Page 3,779«..1020..3,7783,7793,7803,781..3,7903,800..»

NIST Works on the Industries of the Future in Buildings from the Past – Nextgov

March 16, 2020 | Author: admin

The presidents budget request for fiscal 2021 proposed $738 million to fund the National Institutes of Science and Technology, a dramatic reduction from the more than $1 billion in enacted funds allocated for the agency this fiscal year.

The House Science, Space and Technology Committees Research and Technology Subcommittee on Wednesday held a hearing to hone in on NISTs reauthorizationbut instead of focusing on relevant budget considerations, lawmakers had other plans.

We're disappointed by the president's destructive budget request, which proposes over a 30% cut to NIST programs, Subcommittee Chairwoman Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., said at the top of the hearing. But today, I don't want to dwell on a proposal that we know Congress is going to reject ... today I would like this committee to focus on improving NIST and getting the agency the tools it needs to do better, to do its job.

Per Stevens suggestion, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Walter Copan reflected on some of the agencys dire needs and offered updates and his view on a range of its ongoing programs and efforts.

NISTs Facilities Are in Bad Shape

President Trumps budget proposal for fiscal 2021 requests only $60 million in funds for facility construction, which is down from the $118 million enacted for fiscal 2020 and comes at a time when the agencys workspaces need upgrades.

Indeed the condition of NIST facilities are challenging, Copan explained. Over 55% of NIST's facilities are considered in poor to critical condition per [Commerce Department] standards, and so it does provide some significant challenges for us.

Some of the agencys decades-old facilities and infrastructures are deteriorating and Copan added that hed recently heard NISTs deferred maintenance backlog has hit more than $775 million. If the lawmakers or public venture out to visit some of the agencys facilities, you'll see the good, the bad, and the embarrassingly bad, he said. Those conditions are a testament to the resilience and the commitment of NISTs people, that they can work in sometimes challenging, outdated environments, Copan said.

The director noted that there have already been some creative solutions proposed to address the issue, including the development of a federal capital revolving fund. The agency is also looking creatively at the combination of maintenance with lease options for some of its facilities, in hopes that it can then move more rapidly by having its officials cycle out of laboratories to launch rebuilding and renovation processes.

It's one of my top priorities as the NIST director to have our NIST people work in 21st-century facilities that we can be proud of and that enable the important work of NIST for the nation, Copan said.

Advancing Efforts in Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing

The presidents budget request placed a sharp focus on industries of the future, which will be powered by many emerging technologies, and particularly quantum computing and AI.

During the hearing and in his written testimony, Copan highlighted some of NISTs work in both areas. The agency has helped shape an entire generation of quantum science, over the last century, and a significant portion of quantum scientists from around the globe have trained at the agencys facilities. Some of NISTs more recent quantum achievements include supporting the development of a quantum logic clock and helping steer advancements in quantum simulation. Following a recent mandate from the Trump administration, the agency is also in the midst of instituting the Quantum Economic Development Consortium, or QEDC, which aims to advance industry collaboration to expand the nations leadership in quantum research and development.

Looking forward, over the coming years NIST will focus a portion of its quantum research portfolio on the grand challenge of quantum networking, Copans written testimony said. Serving as the basis for secure and highly efficient quantum information transmission that links together multiple quantum devices and sensors, quantum networks will be a key element in the long-term evolution of quantum technologies.

Though there were cuts across many areas, the presidents budget request also proposed a doubling of NISTs funding in artificial intelligence and Copan said the technology is already broadly applied across all of the agencys laboratories to help improve productivity.

Going forward and with increased funding, he laid out some of the agencys top priorities, noting that there's much work to be done in developing tools to provide insights into artificial intelligence programs, and there is also important work to be done in standardization, so that the United States can lead the world in the application of [AI] in a trustworthy and ethical manner.

Standardization to Help the U.S. Lead in 5G

Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., asked Copan to weigh in on the moves China is making across the fifth-generation wireless technology landscape, and the moves the U.S. needs to make to leadnot just competein that specific area.

We have entered in the United States, as we know, a hyper-competitive environment with China as a lead in activities related to standardization, Copan responded.

The director said that officials see, in some ways, that the standardization process has been weaponized, where the free market economy that is represented by the United States, now needs to lead in more effective coordination internally and incentivize industry to participate in the standards process. Though U.S. officials have already seen those rules of fair play bent or indeed broken by other players, NIST and others need to help improve information sharing across American standards-focused stakeholders, which could, in turn, accelerate adoption around the emerging technology.

We want the best technologies in the world to win and we want the United States to continue to be the leader in not only delivering those technologies, but securing the intellectual properties behind them and translating those into market value, he said.

