The activist dismantling racist police algorithms

This startup is using AI to give workers a "productivity score"  

The Download Your daily dose of what’s up in emerging technology 06.05.20 Good morning! Today: meet the activist dismantling racist police algorithms, a startup is using AI to score employees' productivity, and why coronavirus apps don't need 60% adoption to work. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. The activist dismantling racist police algorithms Hamid Khan has been a community organizer in Los Angeles for over 35 years, with a consistent focus on police violence and human rights. He talked to us on April 3, 2020, for a forthcoming podcast episode about artificial intelligence and policing. As the world turns its attention to police brutality and institutional racism, we thought our conversation with him about how he believes technology enables racism in policing should be published now.   Khan is the founder of the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, which has won many landmark court cases on behalf of the minority communities it fights for. Its work is perhaps best known for advocacy against predictive policing. On April 21, a few weeks after this interview, the LAPD announced an end to all predictive policing programs.  Khan is a controversial figure who has turned down partnerships with groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) because of its emphasis on reform. He doesn’t believe reform will work. Read our full interview with him.  —Tate Ryan-Mosley and Jennifer Strong This startup is using AI to give workers a “productivity score”  All the rage: Enaible is one of a number of new firms that are giving employers tools to help keep tabs on their employees as they work from home. It is developing machine-learning software to measure how quickly employees complete different tasks and suggest ways to speed them up.  How it works: Once set up, the software runs in the background all the time, monitoring whatever data trail a company can provide for each of its employees. Once it has learned a typical pattern of behavior for an employee, the software gives that person a “productivity score” between 0 and 100. Hmm: Critics argue that workplace surveillance undermines trust and damages morale. Workers’ rights groups say that such systems should only be installed after consulting employees. Whatever your views, it’s likely this kind of software is here to stay thanks to remote work. But will it encourage employees to work harder, or demotivate them? Read the full story here.  —Will Douglas Heaven No, coronavirus apps don’t need 60% adoption to be effective A recurring number: With dozens of digital contact tracing apps already rolled out worldwide, and many more on the way, how many people need to use them for the system to work? One number has been cited by public health authorities over and over again: 60%. But since no nation has reached such levels, many have criticized “exposure notification” technologies as essentially worthless. A misunderstanding: The researchers who produced the original study say it has been misconstrued, and in fact much lower levels of adoption could still be vitally important for reducing coronavirus cases and deaths. After all, every successful notification means a life potentially saved. Read the full story.  —Patrick Howell O’Neill  We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.)   + A cat interrupted its owner while she was giving evidence to the UK’s House of Lords. Cats just cannot resist stealing the limelight.   + Giant teddy bears on a rollercoaster. They even put their hands up at the right times.   + Jaffa Cake gin is now a thing that exists.   + The first professional theater production in France post-lockdown was held in the courtyard of a nursing home.  The top ten must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 The impact of the protests on the pandemic Fully morally justified, yet also a public health disaster. (New Yorker $)   + The number of confirmed coronavirus cases is rising faster than ever globally. (NYT $) 2 Social bubbles may be the best way for societies to emerge from lockdown Just socializing with a select group could reduce transmission more than random social distancing. (TR)   + It looks like the UK is relaxing its lockdown too early. (Wired UK) 3 How to fix policing Only systemic change will do it. (Axios) 4 You may have “crisis fatigue” Constantly high cortisol levels over a long period wreak havoc on the body. (Wired $)   + The lethal effects of sleep deprivation may have more to do with the gut than the brain. (Quanta) 5 Tech helps people keep an eye on their elderly relatives from afar 👀 Think granny isn’t high tech? Think again. (NYT $)   + How you can hug your loved ones safely. (NYT $) 6 Chinese and Iranian hackers are targeting the presidential campaigns Let’s hope they’re up to the task of defending themselves. (WSJ $)   + How Facebook, Twitter, and Google police political ads. (WSJ $) 7 Amazon wants covid-19 survivors’ blood 🩸 It’s funding research into treatments, backing an immunity study and developing tests. (OneZero $)   + The race to find a coronavirus drug in the blood of survivors. (TR) 8 People are seeking escape from the pandemic in online role-playing groups  They pretend they’re at gigs, running late to meet people, or even just queuing for the bathroom. (The Atlantic)   + Why #oddlysatisfying videos are so...oddly satisfying. (New Scientist $) 9 The app “Citizen” is having a moment 📱 And it’s not clear that’s a wholly good thing. (Fast Company) 10 How Apple ended up having to scale back automation Humans are underrated. (The Information $) Don't settle for half the story.  MIT Technology Review delivers insights on today's technologies and their impact upon our collective future through a trustworth lens you won't find anywhere else. Get unlimited access when you subscribe today. Quote of the day  “The figures are driving us crazy. [The number] zero has a lot of power . . . It’s causing a false sense of security among the population.” —Jeffrey Lazarus from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health tells the Financial Times that the Spanish government’s claim of no new covid deaths this week was inaccurate.  Top image credit: DAMON CASAREZ Please send teddy bears to hi@technologyreview.com. Follow me on Twitter at @charlottejee. Thanks for reading! —Charlotte Was this newsletter forwarded to you, and you'd like to see more? Sign up for free Get unlimited access to online stories. 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