Data Science newsletter – June 29, 2018

Newsletter features journalism, research papers, events, tools/software, and jobs for June 29, 2018

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Data Science News



We Have Reached Peak Screen. Now Revolution Is in the Air.

The New York Times, Farhad Manjoo


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Smartphones were once the best thing to happen to the tech industry — and for a while, it seemed, to all of us, too. In the 11 years since the iPhone made its debut, smartphones have subsumed just about every other gadget and altered every business, from news to retail to taxis to television, ultimately reordering everything about how we understand media, politics and reality itself.

But now that smartphones have achieved dominance, revolution is again in the air.

Global smartphone sales are plateauing for a very obvious reason: Pretty much anyone who can afford one already has one, and increasingly there are questions about whether we are using our phones too much and too mindlessly. At Google’s and Apple’s recent developer conferences, executives took the stage to show how much more irresistible they were making our phones. Then each company unveiled something else: Software to help you use your phone a lot less.

There’s a reason tech companies are feeling this tension between making phones better and worrying they are already too addictive. We’ve hit what I call Peak Screen.


35 Innovators Under 35 2018

MIT Technology Review


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We’ve been presenting our list of innovators under 35 for 18 years, long enough to spot some trends. You won’t find a lot of artificial-intelligence innovation in the early days of the list, but AI now dominates. And the list has grown more gender equitable. It was once male-dominated, but this year, for the first time, it includes more women than men. We hope the list gives you a sense of what’s coming next, and what kinds of people are making it happen.


$25 million gift will help Northwestern Medicine develop artificial intelligence to treat heart disease

Chicago Tribune, Robert Channick


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Northwestern Medicine will use a new $25 million gift from real estate developer Neil Bluhm to develop artificial intelligence as a tool in the fight against heart disease.

The donation will help fund “a first-of-its-kind center that utilizes artificial intelligence and machine learning to advance the study and treatment of cardiovascular disease,” Northwestern Medicine announced Tuesday.


Making Machine Learning Robust Against Adversarial Inputs

Communications of the ACM; Ian Goodfellow, Patrick McDaniel, Nicolas Papernot


from

Machine learning has advanced radically over the past 10 years, and machine learning algorithms now achieve human-level performance or better on a number of tasks, including face recognition,31 optical character recognition,8 object recognition,29 and playing the game Go.26 Yet machine learning algorithms that exceed human performance in naturally occurring scenarios are often seen as failing dramatically when an adversary is able to modify their input data even subtly. Machine learning is already used for many highly important applications and will be used in even more of even greater importance in the near future. Search algorithms, automated financial trading algorithms, data analytics, autonomous vehicles, and malware detection are all critically dependent on the underlying machine learning algorithms that interpret their respective domain inputs to provide intelligent outputs that facilitate the decision-making process of users or automated systems. As machine learning is used in more contexts where malicious adversaries have an incentive to interfere with the operation of a given machine learning system, it is increasingly important to provide protections, or “robustness guarantees,” against adversarial manipulation.


On Neural Networks

Communications of the ACM, Vint Cerf


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I am only a layman in the neural network space so the ideas and opinions in this column are sure to be refined by comments from more knowledgeable readers. The recent successes of multilayer neural networks have made headlines. Much earlier work on what I imagine to be single-layer networks proved to have limitations. Indeed, the famous book, Perceptrons,a by Turing laureate Marvin Minsky and his colleague Seymour Papert put the kibosh (that’s a technical term) on further research in this space for some time. Among the most visible signs of advancement in this arena is the success of the DeepMind AlphaGo multilayer neural network that beat the international grand Go champion, Lee Sedol, four games out of five in March 2016 in Seoul.b This was followed by a further success against Ke Jie winning three games of three in Wuzhen in May 2017.c Further developments have led to AlphaGo Zerod that learned to play championship Go in only 40 days with only the rules of Go and a reinforcement learning algorithm to generate the neural network weightings. AlphaGo Zero learned to play chess well enough to beat most (maybe all?) computer-based players in 24 hours.

These developments are dependent in part on vastly faster and cheaper computing engines such as graphical processing units and, at Google, tensor processing units that run multilayer machine learning algorithms swiftly and increasingly efficiently. Google used a version of its tensor processing system, TensorFlow, to reduce the cost of cooling a datacenter by 40%.f Many other applications are surfacing for these neural network systems, including reliable identification of diseases (for example, diabetic retinopathy, cancerous cells), situational awareness for self-driving cars, and a raft of other hard recognition and optimization problems.


Adobe is using AI to catch Photoshopped images

Engadget, Kris Holt


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While picture editors have tweaked images for decades, modern tools like Adobe Photoshop let them alter photos to the point of complete fabrication. Think of sharks swimming in the streets of New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy, or someone flying a “where’s my damn dinner?” banner over a women’s march. Those images were fake, but clever manipulation can trick news outlets and social media users into thinking they’re real. By the time we figure out that they’re phony, bombastic pictures can go viral and it’s nearly impossible to let everyone know the image they shared is a sham.

