ApplicationEnd UserSectorSource DataTechnology San Francisco face-recognition startup Everalbum won a $2 million contract with the Air Force to provide “AI-driven access control.” Monday, another arm of the US government dealt the company a setback.The Federal Trade Commission Everalbum had agreed to settle charges that it had applied face-recognition technology to images uploaded to a photo app without users’ permission and retained them after telling users they would be deleted. The startup used millions of the photos to develop technology offered to government agencies and other...…ApplicationEnd UserSectorSource DataTechnology San Francisco face-recognition startup Everalbum won a $2 million contract with the Air Force to provide “AI-driven access control.” Monday, another arm of the US government dealt the company a setback.The Federal Trade Commission Everalbum had agreed to settle charges that it had applied face-recognition technology to images uploaded to a photo app without users’ permission and retained them after telling users they would be deleted. The startup used millions of the photos to develop technology offered to government agencies and other...WW…

Chess has a reputation for cold logic, but Vladimir Kramnik loves the game for its beauty.“It’s a kind of creation,” he says. His passion for the artistry of minds clashing over the board, trading complex but elegant provocations and counters, helped him dethrone Garry Kasparov in 2000 and spend several years as world champion.Yet Kramnik, who retired from competitive chess last year, also believes his beloved game has grown less creative. He partly blames computers, whose soulless calculations have produced a vast library of openings and defenses that top-flight players know by rote. “For...…Chess has a reputation for cold logic, but Vladimir Kramnik loves the game for its beauty.“It’s a kind of creation,” he says. His passion for the artistry of minds clashing over the board, trading complex but elegant provocations and counters, helped him dethrone Garry Kasparov in 2000 and spend several years as world champion.Yet Kramnik, who retired from competitive chess last year, also believes his beloved game has grown less creative. He partly blames computers, whose soulless calculations have produced a vast library of openings and defenses that top-flight players know by rote. “For...WW…

ApplicationCompanySectorTechnology to portray as a precise and powerful tool for good. Kate Crawford says that mythology is flawed. In her book , she visits a lithium mine, an warehouse, and a 19th-century phrenological skull archive to illustrate the natural resources, human sweat, and bad science underpinning some versions of the technology. Crawford, a professor at the University of Southern California and researcher at , says many applications and side effects of AI are in urgent need of regulation.Crawford recently discussed these issues with WIRED senior writer Tom Simonite. An edited...…ApplicationCompanySectorTechnology to portray as a precise and powerful tool for good. Kate Crawford says that mythology is flawed. In her book , she visits a lithium mine, an warehouse, and a 19th-century phrenological skull archive to illustrate the natural resources, human sweat, and bad science underpinning some versions of the technology. Crawford, a professor at the University of Southern California and researcher at , says many applications and side effects of AI are in urgent need of regulation.Crawford recently discussed these issues with WIRED senior writer Tom Simonite. An edited...WW…

In 2010, British designer Harry Brignull coined a handy new term for an everyday annoyance: , meaning digital interfaces that subtly manipulate people. It became a term of art used by privacy campaigners and researchers. Now, more than a decade later, the coinage is gaining new, legal, heft.come in many forms and can trick a person out of time or money or into forfeiting personal data. A common example is the digital obstacle course that springs up when you try to nix an online account or subscription, such as for streaming TV, asking you repeatedly if you really want to cancel. A 2019...…In 2010, British designer Harry Brignull coined a handy new term for an everyday annoyance: , meaning digital interfaces that subtly manipulate people. It became a term of art used by privacy campaigners and researchers. Now, more than a decade later, the coinage is gaining new, legal, heft.come in many forms and can trick a person out of time or money or into forfeiting personal data. A common example is the digital obstacle course that springs up when you try to nix an online account or subscription, such as for streaming TV, asking you repeatedly if you really want to cancel. A 2019...WW…

After years of building political pressure for antitrust scrutiny of major tech companies, this month Congress and the US government delivered. The House Antitrust Subcommittee released a report accusing of monopolistic behavior. The Department of Justice against Google alleging the company prevents consumers from sampling other search engines.The new fervor for tech antitrust has so far overlooked an equally obvious target: US broadband providers. “If you want to talk about a history of using gatekeeper power to harm competitors, there are few better examples,” says Gigi Sohn, a fellow at...…After years of building political pressure for antitrust scrutiny of major tech companies, this month Congress and the US government delivered. The House Antitrust Subcommittee released a report accusing of monopolistic behavior. The Department of Justice against Google alleging the company prevents consumers from sampling other search engines.The new fervor for tech antitrust has so far overlooked an equally obvious target: US broadband providers. “If you want to talk about a history of using gatekeeper power to harm competitors, there are few better examples,” says Gigi Sohn, a fellow at...WW…

