4,003 research outputs found
Society-in-the-Loop: Programming the Algorithmic Social Contract
Recent rapid advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning
have raised many questions about the regulatory and governance mechanisms for
autonomous machines. Many commentators, scholars, and policy-makers now call
for ensuring that algorithms governing our lives are transparent, fair, and
accountable. Here, I propose a conceptual framework for the regulation of AI
and algorithmic systems. I argue that we need tools to program, debug and
maintain an algorithmic social contract, a pact between various human
stakeholders, mediated by machines. To achieve this, we can adapt the concept
of human-in-the-loop (HITL) from the fields of modeling and simulation, and
interactive machine learning. In particular, I propose an agenda I call
society-in-the-loop (SITL), which combines the HITL control paradigm with
mechanisms for negotiating the values of various stakeholders affected by AI
systems, and monitoring compliance with the agreement. In short, `SITL = HITL +
Social Contract.'Comment: (in press), Ethics of Information Technology, 201
Geometric reasoning via internet crowdsourcing
The ability to interpret and reason about shapes is a peculiarly human capability that has proven difficult to reproduce algorithmically. So despite the fact that geometric modeling technology has made significant advances in the representation, display and modification of shapes, there have only been incremental advances in geometric reasoning. For example, although today's CAD systems can confidently identify isolated cylindrical holes, they struggle with more ambiguous tasks such as the identification of partial symmetries or similarities in arbitrary geometries. Even well defined problems such as 2D shape nesting or 3D packing generally resist elegant solution and rely instead on brute force explorations of a subset of the many possible solutions. Identifying economic ways to solving such problems would result in significant productivity gains across a wide range of industrial applications. The authors hypothesize that Internet Crowdsourcing might provide a pragmatic way of removing many geometric reasoning bottlenecks.This paper reports the results of experiments conducted with Amazon's mTurk site and designed to determine the feasibility of using Internet Crowdsourcing to carry out geometric reasoning tasks as well as establish some benchmark data for the quality, speed and costs of using this approach.After describing the general architecture and terminology of the mTurk Crowdsourcing system, the paper details the implementation and results of the following three investigations; 1) the identification of "Canonical" viewpoints for individual shapes, 2) the quantification of "similarity" relationships with-in collections of 3D models and 3) the efficient packing of 2D Strips into rectangular areas. The paper concludes with a discussion of the possibilities and limitations of the approach
Social Machines
The term āsocial machineā has recently been coined to refer to Web-based systems that support a variety of socially-relevant processes. Such systems (e.g., Wikipedia, Galaxy Zoo, Facebook, and reCAPTCHA) are progressively altering the way a broad array of social activities are performed, ranging from the way we communicate and transmit knowledge, establish romantic partnerships, generate ideas, produce goods and maintain friendships. They are also poised to deliver new kinds of intelligent processing capability by virtue of their ability to integrate the complementary contributions of both the human social environment and a global nexus of distributed computational resources. This chapter provides an overview of recent research into social machines. It examines what social machines are and discusses the kinds of social machines that currently exist. It also presents a range of issues that are the focus of current research attention within the Web Science community
Social Machinery and Intelligence
Social machines are systems formed by technical and human elements interacting in a
structured manner. The use of digital platforms as mediators allows large numbers of human participants to join such mechanisms, creating systems where interconnected digital and human components operate as a single machine capable of highly sophisticated behaviour. Under certain conditions, such systems can be described as autonomous and goal-driven agents. Many examples of modern Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be regarded as instances of this class of mechanisms. We argue that this type of autonomous social machines has provided a new paradigm for the design of intelligent systems marking a new phase in the field of AI. The consequences of this observation range from methodological, philosophical to ethical. On the one side, it emphasises the role of Human-Computer Interaction in the design of intelligent systems, while on the other side it draws attention to both the risks for a human being and those for a society relying on mechanisms that are not necessarily controllable. The difficulty by companies in regulating the spread of misinformation, as well as those by authorities to protect task-workers managed by a software infrastructure, could be just some of the effects of this technological paradigm
CHI and the future robot enslavement of humankind: a retrospective
As robots from the future, we are compelled to present this important historical document which discusses how the systematic investigation of interactive technology facilitated and hastened the enslavement of mankind by robots during the 21st Century. We describe how the CHI community, in general, was largely responsible for this eventuality, as well as how specific strands of interaction design work were key to the enslavement. We also mention the futility of some reactionary work emergent in your time that sought to challenge the inevitable subjugation. We conclude by congratulating the CHI community for your tireless work in promoting and supporting our evil robot agenda
Face-to-BMI: Using Computer Vision to Infer Body Mass Index on Social Media
A person's weight status can have profound implications on their life,
