Some further new uses of AI
October 3
This week I want to highlight a few recent releases that you may find interesting. All are AI based. The field is advancing at an incredible pace. I have sent this newsletter out slightly early this week as I am going to the Data61 (CSIRO data research group) conference that is outlining their research on AI, Data, Robotics and Security. More on that next week.
An AI to read all those Terms and Conditions for you
Few if any of us read all those pages of tiny print that accompany every app, website and piece of software. We take it for granted that the company providing the app will have our best interests at heart. Big mistake. Go and read the Facebook Messenger Terms. They are particularly problematic for Android users. Did you know that you have given Facebook the right to access contacts, delete people and messages? You have also given Facebook the right to use your camera, which could mean taking photos and videos without your knowledge or approval.
It is not just Facebook that wants to reduce privacy and take advantage of people just clicking agree. There are far more nefarious actors out there seeking ways to steal your identity. Fortunately there is an AI to help protect us from all those long and boring terms and conditions.
Guard uses an AI to read those Terms and Conditions for us. Guard currently takes the form of a free website featuring analysis of certain popular apps like Twitter, Instagram, Tinder, Whatsapp, Netflix, Spotify, Reddit, and Duolingo. New apps are being added all the time and you can suggest apps to be analyzed. You can even help to train the AI. Each app is given a rating, scandals (hacks and lost data etc.) and threats are described.
AI that can detect the tone and tenor of your writing
I have mentioned Grammarly previously. It is a spelling and grammar checking browser extension that is very useful in picking up errors in your written work on the web (emails, online comments etc.). Their latest tool is a tone detector the company claims can identify subtle contextual clues conveying a range of tempers. Essentially, it taps a battery of hard-coded rules and machine learning algorithms to spot signals in a piece contributing to its tone, including word choice, phrasing, punctuation, and even capitalization. Writing in the correct tone is very important on email and the web as the receiver does not have the usual nonverbal clues of human communication. Writing an angry email to the boss? Put it through a tone detector prior to sending.
AI that can detect schizophrenia
AICure is an AI and advanced data analytics company targeting the healthcare industry. Their software captures and understands video, audio, and behavioral data to establish the link between patients, disease and treatment.
Their latest product claims to be able to detect schizophrenia after analyzing a 2 minute video of you talking into your smartphone. The aim is not diagnosis but providing better support and monitoring for patients during treatment. Each of us responds differently to treatment and this app can monitor and analyze progress.
AI improving Optometry
Researchers at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering have developed a machine learning algorithm that can increase the resolution of optical coherence tomography (OCT, used in Optometry to examine the retina), an imaging technology similar to ultrasound that uses light instead of soundwaves. The algorithm improved the resolution down to a single micrometer in all directions.
The new technique increased the resolution of OCT in all directions and could improve images obtained in the OCT industry for cardiology, oncology, and other medical fields. Researchers have already tested the technique on the bladder and trachea of mice.
The impact of this technology may be extended not only to additional ophthalmic diagnostics, but to imaging of pathologies in tissues accessible by endoscopes, catheters, and bronchoscopes throughout the body. This results in less invasive procedures and earlier diagnosis.
Paying it Forward
If you have a start-up or know of a start-up that has a product, ready for market please let me know. I would be happy to have a look and give the start-up a shout out to my readers if it is something that I think they could use. If you have any questions or comments please email me via my website craigcarlyon.com
I would also appreciate it if you could forward this newsletter to anyone that you think might be interested.
Till next week.