Read the original post:
NIST Works on the Industries of the Future in Buildings from the Past - Nextgov

Read More..
Posted in Quantum Computing | Leave a Comment

Archer Materials" patent application received by World Intellectual Property Organisation – Proactive Investors Australia

March 16, 2020 | Author: admin

The company is developing materials in quantum computing, biotechnology, and lithium-ion batteries.

() has confirmed thatthe patent application filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) to protect and commercialise its graphene biosensor technology intellectual property has been received by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).

Acknowledgement of receipt by WIPO concludes the PCT application lodgement process and confirms the International Patent Application is formally compliant with the PCT prosecution procedure and has met the deadline to avoid abandonment of the application.

The company has continued to progressthe development of its 12CQ technology and ison-track performing quantum measurements required to build an operational room-temperature qubit processor (chip) prototype.

As part of this work, the company has joined the Sydney Knowledge Hub,a co-working space for research-based organisations that collaborate with the University of Sydney,to strategically engage with researchers in the Australian quantum computing economy.

A collaboration agreement with the University of NSW Sydney also now includes access to world-class infrastructure for quantum materials characterisation.

Go here to see the original:
Archer Materials" patent application received by World Intellectual Property Organisation - Proactive Investors Australia

Read More..
Posted in Quantum Computing | Leave a Comment

What does the cloud mean to the state of Alaska? – Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

March 16, 2020 | Author: admin

Cloud computing has become a part of everyday life. Each of us participates in the cloud every day, whether its using a cloud-based email service at home or work or buying a cup of coffee using the Square at your favorite coffee shop. But what is the cloud really?

Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services remotely. Instead of relying on a server that is physically located locally, cloud computing uses servers hosted in other locations. If that environment is owned by a third-party, it can be referred to as a public cloud. If that environment is owned by an organization for its exclusive use, it can be referred to as a private cloud. Many organizations use combinations of public and private clouds, as well as some on-premise computing. These environments are often referred to as hybrid clouds, and they offer flexibility to use each type of environment according to its strengths.

The state of Alaska has been using both private and public cloud environments and has recently embarked on an effort to migrate significant additional computing and storage requirements to the cloud. By increasing the use of cloud environments, the state will be able to achieve significant cost savings by paying for what we actually consume instead of buying significant excess capacity to handle spikes in usage. The state also will be able to create storage and computing capability without buying new hardware, provide dynamic disaster recovery by locating backups in diverse locations, and secure data in environments that maintain the strictest compliance to federal security standards. Additionally, a public cloud-based environment removes the burden of maintaining and patching hardware for the systems that are migrated.

An increased focus on cloud computing also produces a skill lift for state of Alaska information technology professionals. The use of hybrid cloud environments is commonplace in the modern world and allows professional growth and skill development among the state of Alaska workforce. Our IT professionals will continue to manage and maintain our servers; they also will develop a skillset in cloud storage, application, networking, and management solutions.

A modern technical environment provides an attractive place for skilled technologists to work and grow, attracts new talent, and helps develop technical skills that can potentially be applied in many businesses throughout Alaska. Creating a more modern, efficient, and effective information technology environment not only helps us serve Alaskans but also provides an appealing place to work for Alaska technical talent.

Modernizing our information technology infrastructure in a thoughtful, planned manner will allow us to leverage technology in many ways that greatly benefit the state of Alaska.

Bill Smith is chief information officer at the state of Alaska Office of Information Technology.

See the rest here:
What does the cloud mean to the state of Alaska? - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Read More..
Posted in Cloud Storage | Leave a Comment

Working from Home during COVID-19 – Things to Consider – tripwire.com

March 16, 2020 | Author: admin

Working from Home during COVID-19 - Things to Consider

Skip to content |Skip to navigation

First and foremost, our hearts go out to those around the world impacted by the COVID-19 virus. The director of the U.S. Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), who advises the country on public health, has indicated that the risk to the generalpublic remains low and encourages Americans to go about their lives. Businesses and local communities are taking a much more personal approach. Many business, schools, and other organizations are advising their employees to work from home and students to stay home or use online learning.

We are seeing an unprecedented number of remote users on home and public internet services accessing their employer and school resources. This opens up these organizations to more risk from all of the remote users. IT departments are monitoring network bandwidth, VPNs, and access controls to make sure employees can still do their jobs. It is putting a strain on the organization infrastructure and the various internet providers.

Security departments need to be on high alert. With the larger remote workforce, there is a much greater risk that someone will get breached or pwned. If security controls and updates only work when connected to the internal network or via VPN, then encourage employees to leave laptops connected overnight and change update and scan schedules to reflect the new hours. Enable captive portals to validate the security and policy compliance of a system before it is granted access to the network. And wash your hands!