barred the humans who made hiring decisions from discriminating on the basis of sex or race. Now, software often contributes to those hiring decisions, helping managers screen résumés or interpret .That some tech experts and civil rights groups, who cite evidence that algorithms can replicate or magnify biases shown by people. In 2018, Reuters reported that that filtered résumés based on past hiring patterns because it discriminated against women.Legislation proposed in the New York City Council seeks to update hiring discrimination rules for the age of algorithms. would require companies...…barred the humans who made hiring decisions from discriminating on the basis of sex or race. Now, software often contributes to those hiring decisions, helping managers screen résumés or interpret .That some tech experts and civil rights groups, who cite evidence that algorithms can replicate or magnify biases shown by people. In 2018, Reuters reported that that filtered résumés based on past hiring patterns because it discriminated against women.Legislation proposed in the New York City Council seeks to update hiring discrimination rules for the age of algorithms. would require companies...WW…

In 1964, the barred the humans who made hiring decisions from discriminating on the basis of sex or race. Now, software often contributes to those hiring decisions, helping managers screen résumés or interpret .That some tech experts and civil rights groups, who cite evidence that algorithms can replicate or magnify biases shown by people. In 2018, Reuters reported that that filtered résumés based on past hiring patterns because it discriminated against women.Legislation proposed in the New York City Council seeks to update hiring discrimination rules for the age of algorithms. would...…In 1964, the barred the humans who made hiring decisions from discriminating on the basis of sex or race. Now, software often contributes to those hiring decisions, helping managers screen résumés or interpret .That some tech experts and civil rights groups, who cite evidence that algorithms can replicate or magnify biases shown by people. In 2018, Reuters reported that that filtered résumés based on past hiring patterns because it discriminated against women.Legislation proposed in the New York City Council seeks to update hiring discrimination rules for the age of algorithms. would...WW…

Google researcher Timnit Gebru said she was fired by the company after managers asked her to retract or withdraw her name from a research paper, and she objected. maintains that she resigned, and Alphabet CEO said in a company memo on Wednesday that he would investigate what happened.The episode is a pointed reminder of tech companies’ influence and power over their field. AI underpins lucrative products like Google’s search engine and Amazon’s virtual assistant . Big companies pump out influential research papers, fund academic conferences, compete to hire top researchers, and own the data...…Google researcher Timnit Gebru said she was fired by the company after managers asked her to retract or withdraw her name from a research paper, and she objected. maintains that she resigned, and Alphabet CEO said in a company memo on Wednesday that he would investigate what happened.The episode is a pointed reminder of tech companies’ influence and power over their field. AI underpins lucrative products like Google’s search engine and Amazon’s virtual assistant . Big companies pump out influential research papers, fund academic conferences, compete to hire top researchers, and own the data...WW…

researcher Timnit Gebru received disturbing news from a senior manager. She says the manager asked her to either retract or remove her name from a research paper she had coauthored, because an internal review had found the contents objectionable.The paper discussed ethical issues raised by recent advances in AI technology that , which has said is important to the . Gebru says she objected because the process was unscholarly. On Wednesday she said she was fired. A Google spokesperson said she was not fired but resigned, and declined further comment.Gebru’s the incident Wednesday night...…researcher Timnit Gebru received disturbing news from a senior manager. She says the manager asked her to either retract or remove her name from a research paper she had coauthored, because an internal review had found the contents objectionable.The paper discussed ethical issues raised by recent advances in AI technology that , which has said is important to the . Gebru says she objected because the process was unscholarly. On Wednesday she said she was fired. A Google spokesperson said she was not fired but resigned, and declined further comment.Gebru’s the incident Wednesday night...WW…

US Reps. Will Hurd and Robin Kelly are from opposite sides of the ever-widening aisle, but they share a concern that the United States may lose its grip on , threatening the American economy and the balance of world power.On Thursday, Hurd (R-Tex.) and Kelly (D-Ill.) offered suggestions to prevent the US from falling behind China, especially, on applications of AI to defense and national security. They want to cut off China’s access to AI-specific silicon chips and push Congress and federal agencies to devote more resources to advancing and safely deploying AI technology.Although Capitol...…US Reps. Will Hurd and Robin Kelly are from opposite sides of the ever-widening aisle, but they share a concern that the United States may lose its grip on , threatening the American economy and the balance of world power.On Thursday, Hurd (R-Tex.) and Kelly (D-Ill.) offered suggestions to prevent the US from falling behind China, especially, on applications of AI to defense and national security. They want to cut off China’s access to AI-specific silicon chips and push Congress and federal agencies to devote more resources to advancing and safely deploying AI technology.Although Capitol...WW…