Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Science Times: Artificial Intelligence Is Here

Plus: China’s Moon Mission and the End of Arecibo

Artificial Intelligence Is Here

This week, Science Times thinks about the future — and the future of thinking.

Already, artificial intelligence is integrally involved in solving problems both in science and in daily human life: designing molecules to fight infectious diseases; discovering long-lost archaeological sites; identifying people at high risk of committing suicide.

These systems are a marvel and can make our lives easier. But ultimately they are as flawed as we are, because we are behind all of it. We choose what data to train A.I. on, unwittingly passing along our unspoken biases about one another. And we are all too quick to think that our machines, being machines, are smarter and more objective than us.

Is this humility or hubris? Do we underrate human intelligence, or do we take too much pride in it, assuming that in our cleverness that we can create things more clever still? Perhaps a cleareyed view is best. “Remove the romanticism,” the computer engineer Jaron Lanier tells Dennis Overbye, our cosmic correspondent. “It’s not a creature like a cat, it’s just an algorithm running.”

— Alan Burdick

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THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

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It’s been 60 years since Jane Goodall’s first excursion to observe primates in Africa. Her discoveries there, which transformed our understanding of animals, continue to inspire generations of scientists and environmental activists.

Now, at the age of 86, she reflects on her legacy. On this episode of “Sway,” hosted by Kara Swisher, Dr. Goodall reveals how she rose to celebrity status, how she uses her platform to persuade world leaders and which politicians (like President Trump) she wouldn’t even bother trying to persuade. Listen now.

OTHER SCIENCE NEWS

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