beings that are many times more intelligent than us.

Originally posted here:

'Crisis of Control': AI Risks Could Lead to Utopia or Destruction - Voice of America (blog)

It's tricky to imagine now but in the years immediately before and after the Russian Revolution, there was an absolute belief in Moscow and beyond that a utopian society was achievable.

The Bolshevik visionof a socialist, egalitarian world was not a lofty, impossible ideal: a classless society with equal rights for all seemed like a real alternative.

A group of artists, driven by these heady, noble ideas, were determined to create a new movement, a form of art of the people and for the people. The movement would become known as constructivism and their work and vision was in keeping with the revolutionary spirit of the time.

Driven by a social agenda of inclusivity, practicality and utilitarianism, the constructivists made art inspired by cubism, which was abstract, made use of bold colour and was meant to challengeconventional ideas about creativity.

Their work ranged across mediums, includingpainting and sculpture, photography,textiles and the graphic arts as well as stage and costume design.

It was this versatility that helped tomakethe Russian constructivists'contribution so remarkable and enduring, according to the co-curators of Call of the Avant-Garde - Constructivism and Australian Art at Heide Museum of Modern Art.

Sue Cramer and Lesley Harding say the movement focused on art's role in the new society, rather than aesthetics.Traditional ideas of art were denounced as "individualistic, subjective and bourgeois".

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For this reason, many of the original constructivists abandoned media such as painting and sculpture, in favour of what we would now call "design". Their thinking was that art should have a practical purpose andtheir work was used in posters and brochures promoting the cause as well as textile design andthe painting of buildings, trains and ships.

As Cramer and Harding concede, it is a complex movement to define. The name takes in several phases,the first of which is the Russian artists working together after the revolution, mainly based in Moscow. Working in 1920 and 1921, this group decided to takeart into the factories and onto the streets, in an effort to integrate art into everyday life.

Key names includedVladimir Tatlin, Alexander Rodchenko, Varvara Stepanova, the Stenberg brothers, KonstantineMedunetskii, Karl Ioganson and AleksaiGan.

Up until the 1970s, constructivism generally referred more to the international movement that was inspired by the Russians, rather than the Russian artists themselves.

For the Heide show, Cramer says, the first body of research involved "sharpening our knowledge of what constructivism was, so we could speak about how its ideas have been picked up."

"[We] needed to be clear on that before we tackle the idea of how Australian artists were influenced, given the influence came via a second wave.A number of Russian artists had largely left Moscow and disseminated ideas of constructivism through Europe, especially the UK but also in France and Germany."

It was not untilthe 1930s and '40s that Australian artists started using the term to describe their work. Cramer and Harding say the local emphasis was onthe movement's principles such as geometric abstraction, rather than any ideological or philosophical aims.

At that point, the Russian artists were still largely unknown, hidden behind the Iron Curtain, so it was through the prism of other international artists that the movement was discovered here. Abstract painters,largelyin Sydney, such as Frank Hinder, RalphBastonand Gordon Andrews were the first to adopt the name, largelyinfluencedby artists in Britain and the US.

Later generations of Australian artists worked locally and overseas with proponents of the ideas underlying constructivism. German-born Inge King, for example, worked in Britain in the late 1940s along with Leonard French and then emigrated to Australia in 1951, bringing with her a wide experience of European art. Lenton Parr worked with sculptor Henry Moore in England, where he started to construct sculpture with machine parts. King and Parr later founded Melbourne's Centre Five group, advocates of abstract art and art with a social purpose.

Cramer says the constructivistidea of utopianism and art into production arecurrent ideas and warrant further investigation.

Timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Russian Revolution in October this year,Call of the Avant-Garde: Constructivism and Australian Artfeatures more than 200 works.Pieces by Australian artists such as RalphBalson,IngeKing, Robert Owen, Rose Nolan and ZoeCroggonare shown alongsideBritish constructivistsBen Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth, aswell asworks by key figuresfrom the original Russian movement including AlexanderRodchenko, AlexandraExterand ElLissitzky.

The idea for the showin part came when Cramer andHarding worked onCubism and Australian artin 2009. Their research unearthed an incredible volume of material;Constructivism is the third in a series examining modernism, together withLess is More: Minimalism and Post Minimalism.

"The excitement of new formal discoveries, the integration of ideas across the various art forms, and the strong role taken by women artists who, unusually for the time, were considered equal to the men, are just some of the inspiring features of Russian constructivism that continue to resonate today," says Cramer.

