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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 2 years ago

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Steve Brodner

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Skynet is coming. The executives leading the AI race that has transfixed the tech industry, including the CEOs of OpenAI, Google and Microsoft, met at the White House on Thursday for what a senior US official described as a “frank discussion” about their responsibilities to make sure their systems are safe. The meeting, which was attended by vice-president Kamala Harris and other senior officials, comes as the administration of Joe Biden scrambles to develop a more concerted response to recent rapid advances in the technology.

It also comes days after AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton sounded one of the most notable warnings about the long-term dangers of developing machines that become more intelligent than humans.“Many of [the big tech companies] have spoken to their responsibilities, and part of what we want to do is make sure we have a conversation about how they’re going to fulfil those pledges,” the senior administration official said. This person did not outline any further regulations or actions the Biden administration might consider. Executives invited to the meeting were told it would focus on risks stemming from “current and near-term” development of the technology. But by underlining the “fundamental responsibility to make sure their systems are trustworthy and safe before they’re released or deployed”, it will also help deal with “what’s likely to be much more powerful technologies in the future”, the official said.After the meeting, Harris said in a statement: “As I shared today with CEOs of companies at the forefront of American AI innovation, the private sector has an ethical, moral, and legal responsibility to ensure the safety and security of their products. And every company must comply with existing laws to protect the American people.”

Biden also dropped by the meeting, according to a report from the event.Ahead of the meeting, the White House said seven of the largest AI companies had agreed to open their models to a degree of public scrutiny at the annual Def Con hacker convention in August. However, it said the level of openness would be “consistent with responsible disclosure principles”, leaving unclear how much the companies would reveal. OpenAI has refused to release basic technical information about its latest large language model, GPT-4. The White House also said the Office of Management and Budget would release draft guidelines for public comment this summer governing the federal government’s use of AI.

[Financial Times]

#Financial times #Steve Brodner #AI #news #Geoffrey Hinton

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syndranker1 · 5 years ago

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ARISE: Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems Wins Google Impact Challenge

Photo Credit: NIAS, ARISE Flight Instruction Activity

The drone industry can be a major economic contributor to communities – but developing the right workforce for the jobs available is always a huge challenge for new technology sectors, and finding skilled resources has become a major problem for drone companies. The Nevada Insititute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS) has now been recognized for their successful efforts to bridge the skills gap between drone industry requirements and a willing community workforce.

Read on for the details of this program – one of the best examples out there of a win-win collaboration between the labor-hungry drone industry and communities seeking to create new opportunities – and VOTE to show your support for this program! (Details at the bottom of the article.)

The following is an NIAS press release.

LAS VEGAS, November 19, 2019/NIASNewswire/ –The Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS) was selected as a Google Impact Challenge winner under the Google.org Impact Challenge Nevada for its innovative Workforce Development Program called ARISE – Attaining Resilience and Independence through Support and Education. All Nevada non-profits had the opportunity this past summer to compete for one of five coveted Google Impact Challenge winners by submitting their innovative proposals to Google to create economic opportunity in Nevada. NIAS was further screened by Google through a rigorous interview process before they were recommended to a Nevada panel of judges to further evaluate and select as one of five winners. The panel of judges was made up from senior Nevada business and economic development leaders across Nevada including former Governor Brian Sandoval. The Nevada judges based their selection decision on four key criteria: community impact, innovation, reach, and feasibility. All five winners will receive $175,000 in grants and training from Google to jumpstart their ideas.1

Photo Credit: NIAS, ARISE Workshop Activity

For the first time in Nevada, with the training and support of Google, NIAS can help bridge the labor supply and skills gap for future aviators by harnessing the power and excitement generated by the world’s fastest growing Autonomous Systems Industry. ARISE will change the lives of under-served young adults by combining a new resiliency perspective with STEM training, on-the-job work experience, and mentorship to equip the under-served with skills to better adapt within the increasingly dynamic environment of the modern-day workforce and apply those skills to the challenges they face in their everyday lives.

