Researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory have developed an algorithm that can find predictive patterns in unfamiliar data and performs better than two-thirds of human teams.
MIT cheetah robot can run and jump untethered across grass
MIT cheetah robot
Researchers at MIT have developed an algorithm for bounding that they’ve successfully implemented in a robotic cheetah. The robot sprinted up to 10 mph, even continuing to run after clearing a hurdle in experiments done on an indoor track. The MIT researchers estimate that the current version of the robot may eventually reach speeds of up to 30 mph — half the top speed of the natural cheetah, the fastest land animal on Earth. (Videos)
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Let algorithms make real-time decisions for your company
Operational analytics not only predict what the next best action is, but also cause the action to happen without human intervention.
In the future, just having predictive models that suggest what might be done won’t be enough to stay ahead of the competition. Instead, smart organizations are driving analytics to an even deeper level within business processes—to make real-time operational decisions, on a daily basis.
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The NSA’s $10 million secret deal to get RSA to use backdoored encryption algorithm
RSA had been paid by the NSA to set the backdoored algorithm as the default method of random number generation.
A secret $10 million deal between the NSA and the security firm RSA has resulted in RSA incorporating a flawed algorithm for generating random numbers into its products, creating a backdoor into encrypted communications.
When algorithms grow accustomed to your face
Face-reading technology raises many questions about privacy and surveillance.
Private emotions are often revealed in tiny, fleeting facial expressions, visible only to a best friend — or to a skilled poker player. Now, computer software is using frame-by-frame video analysis to read subtle muscular changes that flash across our faces in milliseconds, signaling emotions like happiness, sadness and disgust.
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The dangers of stock trading with highly automated systems
High-frequency trading.
Futurist Brian David Johnson describes his job as a “futurehunter” and his fascination with both algorithmic trading and high-frequency trading (HFT) in this excerpt from Humanity in the Machine: What Comes after Greed?. Both methods use computer programs to automate and accelerate the execution of certain financial transactions. Yet heavy reliance on such technology in the finance world can be dangerous—the Flash Crash of 2010 cited by Johnson stands out as a prominent example.
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Wharton School and startup Evolv use big data to predict when you will quit your job
“These models will predict your likelihood of separating from your employer based on everything we know about you and the position.”
You did everything by the book when you went in for that job interview. But, after going through all the effort, would you feel slighted if the interviewer made the ultimate decision about whether or not to hire you based on an algorithm?
How Liberals Eat Differently From Conservatives
One group drinks wine, and the other drinks milk
How do liberals eat differently from conservatives? Only a computer could solve this mystery! (Pics)
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Health Provider Offers $3 Million for Algorithm That Can Predict if You Will Get Sick in the Future
HPN wants better predictive health care.
It’s almost as if Heritage Provider Network set out to create the perfect story by mashing up all of our favorite things: clever algorithms, a multi-million dollar intellectual competition, and the future. The California-based health care provider has put up a purse of $3 million for the person or group who can come up with a predictive algorithm that accurately identifies people at risk for hospitalization in the next year, thus encouraging predictive medical measures and reducing unnecessary hospital stays.