The state of the world, interestingly, has also given a new currency to this hugelyinfluential movement. Cramer argues that constructivism has a particular relevancebecause of key developments in global politics in recent times:"people are looking at different ways to create a better world".

Even if today's artists are largely sceptical about the possibility of any genre of politics creatinga utopia, their aims no doubt often align with the original constructivistobjective of creating a better world.

Call of the Avant-Garde: Constructivism and Australian Art runs until October 8. heide.com.au

Read the rest here:

Call of the Avant-Garde: Constructivism at Heide fuels visions of a new utopia - The Sydney Morning Herald

Yesterday, Icelandic icon Bjrk announced that her new album, which'll be the first since her 2015 'Vulnicura' record, is coming soon.

Following up on the brief social media announcement, Bjrk dives further into the inspirations and thoughts behind the album in a new interview with Dazed.

This is like my Tinder record, she says before explaining further that the album is about "being in love. Spending time with a person you enjoy on every level is obviously utopia. I mean, its real. Its when the dream becomes real.

Her 2015 release, she explains, was very much a "heartbreak album", influenced by her divorce from artist Matthew Barney. Addressing the rumors upfront, Bjrk explains that this album is more like a "dating album" as she continues to rebuild after the separation.

Beyond her own personal experiences, Bjrk also mentions that the album is undoubtedly tied into the world's current controversies. Maybe thats why it became a utopian theme if were gonna survive not only my personal drama but also the sort of situation the world is in today, weve got to come up with a new plan, she said. If we dont have the dream, were just not gonna change. Especially now, this kind of dream is an emergency.

Read the original here:

Bjrk on her utopian new album: "This is my Tinder record about being in love" - Mixmag

Yesterday, Bjrk announced that her new album would be coming out very soon. While little is known about the upcoming release, Bjrk has revealed in a new interview with Dazed that it will be her Tinder record. She goes on to explain that the album is about being in love. Spending time with a person you enjoy on every level is obviously utopia. She adds, I mean, its real. Its when the dream becomes real. Comparing it to her previous album, 2015s Vulnicura, she said, I set myself up with the last album being a heartbreak album, so everyones gonna be like, Are you married? with this one. But... its too fragile still. I think, if I could, Id just say this is my dating album. Lets just leave it there.

Elsewhere in the interview, Bjrk discusses her continuing collaboration with Arca as the strongest musical relationship [shes] had, comparing it to Joni Mitchells records with Jaco Pastorius in the 70s. The article also reveals that video artist Andrew Thomas Huangwho directed the Vulnicura clips for Family, Stonemilker, and Black Lakeis working on a new video for her song The Gate, featuring a bespoke dress designed by Guccis Alessandro Michele and a headpiece by regular collaborator James Merry. The interview also features questions from Mitski, Michel Gondry, the Haxan Cloak, Jenny Hval, Eileen Myles, and more. Bjrks Dazed cover is on sale today.

Revisit Pitchforks 2015 interview with Bjrk. Watch her new Notget video:

Original post:

Bjrk Says New Album Is Her Tinder Record - Pitchfork

Russian journalist and economist Alexander Sokolov is facing prison time for his activist and journalist investigations. Source: Rot Front. Since November 2016, the corridors of Moscows Tverskoy district court have been filled with elderly citizens, loudly discussing conspiracy theories, the fate of the Soviet Union and the significance of Stalin. Waiting outside the courtroom, they exchange comments with officers of the court before finally being allowed inside, when they promptly occupy all the seats. Two tall women, dressed in their prosecutor blues, follow them into the court, where three men Kirill Barabash, Valery Parfyonov and Alexander Sokolov are standing trial. Yuri Mukhin sits next to them, and this is the case against Army of the Peoples Will.

Mukhin is a prominent political writer, who began his career back in the early 1990s. In 1995, he began publishing the Duel newspaper, which, in its various iterations, took Stalinist and anti-Zionist approaches to Russias political and social problems. Later, Mukhins most active followers joined his organisation Army of the Peoples Will (AVN), which sought to, among other tasks, enforce the direct responsibility of Russias politicians to the people: AVN tried to conduct a referendum on changes to Russias Constitution permitting public officials and parliamentarians to be punished, should the people wish it. Its completely legal to want a referendum, but in 2010 AVN was declared an extremist organisation and banned. In effect, this court decision meant that any further activity by AVN was subject to criminal prosecution.

