Monthly Archives: February 2020

Many AI researchers roll their eyes when seeing this headline:Stephen Hawking warns that rise of robots may be disastrous for mankind. And as many havelost count of how many similar articles theyveseen.Typically, these articles are accompanied by an evil-looking robot carrying a weapon, and they suggest we should worry about robots rising up and killing us because theyve become conscious and/or evil.On a lighter note, such articles are actually rather impressive, because they succinctly summarize the scenario that AI researchers dontworry about. That scenario combines as many as three separate misconceptions: concern about consciousness, evil, androbots.

If you drive down the road, you have a subjective experience of colors, sounds, etc. But does a self-driving car have a subjective experience? Does it feel like anything at all to be a self-driving car?Although this mystery of consciousness is interesting in its own right, its irrelevant to AI risk. If you get struck by a driverless car, it makes no difference to you whether it subjectively feels conscious. In the same way, what will affect us humans is what superintelligent AIdoes, not how it subjectively feels.

The fear of machines turning evil is another red herring. The real worry isnt malevolence, but competence. A superintelligent AI is by definition very good at attaining its goals, whatever they may be, so we need to ensure that its goals are aligned with ours. Humans dont generally hate ants, but were more intelligent than they are so if we want to build a hydroelectric dam and theres an anthill there, too bad for the ants. The beneficial-AI movement wants to avoid placing humanity in the position of those ants.

The consciousness misconception is related to the myth that machines cant have goals.Machines can obviously have goals in the narrow sense of exhibiting goal-oriented behavior: the behavior of a heat-seeking missile is most economically explained as a goal to hit a target.If you feel threatened by a machine whose goals are misaligned with yours, then it is precisely its goals in this narrow sense that troubles you, not whether the machine is conscious and experiences a sense of purpose.If that heat-seeking missile were chasing you, you probably wouldnt exclaim: Im not worried, because machines cant have goals!

I sympathize with Rodney Brooks and other robotics pioneers who feel unfairly demonized by scaremongering tabloids,because some journalists seem obsessively fixated on robots and adorn many of their articles with evil-looking metal monsters with red shiny eyes. In fact, the main concern of the beneficial-AI movement isnt with robots but with intelligence itself: specifically, intelligence whose goals are misaligned with ours. To cause us trouble, such misaligned superhuman intelligence needs no robotic body, merely an internet connection this may enable outsmarting financial markets, out-inventing human researchers, out-manipulating human leaders, and developing weapons we cannot even understand. Even if building robots were physically impossible, a super-intelligent and super-wealthy AI could easily pay or manipulate many humans to unwittingly do its bidding.

The robot misconception is related to the myth that machines cant control humans. Intelligence enables control: humans control tigers not because we are stronger, but because we are smarter. This means that if we cede our position as smartest on our planet, its possible that we might also cede control.

Read the original:

Benefits & Risks of Artificial Intelligence - Future of Life ...

The Historical Hype Cycle of AI

Before talking about the current and projected impact of AI in education and other industries, Ramsey explained the concept of the AI winter.

He showed a graph on the historical hype cycle of AI that featured peaks and drops over a 70-year period.

There was a big peak in the mid-1960s, when there was an emergence of symbolic AI research and new insights into the possibility of training two-layer neural networks. A resurgence came in the 1980s with the invention of certain algorithms for training three-plus layer neural networks.

The graph showed a drop in the mid-1990s, as the computational horsepower and data did not exist to develop real-world applications for AI a situation he calls an AI winter. We are in the middle of another resurgence today, he said.

There has been a huge increase in the amount of data and computer power that we have available, sparking research, Ramsey said. People have been able to start inventing algorithms and training not just three-layer neural networks but a 100-layer one.

The question now is where we will go next, he said. His answer? We will sustain progress, leading to true or strong AI the point at which a machines intellectual capability is functionally equal to a humans.

The number of researchers working on this, the amount of money thats being spent on this and the amount of research publications its all growing, he said. And where Google is right now is on a plateau of productivity because were using AI in everything that we do, at scale.

MORE ON EDTECH:Learn how data-powered AI tools are helping universities drive enrollment and streamline operations.

During his presentation, Ramsey showed an infographic that featured what machine learning could look like across a students journey through higher education, starting from their college search and ending with employment.

