Smart City

With increasing urbanisation around the world and increasingly important social issues such as air pollution, urban litter, the fight against climate change or over-reliance on car transport, the need to manage cities more efficiently is emerging. Modern technologies can be used to achieve this. The idea of Smart Cities is to use communication technologies to create a more interactive and efficient urban infrastructure, as well as to raise citizens’ awareness of its operation [1]. Smart Cities therefore represent a wide range of solutions that, in combination, improve the lives of residents and help combat the problems of today’s world. In the following article, we will present some of the Smart City solutions. The role of data collection in the Smart City, Smart City technologies for transport, smart energy management, as well as for combating environmental and noise pollution will be discussed.

Data collection and analysis in a Smart City  

A fundamental role in the functioning of a Smart City is the collection of data through all sorts of measurement tools such as sensors, probes and cameras. The collection of real and up-to-date data on the operation of the city is crucial to the proper functioning of Smart City solutions, as their analysis allows real-time decision-making, significantly reducing resource consumption without compromising the standard of living of the inhabitants [2]. The proper collection and analysis of the vast amount of data needed for the proper operation of Smart City systems is a huge challenge. 

BFirst.Tech specialises in the implementation of IoT technology, providing advanced solutions for smart monitoring, data analysis and optimisation of urban infrastructure. As a member of the United Nations Global Compact Network Poland and co-author of the Recommendations for Cities by the World Urban Forum 11 Business Council, the company actively supports the development of sustainable technologies, focusing on innovative diagnostics, environmental acoustics and data engineering systems. 

Smart City in transport   

One of the main areas of use of Smart City solutions is in transport. Today’s cities are able to collect far more transport data using smart tools in public transport vehicles, at important points on the road such as intersections, or through public monitoring.    

The data collected in this way can then be processed accordingly and used to improve the efficiency of the city’s transport system.  The collected information can be used to display timetable information and the current position of public transport vehicles with the estimated time of arrival at the stop, making public transport a very attractive alternative to the car. 

Rys. 1. Using the Smart City in Transport. Source: https://www.digi.com/blog/post/introduction-to-smart-transportation-benefits 

Data flowing into traffic management systems allows real-time optimisation of urban traffic to improve safety and reduce emissions. Smart parking systems make use of data on parking spaces, monitoring them and informing drivers of their availability, and allow payment for parking to be collected, improving driver comfort and also reducing pollution by reducing the time used to find a parking space [3]. 

Smart City solutions also help to solve the so-called first and last kilometre problem – the first and last part of a journey in a city, usually being considerably shorter than the public transport journey itself, while possibly taking a similar amount of time. Smart City systems can allow the linking of the public transport network with the use of lightweight short-distance transport modes such as bicycles or electric scooters. Properly placed hubs for such transport, combined with ease of use, can significantly facilitate urban travel and even encourage some drivers to use public transport [4]. 

Smart energy management  

With the increasing demand for electricity, due in part to the need to decarbonise the economy as much as possible, there is a growing emphasis not only on increasing the production of energy from renewable sources, but also on using it more efficiently. The use of intelligent energy management solutions leads to less energy consumption and therefore less energy production, which can have a major impact on environmental protection. 

Rys. 2. Green energy in the city. Source: https://leadersinternational.org/sme4smartcities-insights/revolutionising-urban-life-how-smart-technologies-and-sustainable-energy-are-creating-the-cities-of-the-future/ 

Among the Smart City systems that support better management are smart grids that monitor energy distribution and consumption, efficient systems for storing cheaply produced energy at peak production times, and smart sensors able to regulate the use of lighting according to the amount of natural light. All these solutions in combination also make it possible to create programmes that optimise when energy is used, using it mainly during the periods of lowest production costs, which is used, among other things, in the charging of electric vehicles [5].  

In addition to the above-mentioned ways of using electricity more efficiently, less energy consumption can also be influenced by technical developments and new regulations for the construction and renovation of buildings so that they use as little energy as possible. This can be done, among other things, by using efficient and environmentally friendly materials, by designing buildings to minimise heat loss while allowing as much natural light as possible, or by using intelligent systems to optimise heating and lighting consumption. 

Efficient energy management is one of the key aspects of the energy transition and the fight against progressive climate change. The transformation of cities into smart cities will require large amounts of electricity, which must be produced efficiently to contribute to better environmental protection [6].  

BFirst.Tech has become a member of the Business Council at PRECOP29, which produced a “White Paper” providing a Polish perspective on climate issues, including energy management ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2024. BFirst.Tech offers end-to-end solutions for monitoring, diagnostics and management of big data, including energy. To learn more, explore our solutions under this link

Smart City in the fight against pollution and noise  

One of the biggest problems facing modern cities is air pollution, resulting from a number of factors, such as the burning of solid fuels in cookers and urban planning. High levels of pollution affect the health of city dwellers, reducing their productivity, occupying the raw materials of health services and reducing attractiveness for business and tourists.  

In order to effectively combat air pollution, it is necessary to have accurate information on its levels and spatial distribution provided by a large number of sensors across the city. The information gathered in this way helps to make appropriate decisions on measures to improve the state of the air. In addition, properly presented information on the state of the air to residents can strengthen public awareness of the problem and increase pressure to find appropriate solutions to combat pollution [7]. 

In addition to air pollution, the problem of urban noise is also increasingly discussed. Traffic jams, renovations, construction of new buildings and other sources of noise in cities can sometimes pose a serious threat to human health [8], further worsening levels of concentration and focus, lowering the standard of living of residents. 

