Artificial intelligence (AI) is behind many of Google’s products and is a big priority for us as a company, according to Google AI expert, Christine Robson, who, ahead of Google I/O, shared how AI affects daily life in ways not known, and how people from all over the world have used AI to build their own technology.
AI often sounds like some far-off science fiction concept, but it’s actually behind a lot of things encountered in daily life.
“We train a software system with lots of examples so that it can pick up on patterns. Rather than telling the computer that all spam emails contain the phrase “new weight loss trick!,” you train it on millions of examples of spam, making small corrections until it can pick out the pattern on its own. This ability to learn patterns, called machine learning, makes your life easier in many ways,” stated Christine in a blog post.
Fun stuff
1. Search for “dogs” or “hugs” in your Google Photos library to find your favorite furry friends and (non furry) moments. Even if you haven’t captioned any of your photos, Google can surface the ones that have the object or action you’re looking for.
2. Google Play Music delivers personalized recommendations to play the right music for any moment. By taking into account things like time of day or weather, Play Music can suggest the right music for cooking dinner or watching the sunset.
3. Take a photo in Portrait Mode on Pixel 2, and it’ll perfectly blur the background of the photo. This system has been trained on almost a million portraits to learn how to pick out the subject of the photo and blur the background.
4. Watch more than one billion YouTube videos with automatic captions, powered by machine learning algorithms that transcribe speech in 10 languages.
Productivity and security
5. Quickly respond to an email with Smart Reply in Gmail. Smart Reply saves you time by using AI to suggest three responses based on the email you received. Once you’ve selected one, you can send it immediately or edit your response.
6. And with Nudging, Gmail uses AI to remind you to follow up or respond to messages that are older than two to three days, making sure you don’t drop the ball.
7. Every day, Google Play Protect automatically reviews more than 50 billion apps, and even devices themselves, and takes action when it finds anything suspicious.
Helping you out in the world
8. Translate text on a sign or menu by holding your camera in front of it. Google Translate uses optical character recognition to figure out the words, and a translation system that has been trained on millions of examples of existing translations on the web.
9. You can strike up a conversation with your Google Assistant in more than a dozen languages, and this year it’ll be available in many more.
10. Estimate how hard it’ll be to park your car on Google Maps. It takes into account parking availability in a given area, and has learned the patterns of how different parts of a city get busy at different times.
11. Find the right address on Google Maps, thanks to a system that learned to read street names and addresses from billions of Street View images.
12. Search what you see with Google Lens, whether it’s landmarks, books, artwork, or your neighbor’s dog. It’s possible only with the latest in computer vision, using machine learning to identify objects and browse the world around you.
13. A smart algorithm in Google Trips can help plan your next travel itinerary. It’s the classic “traveling salesman” research problem, applied to modern transportation and all the complex ways people move around.
A software engineer, Mr Emeka Okoye, on Tuesday called on governments to formulate policies that would tackle the effects of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Okoye, the Chief Executive Officer, Cymantiks, a semantic web company, made the appeal at the 2018 Social Media Week Lagos.
He spoke on the topic: “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work in Nigeria’’.
Okoye said that government policies should allow creation of more jobs to replace jobs taken over by AI.
“AI is a thinking machine, and it is coming with some risks; the country has witnessed the threat of AI and robotics in some manufacturing industries.
“With the imbibing of artificial intelligence, some jobs will be lost, but with government policies on job creation, more jobs will be available for people.
“We need to create more jobs so that when AI takes over some jobs, people will not be idling about due to job loss which will lead to societal ills,’’ Okoye said.
According to him, governments would also need to prepare for AI revolution by looking into the educational system.
“The education system in the country has failed us.
“School curricula have not changed with recent changes in the world,’’ the software engineer said.
Okoye said that there was the need for more knowledge factories in form of hubs in the country in an effort to take advantage of the AI introduction.
He advised Nigerians to put themselves on the right path to get knowledge on the best way to utilise AI.
The software engineer said that AI revolution would improve daily lives and help to explore and develop new trends.