For example, he said, colleges and universities can apply machine learning when targeting quality prospective students to attend their schools. They can even automate call center operations to make contacting prospective students more efficient and deploy AI-driven assistants to engage with applicants in a personalized way, he said.

Once students are enrolled, they can also useAI chatbotsto improve student support services, assisting new students in their adjustment to college. They can leverage adaptive learning technology topredictperformance as they choose a path through school, and they can tailor material to their knowledge levels and learning styles.

For example, a machine learning algorithm helped educators at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis identify at-risk students and provide early intervention, Ramsey said.

Ivy Tech shifted toGoogleCloud Platform, which allowed the school to manage 12 million data points from student interactions and develop aflexible AI engineto analyze student engagement and success. For instance, a student who stops logging in to their learning management system or showing up to class would be flagged as needing assistance.

The predictions were 83 percent accurate, Ramsey said. It worked quite well, and they were actually able to save students from dropping out, which makes a big difference because their funding is based on how many students they have, he said.

As students near graduation and start their job searches, schools can also use AI to understand career trends and match them to a students competencies and skills. Machine learning can be used to better understand job listings and a jobseekers intent, matching candidates to their ideal jobs more quickly.

At the end of the day, what were doing with these technologies is trying to understand who we are and how our minds work, Ramsey said. Once we fully understand that, we can build machines that function in the same way, and the possibilities are endless.

Originally posted here:

A 5-Year Vision for Artificial Intelligence in Higher Ed - EdTech Magazine: Focus on Higher Education

Updated: May 25, 2018:

JD Supra is a legal publishing service that connects experts and their content with broader audiences of professionals, journalists and associations.

This Privacy Policy describes how JD Supra, LLC ("JD Supra" or "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses and shares personal data collected from visitors to our website (located at http://www.jdsupra.com) (our "Website") who view only publicly-available content as well as subscribers to our services (such as our email digests or author tools)(our "Services"). By using our Website and registering for one of our Services, you are agreeing to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

Please note that if you subscribe to one of our Services, you can make choices about how we collect, use and share your information through our Privacy Center under the "My Account" dashboard (available if you are logged into your JD Supra account).

Registration Information. When you register with JD Supra for our Website and Services, either as an author or as a subscriber, you will be asked to provide identifying information to create your JD Supra account ("Registration Data"), such as your:

Other Information: We also collect other information you may voluntarily provide. This may include content you provide for publication. We may also receive your communications with others through our Website and Services (such as contacting an author through our Website) or communications directly with us (such as through email, feedback or other forms or social media). If you are a subscribed user, we will also collect your user preferences, such as the types of articles you would like to read.

Information from third parties (such as, from your employer or LinkedIn): We may also receive information about you from third party sources. For example, your employer may provide your information to us, such as in connection with an article submitted by your employer for publication. If you choose to use LinkedIn to subscribe to our Website and Services, we also collect information related to your LinkedIn account and profile.

Your interactions with our Website and Services: As is true of most websites, we gather certain information automatically. This information includes IP addresses, browser type, Internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, operating system, date/time stamp and clickstream data. We use this information to analyze trends, to administer the Website and our Services, to improve the content and performance of our Website and Services, and to track users' movements around the site. We may also link this automatically-collected data to personal information, for example, to inform authors about who has read their articles. Some of this data is collected through information sent by your web browser. We also use cookies and other tracking technologies to collect this information. To learn more about cookies and other tracking technologies that JD Supra may use on our Website and Services please see our "Cookies Guide" page.

We use the information and data we collect principally in order to provide our Website and Services. More specifically, we may use your personal information to:

JD Supra takes reasonable and appropriate precautions to insure that user information is protected from loss, misuse and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration and destruction. We restrict access to user information to those individuals who reasonably need access to perform their job functions, such as our third party email service, customer service personnel and technical staff. You should keep in mind that no Internet transmission is ever 100% secure or error-free. Where you use log-in credentials (usernames, passwords) on our Website, please remember that it is your responsibility to safeguard them. If you believe that your log-in credentials have been compromised, please contact us at privacy@jdsupra.com.

