Opinion Machine learning's abiding weakness is verification. Is your AI telling the truth? How can you tell?
This problem isn't unique to ML. It plagues chip design, bathroom scales, and prime ministers. Still, with so many new business models depending on AI's promise to bring the holy grail of scale to real-world data analysis, this lack of testability has new economic consequences.
The basic mechanisms of machine learning are sound, or at least statistically reliable. Within the parameters of its training data, an ML process will deliver what the underlying mathematics promise. If you understand the limits, you can trust it.
But what if there's a backdoor, a fraudulent tweak of that training data set which will trigger misbehavior? What if there's a particular quirk in someone's loan request submitted at exactly 00:45 on the 5th and the amount requested checksums to 7 that triggers automatic acceptance, regardless of risk?
Like an innocent assassin unaware they'd had a kill word implanted under hypnosis, your AI would behave impeccably until the bad guys wanted it otherwise.
Intuitively, we know that's a possibility. Now it has been shown mathematically that not only can this happen, researchers say, it's not theoretically detectable. An AI backdoor exploit engineered through training is not only just as much a problem as a traditionally coded backdoor, it's not amenable to inspection or version-on-version comparison or, indeed, anything. As far as the AI's concerned, everything is working perfectly, Harry Palmer could never confess to wanting to shoot JFK, he had no idea he did.
The mitigations suggested by researchers aren't very practical. Complete transparency of training data and process between AI company and client is a nice idea, except that the training data is the company's crown jewels and if they're fraudulent, how does it help?
At this point, we run into another much more general tech industry weakness, the idea that you can always engineer a singular solution to a particular problem. Pay the man, Janet, and let's go home. That doesn't work here; computer says no is one thing, mathematics says no quite another. If we carry on assuming that there'll be a fix akin to a patch, some new function that makes future AIs resistant to this class of fraud, we will be defrauded.
Conversely, the industry does genuinely advance once fundamental flaws are admitted and accepted, and the ecosystem itself changes in recognition.
AI has an ongoing history of not working as well as we thought, and it's not just this or that project. For example, an entire sub-industry has evolved to prove you are not a robot. Using its own trained robots to silently watch you as you move around online. If these machine monitors deem you too robotic, they spring a Voight-Kampff test on you in the guise of a Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart more widely known, and loathed, as a Captcha. You then have to pass a quiz designed to filter out automata. How undignified.
Do they work? It's still economically viable for the bad guys to carry on producing untold millions of programmatic fraudsters intent on deceiving the advertising industry, so that's a no on the false positives. And it's still common to be bounced from a login because your eyes aren't good enough, or the question too ambiguous, or the feature you relied on has been taken away. Not being able to prove you are not a robot doesn't get you shot by Harrison Ford, at least for now, but you may not be able to get into eBay.
The answer here is not to build a "better" AI and feed it with more and "better" surveillance signals. It's to find a different model to identify humans online, without endangering their privacy. That's not going to be a single solution invented by a company, that's an industry-wide adoption of new standards, new methods.
Likewise, you will never be able to buy a third-party AI that is testably pure of heart. To tell the truth, you'll never be able to build one yourself, at least not if you've got a big enough team or a corporate culture where internal fraud can happen. That's a team of two or more, and any workable corporate culture yet invented.
That's OK, once you stop looking for that particular unicorn. We can't theoretically verify non-trivial computing systems of any kind. When we have to use computers where failure is not an option, like flying aircraft or exploring space, we use multiple independent systems and majority voting.
If it seems that building a grand scheme on the back of the "perfect" black box works as badly as designing a human society on the model of the perfectly rational human, congratulations. Handling the complexities of real world data at real world scale means accepting that any system is fallible in ways that can't be patched or programmed out of. We're not at the point where AI engineering is edging into AI psychology, but it's coming.
Meanwhile, there's no need to give up on your AI-powered financial fraud detection. Buy three AIs from three different companies. Use them to check each other. If one goes wonky, use the other two until you can replace the first.
Can't afford three AIs? You don't have a workable business model. At least AI is very good at proving that.
