Meredith Broussard is unusually well placed to dissect the ongoing hype around AI. He is a data scientist and associate professor at New York University, and has been one of the leading researchers in the field of algorithmic bias for many years.
And even though his own work leaves him mired in mathematical problems, he has spent the last few years thinking about problems that mathematics cannot solve. Broussard argues that we are always eager to apply artificial intelligence to social problems in inappropriate and harmful ways—especially when race, gender, and ability are not taken into account.
Broussard spoke with our senior tech policy reporter Tate Ryan-Mosley about the problems with police use of technology, the limits of “AI fairness,” and the solutions he sees for some of the challenges provided by AI. Read the full story.
More than 200 people have been treated with experimental CRISPR therapies
Jessica Hamzelou, senior biotech reporter at MIT Technology Review, has spent the last few days listening to scientists, ethicists, and patient groups grappling with emotional and ethical dilemmas.
They debate how, when, and if we should use gene editing tools to modify the human genome at the Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing in London.
There’s a lot to be happy about. In the decade since scientists discovered they could use CRISPR to edit cell genomes, the technology has been used to save some lives and change others.