50. Prove you're not a robot
On the third day of SXSW the big ballroom on the 4th floor of the convention centre was filled with people listening to Roger McNamee, an early investor in Facebook. You can find an overview of the session here.
Robots were quite the theme at SXSW, you would have found dozens of them in the exhibition, including this cute little number. McNamee's robot reference wasn't cute, though.
His anecdote was that the 'prove you're not robot' task that websites and apps use is a fraud. They ask you to label photographs of street scenes, not because they think you're a robot, but to assist the training of the their Artificial Intelligence driving programmes.
They can - in fact - already tell you're human from the way you operate the mouse, or touch your screen. Your movements are analysed and characteristics identified. If not now, then soon, their systems will also be able to identify some illnesses - things like Parkinsons disease - from your movements. Under current regulations the knowledge that you have the early stages of a disease would be theirs. They don't have to share it with you, in fact they could sell it, including to insurance companies that you might be engaging to look after your health.
McNamee is outraged by the possibility. If it's true, how do you feel?
His anecdote was that the 'prove you're not robot' task that websites and apps use is a fraud. They ask you to label photographs of street scenes, not because they think you're a robot, but to assist the training of the their Artificial Intelligence driving programmes.
They can - in fact - already tell you're human from the way you operate the mouse, or touch your screen. Your movements are analysed and characteristics identified. If not now, then soon, their systems will also be able to identify some illnesses - things like Parkinsons disease - from your movements. Under current regulations the knowledge that you have the early stages of a disease would be theirs. They don't have to share it with you, in fact they could sell it, including to insurance companies that you might be engaging to look after your health.
McNamee is outraged by the possibility. If it's true, how do you feel?
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