Good read via The Economist: machine learning and government

Read: of prediction and policy (The Economist)  Governments have much to gain from applying algorithms to public policy, but controversies loom Machine-learning systems excel at prediction. A common approach is to train a system by showing it a vast quantity of data on, say, students and their achievements. The software chews through the examples and learns … Continue reading "Good read via The Economist: machine learning and government"

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Will smarter machines cause mass unemployment?

The idea that manual work can be carried out by machines is already familiar; now ever-smarter machines can perform tasks done by information workers, too. What determines vulnerability to automation, experts say, is not so much whether the work concerned is manual or white-collar but whether or not it is routine. Machines can already perform routine … Continue reading "Will smarter machines cause mass unemployment?"

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