According to Google and the National Skills Coalition, middle-skills jobs account for 51% of all jobs in Nevada, but only 49% of state workers are ready to access these jobs.2 According to a FAA press release in 2018, titled, “FAA Hits 100K Remote Pilot Certificates Issued,” more than 100,000 people have obtained autonomous systems pilot certification and licensing, and the FAA predicts that the autonomous systems service industry will demand over 400,000 pilots by 2021 – a 400% increase from today.3 Large employers are already paying up for drone pilots—about $50 an hour, or over $100,000 a year.4 Recognizing this exponential demand and growth potential, ARISE is the first program of its kind to train under-served young adults to tap into this highly in-demand and lucrative employment opportunity. The NIAS goal under the Google Impact Challenge with its small cadre of volunteers is to develop and prove-out a scalable program that can be replicated in any community at the state, national, and international level.

“NIAS leads the FAA-designated Nevada Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Test Site to grow the Drone Industry on behalf of the State of Nevada government and FAA. NIAS has received both national and international attention through a 2019 business industry report that ranked the Nevada Drone Industry in the top two positions in the U.S for a second year in a row. As a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, part of our obligation is to give back to the community and drone industry by supporting workforce development. This is why NIAS #Vote4NIAS launched ARISE to help under-served young adults gain access to the autonomous systems industry and inspire the next wave of future aviators through STEM training, on-the-job work experience, mentorship, and a new resiliency perspective that could give young adults the skills to better adapt within the workforce and apply these skills to their everyday lives to overcome challenges, barriers, or crises,” said Dr. Chris Walach, Executive Director of the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS), FAA-designated Nevada UAS Test Site, and the NIAS Unmanned Aviation Safety Center of Excellence.

“The biggest stumbling block to the UAS industry gaining significant proliferation throughout various markets has been a lack of a real commercial path to do it. NIAS once again shows their understanding of this through their workforce development program, which will help companies like us source key employees in this growing industry,” said J.B. Bernstein, CEO of AviSight, Inc.

“Drone America understands that a robust and qualified workforce is central to healthy communities, employers, families, and individuals. Achieving our mission of utilizing UAS technologies as a means to survey, protect, and preserve human life and strategic resources around the Globe requires good people. Partnering with NIAS will assist us in providing real-world opportunities, offering the candidate industry experience in unmanned systems technology together with a potential of long-term future employment,” said Mike Richards, CEO and Founder of Drone America.

And the best part? The challenge isn’t over yet! In the next phase, the public will have an opportunity to vote for their people’s choice starting on Tuesday, November 19 until 11:50pm on Tuesday, November 26. The organization with the most votes will receive an additional $125,000 to further support their program, so please be sure to show your support and #Vote4NIAStoday! Please vote at: https://impactchallenge.withgoogle.com/nevada2019/charities/nevada-institute-for-autonomous-systems

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About the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS): As Nevada’s designated agency to manage the FAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Test Site, the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS) positions Nevada as the global leader in Autonomous Systems (AS) deployment. NIAS is the synergist, clearinghouse, and learning accelerator establishing the premier smart ecosystem for Autonomous Systems which grows the AS Industry while safely integrating AS into the daily lives of the public.Learn more at www.nias-uas.com.

About AviSight: AviSight is an aerospace and remote sensing services company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Our company employs Aerospace systems, Remote Sensing technology, Analytics, and Data Collection/Distribution systems for commercial and government clients. For more information about AviSight please visit www.avisight.com/.

About Drone America: Drone America strives to be one of the World’s Top Providers of Autonomous Unmanned Vehicles, high tech equipment and services. Our mission is to use UAS technologies as a means to survey, protect, and preserve human life and strategic resources around the Globe. For more information about Drone America please visit www.droneamerica.com/.

For press inquiries or to learn more about how to support or partner with NIAS and ARISE, please contact Michael Couch, NIAS at [email protected]

Please Vote: https://impactchallenge.withgoogle.com/nevada2019/charities/nevada-institute-for-autonomous-systems

Footnotes:

Retrieved from:https://impactchallenge.withgoogle.com/nevada2019

Retrieved from http://owinn.nv.gov/Misc/NV_Industry_Credentials_List/

Retrieved fromhttps://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=91086

Retrieved from https://money.cnn.com/2014/11/25/news/drone-pilot-degree/index.html

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duaneodavila · 7 years ago

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Why Every Lawyer Should Adopt An Innovation Mindset

People have often said to me, “You’re not a typical lawyer.”