He called for citizens’ acquisition of knowledge that would not let them lose out of AI revolution.
Okoye urged Nigerians, especially the youth, to think out of the box for the country to acquire the gains of AI.
The 2018 Social Media Week Lagos has the theme: ‘Closer’.
It is a weeklong event which started on Feb. 26 to end on March 2.
The event will feature discussions covering the future of media, travel, governance, gender inclusion, entertainment and emerging ideas and trends across the globe.
China Telecom, China’s State Grid and Huawei have jointly released a report that details the results of their national 5G network slicing project, which was first announced last September.
TheNewsGuru gathers the report sets out the challenges encountered during smart grid development, potential application scenarios of 5G network slicing in smart grids, and analysis of the overall concept.
It could be recalled that China has heavily invested in the “Made in China 2025” government mandated economic strategy; and a truly smart grid powered by 5G fits very nicely into this model, giving Artificial Intelligence (AI) a filled day.
AI can enhance the predictability of demand and supply for renewables across a distributed grid, improve energy storage, efficiency and load management, assist in the integration and reliability of renewables and enable dynamic pricing and trading, creating market incentives.
“We hope that the three parties can fully leverage the resources from the national major project and the 5G pilot resources of China Telecom to promote joint innovation and build an end-to-end 5G ecosystem,” a spokesperson for China Telecom commented.
“The release of this report is a landmark of the substantial cooperation between operators and vertical industries in the 5G application field. Our next move is to further verify the 5G network slicing capabilities in power grid service instances and make network slicing easier to use through closer partnerships with State Grid and Huawei,” the spokesperson further stated.
According to the report, 5G network slicing technologies will enable the intelligent operation of the power grid, with the 5G core network providing network slices with differentiated capabilities to fulfil the requirements of new services in specific scenarios.
Network slicing should also enable grid utilities to control and manage network resources visually in the entire process, which the report calculates will significantly decrease the 5G network slice deployment cost and promote application innovation for a smarter grid.
“The energy industry is experiencing a radical change. Research on 5G network slicing for power grid are based on new power grid operation and service modes to meet the emerging service requirements.
“We are seeking a real-time, highly reliable, and efficient communication network to enable smart grid operations, intelligent power grid enterprises, and convenient electricity utilization,” said Wei Lei of State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power.
Following a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Google’s chief executive Sundar Pichai on Monday, the tech giant has announced it will open a research centre in Paris devoted to artificial intelligence.
“The different achievements in this country, including in science, art and the academic field, make it an ideal place for the creation of a centre of theoretical research in artificial intelligence,” Pichai said in a statement.
The announcement came as Macron welcomed 140 multinational business leaders to Versailles in Paris on Monday night, ahead of the opening of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday.
Google said it will extend its headquarters in the capital to accommodate the centre — the third to open worldwide, after California and Switzerland.
The number of staff in Paris is set to increase from 700 to 1,000.
Facebook earlier announced its intention to double the number of researchers at its own AI centre, opened in Paris in 2015, from 30 to 60.
The social media giant will also invest EUR 10 million by 2022 to “accelerate artificial intelligence” in France.
The announcements “signal the competitiveness of France” in the growing sector, the Elysee Palace said in a statement.
Both companies intend to open programmes in France to help train tens of thousands of people in digital skills.
Microsoft has announced a partnership with Adaptive Biotechnologies to map the genetics of the human immune system in efforts to improve diagnoses of cancers and other diseases.
Peter Lee, Microsoft Corporate Vice President, AI and Research, made this known in a statement late on Thursday.
“We are very excited and inspired by our collaboration with Adaptive Biotechnologies, as it clearly advances our mission to use cloud and AI technologies to transform healthcare and improve the lives of people around the world,”
“This collaboration combines powerful sequencing and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into a revolutionary new capability, and represents the kind of deep collaborative partnership that we live for.
“We are incredibly proud to bring our best people and AI capabilities together with Adaptive in this joint quest,” he said in the statement.