Read more here:
Working from Home during COVID-19 - Things to Consider - tripwire.com

Read More..
Posted in Cloud Storage | Leave a Comment

What is Zoom and how does it work? Plus tips and tricks – Pocket-lint

March 16, 2020 | Author: admin

If you work from home, you've probably heard about Zoom, one of the leading video conferencing software apps on the market.

It allows you to virtually interact with co-workers or employers when in-person meetings aren't possible. This makes telecommuting seem much more human, as it helps you feel connected. With the COVID-19 coronavirus wreaking havoc across the world, for instance, Zoom has become an essential tool for small-, medium-, and large-sized teams that want to keep in touch and continue their daily workflows with minimal disruption.

Zoom is a cloud-based video conferencing service you can use to virtually meet with others - either by video or audio-only or both, all while conducting live chats - and it lets you record those sessions to view later. Over half of Fortune 500 companies reportedly used Zoom in 2019.

When people are talking about Zoom, you'll usually hear the following phrases: Zoom Meeting and Zoom Room. A Zoom Meeting refers to a video conferencing meeting that's hosted using Zoom. You can join these meetings via a webcam or phone. Meanwhile, a Zoom Room is the physical hardware setup that lets companies schedule and launch Zoom Meetings from their conference rooms.

Zoom Rooms require an additional subscription on top of a Zoom subscription and are an ideal solution for larger companies.

Here are Zoom's core features:

Zoom allows one-to-one chat sessions that can grow into group calls, training sessions and webinars for internal and external audiences, and global video meetings with up to 1,000 participants and as many as 49 on-screen videos. The free tier allows unlimited one-on-one meetings but limits group sessions to 40 minutes and 100 participants. Paid plans start at $15 per month per host.

Zoom offers four pricing tiers (not including a Zoom Room subscription):

The desktop app is available for Windows and macOS, while the mobile app is available for Android and iOS.

All the apps let you join a meeting without signing in, but also let you sign in using a Zoom account, Google, Facebook, or SSO. From there, you can start a meeting, join a meeting, share your screen in a Zoom Room by entering the meeting ID, start Zoom Meetings, mute/unmute your mic, start/stop the video, invite others to the meeting, change your screen name, do in-meeting chat, and start a cloud recording.

If you're a desktop user, you can also start a local recording, create polls, broadcast your Facebook live on Facebook, and more. In other words, the desktop app is more fully featured, although, if you're a free user, you can still get a lot of mileage from the mobile app.

You can download the Zoom app on your computer or phone and join any meeting with a supplied meeting ID. You can choose to disable audio or video before joining, too. You could even create your free Zoom account, like by linking your Google account, and from there you can create a new meeting, schedule one, join a meeting, share a screen, add contacts, and so on.

Just keep in mind you can only be signed in to Zoom on one computer, one tablet, and one phone at a time. If you sign in to an additional device while logged into another device of the same type, Zoom said you will be logged out automatically on the first device.

You can sign up and download Zoom onto your computer using your work email if your system administrator has a Pro, Business, or Enterprise account. You'll then want to sync Zoom to your calendar so you can schedule Zoom meetings and invite remote participants to join.

If you're setting up a Zoom Room, you'll need a computer to sync and run Zoom Meetings and a tablet for attendees to launch the Zoom Meetings. You'll also need a mic, camera, and speaker, at least one HDTV monitors to display remote meeting participants, and an HDMI cable to share computer screens on a display, as well as an internet cable for your connection

You'll also need to download "Zoom Rooms for Conference Room" on the in-room computer and "Zoom Room Controller" for the tablet in the meeting room. You can then sync those rooms to your company's shared calendar so employees can see which meeting rooms are available.

Zoom lets you create recurring meetings. You can set the call settings you want once and have them be in there every time you plan to meet, and you can join calls using the same URL each time. In the Zoom mobile app, just log in, click schedule, tap the Repeat option, and select a recurrence. For more info on scheduling meetings in general and all of the meeting settings, see Zoom's FAQ on scheduling meetings.

Zoom lets you record calls as videos. You must choose whether to use the local or cloud option.

Local means you store the video file yourself on your computer or in another storage area. With Cloud, which is for paid subscribers only, Zoom stores the video for you in its cloud storage. But, to record videos, you need Zoom on macOS, Windows, or Linux. When you record a meeting and choose Record to the Cloud, the video, audio, and chat text is recorded in the Zoom cloud.

