Searching symptoms online has become so common there is a name for the condition of health anxiety induced by self-diagnosis on the internet: Cyberchondria.
A Google engineer’s claims that a chatbot can feel things has prompted people to consider what consciousness means. It also begs the questions of the rights of sentient software and machines.
Words can have a powerful effect on people, even when they’re generated by an unthinking machine.
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Kyle Mahowald, The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts dan Anna A. Ivanova, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Fluent expression is not always evidence of a mind at work, but the human brain is primed to believe so. A pair of cognitive linguistics experts explain why language is not a good test of sentience.
A Google engineer claims one of the company’s chatbots has become sentient. Experts disagree, but the debate raises old questions about the nature of consciousness.
App stores set the rules on privacy but there is another way.
Google’s search results often misidentify controversial characters, potentially contributing to the spread of misinformation.
(Nathana Rebouças/Unsplash)
Google search algorithms often pull up misleading descriptors for controversial people, and results can differ across languages. Understanding how these algorithms function can address misinformation.
Daniel Angus, Queensland University of Technology; Axel Bruns, Queensland University of Technology, dan Ehsan Dehghan, Queensland University of Technology
From voting info to risqué quips, this election, online political ads are more pervasive than ever before.
We are connecting ourselves, our homes and our workplaces to lots of internet-enabled devices: smartwatches, smart lightbulbs, toasters, fridges … How to keep all their data private?
Examples of ‘bad ads’ found on the web: clickbait articles, potentially unwanted programs, miracle weight loss supplements, gross-out images, and investment pitches.
Screenshot by Eric Zeng
New software that can generate images and text on command may deliver ‘good enough’ creativity in advertising, copywriting, stock imagery and graphic design.