TheNewsGuru reports Adaptive Biotechnologies is a genomics and technology company working to map the genetics of the human immune system.
As per the agreement, Microsoft will bring research and large-scale machine learning and cloud computing capabilities to translate genetics of the human immune system, or immunome into simple blood test that can be broadly accessible to people around the world.
“Artificial Intelligence represents one of technology’s most important priorities and healthcare is perhaps AI’s most urgent application.
“Partnering with Adaptive Technologies to decode the human immune system,” Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, said in a tweet.
In his remarks about the partnership, President, CEO and Co-Founder of Adaptive Biotechnologies, Chad Robins, said, “Some conditions like cancer or autoimmune disorders can be difficult to diagnose, but this universal map of the immune system will enable earlier and more accurate diagnosis of disease, potentially helping physicians to connect the dots to understand the relationship between disease states and eventually lead to a better understanding of overall human health”.
The collaboration is part of Microsoft’s Healthcare NExT initiative, launched in 2017 to maximise the ability of AI and cloud computing to accelerate innovation in the healthcare industry, advance science through technology, and turn the lifesaving potential of next discoveries into reality.
Microsoft has announced its plan to broaden the AI for Earth programme, pledging $50 million over the next five years to put artificial intelligence technology in the hands of those who are working to mitigate climate change.
Microsoft rolled out the AI for Earth programme six months ago with an aim to put the power of artificial intelligence towards tackling environmental challenges.
“At Microsoft, we believe artificial intelligence is a game changer. Our approach as a company is focused on democratising AI so its features and capabilities can be put to use by individuals and organisations around the world to improve real-world outcomes,” Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith wrote in a blog post on Monday.
The announcement came on the eve of the second anniversary of the Paris Agreement.
AI can be very useful in monitoring, modelling and managing the Earth’s natural systems.
Data can speak volumes about the health of our home planet, including the conditions of air, water, land and the well-being of our wildlife.
“But we need technology’s help to capture this vast amount of data and convert it into actionable intelligence. AI can be trained to classify raw data from sensors on the ground, in the sky or in space into categories that both humans and computers understand,” Smith said.
“Fundamentally, AI can accelerate our ability to observe environmental systems and how they are changing at a global scale, convert the data into useful information and apply that information to take concrete steps to better manage our natural resources,” he added.
Over the past six months, Microsoft has awarded over 35 grants in more than 10 countries for access to Microsoft Azure and AI technology.
Microsoft said its AI for Earth could be a force multiplier for groups and individuals who are creating sustainable solutions.
“That’s why we’re not just putting more resources into this effort, but also coupling this with a long-term commitment to applying AI to grow and scale in four key areas – climate, water, agriculture, and biodiversity,” Smith said.
Microsoft wants to do it in three ways. First, it plans to expand seed grants around the world to create and test new AI applications.
“We will also provide universities, non-governmental organisations, and others with advanced training to put AI to its best use,” Smith said.
Next, Microsoft will identify the projects that show the most promise and make larger investments to help bring them to scale.
“Finally, as these projects advance, we’ll identify and pursue opportunities to incorporate new AI advances into platform-level services so that others can use them for their own sustainability initiatives,” Smith said.
A pressure group, Coalition For Truth and Justice (CFTJ), on Monday informed Nigerians that Amnesty International had earmarked about N10 billion to settle “dormant terror NGOs and CSOs to champion the break up of the country.
The organisation also alleged that AI had been responsible for Boko Haram insurgency in the North East, militancy in the Niger-Delta and the separatist movement agitating for secession in the South East led by the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The National Coordinator of CFTJ, Charles Timothy, at a press briefing in Abuja, alleged that AI had intensified plots to destabilise Nigeria.
He therefore called on the Federal Government to expel AI from Nigeria “as they are backing separatists and extremists against the country’s legitimate authority and sovereignty.”
Timothy advised Nigerians and government to stop the final phase of destabilization from being fully activated.