If you don't see the option to record, check your settings in the web app (under My Meeting Settings) or have your account admin enable it. The recording files can be downloaded to a computer or streamed from a browser. To manage your recorded meetings or share a recording with others, log in to your account and navigate to the My Recordings page.

You can upload an image of anything you want to customise your background. Its available for both iPhone and desktops

On a Mac or PC, for instance, just open up your Zoom client, click on the Setup icon on the corner, and select Virtual Background in the side menu. Zoom provides a few backgrounds. Click on the one youd like to use. If you would like your own background, click on the plus sign above and to the left of the sample backgrounds, choose an image from your computer, and add it.

You can also add a virtual background during a meeting. In your Zoom client, click on the arrow next to the video symbol on the left, select Choose a virtual background..., and you will see the same Virtual Background page.

Use a filter to subtly smooth fine lines. It's meant to lookvery natural. Go to Settings, and under the Video tab, check the box next to Touch up.

You can automatically transcribe the audio of a meeting that you record to the cloud. And, as the meeting host, you can edit your transcript, scan the transcript text for keywords to access the video at that moment, and share the recording.

To enable the Audio Transcript feature for your own use, sign into the Zoom web portal and navigate to My Meeting Settings, then go to the Cloud recording option on the Recording tab, and verify that the setting is enabled. Choose Turn On, if need be. If the option is greyed out, it has been locked at either the Group or Account level, and you will need to contact your Zoom admin.

With gallery view, you see up to 49 meeting participants at once, rather than the default 25, depending on your device.

With the Zoom mobile app on Android and iOS, you can start or join a meeting. By default, the Zoom mobile app displays the active speaker view. If one or more participants join the meeting, you will see a video thumbnail in the bottom-right corner. You can view up to four participants' video at the same time.

If you want to view 49 people, you will need the Zoom desktop client for macOS or Windows. Once you have the desktop app installed on your computer, you must go to Settings and click Video to display the video settings page. Then, enable the option "Display up to 49 participants per screen in Gallery View".

Did you know that you can not only share your screen (smartphone and desktop) but also pause your screen sharing? Simply press Pause Share when you dont want your meeting participants to watch you mess around your presentation slides. Learn more here.

You can share files directly from your phone while in the meeting and use the whiteboarding feature on your phone by writing comments with your finger. To annotate while viewing someone else's shared screen, select View Options from the top of the Zoom window, and then choose Annotate. A toolbar will appear with all your options for annotating - such as text, draw, arrow, and so on.

More here:
What is Zoom and how does it work? Plus tips and tricks - Pocket-lint

Read More..
Posted in Cloud Storage | Leave a Comment

Our Favorite Apps That Work Without Internet Connection – Dignited

March 16, 2020 | Author: admin

How useful is your smartphone when you run out of data or have no internet access? Not very useful, right? These things are unavoidable sometimes; you might experience difficulties accessing the internet on a plane, or in areas with a poor internet connection.

While youre off the grid, here are some of our favorite apps you can trust to still get the job done.

Advertisement - Continue reading below

Google Drive is one of the biggest, if not the biggest cloud storage platforms around. It lets you save a file(s) offline, so you can work on them even without internet access.

To do this, click on the 3-dot icon at the top-right of the document you want to access offline, then select Make available offline. Do this for every file you want to access offline.

Related Article: How to use Google Drive offline

If you make use of an Android phone, you definitely have the Google Maps app on your smartphone, and youve most likely been using it to find hotels, restaurants, offices, or even find your way out of an unfamiliar location.

So, if you need directions to a particular location, and youre not sure of the quality of the internet when you get close to the area, you can simply download the map before leaving home.

To download the offline Google Maps, launch the app on your smartphone, type in the location and search. Tap the More info card that comes up and then select Download. Select the area you want to view offline and hit Download again.

Arguably the most visited music streaming platform, Spotify lets you save your favorite songs, albums, playlists, and podcasts for offline listening. Although it is only available to premium subscribers, Spotify lets you save up to 10,000 songs in your library.

To download, go to the playlist, album, or podcast you want to download, and tapto Download (On Android, toggle on the Download button to download an album or playlist).

Once youve downloaded the songs you want to listen to offline, the next thing to do is to enable Offline mode. From Settings on the app, tap Playback and switch on Offline.

Netflix is one of the most popular movies streaming platforms we have around, and it allows users to download select TV shows and movies because not every content on the app is available for download via its app (Android and IOS).

Before attempting to download, make sure your smartphone is running iOS12 or later, or Android 4.4.2 or later. Also, ensure that the Netflix app installed on your device is up-to-date.

