Redefining Normal Blog Project

DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF…

Up until now, our tools haven’t really been able to talk back to us, let alone mimic the way humans understand each other. Now that they do, our relationship with the machines we use is changing. Now, even with all the skillful programming, the robot still doesn’t care if you cut your finger – and that offends us a little, because a real human would care. Stupid machine! But why are we burdening the poor technological invention with unrealistic expectations?

RELIVE THE SHIFT MOVIE THEATER

The occasional rainy day is the rule rather than the exception during the Finnish summer, but with these videos, you can look back on the beautiful days we had at SHIFT. So, if you missed Blinky back in May or want to ponder on the dangers of automated security a second time, this is your chance. Relive the SHIFT Business Festival movie theater – from the cutely quirky to the darkly dystopian.

YOUR VOICE IN HEALTHCARE

Analyzing these subtle acoustic deviations is just one part of what building a database of vocal biomarkers entails. The other half has to do with context: choice of words, grammar, cultural differences, speaker’s history and emotional state must all be included in the analysis. While Beyond Verbal’s database is anonymized, and only the vocal patterns are captured for later use, the database is compiled of real speech on different topics, and the reasons for things like excessive pauses in speech might in some cases be as simple as not wanting to talk about a certain topic.

THE FUTURE UNDER YOUR SKIN

Biohacking is a diverse worldwide phenomenon. In the broadest sense of the term, everyone using technology to gain more information about their body and using that data to make decisions about their body’s needs and requirements could be considered a biohacker. The more extreme biohackers make use of existing technology and turn it into small form factor wearable or implantable gadgets, or modify existing devices significantly, even allowing the user to have new senses. Think about modifying your hearing aid to be able to hear WIFI signals, or wearing a vibrating chip on your chest that allows you to feel the magnetic north pole.

THE BRAIN, THE HEADPHONES, AND THE NEW ERA OF BETTER

You have probably heard that to learn a new move, you have to do it 10,000 times – imagine the possibilities when we can speed up the system that governs the connections between the brain and the body. The idea is to use a targeted electrical discharge of a specific frequency to improve plasticity, the brain’s inherent ability to reshape itself and create new neural pathways, resulting in a temporary state of hyperplasticity. So, put on a pair of headphones, listen to music for 20 minutes with a special set of headphones, and after this warm-up, your hyperplastic brain will only need 5000 repeats to connect the right cables.

SUPERINTELLIGENCE AND THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY

We humans pride ourselves on being the most intelligent creatures on Earth and love the thought of holding the highest rank in the natural order of things. However, with true AI on the way, we have outdone ourselves and created something with the potential to dethrone us.

THE BRIGHT FUTURE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Despite the original hype and visions of the future, however, the industry later came to a standstill, and in the mid-1970s, an “AI winter” started – funding was reduced and research slowed down tremendously. Nor were the first generation of AIs very intelligent by today’s standards: all data was manually entered and all possible outcomes were hardcoded into the AI, which could then make decisions based on the data from the list of choices it was given.

REMOTE PRESENCE IN VIRTUAL SPACES

Markku Jussila, Experience Manager at Glue, is one of the people working towards taking human communication to the next level with the help of VR and AR technologies. They are developing VR meetings for businesses and organisations, although instead of VR meetings, they talk about remote presence. Why chain yourself to the idea of a conference call when you can, for all intents and purposes, attend a real meeting, just without being physically in the same room?

VISIONS OF NEW REALITY

Think about living for a day without reading: how would you go about grocery shopping, getting to the right address, or just doing your work? This is the everyday reality for people of impaired vision. Then think a little further: if we could give sight to people who can’t see, imagine the world of possibilities that would open up, for all of us.

THE AGE OF THE ALGORITHM

Because they are man-made, algorithms may reflect the prejudices held by the people who created them. As long as there is a human component in making decisions, these prejudices can be weeded out during the process to promote equality. However, when the whole process is automated without carefully considering all of the many variables involved, it becomes prone to making discriminating and racist decisions, making lucky people even luckier and the unlucky ones, in turn, unluckier.

WHEN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MEETS BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION

BIG BROTHER, GUARDIAN ANGEL

Even with GDPR in place, however, regulations on the whole are still a long way from being up-to-date, and individuals must strive to stay educated. Making sure to use strong enough passwords is a good place to start, but now we also know that insidious algorithms can even affect our opinions. Not many scroll through their Facebook feed questioning everything they see. Quite the opposite: we often use social media when we want to tune out and not think too much. Still, social media has been around for a while, and we have started to get a hang of what it means for us to use it, paying attention to what we publish and becoming aware of how it can and does affect us.

CAN THE PAST OF SPACE ALIENS FORETELL THE FUTURE OF THE LIFE ON EARTH?

It is possible that the exchange of objects between planetary systems is much more common than we think. Theories like panspermia postulate that life is transported between stars by comets, asteroids and other travellers, and even that artifacts of a distant civilization may have made their way to our solar system at some point. “After all, if human beings are capable of sending our technology to other stars – as intended by the Breakthrough Starshot program – why couldn’t another intelligent civilization do the same thing?” (Breakthrough Initiative).

THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT TOWARDS THE INTERNET FOR SPACE

Simone believes that this is the first step towards a stable interconnected satellite network that will revolutionize the way we are able to observe and measure the Earth from space. The idea has already sparked interest, and in November 2017, Golbriak Space won the Copernicus Master Award for the cost-effectiveness of their federated EO system by demonstrating how the system can measure ice thickness and extent as well as numerous other geographical and environmental attributes.

Globally, urban growth at the moment follows superlinear growth, and this will likely continue for decades to come. With such a breathtaking pace, the consequences are not far behind, something that West also expresses concern about. “We live in an exponentially expanding socio-economic universe. The fate of our planet is completely bound by the fate of our cities.” According to West, all of the big problems that humanity is facing – climate change, energy consumption and issues related to health and pollution – are linked to urban growth.