- What Is Machine Learning? | How It Works, Techniques ... [Last Updated On: September 5th, 2019] [Originally Added On: September 5th, 2019]
- Start Here with Machine Learning [Last Updated On: September 22nd, 2019] [Originally Added On: September 22nd, 2019]
- What is Machine Learning? | Emerj [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2019] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2019]
- Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2019] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2019]
- Machine Learning Basics | What Is Machine Learning? | Introduction To Machine Learning | Simplilearn [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2019] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2019]
- What is Machine Learning? A definition - Expert System [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2019] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2019]
- Machine Learning | Stanford Online [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2019] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2019]
- How to Learn Machine Learning, The Self-Starter Way [Last Updated On: October 17th, 2019] [Originally Added On: October 17th, 2019]
- definition - What is machine learning? - Stack Overflow [Last Updated On: November 3rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 3rd, 2019]
- Artificial Intelligence vs. Machine Learning vs. Deep ... [Last Updated On: November 3rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 3rd, 2019]
- Machine Learning in R for beginners (article) - DataCamp [Last Updated On: November 3rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 3rd, 2019]
- Machine Learning | Udacity [Last Updated On: November 3rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 3rd, 2019]
- Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence | McAfee [Last Updated On: November 3rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 3rd, 2019]
- Machine Learning [Last Updated On: November 3rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 3rd, 2019]
- AI-based ML algorithms could increase detection of undiagnosed AF - Cardiac Rhythm News [Last Updated On: November 19th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 19th, 2019]
- The Cerebras CS-1 computes deep learning AI problems by being bigger, bigger, and bigger than any other chip - TechCrunch [Last Updated On: November 19th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 19th, 2019]
- Can the planet really afford the exorbitant power demands of machine learning? - The Guardian [Last Updated On: November 19th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 19th, 2019]
- New InfiniteIO Platform Reduces Latency and Accelerates Performance for Machine Learning, AI and Analytics - Business Wire [Last Updated On: November 19th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 19th, 2019]
- How to Use Machine Learning to Drive Real Value - eWeek [Last Updated On: November 19th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 19th, 2019]
- Machine Learning As A Service Market to Soar from End-use Industries and Push Revenues in the 2025 - Downey Magazine [Last Updated On: November 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 26th, 2019]
- Rad AI Raises $4M to Automate Repetitive Tasks for Radiologists Through Machine Learning - - HIT Consultant [Last Updated On: November 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 26th, 2019]
- Machine Learning Improves Performance of the Advanced Light Source - Machine Design [Last Updated On: November 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 26th, 2019]
- Synthetic Data: The Diamonds of Machine Learning - TDWI [Last Updated On: November 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 26th, 2019]
- The transformation of healthcare with AI and machine learning - ITProPortal [Last Updated On: November 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 26th, 2019]
- Workday talks machine learning and the future of human capital management - ZDNet [Last Updated On: November 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 26th, 2019]
- Machine Learning with R, Third Edition - Free Sample Chapters - Neowin [Last Updated On: November 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 26th, 2019]
- Verification In The Era Of Autonomous Driving, Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning - SemiEngineering [Last Updated On: November 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 26th, 2019]
- Podcast: How artificial intelligence, machine learning can help us realize the value of all that genetic data we're collecting - Genetic Literacy... [Last Updated On: November 28th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 28th, 2019]
- The Real Reason Your School Avoids Machine Learning - The Tech Edvocate [Last Updated On: November 28th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 28th, 2019]
- Siri, Tell Fido To Stop Barking: What's Machine Learning, And What's The Future Of It? - 90.5 WESA [Last Updated On: November 28th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 28th, 2019]
- Microsoft reveals how it caught mutating Monero mining malware with machine learning - The Next Web [Last Updated On: November 28th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 28th, 2019]
- The role of machine learning in IT service management - ITProPortal [Last Updated On: November 28th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 28th, 2019]
- Global Director of Tech Exploration Discusses Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at Anheuser-Busch InBev - Seton Hall University News &... [Last Updated On: November 28th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 28th, 2019]
- The 10 Hottest AI And Machine Learning Startups Of 2019 - CRN: The Biggest Tech News For Partners And The IT Channel [Last Updated On: November 28th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 28th, 2019]
- Startup jobs of the week: Marketing Communications Specialist, Oracle Architect, Machine Learning Scientist - BetaKit [Last Updated On: November 30th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 30th, 2019]
- Here's why machine learning is critical to success for banks of the future - Tech Wire Asia [Last Updated On: December 2nd, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 2nd, 2019]
- 3 questions to ask before investing in machine learning for pop health - Healthcare IT News [Last Updated On: December 8th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 8th, 2019]
- Machine Learning Answers: If Caterpillar Stock Drops 10% A Week, Whats The Chance Itll Recoup Its Losses In A Month? - Forbes [Last Updated On: December 8th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 8th, 2019]
- Measuring Employee Engagement with A.I. and Machine Learning - Dice Insights [Last Updated On: December 8th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 8th, 2019]
- Amazon Wants to Teach You Machine Learning Through Music? - Dice Insights [Last Updated On: December 8th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 8th, 2019]