To download on Netflix for offline viewing, see: Netflix now allows downloading of videos for offline viewing: Heres how to do it

YouTube is a perfect option to keep yourself entertained on planes, trains, and trips to places with unreliable internet access, as it lets you download content for offline viewing.

To do this, openYouTubefrom your smartphone, tap on the videoyou want to download for offline viewing and select Download, and the content would be downloaded to the Library section of the app.

You should also know that Google only made this feature available to users in developing countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbeans, and the middle-east. In countries outside these regions, you have to be a premium member to enjoy this feature.

There you have it; our favorite apps that work even without an internet connection. Do you have other favorites apps that work without the internet? Or any app you wished had offline mode? Share with us in the comment section.

Related

See the original post:
Our Favorite Apps That Work Without Internet Connection - Dignited

Read More..
Posted in Cloud Storage | Leave a Comment

Whats a reliable way to store photos for the long term? – Seattle Times

March 16, 2020 | Author: admin

Q:Can you explore the best way to store digital photos for the long term? I am currently downloading from our iPhone XR by connecting them to a 2017 HP laptop with a Seagate 2 TD SSD.

Also, can you recommend photo management software that can remove duplicate photos? I do most of my editing on my iPad and also backup to Google Photos.

Don Pappe

A:There are no surefire means of storing anything digital for the long term, but it sounds like youre on a right track. First, I like solid-state drives for longer-term storage simply because they have no moving parts and are accordingly less susceptible to failure. Still, SSDs can fail so if you really want to play it safe youll want to make more than one backup.

And dont make the mistake of keeping your drive in the same place as your computer. If theres a fire or a flood you could lose both. In short, for things you really dont want to lose, keep two backups in different locations.

My strategy is the same as yours: to back up both to an SSD drive and to cloud storage. The SSD drive is faster for uploading and downloading and the cloud storage is safe from any physical catastrophes that may strike my home or office.

As for your second question, I havent tried programs that remove duplicate photos but I do know that there are quite a few on the market and some of them are free or at least free to try. You can find an extensive list here: st.news/marshall0314 .

Q:About twice a year I need a phone number of someone. I dont need a monthly subscription to a service. Every time I search for a White Page service for a one-time look up, I get a service that will allow you to look up one number but you have to sign up for a $15-a-month service, which you can cancel if you call a certain number. We all know how that goes. You call a number which never answers or gives you a runaround. I refuse to get bogged down in that spiral.

Is there a legitimate site where you can look up one number for a price and not have to sign up for a subscription that you dont need.?

Richard Hawes

A:I wish there was a good answer to your question! I have not been able to find a free service for locating phone numbers. And I havent been able to find a simple way to pay for a single search. The closest Ive come is some services that offer to do your first search for one dollar and then you pay a monthly subscription that you can cancel at any time. Yes, I do know how that goes

So Ill pitch this one out to the readership: Anyone know of a better way to find phone numbers?

Q:I have Oracle Virtual Box running on an old Compaq laptop with Windows 7. On Virtual Box I have virtual machines running Debian and Ubuntu. If I connect to the internet using the Linux virtual machines, is there any way for malware to propagate from the VM environment to the Windows 7 environment? I am wondering if this configuration isolates my laptop from internet malware designed to attack Windows 7 vulnerabilities.

Brian, Sammamish

A:Computer security is all about degrees of safety. Is it possible to a hacker to gain access to your laptop running Windows 7 if youre connected to the internet via a Linux virtual machine? Yes. Is it likely? No, it is relatively unlikely.

There are viruses and malware out there that can affect Linux, so as soon as you connect to the internet you are potentially exposed. As a result, there are antivirus and antimalware programs for Linux that you can install to provide additional security.

At the same time, its no surprise that there is a lot more malware out there designed to attack vulnerabilities in the more popular Windows operating systems. So yes, any layers you can put between Windows 7 and the internet will provide extra protection. Thats especially important since Microsoft is no longer updating Windows 7 with security patches.

Again, 100 percent security is not possible. So the question is how much do you want to spend in time and money to attain a given level of security?

Read the original:
Whats a reliable way to store photos for the long term? - Seattle Times

Read More..
Posted in Cloud Storage | Leave a Comment

Google Cloud ushers in the rise of the machine… images. You know, to capture and recreate VM snapshots? – The Register

March 16, 2020 | Author: admin

Google Cloud Platform already has the ability to store custom images, which you can configure with pre-installed applications. A custom image is just a disk image, though, whereas its new Machine Images - a feature now in beta - also include all the configuration metadata including permissions.

Machine images can also include multiple disks.

There are two reasons for the introduction of machine images. One is for backup. Machine images support differential disk backup so you can keep a snapshot of a VM instance with efficient use of disk space and better performance.

