The Download
What's up in emerging technology
The US has blamed Chinese state hackers for the Marriott hotel data breach
Car-hailing firm Didi has a new dispatching algorithm that adapts to rider demand
A new AI method can train on medical records without revealing patient data
The scale of location tracking by our smartphone apps has been exposed
Voyager 2 has finally entered interstellar space, more than 40 years after its launch
March 25-26, 2019
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Intelligent Machines
Canada and France plan an international panel to assess AI’s dangers
Other nations may soon join a council to discuss the impact and the potential of artificial intelligence.
Intelligent Machines
Alibaba already has a voice assistant way better than Google’s
It navigates interruptions and other tricky features of human conversation to field millions of requests a day.
Intelligent Machines
Quantum computers pose a security threat that we’re still totally unprepared for
Some US experts think it could take at least 20 years to get quantum-proof encryption widely deployed.
Intelligent Machines
Your smartphone’s AI algorithms could tell if you are depressed
Smartphones that are used to track our faces and voices could also help lower the barrier to mental-health diagnosis and treatment.
Intelligent Machines
Inside the world of AI that forges beautiful art and terrifying deepfakes
Generative adversarial networks, or GANs, are fueling creativity—and controversy. Here’s how they work.
Connectivity
A mass ride-sharing launch will put cremated remains, satellites, and art into space
Artists and space entrepreneurs are among those with something on board a SpaceX rocket intended to launch more than 60 satellites.
From Our Current Issue
View from the Marketplace
Professional services firms see huge potential in machine learning
B2B marketers share strong convictions about how data analytics can help them understand—and reach—their customers. The more benefits they have witnessed, the greater possibilities they see.
View from the Marketplace
Technology innovations: The future of AI and blockchain
A survey conducted at the EmTech MIT conference, September 11-14, 2018, and online, yielded some interesting responses on how technology is changing our lives.
View from the Marketplace
Digital transformation sparks innovation in networking
The network needs to keep pace with the demands of exciting new technologies like containers and microservices, according to presenters at a recent industry event. The first step in that process is changing the culture.
View from the Marketplace
For data-savvy marketers, there’s a new keyword: Intent
As more companies look to machine learning for insights, marketers need to use new tools and technology to engage potential customers at the right time and place.
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Rewriting Life
Reprogramming our bodies to make us healthier.
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Years before CRISPR babies, this man was the first to edit human embryos
In 2015, an unknown Chinese scientist edited the DNA of human embryos. It was a step on an inexorable path to designer babies.
by Antonio Regalado
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Despite CRISPR baby controversy, Harvard University will begin gene-editing sperm
Even as a furious debate broke out in China over gene-edited babies, some scientists in the US are also hoping to improve tomorrow’s children.
by Antonio Regalado
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Rogue Chinese CRISPR scientist cited US report as his green light
An expert finding from the National Academies of Sciences was He Jiankui’s excuse to edit the DNA of two babies.
by Antonio Regalado
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The crisis of social reproduction and the end of work
High-income societies are facing the rise of precarious employment.
by Helen Hester and Nick Snircek
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SPONSORED
Advanced tech, but growth slow and unequal: paradoxes and policies
Slowing productivity growth in major economies amid seemingly booming technology presents a paradox.
by Zia Qureshi
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From the age of perplexity to the era of opportunities
Finance for Growth
by Francisco Gonzalez
Features
Intelligent Machines
One of the fathers of AI is worried about its future
Yoshua Bengio wants to stop talk of an AI arms race and make the technology more accessible to the developing world.
Intelligent Machines
Artificial intelligence and robots are transforming how we work and live.
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Should a self-driving car kill the baby or the grandma? Depends on where you’re from.
The infamous “trolley problem” was put to millions of people in a global study, revealing how much ethics diverge across cultures.
by Karen Hao
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Canada and France plan an international panel to assess AI’s dangers
Other nations may soon join a council to discuss the impact and the potential of artificial intelligence.
by Will Knight
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Facial recognition has to be regulated to protect the public, says AI report
The research institute AI Now has identified facial recognition as a key challenge for society and policymakers—but is it too late?
by Will Knight