Nothing to fear? How humans (and other intelligent animals) might ruin the autonomous vehicle utopia

May 02, 2019 17:49 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology

Globally, road crashes kill 1.3 million people a year and injure nearly 50 million more. Autonomous vehicles (AVs) have been identified as a potential solution to this issue if they can learn to identify and avoid...

Shutting down social media does not reduce violence, but rather fuels it

May 02, 2019 17:45 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology

In the wake of a series of coordinated attacks that claimed more than 250 lives on April 21, the government of Sri Lanka shut off its residents access to social media and online messaging systems, including Facebook,...

Blockchain Revolution Series

Blockchain can help break the chains of modern slavery, but it is not a complete solution

May 02, 2019 17:29 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology Digital Currency

Theres a good chance the device on which you are reading this contains cobalt. Its an essential metal for batteries in phones and laptops. Theres also a chance the cobalt was mined by slaves. Almost two-thirds of the...

Data privacy isn't just about keeping your personal details safe – it's also about economic justice

May 02, 2019 17:13 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology

Congress may finally be on the verge of passing a comprehensive federal privacy law after almost a half-century of trying. Even the tech lobby is on board following years of resistance. The growing bipartisan support...

Our smartphone addiction is killing us – can apps that limit screen time offer a lifeline?

May 02, 2019 17:06 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology

Were squandering increasing amounts of time distracted by our phones. And thats taking a serious toll on our mental and physical well-being. Perhaps ironically, software developers themselves have been on the forefront...

A 'coup des gens' is underway – and we're increasingly living under the regime of the algorithm

May 02, 2019 16:51 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology

I recently attended a large meeting of faculty to discuss graduate students evaluation, recruitment and retention. Let the data drive your goals, one of the speakers repeated, mantra-like with genuine enthusiasm and...

Prescription for journalists from journalists: Less time studying Twitter, more time studying math

May 02, 2019 16:48 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology

You hear a lot of heated claims and baseless generalities these days about whats wrong with the news media. Whats seldom heard is what the underlying data indicate about true problem areas and where journalists need to...