Our Website and Services are not directed at children under the age of 16 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 16 through our Website and/or Services. If you have reason to believe that a child under the age of 16 has provided personal information to us, please contact us, and we will endeavor to delete that information from our databases.

Our Website and Services may contain links to other websites. The operators of such other websites may collect information about you, including through cookies or other technologies. If you are using our Website or Services and click a link to another site, you will leave our Website and this Policy will not apply to your use of and activity on those other sites. We encourage you to read the legal notices posted on those sites, including their privacy policies. We are not responsible for the data collection and use practices of such other sites. This Policy applies solely to the information collected in connection with your use of our Website and Services and does not apply to any practices conducted offline or in connection with any other websites.

JD Supra's principal place of business is in the United States. By subscribing to our website, you expressly consent to your information being processed in the United States.

You can make a request to exercise any of these rights by emailing us at privacy@jdsupra.com or by writing to us at:

You can also manage your profile and subscriptions through our Privacy Center under the "My Account" dashboard.

We will make all practical efforts to respect your wishes. There may be times, however, where we are not able to fulfill your request, for example, if applicable law prohibits our compliance. Please note that JD Supra does not use "automatic decision making" or "profiling" as those terms are defined in the GDPR.

Pursuant to Section 1798.83 of the California Civil Code, our customers who are California residents have the right to request certain information regarding our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes.

You can make a request for this information by emailing us at privacy@jdsupra.com or by writing to us at:

Some browsers have incorporated a Do Not Track (DNT) feature. These features, when turned on, send a signal that you prefer that the website you are visiting not collect and use data regarding your online searching and browsing activities. As there is not yet a common understanding on how to interpret the DNT signal, we currently do not respond to DNT signals on our site.

For non-EU/Swiss residents, if you would like to know what personal information we have about you, you can send an e-mail to privacy@jdsupra.com. We will be in contact with you (by mail or otherwise) to verify your identity and provide you the information you request. We will respond within 30 days to your request for access to your personal information. In some cases, we may not be able to remove your personal information, in which case we will let you know if we are unable to do so and why. If you would like to correct or update your personal information, you can manage your profile and subscriptions through our Privacy Center under the "My Account" dashboard. If you would like to delete your account or remove your information from our Website and Services, send an e-mail to privacy@jdsupra.com.

We reserve the right to change this Privacy Policy at any time. Please refer to the date at the top of this page to determine when this Policy was last revised. Any changes to our Privacy Policy will become effective upon posting of the revised policy on the Website. By continuing to use our Website and Services following such changes, you will be deemed to have agreed to such changes.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the practices of this site, your dealings with our Website or Services, or if you would like to change any of the information you have provided to us, please contact us at: privacy@jdsupra.com.

As with many websites, JD Supra's website (located at http://www.jdsupra.com) (our "Website") and our services (such as our email article digests)(our "Services") use a standard technology called a "cookie" and other similar technologies (such as, pixels and web beacons), which are small data files that are transferred to your computer when you use our Website and Services. These technologies automatically identify your browser whenever you interact with our Website and Services.

We use cookies and other tracking technologies to:

There are different types of cookies and other technologies used our Website, notably:

JD Supra Cookies. We place our own cookies on your computer to track certain information about you while you are using our Website and Services. For example, we place a session cookie on your computer each time you visit our Website. We use these cookies to allow you to log-in to your subscriber account. In addition, through these cookies we are able to collect information about how you use the Website, including what browser you may be using, your IP address, and the URL address you came from upon visiting our Website and the URL you next visit (even if those URLs are not on our Website). We also utilize email web beacons to monitor whether our emails are being delivered and read. We also use these tools to help deliver reader analytics to our authors to give them insight into their readership and help them to improve their content, so that it is most useful for our users.

Analytics/Performance Cookies. JD Supra also uses the following analytic tools to help us analyze the performance of our Website and Services as well as how visitors use our Website and Services:

Facebook, Twitter and other Social Network Cookies. Our content pages allow you to share content appearing on our Website and Services to your social media accounts through the "Like," "Tweet," or similar buttons displayed on such pages. To accomplish this Service, we embed code that such third party social networks provide and that we do not control. These buttons know that you are logged in to your social network account and therefore such social networks could also know that you are viewing the JD Supra Website.