They’re right.

My path has been nontraditional. I’ve been an entrepreneur first for a very long time. As an entrepreneur, I operate in a constant state of chaos created by the unknown and with a high degree of risk at all times.

“Innovative” isn’t the first word we think of when describing the law and most lawyers. A personality analysis using the Myers-Briggs test found that the ideal personality for a lawyer is INTJ or introverted-intuitive-thinking-judging. INTJs tend be cerebral, fact-based, orderly and see larger patterns in data.

In contrast, the INTJ’s almost-polar opposite — ISFPs or introverted-sensing-feeling-perceiving — are pegged as artists. Compared with lawyer types, they are more spontaneous and focused on the current moment. They also put a higher value on feelings than facts and can live with a certain amount of disorder if it keeps their options open.

In other words, many of the tenets of the lawyerly personality are closed off to innovative thinking. That’s a major handicap in the age we’re living in – in which automation is picking up more and more routine work tasks. In such an environment, creativity will become more prized than cognitive firepower and a photographic memory, for instance.

While this means that these can be challenging times for lawyers, there are lots of things people in the legal profession can do to adapt. Our brains, after all, have proven to be highly plastic and receptive to creating new channels of thinking. That’s how we learn new skills and form habits.

Taking advantage of this plasticity requires a plan and a goal, though. If you’re a lawyer looking to adopt an innovation mindset, here is a way forward.

What is an innovation mindset?

Before we delve in, let’s look at what we mean by an innovation mindset in the first place. Researchers who have studied innovation, like Jacqueline Byrd, have found that the formula for innovative thinking is to combine creativity with risk-taking.

Creativity, meanwhile, is fomented by a tolerance for ambiguity, independent thinking and an appreciation for uniqueness. Those attributes can be at odds with the skills that make lawyers successful, like loyalty, consistency and goal-orientation.

As we embark on the the Fourth Industrial Revolution as a culture, creativity and humanities combined with the STEM fields are becoming an essential skill set for tomorrow’s innovators. Combining tech and data analytics with a healthy dose of creativity and artistic sensibility will bring about the most disruptive innovations.

Here’s how to do it:

#1 Question the status quo.

To foster an innovation mindset, you need to question everything, including your acceptance of the status quo. A good place to start is to ask why your particular firm or department does things in a certain way.

To take a mundane example, if you have regularly scheduled weekly meetings, you might ask questions like: Why is the meeting 30 minutes? Is it possible to do it in 20? Are there alternatives to meeting face-to-face, like a chatroom? What do other firms do? Are there ways to make these meetings more efficient?

Often, what fuels challenging the status quo is what has been called “‘and’ thinking. For instance, director Peter Jackson wanted to shoot all three of The Lord of the Rings movies and he wanted to do it at the highest quality and lowest cost. Jackson’s solution was a departure from the way Hollywood usually shoots film series, one at at time. He shotall three films at once. That way sets were built and taken down once rather than three times.

Another technique is to pursue “blue-sky” opportunities — scientific and tech advances where the real-world application isn’t apparent. Uber, for example, was created by synthesizing the growth of smartphones and Google’s free Maps API to address the shortcomings of taxi services. Their technology, rolled up in an aesthetically pleasing user experience that fosters a human connection between driver and rider, is what catapulted Uber’s rise.

#2 Embrace automation.

It may sound paradoxical, but machines that do our thinking for us can make us more creative. In 2018, many legal functions such as discovery, research and preparing contracts can be automated. In addition to providing more time for “high touch” communication with clients, automation can free up time for creative thinking and problem-solving.

Of course, you might assume that automation will kill jobs. But, as Marc Andreessen pointed out, framing the issue that way undermines belief in human creativity. It assumes that there will be no new industries, jobs, businesses and ideas. Assuming that every job will be automated also ignores the seismic impact of smartphones, which give billions of people access to information and the global market.

#3 Look at the data.

Another way to imbue an organization with an innovation mindset is to take an objective view of your current operations. For instance, data can show how much you’re spending on cases and look at common threads. Then you can ask how you can go about shrinking that spend or cutting the amount of time your team spends on those cases.

