Commentary / World Dec 18, 2018
Lies, damned lies, and artificial intelligence
by Diane Coyle
As algorithmic decision-making spreads, it is exposing social and economic inequities that were long hidden behind "official" data.
NEWSWORTHY
Commentary / Japan Dec 16, 2018
Drastic employment changes are coming
by Takamitsu Sawa
The crucial question is whether technological renovation can create enough new employment opportunities to make up for jobs lost to technology.
World Dec 4, 2018
Fearful of bias, Google blocks gender-based pronouns from new AI tool
Alphabet Inc.'s Google in May introduced a slick feature for Gmail that automatically completes sentences for users as they type. Tap out "I love" and Gmail might propose "you" or "it." But users are out of luck if the object of their affection is "him" ...
Business / Tech Nov 28, 2018
China's opening of human gene engineering 'Pandora's box' seen as symptom of unbridled tech quest
A Chinese researcher's claim that he successfully modified the genes of human embryos may force the country to make a stark choice about the future of its burgeoning biotechnology industry — one with significant implications for an emerging technology arms race with the West. He ...
World Nov 23, 2018
Artificial intelligence pilot project improves safety along busy Las Vegas highway
Artificial intelligence is helping improve safety along a stretch of Las Vegas' busiest highway. The Nevada Highway Patrol says a yearlong partnership between public safety agencies and a startup technology firm resulted in a 17 percent reduction in crashes along a portion of northbound Interstate ...
Commentary / Japan Nov 18, 2018
Computers may reshape jobs, but they won't eliminate them
by Takamitsu Sawa
Take predictions that artificial intelligence and robots will cause massive unemployment in the future with a grain of salt.
Entertainment News Nov 13, 2018
Douglas Rain, the Canadian actor who voiced vengeful supercomputer HAL 9000 in Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey," a precursor of artificial intelligence in smartphones, has died. He was 90. According to the Stratford Festival, a repertory theater festival of which he was a founding ...
Business / Tech Nov 10, 2018
China's state-controlled news broadcasters have long been considered somewhat robotic in their daily recitation of pro-government propaganda and a pair of new presenters will do little to dispel that view. Calling it a "world first," the Xinhua News Agency this past week debuted a pair ...
Business / Tech Oct 26, 2018
AI art: Algorithm-generated portrait fetches $432,500 at NY auction: Christie's
A portrait made by algorithm smashed new boundaries Thursday, selling for $432,500 and becoming the first piece of Artificial Intelligence art sold at a major auction house, Christie's said. At first glance, "Edmond de Belamy," the portrait of a gentleman dressed in black and framed ...
National Oct 25, 2018
Robot security guard to be tested at Tokyo station in bid to boost security ahead of 2020 Games
A robot developed to serve as a security guard at train stations was shown to the press Thursday amid a growing need to boost safety in the run-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Equipped with a security camera powered by artificial intelligence, the ...
Business / Tech Oct 24, 2018
Amazon.com Inc. in June pitched its facial recognition technology — which can identify people from surveillance footage using image databases — as a tool for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, showing that Amazon continued to push the software to law enforcement agencies as criticism ...
National Oct 18, 2018
by Tomohiro Osaki
In a world increasingly fragmented by U.S. President Donald Trump's "America First" agenda, Japan should take on the role as the world's new "stabilizer" by committing to the landmark Paris accord on climate change and keeping a multilateral trade regime from falling apart in ...