If you would like to change how a browser uses cookies, including blocking or deleting cookies from the JD Supra Website and Services you can do so by changing the settings in your web browser. To control cookies, most browsers allow you to either accept or reject all cookies, only accept certain types of cookies, or prompt you every time a site wishes to save a cookie. It's also easy to delete cookies that are already saved on your device by a browser.

The processes for controlling and deleting cookies vary depending on which browser you use. To find out how to do so with a particular browser, you can use your browser's "Help" function or alternatively, you can visit http://www.aboutcookies.org which explains, step-by-step, how to control and delete cookies in most browsers.

We may update this cookie policy and our Privacy Policy from time-to-time, particularly as technology changes. You can always check this page for the latest version. We may also notify you of changes to our privacy policy by email.

If you have any questions about how we use cookies and other tracking technologies, please contact us at: privacy@jdsupra.com.

Read more:

Artificial Intelligence is Starting to Shape the Future of the Workplace - JD Supra

Travel industry is slowly embracing the artificial intelligence in their network so that they can improve their services and provided travelers with a customized experience.

FREMONT, CA:In several industries, the vital transformations have already been racked up by science and artificial intelligence (AI). The travel industry is not an exception to it as there also many business verticals that have been affected by AI. It is not easy to define AI precisely, but here is some information about the immunity that the travel industry is creating for an artificial industry.

The business process and customer services in every dominant industry have significantly developed with the assistance of artificial intelligence. There are several AI software extensively used among the sectors likeMachine Learning, Chatbots, Internet of Things, and Neural Networks. However, among this considerable list, new software has also been added known as the Travel AI, and it will be extremely beneficial for the travel industry. The various uses of AI among the travel industry and travelers.

Virtual Reality

It is time for travel companies to eliminate the traditional concept of paper brochures because VR headsets can provide travelers a real-time feeling of the rooms and the areas surrounding the hotel. The virtual assistant can make the experience of the travelers easy by improving the conversion rates, a high degree of customer experience, and even personalize the travel experience.

The VR technology is also helping the AI-powered in-room assistance as they are developing the travel and hospitality services by speeding up the process of travel booking and delivering a personalized guest experience.

VR for the Travelers

The travelers can also surf hotels, book a room, get tips from the other tourist, and even check the latest tariffs with the help of virtual assistants.

Machine Learning

The ML helps in tracking the travel preferences of the customers, along with enhancing customer services by providing real-time hospitality. The travel industry can also benefit from the robotic technology that uses ML and speech recognition to provide travel information to travelers.

ML for the Travelers

With machine learning, travelers do not have to plan their trip because the computer can do it. The computer will assist the customers to book for the destination that they want to visit, along with every place and the most recommended food in that area.

AI Algorithms

AI algorithms are mostly used for gathering, authenticating, and interpreting the data so that the travel companies can understand the preferences of the customers. The AI will help the travel industry to conclude the pricing outlay, sales, customers' preferences, and the other methods through which they can increase their profit margins.

AI is suitable for the travel companies because it can appropriately perform the data sorting rather than human conducting it as it may contain many errors.

AI algorithms for the Travelers

With the assistance of AI algorithms, the visitors can mechanically get the things they want without even calling for the room service in a hotel.

Chatbots

The chatbots help the business travelers to offer the quickest response time, which is not even possible for the humans to match. The traditional way of customer representative manually replying to the inquiries in the comment of social media posts, websites, and blogs does not work anymore.

Chatbots can easily automate the response. The initial inquiries that customers do to gain information and the feedback from them are effectively managed with the help of chatbots.

Chatbots for the Travelers

The chatbots can be powered with the help of instant messaging apps and social media for providing time-saving services to the customers while they are traveling.

The use of the technology of AI is rapidly increasing in the travel industry because of its own merits and the benefits that it provides. Although AI is still new in the travel and hospitality industry, it offers several user-friendly experiences that make it exceptional.

See Also: Top Travel and Hospitality Solution Companies

More:

How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming the Travel Industry - CIOReview

The use of artificial intelligence is now the norm in many industries, from integrating the technology in autonomous vehicles for safety, to AI algorithms being used to improve advertising campaigns. But, by using it in healthcare, could it also help us predict the outbreak of a virus such as the COVID-19 coronavirus?