Data’s role in innovation is critical. In fact, some are now questioning whether innovation is less about those human “aha” moments of creativity and more about having access to huge amounts of data. In other words, when machines offer the superhuman ability to parse troves of data, they are likely to notice patterns and opportunities. As such data-driven innovation accelerates, large firms like Google and Amazon have a huge advantage. Smaller businesses need to become adept at harnessing data to keep up.

#4 Be open to inspiration.

Being open to inspiration from many different sources and disciplines can provide fertile ground for new ideas to flourish. Years ago, researcher Sarnoff Mednick found that creativity was nothing more than a rich set of associations that your mind could access. By that logic, creativity hinges on exposure to disparate influences. That can mean attending different events, cultivating hobbies and outside interests or even browsing some trade magazines outside your industry.

Mostly, this means expanding yourself by leaving your comfort zone.

How to leverage your strengths

Amazon is an innovative company because CEO and Founder Jeff Bezos has created a culture in which innovative thinking is prized. If, on the other hand, you merely pay lip service to innovation and create an atmosphere where employees are afraid to float new ideas, then you will fall behind.

To implement an innovation mindset, lawyers need to leverage their strengths. Thomas Edison noted that innovation is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration. Lawyers are generally adept at the latter. By opening up your mindset to more inspiration, you will be able to put ideas in motion that have an excellent chance of real-world success. And perhaps over time, “innovative” will become an appropriate attribute for lawyers after all.

Monica Zent is an experienced entrepreneur, investor, businesswoman and trusted legal advisor to leading global brands, over a period that spans decades. Her most recent venture is founder and CEO of Foxwordy Inc., the digital collaboration platform for the legal industry. She is also founder of ZentLaw, one of the nation’s top alternative law firms. Zent is an investor in real estate and start-ups. She dedicates much of her time and talent to various charitable causes. She is a diversity and inclusion advocate, inspiring all people to pursue their dreams. When she’s not running companies, Zent runs distance as an endurance athlete.@monicazent

Why Every Lawyer Should Adopt An Innovation Mindset republished via Above the Law

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bisoroblog · 7 years ago

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Smoother career re-entry with online learning

This post originally ran on MIT News.

MITx course and internships help STEM professionals return after a break from the workforce to care for family.

They are described as the hidden gems of the workforce: mature, skilled, and highly-motivated STEM professionals who return to their careers after a hiatus of two years or more. Often they have already navigated the complicated life experiences — marriage, career changes, children, and relocations — that still lie ahead of their younger counterparts. As a result, employers view them as stable, energized, and capable.

Ruchi Garg was one of those people, but she didn’t feel like a hidden gem. Six years prior, she had left the workplace to become the primary caretaker for her two young children. Now she felt like many of the 216,000 women across the U.S. with computer science or engineering degrees who left their technical jobs. She wanted to get her career moving again but was worried that her skillset had grown stale in the wake of rapidly advancing technologies and evolving computer engineering practices.

It was during this period of uncertainty that Garg came across Carol Fishman Cohen’s book, “Back On the Career Track.” Cohen is co-founder and CEO of iRelaunch, a company that specializes in helping women and men re-enter the workforce. In partnership with the Society of Women Engineers, iRelaunch created the STEM Re-Entry Task Force in 2015 and established internship programs with Booz Allen Hamilton, Caterpillar, Cummins, General Motors, IBM, Intel, and Johnson Controls.

Jennifer Abman Scott of the Society of Women Engineers says that, upon re-entry, “women often encounter a landscape that demands new technical skillsets and levels of expertise.”

“While they often have management or executive experience, they may lack updated technical skills and struggle with feelings of inadequacy. By investing in training to get re-entry candidates up to speed, firms can attract mature and vetted employees,” Scott says.

The internships caught Garg’s eye, but she knew that to be a viable candidate she’d have to revitalize her skillset. She understood that the best way to get back into the engineering groove was to take a class on a current programing language that employed the latest engineering techniques, but while colleges and universities near her offered computer science courses, they were either too basic or didn’t provide the curriculum she needed.

Then Garg found 6.00.1x (Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python), an MITx online course taught by professors John Guttag and Eric Grimson and lecturer Ana Bell.