He said, “We appeal to you, gentlemen of the press, to help amplify this message to the government and the populace because Nigeria and Nigerians cannot afford to be taken unawares by this latest destabilization plot.
“In its latest destabilisation plot, AI has started mobilising some questionable elements under the cover of civil society groups with millions of Naira in the last phase of its project to see to the final destabilisation of Nigeria. This last phase of operation is structured to unite and activate all the dormant terror NGOs and CSOs they have created and term their attack on the populace as “intellectual rebellion”, which is a cover to cause an uprising against the state. This must be taken seriously. This strategy has been employed several times in the past.
“A few CSOs run by true patriots that were approached to join the rebellion so that it can have a larger number have confided in us that as much N10 billion has been earmarked for this phase. In addition to paying for protest logistics, the funds would also be distributed to some senior lawyers in Lagos and Abuja to lead the uprising against the Nigerian state. This development was in response to Amnesty International losing faith in the ability of its assets to trigger the much-expected genocide which would allow it and its backers to label Nigeria as a failed state. On the strength of what we know, we would be lying to claim that all is well when we know that Nigeria is sitting on a primed bomb.”
Timothy said while Boko Haram insurgency in the North East of Nigeria, militancy in the Niger-Delta or the separatist movement by IPOB agitating for secession in the South East of the country were contemporary problems that urgently beg decisive responses, they were also mere symptoms, manifestations of the manipulations of agents of destabilization that are desperate to destroy Nigeria.
The question of when Nigerian universities research works will leave rusty shelves has been asked time and time again with no end seems to be in view, but experts have provided a tech solution, and there is one university in Nigeria that is at the forefront driving efforts in that direction to removing its pile of research works from rusty shelves.
Universities have great data that can benefit the Nigerian economy, and researches kept in rusty shelves if recouped can actually make a lot of money for the ailing Nigerian economy. This was the position held by a panel of experts at the Nigerian International Technology Exhibition and Conference (NITEC) 2017 that held in Lagos recently.
The experts agreed based on the following facts that the Nigerian university community is a critical ecosystem for generating useful data.
Nigeria presently has about 160 public and private universities. About 600 thousand students are admitted in all universities in Nigeria every session meaning that about 3 million students study in all Nigerian universities annually. Factorizing this into a 10-year period, you have 30 million students who pass through the Nigerian universities system.
These students carry out painstaking researches to write assignments, term papers, seminar papers and final year research project. The data so generated are yet to find the light of day and lying in waste in the shelves of Nigerian universities.
Putting into consideration postgraduate students and lecturers who make up the universities ecosystem, and who churn out large amount of research data as well, the university system then become an important point of call in the discourse of big data.
Experts are saying nations of the world making huge impacts are moving away from commodity-based economy to knowledge-based economy, and that huge data being generated by the Nigerian university system can create huge revenue for the Nigerian economy, if the data are properly harnessed.
UNN innovation with Roar Nigeria hub
Professor Benjamin Chukwuma Ozumba, the Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), who has seen value in the data lying in waste in Nigerian universities, said his institution is already leading the course in harnessing its data for revenue generation, especially with the establishment of Roar Nigeria Hub.
Prof. Ozumba said with Roar Nigeria Hub, UNN is poised to become the first full-fledged technology-embedded university in West Africa.
“We are trying to make UNN a Smart University. Everybody on campus has bought into it,” he said.
The VC, who was a panellist at the NITEC 2017 event, agreed with other panellists that research and data analytics form crucial part in deepening local content in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector of the Nigerian economy.
“Universities are centres for learning, researches and educating the public. We talk about our universities graduating three million students annually; there are lecturers and non-academic staff, who are generating and warehousing data relevant to the society. But have we really harnessed these data? The answer is no! These data exist, but they have not been harnessed,” the VC said.
“We know that most of these data are warehoused in ICT repositories. They use it in ranking universities. They want to know if you are creating output in the numbers of researches published.
“We are working to connect what we have in the library to the main repository. We found out there are issues with that. We have to hire an ICT specialist to fix it, and our university repository shot up immensely.