ranging from mental health, to longevity, to financial income. At the societal
level, "fat shaming" and other forms of "sizeism" are a growing concern, while
increasing obesity rates are linked to ever raising healthcare costs. For these
reasons, researchers from a variety of backgrounds are interested in studying
obesity from all angles. To obtain data, traditionally, a person would have to
accurately self-report their body-mass index (BMI) or would have to see a
doctor to have it measured. In this paper, we show how computer vision can be
used to infer a person's BMI from social media images. We hope that our tool,
which we release, helps to advance the study of social aspects related to body
weight.Comment: This is a preprint of a short paper accepted at ICWSM'17. Please cite
that version instea
The social web and archaeology's restructuring: impact, exploitation, disciplinary change
From blogs to crowdfunding, YouTube to LinkedIn, online photo-sharing sites to open-source community-based software projects, the social web has been a meaningful player in the development of archaeological practice for two decades now. Yet despite its myriad applications, it is still often appreciated as little more than a tool for communication, rather than a paradigm-shifting system that also shapes the questions we ask in our research, the nature and spread of our data, and the state of skill and expertise in the profession. We see this failure to critically engage with its dimensions as one of the most profound challenges confronting archaeology today. The social web is bound up in relations of power, control, freedom, labour and exploitation, with consequences that portend real instability for the cultural sector and for social welfare overall. Only a handful of archaeologists, however, are seriously debating these matters, which suggests the discipline is setting itself up to be swept away by our unreflective investment in the cognitive capitalist enterprise that marks much current web-based work. Here we review the state of play of the archaeological social web, and reflect on various conscientious activities aimed both at challenging practitionersā current online interactions, and at otherwise situating the discipline as a more informed innovator with the social webās possibilities
How Do Fairness Definitions Fare? Examining Public Attitudes Towards Algorithmic Definitions of Fairness
What is the best way to define algorithmic fairness? While many definitions
of fairness have been proposed in the computer science literature, there is no
clear agreement over a particular definition. In this work, we investigate
ordinary people's perceptions of three of these fairness definitions. Across
two online experiments, we test which definitions people perceive to be the
fairest in the context of loan decisions, and whether fairness perceptions
change with the addition of sensitive information (i.e., race of the loan
applicants). Overall, one definition (calibrated fairness) tends to be more
preferred than the others, and the results also provide support for the
principle of affirmative action.Comment: To appear at AI Ethics and Society (AIES) 201
Aplikacije utemeljene na mnoŔtvu i druŔtveni izazovi
The spread of mobile technology and ubiquitous connectivity have opened great possibilities for
the implementation of applications that leverage data generated by normal usersā interactions
on the web. As a consequence, there is a growing interest in crowd-based applications, namely
those programs that involve people in a participatory or opportunistic way.
In many cases, data can be gathered automatically without user intervention and, in some
cases, even without their explicit knowledge. The possibility to elude a usersā awareness
fosters concerns regarding the potential risks hidden inside crowd-based applications. These
applications might compromise the privacy of citizens, whilst data collected by them might
be used to manipulate peopleās opinions.
The governance of technology is a controversial area, and there is a wide array of different
positions on the matter. There are those who dogmatically argue the positive value of
technology, while others interpret the ongoing digital advancements as a dystopian menace.
This article focuses on crowd-based applications, highlighting some societal challenges and
risks that they may present.
Technology runs so fast that it is challenging to keep pace with the changes brought by the
digital revolution. However, an effort is required to extend the depth of digital knowledge of
citizens and involve them in the use of the new technologies, and in this endeavor, greater
knowledge is an essential step in any critical process.Å irenje mobilne tehnologije i sveprisutna povezanost otvorili su velike moguÄnosti za upotrebu
aplikacija koje iskoriŔtavaju podatke generirane normalnim interakcijama korisnika na webu.
Kao posljedica toga, sve je veÄi interes za aplikacije utemeljene na mnoÅ”tvu (engl. crowd-based
applications), za one programe koji ukljuÄuju ljude na participativni ili oportunistiÄki naÄin.
U mnogim se sluÄajevima podaci mogu prikupljati automatski, bez djelovanja korisnika, a
u nekim sluÄajevima Äak i bez njihova izriÄitog znanja. MoguÄnost izbjegavanja svjesnosti
korisnika potiÄe zabrinutosti u vezi s potencijalnim rizicima koji su skriveni u aplikacijama
utemeljenim na mnoÅ”tvu. Te aplikacije mogu ugroziti privatnost graÄana, dok bi se
prikupljeni podaci mogli koristiti za manipuliranje stavovima ljudi. Upravljanje tehnologijom
kontroverzno je podruÄje i o tom pitanju postoji mnoÅ”tvo razliÄitih stajaliÅ”ta. Neki dogmatski
zastupaju pozitivne vrijednosti tehnologije, dok drugi digitalni napredak tumaÄe kao
distopijsku prijetnju. Rad se usredotoÄuje na aplikacije utemeljene na mnoÅ”tvu, istiÄuÄi neke
druŔtvene izazove i rizike koje mogu predstavljati. Tehnologija napreduje tako brzo da je
izazovno biti u tijeku s promjenama koje je donijela digitalna revolucija. No, potrebno je
pokuÅ”ati produbiti digitalno znanje graÄana i ukljuÄiti ih u upotrebu novih tehnologija, a u
tom je poduhvatu veÄe znanje temeljni korak u svakom kritiÄnom procesu
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