“I looked for courses at institutions near me but couldn’t find what I needed. Online learning brought resources from around the world to my door, and I was able to find the course I was looking for,” she says. “Without online learning, I’m not sure how I would have closed the gap in my knowledge base.”

After completing the Python course, Garg returned to iRelaunch with an upgraded skillset and soon landed a position in the inaugural cohort of the IBM Tech Re-Entry program. Upon completion of the 12-week paid internship, she was hired as a data analyst at The Weather Company, an IBM subsidiary that runs The Weather Channel and Weather Underground.

The 6.00.1x course was a key step in Garg’s re-entry. It provided the hands-on training she needed to be competitive in the marketplace and helped her regain the confidence she’d lost during the time she was away. But online learning isn’t a one-time encounter reserved for students and job applicants.

“After joining IBM, I was surprised to see that so many people were taking online courses to maintain their skillsets and discover new technologies that they can apply to their work at the company,” she says. “Currently, I’m taking courses in Scala and Spark.”

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that, at any given time, there are 2.6 million well-educated mothers of prime working age who are not participating in the labor force. Officials estimate that by 2024, as many as 500,000 engineering positions will be left unfilled for lack of qualified candidates. Recognizing the value of distance learning and its potential to help experienced professionals find their way back to the STEM workforce, iRelaunch and the Society of Women Engineers routinely connect job seekers to online learning programs.

Cohen says companies such as IBM have high regard for online coursework offered by institutions with rigorous demands and high quality standards.

“They know what it takes to complete an MITx course, for example, and they place a lot of value on candidates who are able to do so,” she says.

An estimated 27 percent of women who hold engineering and computer sciences degrees have left their professions, most commonly to care for family. Garg is emblematic of this large population, which has tremendous potential. According to the STEM Re-entry Task Force, bringing technical workers back into the fold could be an effective pressure relief valve for the current talent shortages in engineering and science.

“Online learning can be regarded as a meaningful credential for professionals returning to the workforce after a career break, and a great opportunity for serious updating,” Cohen says.

Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python

MITx

Enroll Today

The post Smoother career re-entry with online learning appeared first on edX Blog.

Smoother career re-entry with online learning published first on http://ift.tt/2y2Rir2

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perfectzablog · 7 years ago

Text

Smoother career re-entry with online learning

This post originally ran on MIT News.

MITx course and internships help STEM professionals return after a break from the workforce to care for family.

Jennifer Abman Scott of the Society of Women Engineers says that, upon re-entry, “women often encounter a landscape that demands new technical skillsets and levels of expertise.”

Then Garg found 6.00.1x (Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python), an MITx online course taught by professors John Guttag and Eric Grimson and lecturer Ana Bell.

Cohen says companies such as IBM have high regard for online coursework offered by institutions with rigorous demands and high quality standards.

“They know what it takes to complete an MITx course, for example, and they place a lot of value on candidates who are able to do so,” she says.

“Online learning can be regarded as a meaningful credential for professionals returning to the workforce after a career break, and a great opportunity for serious updating,” Cohen says.

Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python

MITx

Enroll Today

The post Smoother career re-entry with online learning appeared first on edX Blog.

Smoother career re-entry with online learning published first on http://ift.tt/2xi3x5d

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succeedly · 7 years ago

Text

Smoother career re-entry with online learning

This post originally ran on MIT News.

MITx course and internships help STEM professionals return after a break from the workforce to care for family.

Jennifer Abman Scott of the Society of Women Engineers says that, upon re-entry, “women often encounter a landscape that demands new technical skillsets and levels of expertise.”

Then Garg found 6.00.1x (Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python), an MITx online course taught by professors John Guttag and Eric Grimson and lecturer Ana Bell.

Cohen says companies such as IBM have high regard for online coursework offered by institutions with rigorous demands and high quality standards.

“They know what it takes to complete an MITx course, for example, and they place a lot of value on candidates who are able to do so,” she says.

“Online learning can be regarded as a meaningful credential for professionals returning to the workforce after a career break, and a great opportunity for serious updating,” Cohen says.

Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python

MITx

Enroll Today

The post Smoother career re-entry with online learning appeared first on edX Blog.

Smoother career re-entry with online learning published first on http://ift.tt/2jn9f0m

0 notes