Data Science

There have been calls to break up big tech. People are scared that without regulation, we are destined to live in a “surveillance state.” But people are also scared of coronavirus (COVID-19). Is this the moment that big tech proves that big data can be used for the greater good? What is big tech’s role in the fight against coronavirus? What should it be? Continue Reading →

Two weeks ago, I suggested that there might be a need for an invitation-only, highly curated, viciously monitored social network with subject matter restricted to business, tech, culture, and innovation. The response has been overwhelming, and it has taken me all week to sort through your thoughtful submissions. Continue Reading →

According to Venture Beat, "The European Union is set to release new regulations for artificial intelligence that are expected to focus on transparency and oversight as the region seeks to differentiate its approach from those of the United States and China." Continue Reading →

In response to the cancellation of Mobile World Congress, we took a poll about your willingness to join a tech-focused, monitored, social network with subject matter restricted to tech, culture, and innovation. The number of respondents was overwhelming and the results were decisive. Over 90 percent of you said you would join. So let’s get started. Continue Reading →

The Attorney General of the United States announced that the government had confirmed that the Equifax hack was the work of the Chinese military. As we enter the age of AI-assisted warfare, it’s important to unpack some of the underlying issues. Continue Reading →

Everyone wants to work for your company. You receive hundreds of resumes every day. There are simply too many for humans to read. So, like many companies, you use a service that ingests the resumes and uses AI to score potential candidates against job descriptions. From your perspective it is the perfect use case. It’s fast. It’s efficient. And the candidates who make it through the system are pretty high level. This sounds awesome – but what happens to the candidates who don’t make it through the system? Continue Reading →

Can you sign an AI to a recording contract? Should you? How about hiring an AI recording engineer? Is its work Grammy-eligible? Shelly and Ross talk about the Grammys and how AI-models are starting to impact the music we hear. Ross’s son Theo shows off his cello chops and we chat about talking Teslas. Continue Reading →

There was a fascinating article in Wired the other day by Brian Barrett about a German artist named Simon Weckert who “hacked” Google Maps in a very interesting way. Continue Reading →

If data-driven storytelling were only about data, then every original show on Netflix or Prime Video should be a smash hit. But Netflix, Prime Video, and every other original production done by the “data rich” tech organizations have about the same production-to-hit ratio as professionally programmed old-fashioned, “data poor” networks. How can this be? Shouldn’t the data-driven programmers be better at predicting what stories will best fit an audience? What actor or actress will resonate? What music will work better? What story arc? Or at least knowing what an audience might be more likely to want? Continue Reading →

At one of the pre-Grammy parties I attended, I was asked about controversy surrounding the way the Recording Academy (the organization that produces the Grammys) categorizes music for the show. This led to some very interesting questions: Who (or what) will be eligible to win a Grammy in 2030? What will the categories evolve into? Will music need to be recorded at all? Continue Reading →