Bioinformatics (86)
Find narratives by ethical themes or by technologies.
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- 15 min
- Kinolab
- 2016
CW: Violence and Genocide
Stripe is a soldier in a generic war who, like all of his other fellow soldiers, is connected to a brain-computer interface known as a MASS implant that provides him with information about targets and missions. The supposed goal of the fighting is to “protect” citizens from roaches, the disturbing humanoid monsters which Stripe hunts and kills within the cabin. Directly after Stripe is hit with a digital device held by one of the roaches, he watches his squadmate kill a “roach” that Stripe perceived as a human. Ultimately, one of the roaches and the military psychologist Arquette explain exactly how the MASS implants alter the soldiers’ perceptions of their surroundings and their targets.
- Kinolab
- 2016
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- 15 min
- Kinolab
- 2016
The Militarization of the Digital Alteration of Reality
CW: Violence and Genocide
Stripe is a soldier in a generic war who, like all of his other fellow soldiers, is connected to a brain-computer interface known as a MASS implant that provides him with information about targets and missions. The supposed goal of the fighting is to “protect” citizens from roaches, the disturbing humanoid monsters which Stripe hunts and kills within the cabin. Directly after Stripe is hit with a digital device held by one of the roaches, he watches his squadmate kill a “roach” that Stripe perceived as a human. Ultimately, one of the roaches and the military psychologist Arquette explain exactly how the MASS implants alter the soldiers’ perceptions of their surroundings and their targets.
How are digital technologies responsible for pushing “us vs. them” narratives relating to wars? How could VR technology make soldiers less sympathetic to their victims? What role might smaller-scale virtual realities, such as violent video games, play in this larger narrative? Should the military ever have unfettered access to cutting-edge digital development? How can empathy be prioritized in the digital age?
Black Mirror: Don't Let Them Come-
- 10 min
- The New York Times
- 2019
Databases of people’s faces are being compiled without their knowledge by companies and researchers (including social media companies or dating sites), with many shared around the world and fueling the advancement of facial recognition technology.
- The New York Times
- 2019
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- 10 min
- The New York Times
- 2019
Facial Recognition Tech is Growing Stronger, Thanks to Your Face
Databases of people’s faces are being compiled without their knowledge by companies and researchers (including social media companies or dating sites), with many shared around the world and fueling the advancement of facial recognition technology.
How comfortable would you feel knowing that your face is in various databases and is being use, in some cases, to fuel their machine learning algorithms? As of right now, Google and Facebook, who are said to have the largest facial databases of all, do not share their information, but might they? And what would happen if they did?
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- 7 min
- The New York Times
- 2019
Biometric facial recognition software, specifically that used with arrest photos in the NYPD, makes extensive use of children’s arrest photos despite a far lower accuracy rate.
- The New York Times
- 2019
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- 7 min
- The New York Times
- 2019
She Was Arrested at 14. Then Her Photo Went to a Biometrics Database
Biometric facial recognition software, specifically that used with arrest photos in the NYPD, makes extensive use of children’s arrest photos despite a far lower accuracy rate.
How can machine learning algorithms cause inequality to compound? Would it be better practice to try to make facial recognition equitable across all populations, or to abandon its use in law enforcement altogether, as some cities like Oakland have done?
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- 5 min
- The New York Times
- 2019
In New York City, biometrics were used as a step in the investigation process, and thus combined with human oversight to help identify criminals and victims alike.
- The New York Times
- 2019
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- 5 min
- The New York Times
- 2019
How Biometrics Makes You Safer
In New York City, biometrics were used as a step in the investigation process, and thus combined with human oversight to help identify criminals and victims alike.
How does facial recognition technology facilitate challenging investigations? Do you believe police use of facial recognition is as transparent and pure as this article makes it seem? Where could bias enter this system of using facial recognition technology?
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- 5 min
- Wired
- 2019
Non-profit companies such as Thorn and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection are using existing software, particularly facial recognition algorithms, to discover ways to become more proactive in fighting child pornography and human trafficking on the dark web.
- Wired
- 2019
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- 5 min
- Wired
- 2019
How Facial Recognition is fighting child sex trafficking
Non-profit companies such as Thorn and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection are using existing software, particularly facial recognition algorithms, to discover ways to become more proactive in fighting child pornography and human trafficking on the dark web.
How has technology facilitated underground illegal activities, such as child trafficking? How has technology also facilitated fighting back against them? What is your opinion on the debate on whether or not law enforcement should have extensive access to facial recognition technology or machine learning algorithms?
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- 5 min
- Silicon Angle
- 2019
Artificial Companions assist developmentally disabled kids based on the principle that humans can indeed form emotional connections with nonhuman objects. In fact, it is not exceedingly difficult for robots to read or mirror human emotions, which could have positive implications in workplace or educational settings.
- Silicon Angle
- 2019
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- 5 min
- Silicon Angle
- 2019
Empathic AI mirrors human emotions to help autistic children
Artificial Companions assist developmentally disabled kids based on the principle that humans can indeed form emotional connections with nonhuman objects. In fact, it is not exceedingly difficult for robots to read or mirror human emotions, which could have positive implications in workplace or educational settings.
Is it possible to develop an emotional connection with a robotic companion? How can robotic company improve behaviour? How does it compare to human company?