Adobe, certainly aware of how complicit its software is in the creation of fake news images, is working on artificial intelligence that can spot the markers of phony photos. In other words, the maker of Photoshop is tapping into machine learning to find out if someone has Photoshopped an image.


What’s leisure and what’s game addiction in the 21st century?

The Conversation, Lindsay Grace


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The World Health Organization’s description of “gaming disorder” as an “addictive behavior disorder” includes a vague description of how much digital gaming is too much. The WHO warns that “people who partake in gaming should be alert to the amount of time they spend on gaming activities.” At what point does a leisure activity turn into an addiction?

Games researchers are no strangers to complaints about the dangers of too much game playing. Video games have been blamed for causing aggression, unemployment and even the vitamin D deficiency called rickets. Games have also, of course, been championed for improving surgical skills, encouraging pro-social behavior, aiding in cancer treatment and helping develop new AIDS medications.


Match Is the Sweetheart of Online Dating—But Can It Fend Off Facebook and Bumble?

Fortune, Leigh Gallagher


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In the past few months alone, Match Group, the $12 billion parent of Match.com, OkCupid, Tinder, and Plenty of Fish, among many others, filed a lawsuit against its white-hot startup challenger, Bumble, for patent infringement and stealing trade secrets. Bumble published an acerbic letter in response and filed its own countersuit. This is on top of the already fraught history between the two companies: Bumble’s founder, Whitney Wolfe Herd, was a Tinder cofounder who sued for sexual harassment after being forced out, won a settlement, and a few months later started the competitor. After all of this fracas, the Facebook news was, at least, professional, complete with courtesy call.

But Zuckerberg’s announcement marks a major turning point for the industry—and perhaps most significantly, for market leader Match Group. The market for using technology to connect singletons the world over has flourished in recent years, but its real potential has yet to be unlocked. Globally, there are 600 million singles online—a number that’s expected to jump to 700 million by 2020—yet the industry’s biggest player by far, Match Group, is estimated to claim just 10% of that. So while skeptics have plenty of (valid) questions about whether Facebook can actually persuade people to trust it with their romantic lives, there’s no doubt that the behemoth’s decision to enter the market will go a long way toward legitimizing digital courtship and bringing more of those would-be daters online.


Royal Bank of Canada and Ben-Gurion University Enter Into Cyber Security Partnership

PR Newswire, BGN Technologies


from

The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and BGN Technologies, the technology transfer company of Ben-Gurion University (BGU) in Israel, today announced that RBC is investing $2 million into research at BGU’s Cyber-Security Research Center. The funding will support the development of adversarial artificial intelligence (AI), including machine learning-based cyber mitigation techniques.

As the threat landscape continues to evolve in cyber security, artificial intelligence and machine learning have become the industry standard for providing state-of-the art performance in complex tasks like automatic personal assistant, facial and speech recognition, as well as fraud, malware and cyber issue detection.


Houston Baptist receives $2.5 million gift to launch new college – Houston Chronicle

Houston Chronicle, Stephen Tucker Paulson


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HBU is launching its engineering college to combat what it says is a “critical shortage” of cybersecurity experts in the Houston area. The college will offer bachelor of science degrees in Cyber Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, as well as courses on cybersecurity, cloud computing, mobility, data analytics and project management, the school said.


South Big Data Hub partners on development of new nationwide data storage network under NSF grant

South Big Data Innovation Hub


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The South Big Data Hub is one of four regional big data hub partners awarded a $1.8 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the initial development of a data storage network over the next two years. A collaborative team will combine their expertise, facilities, and research challenges to develop the Open Storage Network (OSN). The OSN will enable academic researchers across the nation to work with and share their data more efficiently than ever before, according to the NSF announcement.

The project, led by Alex Szalay of Johns Hopkins University in the South Hub region, leverages key data storage partners throughout the U.S. These partners include the National Data Service and members representing each of the four NSF-funded Big Data Regional Innovation Hubs (BD Hubs): the South Big Data Hub at the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) and the Georgia Institute of Technology, the West Big Data Hub at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), the Midwest Big Data Hub at the National Center for Supercomputer Applications (NCSA), and the Northeast Big Data Hub at the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC) and Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC).


Mapping the brain with data science

Purdue University, Newsroom


from

Patients with dementia and other neural diseases show physical symptoms such as stumbling and confusion, but identifying the problem isn’t as simple as taking an X-ray. A group of researchers at Purdue University are designing data-driven tools that will help clinicians better understand the progression of neurodegenerative diseases by identifying and tracking changes in the brain.