Since the first cases were seen at the end of December 2019, coronavirus has spread from Wuhan, China, to 34 countries around the world, with more than 80,000 cases recorded. A hospital was built in 10 days to provide the 1,000 beds needed for those who had fallen victim to the virus in Wuhan 97 per cent of cases reported are in China.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the world should prepare for a global coronavirus pandemic. The virus can be spread from person to person via respiratory droplets expelled when an infected person coughs or sneezes. According to the WHO: "Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death."

AI developers have suggested that the technology could have been used to flag irregular symptoms before clinicians realise there is a developing problem. AI could alert medical institutions to spikes in the number of people suffering from the same symptoms, giving them two to four weeks' advance warning which in turn could allow them time to test for a cure and keep the public better informed.

As the virus continues to spread, AI is now being used to help predict where in the world it will strike next. The technology sifts through news stories and air traffic information, in order to detect and monitor the spread of the virus.

Excerpt from:

Could artificial intelligence have predicted the COVID-19 coronavirus? - Euronews

Big names in technology, including Amazon, Microsoft, and IBM, worked with healthcare industry groups to developa standard for the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare.

Convened by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), a working group made up of 52 organizations set out to create a common language so industry stakeholders can better understand AI technologies.

Thestandard, which was released Tuesday,has been accredited by theAmerican National Standards Institute (ANSI).

Across-the-Board Impact of an OB-GYN Hospitalist Program

A Denver facility saw across-the-board improvements in patient satisfaction, maternal quality metrics, decreased subsidy and increased service volume, thanks to the rollout of the first OB-GYN hospitalist program in the state.

The CTA working groupwas created a year ago to develop some standardization on definitions and characteristics of healthcare AI.

Healthcare organizations involved in the project include the American Medical Association,Doctor on Demand, Livongo, Ginger, AdvaMed,American Telemedicine Association, Fitbit, soon to be owned by Google, and Humana, thefirst payer to jointhe CTA last September.

It's part of the CTAs new initiative on AI and is the first in several steps the CTAplans to help create a foundation forimplementingmedicaland health caresolutions built onAI.

RELATED:Investors poured $4B into healthcare AI startups in 2019

This standard creates a firm base for the growing use of AI in our health caretechnology that will better diagnose diseases, monitor patients recoveries and help us all live healthier lives, said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA. This is a major first stepconvening some of the biggestplayers in the digital health worldto help create a more efficient health care system and offer value-based health care to Americans.

AI-related termsareused in differentways,leading toconfusionespecially in thehealth care industry, including telehealth and remote patient monitoring.

The healthcare AI standard developed by the working groupprovides a foundation of definitions to understand AI and common terminology. The goal in creating the standard is to foster "a better understanding AI technologiesandcommon terminologysoconsumers, tech companies and care providers can better communicate, develop and use AI-basedhealth care technologies," the CTA said.

So far, common terminologyhasdefinedthe intent of useand thatsone of the most significant challenges in developing standard applications of AI, saidRene Quashie, VP,policy andregulatoryaffairs,digitalhealth,CTA. As health systemsand providersuse AI toolssuch asmachine learning todiagnose, treat and manage disease, theres an urgent need to understand and agree on AI concepts for consistent use.This standard does exactly that.

Among the definitions, thestandard includesdebatedtermssuch as assistive intelligence, which the group defined as a category of AI software that informs or drives diagnosis or clinical management of a patient with the healthcare provider makingthe ultimate decisions before clinical action is taken.

RELATED:Healthcare CEOs say AI progress stymied by high costs, privacy risks

Other definitions include terms like de-identified data, synthetic data, remote patient monitoring, and patient decision support system.

As the healthcare system deals with clinician shortages, an aging population and the persistence of chronic diseases in the US, technologically driven solutions, such as AI, will increasingly be used to meet clinician and patient needs, the group notes.

As AI is increasingly used fordecision support and decision making, healthcare professionals will need to be able to take ownership, apply judgment and empathy.

"Transparency and a common language will be key to enable the proper and safe functioning of AI," said Pat Baird, regulatory head of global software standards at Philips and co-chair of the working group.

Visit link:

Amazon, Microsoft team up with Consumer Technology Association on healthcare AI standards - FierceHealthcare