The second purpose is for uses as a master image for creating new VMs. You can override specific properties of the image in order to customise each new instance.

If you want to create a golden image, the idea is that you first shut down your source VM. If you are using the service for backup, you can keep the VM running. Google said: "Compute Engine guarantees that the data across disks is captured in a crash-consistent manner at a given time. Compute Engine uses globally consistent timestamps to ensure this guarantee."

This guarantee, Google noted, is not applied at the application level since applications are not aware that a backup is being taken and might be in an inconsistent state.

A limitation is that the machine image does not capture the content of local SSDs. This makes sense, in that local SSDs are only intended for temporary storage. "The data that you store on a local SSD persists only until the instance is stopped or deleted," according to the docs.

Local SSDs are a useful feature on GCP VMs 375GB of fast, encrypted storage but need careful use since there are a number of scenarios in which data will be lost. Data on a local SSD will normally survive a reboot, but in the event of a host error, for example, there is a "best effort" to recover the data, and only within the first 60 minutes.

Users have to take advantage of local SSDs in such as way that losing the data on them does not matter.

Google Cloud machine images backup metadata as well as disk

Managing machine instances can be done from the cloud console, from the gcloud command line, or using the Compute Engine API. The price is $0.05 per GB/month, so $10 per month for a VM with 200GB storage plus a bit more to allow for snapshots, plus network charges if you store the image in a different region.

When it comes to restoring the machine image, the documentation says that "a machine image is unchangeable." This implies that despite the differential backup technology, you cannot go back in time to an earlier snapshot. This makes it less useful than persistent disk snapshots, since restoring to an earlier version is useful to cover events like data corruption. It is a beta service, so perhaps this aspect will be improved.

Sponsored: Webcast: Why you need managed detection and response

Go here to see the original:
Google Cloud ushers in the rise of the machine... images. You know, to capture and recreate VM snapshots? - The Register

Read More..
Posted in Cloud Storage | Leave a Comment

The Evolution of Artificial Intelligence and Future of National Security – The National Interest

March 15, 2020 | Author: admin

Artificial intelligence is all the rage these days. In the popular media, regular cyber systems seem almost passe, as writers focus on AI and conjure up images of everything from real-life Terminator robots to more benign companions. In intelligence circles, Chinas uses of closed-circuit television, facial recognition technology, and other monitoring systems suggest the arrival of Big Brotherif not quite in 1984, then only about forty years later. At the Pentagon, legions of officers and analysts talk about the AI race with China, often with foreboding admonitions that the United States cannot afford to be second in class in this emerging realm of technology. In policy circles, people wonder about the ethics of AIsuch as whether we can really delegate to robots the ability to use lethal force against Americas enemies, however bad they may be. A new report by the Defense Innovation Board lays out broad principles for the future ethics of AI, but only in general terms that leave lots of further work to still be done.

What does it all really mean and is AI likely to be all its cracked up to be? We think the answer is complex and that a modest dose of cold water should be thrown on the subject. In fact, many of the AI systems being envisioned today will take decades to develop. Moreover, AI is often being confused with things it is not. Precision about the concept will be essential if we are to have intelligent discussions about how to research, develop, and regulate AI in the years ahead.

AI systems are basically computers that can learn how to do things through a process of trial and error with some mechanism for telling them when they are right and when they are wrongsuch as picking out missiles in photographs, or people in crowds, as with the Pentagon's "Project Maven"and then applying what they have learned to diagnose future data. In other words, with AI, the software is built by the machine itself, in effect. The broad computational approach for a given problem is determined in advance by real old-fashioned humans, but the actual algorithm is created through a process of trial and error by the computer as it ingests and processes huge amounts of data. The thought process of the machine is really not that sophisticated. It is developing artificial instincts more than intelligenceexamining huge amounts of raw data and figuring out how to recognize a cat in a photo or a missile launcher on a crowded highway rather than engaging in deep thought (at least for the foreseeable future).

This definition allows us quickly to identify some types of computer systems that are not, in fact, AI. They may be important, impressive, and crucial to the warfighter but they are not artificial intelligence because they do not create their own algorithms out of data and multiple iterations. There is no machine learning involved, to put it differently. As our colleague, Tom Stefanick, points out, there is a fundamental difference between advanced algorithms, which have been around for decades (though they are constantly improving, as computers get faster), and artificial intelligence. There is also a difference between an autonomous weapons system and AI-directed robotics.

For example, the computers that guide a cruise missile or a drone are not displaying AI. They follow an elaborate, but predetermined, script, using sensors to take in data and then putting it into computers, which then use software (developed by humans, in advance) to determine the right next move and the right place to detonate any weapons. This is autonomy. It is not AI.

