The way we train AI is fundamentally flawed

How election results get certified

Sponsored by VMware The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology A big problem with AI 11.18.20 Good morning! Today: a fundamental flaw with the way we train AI means it often doesn't work in the real world, and how election results get certified. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. The way we train AI is fundamentally flawed   A problem: A group of 40 Google researchers has identified a major cause for the common failure of machine-learning models. It’s called “underspecification” and it means we can’t tell if the machine-learning models we use today will work in the real world or not. That’s a real problem. The evidence: The researchers looked at a range of different AI applications, from image recognition to natural language processing (NLP) to disease prediction. They found that underspecification was to blame for poor performance in all of them. The problem lies in the way that machine-learning models are trained and tested, and there’s no easy fix.  What it means: We need to be doing a lot more testing, but that won’t be easy. Read the full story. —Will Douglas Heaven How election results get certified What happens now: Even though the winner of an American election usually gets announced soon after the vote happens, the result is never actually official on Election Day. Results actually become real when state and local election authorities make sure that every valid vote was counted and formally certify them. The process: Election officials canvass results by tabulating and verifying the outcome across their states. They look at provisional ballots, and those which were challenged according to state and sometimes even county laws. After checking them over, the results are certified. On December 14, the Electoral College casts its votes and then the states are done. We’re still waiting on official results from a number of key states including Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona and Nevada. Biden is winning in all of them. What’s different? Counting may have taken longer this year because the pandemic dramatically increased the number of mail-in ballots, but the only meaningful difference is that the sitting president is carrying on an unprecedented, baseless attack on the results. He’s launched over a dozen legal efforts to prove fraud, challenge counts, and delay certification but every lawsuit has effectively failed so far. 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 British diplomat saved a woman from drowning in Chongqing, China.   + Yet another reason to love Dolly Parton: she was involved in funding the Moderna vaccine (and the fact it has 95% efficacy is just… too perfect).   + Lil Nas X put on a gig in Roblox. Is this what the future of live music looks like?   + Some useful advice on how to make remote working work for you.    + An Instagram account based on people who leave negative reviews for US National Parks (yes, they exist.)   + This lockdown advert from Germany’s government is fantastic.   + Chris Nikic became the first person with Down Syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon. (NYT $)   + Just a man, dressed as a rat, going up the subway stairs in New York.   + You can almost picture wizards walking in these forests.   + It’s 2020 so it seems only right to offer you these 53 whiskey cocktail recipes.   + This weekly still life drawing challenge has produced some remarkable results. Sponsor Message Majority lean into digital transformation 75% of CXOs and IT Executives have accelerated their digital transformation as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. Follow the lead of these digital pioneers by reading the latest guidance based on discussions with VMware's closest customers and partners. Learn key insights from our latest custom research studies on the state of global business and recommended critical actions for CXOs. Read the report. The top ten must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 A study suggests covid-19 immunity might last years It’s yet to be published or peer-reviewed, but this could be very good news. (NYT $)   + The FDA approved a home testing kit for the coronavirus. (Axios)   + Why it’s so hard to work out which policies control the pandemic. (Ars Technica)   + All of Switzerland’s intensive care beds are full. (NYT $)   + Thanksgiving looks like a time bomb. (Axios)   + There’s no safe way to gather, but if you must, make sure you reduce the risks. (Wired $)   + Cases are spiking, but our attention isn’t. (Axios)  2 As predicted, Trump fired a top cybersecurity chief For inconveniently stating the reality that the election was secure and the result legitimate. (Wired $)   + US officials say Russia didn’t really interfere this time round. (WP $)  3 Just 1% of people cause half of all global aviation emissions ✈️ The pandemic is a chance to discourage “super-emitters” from resuming their usual flying schedules. (The Guardian)   4 Big Tech is vying to influence Biden There are lots of jobs up for grabs, and thus a lot of jockeying for position. (Recode)   + Twitter is letting users post content that disappears in 24 hours. (Vox)    + Biden is likely to push for a bigger role for contact tracing apps. (GovTech)  5 Kids see a lot of ads on YouTube A study found them in 95% of videos watched by under-8s. (Bloomberg $)   + Why isn’t YouTube getting grilled by Congress? (Wired $)  6 The rise and rise of Amazon And why it should worry us more. (The Guardian)   + The company has launched a pharmaceutical delivery service. (NPR)  7 How we got obsessed with productivity And, somehow, managed to shift the burden of managing it onto the individual. (New Yorker $)   + Capitalism is in crisis. To save it, we need to rethink economic growth. (TR)  8 Bots are grading homework—and getting it wrong 🤖 This is just a job that should be left to teachers. (WSJ $)   9 Teens are editing themselves into the Harry Potter movies Seriously, are millennials not allowed ONE THING just to themselves?! (NYT $)   + Rupert Grint gained one million followers on Instagram in just four hours. (BBC)  10 How Oslo got pedestrian and cyclist deaths down to zero In short: eliminating cars as much as possible. (Wired UK) We want to hear from you: the global AI agenda 2021.  In just 10-minutes, you can help MIT Technology Review understand how enterprises are using big data and AI to recover from covid-19. This survey also explores how businesses are reevaluating data privacy and citizen consent to AI practices. Your response is anonymous and would be greatly appreciated. You can download this past year's Global AI Agenda here for free. Take the survey now. Quote of the day “We are facing something that feels impossible.” —Twitter’s CEO Jack Dorsey tells the Senate Judiciary Committee about the challenges of moderating content online. Top image credit: GETTY IMAGES Please send negative reviews for US National Parks 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 Lead a cyber-resilient organization Join us virtually | December 2-3, 2020 Follow us: MIT Technology Review One Main Street Cambridge, MA 02142

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