“There are a lot of missing links. We have to get it right. That is why I am saying I want to make my university a smart university in that direction.
“We know that if these data in the universities are properly harvested and warehoused, and well researched, organizations can buy them.
“Data is a tool for making money. That is why Google is thriving; they harness the data they have to make fortunes out of them. So, we need infrastructure and intelligent use of data,” the VC espoused.
TheNewsGuru tech editor found out from a visit to the UNN recently that the Roar Nigeria Hub was opened to the public with a mission to produce the next generation of entrepreneurs by creating an enabling environment, support systems and relevant skills to succeed with technology entrepreneurship.
“With about 50 kilometres of fibre optic cable connecting the university, we also intend to solve the challenges faced by businesses with available data on the campuses.
“University is where you are taught to explore. There is no infinity to acquiring knowledge. It’s where you get education before exploration to getting problems solved. Exploration requires a lot of components or tools; but in Nigeria where the laboratories are not functional how do you want it done. This motivated us to pursue the meeting — the town and gown — a meeting point of the universities and the industry.
“With the new trends of creating innovation/incubation hubs, such as Roar Nigeria, we will move Nigeria from commodity to a country creating items,” the VC further stated.
The need to rethink Big Data
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cymantiks, Mr. Emeka Okoye, who is also a panellist at the event, highlighted the relevance of universities’ researches to the economy, and stressed there need to rethink Big Data.
He said universities’ researches have become more needed as the world enters the fourth industrial revolution driven by Big Data, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics and Machine Learning.
“Let’s take ‘big’ aside… data is just an observation,” the Cymantiks CEO said, adding that “When students interact with academic and non-academic staff, they generate data… it dwells down to universities policy on how data are managed. When it is become massive, we now say big data”.
“Focusing on research is actually very huge. We need to understand the current trends. We are about to enter the 4th industrial revolution, and it is driven by data. There are up to 34 disruptive technologies right now — from IoT to AI — and they all feast on data.
“It means that the way we understand data before has got to change; because right now, we need to change by incorporating data into our everyday activities,” he further stated.
Mr. Okoye said it has become imperative for Nigerian universities to rethink on how to commercialize the huge repository of research data developed over the years.
“They ought to make lot of money from data. A university in Kenya is earning close to $1 billion from patents. University as a mini-community is very crucial in research and a test-bed for new technology,” Okoye said.
Also part of the panel was the CEO of Crestsage, Mr. Charles Emembolu, who said value creation should drive universities’ motivation to monetize their data and research works, and assist government’s ideas on local content concepts and development of young people with relevant skill sets.
Mr. Emembolu, who played a pivotal role in the establishment of Roar Nigeria, said research works contain useful facts capable of solving puzzles in the ICT industry and the society in general, adding that “Standardization, skilled professionals are needed in our industry today”.
He further stated that “awareness creation for people to understand the essence of big data must start from the universities” adding that “The Universities boards need to improve the system to further understand graduation and post-graduation achievements of students”.
He, however, advised that students of Nigerian universities must learn to embark on only research works that are capable of generating revenue not just for the university system or the government, but for themselves as well.
The Nigeria International Technology Exhibition & Conference, NITEC 2017, being the second edition of the yearly event, held today at the Sheraton Hotels Ikeja, Lagos.
The focus of the 2017 edition was on the future of big data, analytics and applications for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) development.
Discussions featured disruptive areas in technology such as digital media, artificial intelligence (AI), big data, robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), hardware, and etc.
Here are tech-changing moments from the event captured in pictures.