Or, to use an example closer to home for most people, when your smartphone uses an app like Google Maps or Waze to recommend the fastest route between two points, this is not necessarily, AI either. There are only so many possible routes between two places. Yes, there may be dozens or hundredsbut the number is finite. As such, the computer in your phone can essentially look at each reasonable possibility separately, taking in data from the broader network that many other peoples phones contribute to factor traffic conditions into the computation. But the way the math is actually done is straightforward and predetermined.

Why is this important? For one thing, it should make us less breathless about AI, and see it as one element in a broader computer revolution that began in the second half of the twentieth century and picked up steam in this century. Also, it should help us see what may or may not be realistic and desirable to regulate in the realm of future warfare.

The former vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Gen. Paul Selva, has recently argued that the United States could be about a decade away from having the capacity to build an autonomous robot that could decide when to shoot and whom to killthough he also asserted that the United States had no plans actually to build such a creature. But if you think about it differently, in some ways weve already had autonomous killing machines for a generation. That cruise missile we discussed above has been deployed since the 1970s. It has instructions to fly a given route and then detonate its warhead without any human in the loop. And by the 1990s, we knew how to build things like skeet submunitions that could loiter over a battlefield and look for warm objects like tanksusing software to decide when to then destroy them. So the killer machine was in effect already deciding for itself.

Even if General Selva's terminator is not built, robotics will in some cases likely be given greater decisionmaking authority to decide when to use force, since we have in effect already crossed over this threshold. This highly fraught subject requires careful ethical and legal oversight, to be sure, and the associated risks are serious. Yet the speed at which military operations must occur will create incentives not to have a person in the decisionmaking loop in many tactical settings. Whatever the United States may prefer, restrictions on automated uses of violent force would also appear relatively difficult to negotiate (even if desirable), given likely opposition from Russia and perhaps from other nations, as well as huge problems with verification.

For example, small robots that can operate as swarms on land, in the air or in the water may be given certain leeway to decide when to operate their lethal capabilities. By communicating with each other, and processing information about the enemy in real-time, they could concentrate attacks where defenses are weakest in a form of combat that John Allen and Amir Husain call hyperwar because of its speed and intensity. Other types of swarms could attack parked aircraft; even small explosives, precisely detonated, could disable wings or engines or produce secondary and much larger explosions. Many countries will have the capacity to do such things in the coming twenty years. Even if the United States tries to avoid using such swarms for lethal and offensive purposes, it may elect to employ them as defensive shields (perhaps against North Korean artillery attack against Seoul) or as jamming aids to accompany penetrating aircraft. With UAVs that can fly ten hours and one hundred kilometers now costing only in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and quadcopters with ranges of a kilometer more or less costing in the hundreds of dollars, the trendlines are clearand the affordability of using many drones in an organized way is evident.

Where regulation may be possible, and ethically compelling, is limiting the geographic and temporal space where weapons driven by AI or other complex algorithms can use lethal force. For example, the swarms noted above might only be enabled near a ship, or in the skies near the DMZ in Korea, or within a small distance of a military airfield. It may also be smart to ban letting machines decide when to kill people. It might be tempting to use facial recognition technology on future robots to have them hunt the next bin Laden, Baghdadi, or Soleimani in a huge Mideastern city. But the potential for mistakes, for hacking, and for many other malfunctions may be too great to allow this kind of thing. It probably also makes sense to ban the use of AI to attack the nuclear command and control infrastructure of a major nuclear power. Such attempts could give rise to use them or lose them fears in a future crisis and thereby increase the risks of nuclear war.

We are in the early days of AI. We cant yet begin to foresee where its going and what it may make possible in ten or twenty or thirty years. But we can work harder to understand what it actually isand also think hard about how to put ethical boundaries on its future development and use. The future of warfare, for better or for worse, is literally at stake.

Retired Air Force Gen. Lori Robinson is a nonresident senior fellow on the Security and Strategy team in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings. She was commander of all air forces in the Pacific.

The rest is here:
The Evolution of Artificial Intelligence and Future of National Security - The National Interest

Read More..
Posted in Artificial Intelligence | Leave a Comment

Coronavirus: How Artificial Intelligence, Data Science And Technology Is Used To Fight The Pandemic – Forbes

March 15, 2020 | Author: admin

Since the first report of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China, it has spread to at least 100 other countries. As China initiated its response to the virus, it leaned on its strong technology sector and specifically artificial intelligence (AI), data science, and technology to track and fight the pandemic while tech leaders, including Alibaba, Baidu, Huawei and more accelerated their company's healthcare initiatives. As a result, tech startups are integrally involved with clinicians, academics, and government entities around the world to activate technology as the virus continues to spread to many other countries. Here are 10 ways artificial intelligence, data science, and technology are being used to manage and fight COVID-19.