- Machine Learning Answers: If Nvidia Stock Drops 10% A Week, Whats The Chance Itll Recoup Its Losses In A Month? - Forbes [Last Updated On: December 8th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 8th, 2019]
- AI and machine learning platforms will start to challenge conventional thinking - CRN.in [Last Updated On: December 23rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 23rd, 2019]
- Machine Learning Answers: If Twitter Stock Drops 10% A Week, Whats The Chance Itll Recoup Its Losses In A Month? - Forbes [Last Updated On: December 23rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 23rd, 2019]
- Machine Learning Answers: If Seagate Stock Drops 10% A Week, Whats The Chance Itll Recoup Its Losses In A Month? - Forbes [Last Updated On: December 23rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 23rd, 2019]
- Machine Learning Answers: If BlackBerry Stock Drops 10% A Week, Whats The Chance Itll Recoup Its Losses In A Month? - Forbes [Last Updated On: December 23rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 23rd, 2019]
- Amazon Releases A New Tool To Improve Machine Learning Processes - Forbes [Last Updated On: December 23rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 23rd, 2019]
- Another free web course to gain machine-learning skills (thanks, Finland), NIST probes 'racist' face-recog and more - The Register [Last Updated On: December 23rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 23rd, 2019]
- Kubernetes and containers are the perfect fit for machine learning - JAXenter [Last Updated On: December 23rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 23rd, 2019]
- TinyML as a Service and machine learning at the edge - Ericsson [Last Updated On: December 23rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 23rd, 2019]
- AI and machine learning products - Cloud AI | Google Cloud [Last Updated On: December 23rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 23rd, 2019]
- Machine Learning | Blog | Microsoft Azure [Last Updated On: December 23rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 23rd, 2019]
- Machine Learning in 2019 Was About Balancing Privacy and Progress - ITPro Today [Last Updated On: December 25th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 25th, 2019]
- CMSWire's Top 10 AI and Machine Learning Articles of 2019 - CMSWire [Last Updated On: December 25th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 25th, 2019]
- Here's why digital marketing is as lucrative a career as data science and machine learning - Business Insider India [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2020]
- Dell's Latitude 9510 shakes up corporate laptops with 5G, machine learning, and thin bezels - PCWorld [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2020]
- Finally, a good use for AI: Machine-learning tool guesstimates how well your code will run on a CPU core - The Register [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2020]
- Cloud as the enabler of AI's competitive advantage - Finextra [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2020]
- Forget Machine Learning, Constraint Solvers are What the Enterprise Needs - - RTInsights [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2020]
- Informed decisions through machine learning will keep it afloat & going - Sea News [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2020]
- The Problem with Hiring Algorithms - Machine Learning Times - machine learning & data science news - The Predictive Analytics Times [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2020]
- New Program Supports Machine Learning in the Chemical Sciences and Engineering - Newswise [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2020]
- AI-System Flags the Under-Vaccinated in Israel - PrecisionVaccinations [Last Updated On: January 22nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 22nd, 2020]
- New Contest: Train All The Things - Hackaday [Last Updated On: January 22nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 22nd, 2020]
- AFTAs 2019: Best New Technology Introduced Over the Last 12 MonthsAI, Machine Learning and AnalyticsActiveViam - www.waterstechnology.com [Last Updated On: January 22nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 22nd, 2020]
- Educate Yourself on Machine Learning at this Las Vegas Event - Small Business Trends [Last Updated On: January 22nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 22nd, 2020]
- Seton Hall Announces New Courses in Text Mining and Machine Learning - Seton Hall University News & Events [Last Updated On: January 22nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 22nd, 2020]
- Looking at the most significant benefits of machine learning for software testing - The Burn-In [Last Updated On: January 22nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 22nd, 2020]
- Leveraging AI and Machine Learning to Advance Interoperability in Healthcare - - HIT Consultant [Last Updated On: January 22nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 22nd, 2020]
- Adventures With Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning - Toolbox [Last Updated On: January 22nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 22nd, 2020]
- Five Reasons to Go to Machine Learning Week 2020 - Machine Learning Times - machine learning & data science news - The Predictive Analytics Times [Last Updated On: January 22nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 22nd, 2020]
- Uncover the Possibilities of AI and Machine Learning With This Bundle - Interesting Engineering [Last Updated On: January 22nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 22nd, 2020]
- Learning that Targets Millennial and Generation Z - HR Exchange Network [Last Updated On: January 23rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 23rd, 2020]
- Red Hat Survey Shows Hybrid Cloud, AI and Machine Learning are the Focus of Enterprises - Computer Business Review [Last Updated On: January 23rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 23rd, 2020]
- Vectorspace AI Datasets are Now Available to Power Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Systems in Collaboration with Elastic -... [Last Updated On: January 23rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 23rd, 2020]
- What is Machine Learning? | Types of Machine Learning ... [Last Updated On: January 23rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 23rd, 2020]
- How Machine Learning Will Lead to Better Maps - Popular Mechanics [Last Updated On: January 30th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 30th, 2020]
- Jenkins Creator Launches Startup To Speed Software Testing with Machine Learning -- ADTmag - ADT Magazine [Last Updated On: January 30th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 30th, 2020]
- An Open Source Alternative to AWS SageMaker - Datanami [Last Updated On: January 30th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 30th, 2020]
- Machine Learning Could Aid Diagnosis of Barrett's Esophagus, Avoid Invasive Testing - Medical Bag [Last Updated On: January 30th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 30th, 2020]
- OReilly and Formulatedby Unveil the Smart Cities & Mobility Ecosystems Conference - Yahoo Finance [Last Updated On: January 30th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 30th, 2020]