At one point, though, an initiative group on conducting a referendum (under the name For responsible authorities, or ZOV) was set up in parallel with AVN this group had the same basic idea and the same people behind it. If you compare the leaflets they published, the symbols they used and their demands, these two organisations were similar to the point where you couldnt tell them apart.

Yuri Mukhin, speaking in 2009. Source: Denis Lobko / Wikipedia.

You can interpret Mukhins clear intention to continue the activities of AVN under a new guise in various ways.

The officers of the Moscow Centre for Combating Extremism and police investigators interpreted it clearly, however and in line with Article 282.2 of Russias Criminal Code (Continuing the activities of an extremist organisation, banned by a court decision).

In summer 2015, the Russian security services searched apartments belonging to members of the organisation, and detained Mukhin, who was sat in his trunks on a Crimean beach at the time. (Mukhin, who admires the USSR, supported the annexation of Crimea in 2014.) Two of Mukhins followers, Valery Parfyonov and former military officer Kirill Barabash, also wound up in custody.

Whats important here is the fact that a journalist is being prosecuted for his activist past

Enter Alexander Sokolov, a journalist for leading Russian politics and business news agency RBC and a strange addition to this cast. Just before his arrest, Sokolov, who covered Russias state corporations, published a lengthy investigation into corruption at the Vostochny cosmodrome, a flagship project for the Kremlin.

It soon became clear that Sokolov does have some past involvement with Mukhin and his organisation though, truth be told, its not clear how closely he really knows them. The criminal case assigns Sokolov the role of administrator for the initiative groups website, which apparently promoted extremist materials online. Indeed, the final prosecution documents devote only a single sentence to Sokolov.

Vostochnyi Cosmodrome, visited here by Vladimir Putin in September 2014, has been plagued by wage arrears and allegations of embezzlement at the subcontractor level. Source: Kremlin.ru. During the investigation and trial, the RBC journalist has insisted that he left his activist days behind him in 2013, when he defended his PhD and began working as a journalist. Sokolovs dissertation focused on the inefficient use of funds during projects carried out by some of Russias major state corporations Rosnano, Olimpstroi, Rosatom and Rostec. The management of Rostec, a powerful state corporation that is closely allied to the Kremlin, studied Sokolovs work and, according to the journalist, they were not pleased with its contents. Sokolov insists that he was arrested because of his journalistic and research work.

Of course, the investigators knew that Sokolovs views and acquaintances have changed. He himself could have tried to put some distance between himself and the strange Stalinists hes being tried with, but he didnt surrender his former comrades even when they called themselves citizens of the USSR and spoke about the emergence of a fascist regime in Russia. The trial, which is due for sentencing on 10 August, has been long and difficult: hours were spent discussing absurd petitions raised by the defendants; dozens of requests for the judge and prosecutors to recuse themselves; a vocal support group that, on occasion, came to (minor) blows with officers of the court; the judges voice often rising to a shout.

Russias fight against extremism is being conducted so successfully that anyone, even someone who believes in utopia, can wind up in court

Nevertheless, Alexander Sokolov faces up to eight years in prison on extremism charges, and now the trial is at an end hes been mostly forgotten though not by his colleagues. At the end of 2015, RBC journalist Mikhail Rubin asked Vladimir Putin about the fate of Sokolov. The editorial team were concerned about the effect on freedom of expression. The president promised to look into, though no change in the prosecution has been registered. A year later, Putin was asked once again about Sokolov. He responded: Most likely my administration has looked into it, and if the case has made it to court, then that means everything isnt quite so simple. But Ill look into it again.

Prior to the pleadings, when the prosecutors office asked for Sokolov to be sentenced to four years in general regime prison, Russias independent Union of Journalists published an open letter, in which 282 signatories (after the number of the article of Russias Criminal Code) called the case against the journalist uncivilised, and requested it to be closed. The Memorial Human Rights Center has declaredMukhin, Parfyonov and Sokolov political prisoners.

To assert that the charges against Alexander Sokolov are connected with his journalism would be an exaggeration. Whats more important here is the fact that a journalist is being prosecuted for his activist past. Nevertheless, Russian law enforcement has long worked to restrict freedom of expression in society the numbers of criminal cases for reposts on social media and offhand comments on blogs speaks to this.

Russias fight against extremism which is, on the whole, the fight against freedom of expression is being conducted so successfully that anyone, even someone who believes in utopia, can wind up in court.

Read the original here:

Four years in prison for utopia - Open Democracy