In Machines We Trus‪t‬ MIT Technology Review

Computers are ranking the way people look—and the results are influencing the things we do, the posts we see, and the way we think.
Ideas about what constitutes “beauty” are complex, subjective, and by no means limited to physical appearances. Elusive though it is, everyone wants more of it. That means big business and increasingly, people harnessing algorithms to create their ideal selves in the digital and, sometimes, physical worlds. In this episode, we explore the popularity of beauty filters, and sit down with someone who’s convinced his software will show you just how to nip and tuck your way to a better life.

We meet:
Shafee Hassan, Qoves Studio founder 
Lauren Rhue, Assistant Professor of Information Systems at the Robert H. Smith School of Business

Credits:
This episode was reported by Tate Ryan-Mosley, and produced by Jennifer Strong, Emma Cillekens, Karen Hao and Anthony Green. We’re edited by Michael Reilly and Bobbie Johnson.
 

Host Jennifer Strong and MIT Technology Review’s editors explore what it means to entrust AI with our most sensitive decisions.

Cameras in stores aren’t anything new—but these days there are AI brains behind the electric eyes. In some stores, sophisticated systems are tracking customers in almost every imaginable way, from recognizing their faces to gauging their age, their mood, and virtually gussying them up with makeup. The systems rarely ask for people’s permission, and for the most part they don’t have to. In our season 1 finale, we look at the explosion of AI and face recognition technologies in retail spaces, and what it means for the future of shopping.

We meet:
RetailNext CTO Arun Nair,
L'Oreal's Technology Incubator Global VP Guive Balooch,
Modiface CEO Parham Aarabi
Biometrics pioneer and Chairman of ID4Africa Joseph Atick

Credits:
This episode was reported and produced by Jennifer Strong, Anthony Green, Tate Ryan-Mosley, Emma Cillekens and Karen Hao. We’re edited by Michael Reilly and Gideon Lichfield.

Two weeks after her forced exit, the AI ethics researcher reflects on her time at Google, how to increase corporate accountability, and the state of the AI field.

We meet:
Dr. Timnit Gebru

Find more reporting:
https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/12/16/1014634/google-ai-ethics-lead-timnit-gebru-tells-story/
https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/12/04/1013294/google-ai-ethics-research-paper-forced-out-timnit-gebru/

Google's email to employees:
https://twitter.com/JeffDean/status/1334953632719011840

Gebru's email to the listserv Google Brain Women and Allies:
https://www.platformer.news/p/the-withering-email-that-got-an-ethical

The petition from Google Walkout:
https://googlewalkout.medium.com/standing-with-dr-timnit-gebru-isupporttimnit-believeblackwomen-6dadc300d382

Credits:
This episode was reported by Karen Hao, edited by Jennifer Strong, Niall Firth, Gideon Lichfield and Michael Reilly, and produced with help from Anthony Green, Emma Cillekens and Benji Rosen.

Face mapping and other tracking systems are changing the sports experience in the stands and on the court. In part-three of this latest series on facial recognition, Jennifer Strong and the team at MIT Technology Review jump on the court to unpack just how much things are changing. 

We meet: 
Donnie Scott, senior vice president of public security, IDEMIA
Michael D'Auria, vice president of business development, Second Spectrum
Jason Gay, sports columnist, The Wall Street Journal
Rachel Goodger, director of business development, Fancam
Rich Wang, director of analytics and fan engagement, Minnesota Vikings

Credits: 
This episode was reported and produced by Jennifer Strong, Anthony Green, Tate Ryan-Mosley, Emma Cillekens and Karen Hao. We’re edited by Michael Reilly and Gideon Lichfield. 

Facial recognition technology is being deployed in housing projects, homeless shelters, schools, even across entire cities—usually without much fanfare or discussion. To some, this represents a critical technology for helping vulnerable communities gain access to social services. For others, it’s a flagrant invasion of privacy and human dignity. In this episode, we speak to the advocates, technologists, and dissidents dealing with the messy consequences that come when a technology that can identify you almost anywhere (even if you’re wearing a mask) is deployed without any clear playbook for regulating or managing it.

We meet: 
Eric Williams, senior staff attorney at Detroit Justice Center
Fabian Rogers, community advocate at Surveillance Technology Oversight Project
Helen Knight, founder of Tech for Social Good
Ray Bolling, president and co-founder of Eyemetric Identity Systems
Mary Sunden, executive director of the Christ Church Community Development Corporation

Credits: 
This episode was reported and produced by Jennifer Strong, Tate Ryan-Mosley, Emma Cillekens, and Karen Hao. We’re edited by Michael Reilly and Gideon Lichfield.