Coronavirus: How Artificial Intelligence, Data Science And Technology Is Used To Fight The Pandemic

1. AI to identify, track and forecast outbreaks

The better we can track the virus, the better we can fight it. By analyzing news reports, social media platforms, and government documents, AI can learn to detect an outbreak. Tracking infectious disease risks by using AI is exactly the service Canadian startup BlueDot provides. In fact, the BlueDots AI warned of the threat several days before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization issued their public warnings.

2. AI to help diagnose the virus

Artificial intelligence company Infervision launched a coronavirus AI solution that helps front-line healthcare workers detect and monitor the disease efficiently. Imaging departments in healthcare facilities are being taxed with the increased workload created by the virus. This solution improves CT diagnosis speed. Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba also built an AI-powered diagnosis system they claim is 96% accurate at diagnosing the virus in seconds.

3. Process healthcare claims

Its not only the clinical operations of healthcare systems that are being taxed but also the business and administrative divisions as they deal with the surge of patients. A blockchain platform offered by Ant Financial helps speed up claims processing and reduces the amount of face-to-face interaction between patients and hospital staff.

4. Drones deliver medical supplies

One of the safest and fastest ways to get medical supplies where they need to go during a disease outbreak is with drone delivery. Terra Drone is using its unmanned aerial vehicles to transport medical samples and quarantine material with minimal risk between Xinchang Countys disease control centre and the Peoples Hospital. Drones also are used to patrol public spaces, track non-compliance to quarantine mandates, and for thermal imaging.

5. Robots sterilize, deliver food and supplies and perform other tasks

Robots arent susceptible to the virus, so they are being deployed to complete many tasks such as cleaning and sterilizing and delivering food and medicine to reduce the amount of human-to-human contact. UVD robots from Blue Ocean Robotics use ultraviolet light to autonomously kill bacteria and viruses. In China, Pudu Technology deployed its robots that are typically used in the catering industry to more than 40 hospitals around the country.

6. Develop drugs

Googles DeepMind division used its latest AI algorithms and its computing power to understand the proteins that might make up the virus, and published the findings to help others develop treatments. BenevolentAI uses AI systems to build drugs that can fight the worlds toughest diseases and is now helping support the efforts to treat coronavirus, the first time the company focused its product on infectious diseases. Within weeks of the outbreak, it used its predictive capabilities to propose existing drugs that might be useful.

7. Advanced fabrics offer protection

Companies such as Israeli startup Sonovia hope to arm healthcare systems and others with face masks made from their anti-pathogen, anti-bacterial fabric that relies on metal-oxide nanoparticles.

8. AI to identify non-compliance or infected individuals

While certainly a controversial use of technology and AI, Chinas sophisticated surveillance system used facial recognition technology and temperature detection software from SenseTime to identify people who might have a fever and be more likely to have the virus. Similar technology powers "smart helmets" used by officials in Sichuan province to identify people with fevers. The Chinese government has also developed a monitoring system called Health Code that uses big data to identify and assesses the risk of each individual based on their travel history, how much time they have spent in virus hotspots, and potential exposure to people carrying the virus. Citizens are assigned a color code (red, yellow, or green), which they can access via the popular apps WeChat or Alipay to indicate if they should be quarantined or allowed in public.

9. Chatbots to share information

Tencent operates WeChat, and people can access free online health consultation services through it. Chatbots have also been essential communication tools for service providers in the travel and tourism industry to keep travelers updated on the latest travel procedures and disruptions.

10.Supercomputers working on a coronavirus vaccine

The cloud computing resources and supercomputers of several major tech companies such as Tencent, DiDi, and Huawei are being used by researchers to fast-track the development of a cure or vaccine for the virus. The speed these systems can run calculations and model solutions is much faster than standard computer processing.

In a global pandemic such as COVID-19, technology, artificial intelligence, and data science have become critical to helping societies effectively deal with the outbreak.

For more on AI and technology trends, see Bernard Marrs bookArtificial Intelligence in Practice: How 50 Companies Used AI and Machine Learning To Solve Problemsand his forthcoming bookTech Trends in Practice: The 25 Technologies That Are Driving The 4ThIndustrial Revolution, which is available to pre-order now.

Visit link:
Coronavirus: How Artificial Intelligence, Data Science And Technology Is Used To Fight The Pandemic - Forbes

Read More..
Posted in Artificial Intelligence | Leave a Comment