L-R: Country General Manager of IBM Nigeria, Mr. Dipo Faulkner; Mr. Tunde Coker of Rack Centre; Oseni Rufai of Loyal Bonus, and Mr. David Okeme of SystemSpecsL-R: Mr. Dipo Faulkner of IBM Nigeria, Mr. Tunde Coker of Rack Centre and Mr. David Okeme of Remita.Pius Okigbo CEO, InfoSoft NigeriaDipo Faulkner Country General Manager, IBM NigeriaVice Chancellor of University of Nigeria Nsukka, Prof. Benjamin Chukwuma OzumbaMr. David Okeme of SystemSpecsA top panelist from Roar Nigeria at NITEC 2017Another top panelist at NITEC 2017Olatorera Oniru CEO, Dressmeoutlet.com (L) and Nkem Begho CEO, Future SoftwareAfolabi Abiodun, CEO, SB Telecoms & Devices Limited (L) and Felix Rwang-Dung CEO, The Hord Inc.Cross section of participants at NITEC 2017Another cross section of participants at NITEC 2017More participants of NITEC 2017TheNewsGuru Tech Editor and the VC of UNNCreator of myPadi.ngTheNewsGuru Tech Editor and myPadi.ng creator
The Nigeria International Technology Exhibition & Conference (NITEC) 2017 focused on especially startups is one of the best technology events to happen this year in Nigeria.
NITEC is a yearly event that features experienced speakers with robust knowledge of the tech industry. It is specifically designed to showcase the best of the technology ecosystem and discuss key issues in tech and innovation. The maiden edition was held last year at the Civic Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The focus of the 2017 edition, being the second edition, was on the future of big data, analytics and applications for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) development.
The edition, which held today at the Sheraton Hotels Ikeja, Lagos, featured sessions that included disruptive areas in technology such as digital media, artificial intelligence (AI), big data, robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), hardware, and etc.
From the various sessions that held, here are the top ‘take aways’ for SMEs.
Current statistics as presented at the NITEC 2017 event reveals that there are about 20 million SMEs in Nigeria.
One of the best take aways from NITEC 2017 is that challenges of global and local economies are not killing businesses; rather, the challenges are making businesses define new objectives. Also, customers now define how they need to be served. Putting these together, companies are now designing how to better serve customers by using specialized tools.
The conference also goes a long way to show businesses must be able to maximize the power of cloud computing, as given the explosion of technology, big data now demands businesses use cloud computing and analytics to provide cognitive solutions to business problems. The growth of data is so high that technology needs to expand to be able to accommodate the growth.
SMEs are advised not to use past or present business models because the business model of the past is broken and won’t work today. SMEs should look for models that would be able to cause disruption in the economy. When disruptions occur, existing businesses should look to identify what and who is causing the disruption, and prepare to cause disruption as well.
Startups must understand that business comes first before technology – technology is the enabler. Most importantly, SMEs must understand the business of technology in order not to go obsolete like Nokia and Blackberry that have been forced to identify and foray into other business models. Technological innovations drive businesses, and a new business model could cause a revolution in the tech ecosystem that can cause a total disruption.
Does afroskepticism still matter today? But, the fact that a business model is African doesn’t mean it necessarily won’t work.
Startups seeking funding should learn to spend little at the onset and spread cost over time. Entrepreneurs must understand that the value proposition of a startup must make sense in order to get the much needed startup funds.
Technology solutions are most times basic and free.
Startups must understand the power of engagement. Startups cannot win without engaging employees, clients or customers alike, in one way or the other.
Businesses need data to make informed decisions.
An organisation must know when to reinvent itself.
Silicon Valley is good, but Nigerian startups must learn to study India and the Asian guys.
Nigeria needs a technology master plan, and a deliberate policy to drive technological innovations in the country.
L-R: Mr. Dipo Faulkner of IBM Nigeria, Mr. Tunde Coker of Rack Centre and Mr. David Okeme of Remita.
The event was well attended by top industry players to include the Vice Chancellor Prof. Benjamin Chukwuma Ozumba, who is transforming the University of Nigeria Nsukka into a Smart University; the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of InfoSoft Nigeria, Pius Okigbo, who is at the forefront of driving policies that will ensure technological innovations thrive in Nigeria; the Country General Manager of IBM Nigeria, Dipo Faulkner, who is driving a tech innovation known as Watson across Africa, and Tunde Coker, who is driving something big at Rack Centre.