“We’re not to the point where we’re taking X-rays to see if you have a broken bone in your leg, but we’re at least at the stage where we’re saying, ‘Your gait is very funny,’” said Tom Talavage, professor of electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering, and a co-investigator for the project. “We can narrow it down to something wrong with your leg, and we can make inferences about what’s wrong with your leg. We can say, ‘You probably have a broken leg because of how you’re walking.’ That’s what we’re really getting at.”

The project is led by Joaquín Goñi, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering who studies the network of neural connections composing the human brain. This network is called the connectome, the focus of an emerging field of study known as brain connectomics. Brain-imaging techniques, such as diffusion weighted imaging and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), allow neuroscientists to model and examine the connectome to understand communication between different regions of the brain. This helps them see which parts of the brain are functioning normally – and which regions are not – by observing changes over time.


Bosch launches AI center at CMU, invests $8M in university research

TribLIVE, Tribune-Review, Aaron Aupperlee


from

Bosch announced Wednesday it is establishing a Center for Artificial Intelligence at Carnegie Mellon University and investing $8 million in research at the school.

The AI center is Bosch’s fourth worldwide and second in the United States.

The center will research ways artificial intelligence can be used to bolster technology in mobility, consumer goods, industry, energy and buildings. The $8 million will be invested in research and projects over the next five years.


New Report! Disconnected: A Human Rights-Based Approach to Network Disruptions

Global Digital Policy Incubator


from

The Global Network Initiative (GNI) is pleased to announce the release of a new report on government-mandated network disruptions.

Authored by former GNI Google policy fellow, Jan Rydzak, the report identifies over 100 instances of deliberate network disruption around the world in 2017. Counting daily disruptions in each country cumulatively, Rydzak finds that access to digital communication was disrupted on more than 2,500 days last year. The report presents a wealth of data relevant to both researchers and activists and encourages them to engage more broadly with different stakeholders.


What Facebook Can Learn From Academia About Protecting Privacy

Footnote, Alexandra Wood & Micah Altman


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Facebook is confronting another privacy scandal after it was reported that the company has formal agreements to share user data with at least four Chinese electronics companies, including one flagged as a national security threat to the United States. The latest revelation contributes to a growing unease about how Facebook and other tech companies protect user privacy.

From undisclosed data sharing that puts health and financial information at risk to political ads targeted using unauthorized data, the consequences of big data have become vaster and more threatening than anyone could have imagined. Our research finds traditional approaches to safeguarding privacy stretched to the limit as thousands of data points are collected about each of us every day and maintained indefinitely by a host of technology platforms.

For all our fears, many people have a sense that the erosion of privacy is simply the price we must pay for the benefits of technology. However, the death of privacy is not inevitable, and the proof comes from another field that collects and protects large amounts of sensitive personal information: scientific research.


As Amazon moves deeper into health care with PillPack buy, here’s what we know — and what we suspect — about its plans

CNBC, Christina Farr


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Amazon is getting into health care. The company’s announcement on Thursday that it’s buying online pharmacy PillPack puts any doubt to rest.

The company hasn’t spoken much about its plans, as it’s still determining the scope through a series of brainstorming sessions with experts in the space, but its acquisitions, hiring trends and recent product development hint strongly at where it could go.

So here’s a recap of what we know, what we don’t and what the experts think about Amazon’s potential to disrupt the $3 trillion sector.

 
Deadlines



Open Call – PEGASuS 2: Ocean Sustainability

“PEGASuS 2: Ocean Sustainability is an open call for research projects that focus on synthesis research for ocean sustainability. It will support up to four separate working groups to be based at NCEAS in Santa Barbara, California. Additionally, one postdoctoral fellow will be supported to engage with selected research teams.” Deadline for applications is August 6.
 
Tools & Resources



Backpropagation demo

google-developers.appspot.com


from

The backpropagation algorithm is essential for training large neural networks quickly. This article explains how the algorithm works. [includes visualization]


Clarifai: Introducing New Android SDK — Join Our Private Beta Program

Clarifai


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Android SDK marks the second product line in our Mobile SDK offerings. Clarifai’s Mobile SDKs enable on-device machine learning, putting AI in the palm of your hand–online or offline– including training and inference. Unlike our API, the Mobile SDK does not rely on the device’s connectivity to the cloud, resulting in faster response time. This allows app developers to provide visual insights more seamlessly throughout the end-user’s app experience. Curious what you could build using our Android SDK? See how our customers are using Clarifai’s image analysis to organize and curate user photos, enable photo edits blur out not-safe-for-work content, and more.


Data Refuge

Patricia Eunji Kim Denice Ross, Tad Schurr, Bethany Wiggin, Sarah Wu


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Data Refuge is a community-driven, collaborative project to preserve public climate and environmental data. When we document the many ways diverse communities use data, we can also advocate for future data. We want to hear your data stories!

 
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