In the last decade, we have seen AI transitioning from an industry buzzword to finally being adopted across various enterprise applications. Indian businesses are analysing how they can make processes more efficient which has led to increasing adoption of artificial intelligence in the enterprise across different verticals. Products and services are being rebuilt with the integration of artificial intelligence with the objective of creating a better experience for end consumers. As enterprises are wary of getting left behind, this has driven the demand for professionals skilled in AI-based technologies. The trend is clear— professionals who are skilled in AI are being rewarded, along with a rising emphasis on upskilling keeping artificial intelligence in the centre. Read More
Tag Archives: China
The Worldwide Web of Chinese and Russian Information Controls
The global diffusion of Chinese and Russian information control technology and techniques has featured prominently in the headlines of major international newspapers.1 Few stories, however, have provided a systematic analysis of both the drivers and outcomes of such diffusion. This paper does so – and finds that these information controls are spreading more efficiently to countries with hybrid or authoritarian regimes, particularly those that have ties to China or Russia. Chinese information controls spread more easily to countries along the Belt and Road Initiative; Russian controls spread to countries within the Commonwealth of Independent States. In arriving at these findings, this working paper first defines the Russian and Chinese models of information control and then traces their diffusion to the 110 countries within the countries’ respective technological spheres, which are geographical areas and spheres of influence to which Russian and Chinese information control technology, techniques of handling information, and law have diffused. Read More
#china, #russia, #surveillance‘The data is my master.’
Tech triangles and AI ethics: Danit Gal on Chinese AI
Danit Gal is a former Yenching Scholar and coauthor of a recent paper, “Perspectives and Approaches to AI Ethics: East Asia.” On this episode, Gal discusses how Japanese, South Korean, and Chinese experts are forging new paths in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), exploring societal applications — and the unexpected drawbacks of “female” virtual assistants. Gal also explains the tech connections between China and Israel, and the possible impact of the U.S.-China trade war on this relationship. Read More
Perspectives and Approaches in AI Ethics: East Asia
This chapter introduces readers to distinct Chinese, Japanese, and South Korean perspectives on and approaches to AI and robots as tools and partners in the AI ethics debate. Little discussed and often ignored, this sensitive topic commands our attention as it continues to grow in local importance. Given East Asia’s influential position as a source of global inspiration, development, and supply of AI and robotics, we would do well to inform ourselves of what’s to come. Each country’s perspectives on and approaches to AI and robots on the tool-partner spectrum are evaluated by examining its policy, academic thought, local practices, and popular culture. This analysis places South Korea in the tool range, China in the middle of the spectrum, and Japan in the partner range. All three countries hold a salient tension between top-down tool approaches and bottom-up partner perspectives. This tension is likely to increase both in magnitude and importance and shape local and global development and regulation trajectories in the years to come. Read More
China’s Surveillance State Has Tens of Millions of New Targets
One evening in the summer of 2017, local police in China made a surprise inspection of a small private language school, checking the visas of all non-Chinese attendees. Among those present was a foreign doctoral student, who had left his passport at his hotel. “Not to worry,” said the officer. “What’s your name?” The officer took out a handheld device and entered the student’s name. “Is this you?” Displayed on the screen was the researcher’s name, his passport number, and the address of his hotel.
This kind of incident is common in Xinjiang, where China has extensively deployed technology against Muslim minorities. But this episode took place in Yunnan province, near China’s southern border with Myanmar. In fact, public security bureaus—the network of agencies in China that deal with domestic security and intelligence—across the country are using electronic databases coupled with handheld tools to keep track of certain categories of people. These “key individuals,” as they are officially known, range from paroled criminals and users of drugs to foreigners, petitioners, and religious believers. Read More
World Catching Up With China on Surveillance Tech
China leads the world in facial-recognition and other new surveillance technologies, with its own government using the tools at home and Huawei Technologies Co. exporting them globally, according to a new report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
But other countries are adopting similar technologies, according to the think tank’s report, which is based on research by a former State Department official in the Obama administration. Read More
The Chinese Communist Party Wants It All
In Hong Kong, protesters clash with police, but the real power behind the scenes is the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The experiences of activists in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and even on the Chinese mainland show that the CCP is a ruthless opponent—but not an unbeatable one. The CCP’s sharp power approach should be considered an extension of its united front method, a vision of the political process as a zero-sum game and a worldview that distinguishes between friends and enemies. Since its founding in 1921, the CCP has invested considerable resources to isolate its perceived enemies and has lobbied waverers to support it.
The resulting party-state’s governing approach is thus a two-pronged process of simultaneous co-optation and coercion, where proverbial carrots and sticks are applied to suppress any political opposition to party-state rule. Read More
China's hackers are ransacking databases for your health data
In May 2017, the WannaCry ransomware spread around the globe. As the worm locked Windows PCs, the UK’s National Health Service quickly ground to a halt. 19,000 appointments were cancelled, doctor’s couldn’t access patient files and email accounts were taken offline.
But North Korean hackers behind WannaCry didn’t touch one thing: patient data. No personal information was stolen, the NHS has concluded. The cyberattack was purely to cause disruption and an attempt to earn the hermit state some much-needed cash.
The same can’t be said for China. New analysis has indicated that state-sponsored hackers from the country are targetting medical data from the healthcare industry. Research from security firm FireEye, has identified multiple groups with links to China attacking medical systems and databases around the world. These attacks include incidents in 2019, but also date back as far as 2013. Read More
Researchers use machine learning to teach robots how to trek through unknown terrains
A team of Australian researchers has designed a reliable strategy for testing physical abilities of humanoid robots—robots that resemble the human body shape in their build and design. Using a blend of machine learning methods and algorithms, the research team succeeded in enabling test robots to effectively react to unknown changes in the simulated environment, improving their odds of functioning in the real world.
The findings, which were published in a joint publication of the IEEE and the Chinese Association of Automation Journal of Automatica Sinica in July, have promising implications in the broad use of humanoid robots in fields such as healthcare, education, disaster response and entertainment Read More
Fulltext of the paper is available:
http://www.ieee-jas.org/article/doi/10.1109/JAS.2019.1911567?pageType=en
Removing Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior From China — 8/19/2019
Today, we removed seven Pages, three Groups and five Facebook accounts involved in coordinated inauthentic behavior as part of a small network that originated in China and focused on Hong Kong. The individuals behind this campaign engaged in a number of deceptive tactics, including the use of fake accounts — some of which had been already disabled by our automated systems — to manage Pages posing as news organizations, post in Groups, disseminate their content, and also drive people to off-platform news sites. They frequently posted about local political news and issues including topics like the ongoing protests in Hong Kong. Although the people behind this activity attempted to conceal their identities, our investigation found links to individuals associated with the Chinese government.
— Presence on Facebook: 5 Facebook accounts, 7 Pages and 3 Groups.
— Followers: About 15,500accounts followed one or more of these Pages and about 2,200 accounts joined at least one of these Groups.
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