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Microsoft’s chief environmental officer on why we need a Planetary Computer
An interview with Lucas Joppa, Microsoft's chief environmental officer, on how a Planetary Computer could help us understand and protect the Earth.
Experts urge EU to ban AI-designed social credit ranking systems
An advisory group to the European Union has suggested that the body bans systems of rating individuals automatically. In its latest report, the EU's High Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence says that "AI enabled mass scale of scoring of individuals," should be banned. In addition, instances where AI and big data could be used to identify national security threats should be tightly regulated.
UK government wants one huge database to help it run the country
Powerful though it may be, the UK government readily admits that it's unable to complete even "simple tasks" that require the sharing of data between different departments. Part of the problem, it claims, is down to the various databases that each government department controls. Because there's no complete picture of what's going on, no-one can act swiftly enough to fix a problem before it takes hold. Back in April, however, the cabinet's data sharing policy team proposed a plan that would see local authorities, emergency services, schools and government departments merge all of their databases. The resulting information could then be mined "big data" style to provide more accurate information for policymakers and target help towards those in need.
TED founder thinks big data needs a big makeover
Richard Saul Wurman isn't a fan of President Barack Obama's push for data.gov, an online repository for big data. "That's just politicians talking," the 79-year-old TED (technology, entertainment, design) conference founder told me. "I think there will be a pushback saying, 'We don't understand all this fucking data.'" The way Wurman sees it, that bulk collection of raw information has no value without a creative means of diagramming, mapping and comparing it all in a way that gives it meaning. "[You] have to have it in a form that you can understand. They're leaving that step out," he said. It's that approach to the organization of data that has directly informed the creation of Wurman's high-tech information-mapping project, Urban Observatory.
White House advisors call for an internet privacy bill of rights
Nintey days ago, President Obama ordered a review about internet privacy, data use and other concerns sparked by the NSA spying revelations. Following a public consultation, the report has now been released by White House counselor John Podesta. Though flawed -- there's no mention of NSA spying activities, for instance -- it's already being lauded by consumer advocacy groups. The 85-page document notes that while the mountains of data collected by government and corporations like Google and Apple are incredibly useful, much more needs to be done to protect civil rights.
Monsanto pushes Big Data-driven planting but farmers are skeptical
Some farmers are worried that with the latest push from seed manufacturers, their planting techniques could be used against them. Monsanto and DuPont (two of the largest seed providers in the world) are urging farmers to implement data-driven "prescriptive planting" tech that suggests how densely rows of seeds should be planted and at what depth. It also gives detailed information about a farm's soil, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Some modern farming equipment already collects the above information for the farmer's personal use, but this new tech would upload it to seed-providers who will analyze the aggregated data and feed optimized planting info directly to the iPads or other tablet inside a tractor's cab. As Monsanto tells it, this could increase corn crop yields by as much as five to ten bushels per acre -- and with mass adoption, that number would rise. Critics, however, aren't nearly as optimistic. The American Farm Bureau Federation (a farming trade-group) has pointed out that seed companies have an implicit interest in higher crop returns and planting denser fields: Monsanto and its ilk stand to profit from the cost of their services as well as increased seed sales. Farmers fret that the shared data could lead to increased competition and higher seed prices, too. What's more, they're worried about a drop in the profits made from futures contracts and a possible fight related to who owns their crop data. Given Monsanto's history regarding ownership, though, the farmers' hesitation could be warranted. For the full story, be sure to hit the source link. [Image credit: Vampire Bear/Flickr]
