by BGF | Sep 10, 2018 | Papers & Reports, News
On September 14, 2018, “Quantum Hegemony? China’s Ambitions and the Challenge to U.S. Innovation Dominance” will take place from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Washington D.C. The event launched by CNAS Report will publish the report on technology development.
According to CNAS, a report was carried out by Elsa B. Kania and John K. Costello on China’s quantum science. China is considered the power house of quantum science due to its track record of advances in quantum technologies which consists of quantum cryptography, communications, and computing, as well as reports of progress in quantum radar, sensing, imaging, metrology, and navigation. Its achievement was displayed in its world first quantum satellite launched in August 2016.
In response to China’ advances, U.S needs to put effort in its current advantages in technologies to maintain its position as a leader in the innovation.
It can be seen that national pride has encouraged competition between countries, making such non-stop pace of technology development but it should be kept in mind that these advances only matter if it is for the good of human kind. There are organizations such as the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation is established to secure our future with its initiatives which provide a moral framework for technology’s innovations, especially in the field of AI.
by BGF | Sep 10, 2018 | News
An AI algorithm is developed to estimate a city’s obesity rate by analyzing satellite images of its buildings.
A research group at the University of Washington analyzed images from Google Maps of four cities in U.S (Los Angeles, California; Memphis, Tennessee; San Antonio, Texas; and Seattle, Washington) to draw out the prediction for the rate of obesity–an alarming health issue in this country.
The team found the relationship between an area’s built environment and its neighborhood’s health issues by using neural networks. The images of the urban areas provide health indicators to the neighborhood ass the presence of parks, highways, green streets and housing types can be associated with the people’s physical activity according to a research published by JAMA Network Open.
Moreover, the algorithm can use neural networks to automate the extraction of features of infrastructure from satellite images. This study can possibly result in adjustment in infrastructure to encourage physical movement and increase people’s health.
by BGF | Sep 10, 2018 | News
Blockchain could be a trusted ledger as every action is transparent to everyone. In some creative industries, it can act as a platform for the intellectual property.
Many people have known of blockchain and how it works as a technology developed for the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. In terms of creative industries, it can help define one artist’s work to protect their intellectual property rights.
Recently, organizations and new intermediaries such as Youtube and Spotify have inserted themselves into the value chain between artists and audiences. As a result, artists receive less revenue from their work. In addition, their pieces of art are shared, advertised, priced. This problem can be tackled by blockchain.
There are five features of blockchain that can address these issues:
Feature 1: Enable smart contracts.
Blockchain can host “smart contracts” to ensure author’s digital rights and allocate revenue share to team that help creating the work.
Feature 2: Establish transparent peer-to-peer transactions.
As all of the transactions for creative work are transparent and accessible by all. This will allow the value of the product to be acknowledged.
Feature 3: Promote efficient and dynamic pricing
If blockchain serves as a platform, the demand for the artist’s work can be tracked, pricing would be more dynamic and controllable to the artist without going through web of intermediaries.
Feature 4: Allow “micrometering” or “micromonetizing”
By using blockchain, snippets – added info in form of code, text… could be made available for a certain cost. “This allow users to support content creator of their choice to reduce unwanted ads” said Mike Belshe- Cofounder of BitGo.
Feature 5: Establish a reputation system
Blockchain enables users and creator of creative content to verify one another, enhance the collaboration and behavior, collaboration not fulfilling the contract will be recorded.
In general, blockchain technology has a great potential to create a reliable accountability and transparency leading to efficiency for both artist and consumers.
by BGF | Sep 10, 2018 | News
In August 2018, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government announced that Germany will invest €200 million in 5-year time on an agency to develop cyber capabilities.
Chancellor Angela Merkel is Germany’s first female chancellor and one of the leading figures of the European Union, since the 2005 national elections. She was also titled the World Leader for Peace, Security, and Development by MDI. She showed her interests in many fields including cybersecurity.
According to The Politico, her government will establish an agency following the model of U.S. Pentagon Research agency DARPA. The agency will come into operation by the end of 2018. The new Agency for Innovation in Cybersecurity is created to combat cyberthreats as many security agencies have prepared cyber capabilities such as hacking software from enterprises outside of Europe.
“We cannot just sit around watching sensitive information technology of high security relevance being controlled by third countries,” said Interior Minister Horst Seehofer.
At the same time, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government is going to launch another agency on disruptive innovation for civil applications stated by Research Minister Anja Karliczek.
by BGF | Sep 10, 2018 | News
The political influences of WLA-CdM’s members can be used to guide future actions in the political field with a new project on Information Integrity and the Future of Democracy.
WLA-CdM has been developing the Next Generation Democracy project which addresses the main factors affecting democracy of the world, which were new technology and social media. Guy Verhofstadt, former Belgian Prime Minister and Member of WLA-CdM, wrote an op-ed on Project Syndicate. He put emphasis on the threat of information integrity and social media shaping people’s political view.
To tackle this problematic situation, WLA-CdM launched a new project on Information Integrity and the Future of Democracy, with a purpose to engage in the discussion with stakeholders and WLA-CdM’s members to come up with recommendations to guide people in the area.
“In a world where an algorithm determines all outcomes, politics no longer exists,” said Guy Verhofstadt, “There is no time to lose. The world needs a new Internet, and Europe needs a new digital strategy – one that is not simply copy-pasted from the American model.”
The Roundtable on Global Governance for Information Integrity (take place on September 27, 2018 in Riga, Latvia) is the first activity of this new project. The event is organized under the cooperation of Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and WLA-CdM, in consultation with the Lavitan Association of Political Science and the NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence. Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of MDI, will attend the panel discussion of this event.