Rys. 3. Sources of noise for urban residents. Source: https://www.hseblog.com/noise-pollution/ 

Smart sensors that are able to estimate not only the level of noise recorded but also the source of the noise can be used to combat this problem. This data can then be processed and used by experts to prepare a plan to mitigate noise levels, thus improving the lives of residents [9]. 

BFirst.Tech is a company with many years of expert experience in implementing solutions to combat noise pollution. BFirst.Tech offers a modern and advanced approach in the field of noise reduction, in line with the needs not only of smart cities but also of modern industry. Explore our products and solutions under this link

Summary

Smart Cities make use of today’s advanced data acquisition, processing and storage techniques. Through their use, our cities are gaining new tools and techniques to combat the increasingly pressing problems of the modern world. These technologies can help not only with the problems of public transport, air pollution, noise and energy management mentioned in the article, but also with many others, among which are better prevention and crisis management, public safety or waste management. Which cities make the best use of them could be a key factor in their further development and the key to better meeting the needs of their inhabitants. 

References

[1] https://uclg-digitalcities.org/en/smart-cities-study/2012-edition/ 

[2] https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/smart-city-data-governance_e57ce301-en.html 

[3] https://www.teraz-srodowisko.pl/aktualnosci/przyszlosc-transport-smart-city-forum-11962.html 

[4] https://smartride.pl/przyszlosc-transportu-w-smart-city-komfort-podrozy-i-czyste-powietrze/ 

[5] https://energy-floors.com/10-smart-city-energy-solutions-kinetic-floors/ 

[6] https://www.teraz-srodowisko.pl/aktualnosci/inteligentne-technologie-zarzadzanie-energia-miasta-efektywnosc-energetyczna-13055.html 

[7] https://www.innovationnewsnetwork.com/the-development-of-the-smart-city-waste-management-and-air-quality-monitoring/39990/ 

[8] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6878772/ 

[9] https://newsroom.axis.com/blog/noise-pollution-smart-cities 

The effect of technological illusions on people’s perception of reality

Computerisation, which began in the 1990s, has propelled humanity into an era where working and interacting with technology on a daily basis is common and natural. Artificial Intelligence answers our questions, and the Internet is seen as an endless source of information. While one may think that the development of technology helps us to understand the world around us, there are phenomena that show how often our intuitions fail. Technologies, which at first glance are simple and obvious, can hide paradoxes and illusions, which may be more difficult to spot, as well as to understand, than it seems. This article will explore three interesting phenomena: the ELIZA effect, the Moravec’s paradox and the Streisand effect. Each of these shows how technology can change our perception of reality, affecting how we see machines, data and information. Exploring these phenomena will provide a different perspective on the development of technology and help us to use it more consciously. 

ELIZA effect 

In the 1960s, Joseph Weizenbaum at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed the ELIZA programme [1]. This programme was one of the first chatbots – it naturally mimicked a normal conversation. Despite the simplicity of the algorithm, which created responses based on the keywords entered by acting according to predetermined patterns, many users of the programme reported that they got the impression that Eliza really understood them. Thanks to the clever selection of answers, users were able to be highly engaged in the conversation, satisfied that the interviewer understood them and was paying attention. The creator himself was surprised at how convinced people were that Eliza was a human being, not a machine.  

It is from this chatbot that the ELIZA effect, the phenomenon of the tendency for humans to attribute to machines, programmes (including AI) the capabilities of understanding, empathy and intelligence, i.e. to anthropomorphise them [2], got its name. Examples of this phenomenon include the appearance of “hello” or “thank you” messages on ATM and self-checkout displays, which are pre-defined texts to be displayed rather than an expression of gratitude by the machine; or communication with voice assistants – thanking them, saying “she” about the Alexa assistant, which despite using a female voice still remains a genderless algorithm. The reason behind this effect can be attributed to our nature – everything that is human seems familiar, closer, less frightening, which can be seen, for example, in the way ancient deities are depicted and compared to humans and animals, attributing weather phenomena or elements to them [3].  

Such bonding with, sometimes very complex, technologies allows one to overcome fear of novelty, encourages interaction and builds attachment to the product being used. At the same time, this effect can cause an overestimation of the capabilities of a given algorithm (due to the assumption that the machine knows and understands more than it actually does), excessive trust in the information received, or an inappropriate treatment of the creation as a human being, e.g. by treating a chatbot like a therapist or marrying AI [4]. 

Moravec’s paradox 

Another interesting phenomenon takes its name from the Canadian scientist Hans Moravec, author of works on technology, futurology and transhumanism. In 1988, he, together with Rodney Brooks and Marvin Minsky, formulated the statement: “It is comparatively easy to make computers exhibit adult level performance on intelligence tests or playing checkers, and difficult or impossible to give them the skills of a one-year-old when it comes to perception and mobility” [5]. It implies that tasks that are considered difficult, requiring knowledge, intelligence and logical thinking, are relatively easy to solve using AI, while those activities that we consider simple and natural – walking, recognising faces and objects or motor coordination – are very challenging and difficult to implement in machines.  

Researchers attribute the reason for this paradox to the human evolutionary process. Human motor skills developed over millions of years and were essential for survival and slowly but continuously improved by natural selection. The human brain has had plenty of time to assimilate and adapt to activities such as grabbing tools, recognising faces and emotions, walking or motor coordination, so they are automated at a deep level; we perform them without conscious effort. On the other hand, abstract thinking, mathematics, logic are relatively new abilities, not rooted so deeply and requiring conscious intellectual effort. Because these abilities are not ingrained so deeply in human beings, it is easier to apply reverse engineering to them and implement them in the form of a programme. In addition, computers are most effective at mapping logical, schematic processes with specific steps. For these reasons, we already have programs that are superior to humans when it comes to complex calculations, chess, simulations, but when it comes to mobility, coordination, object and face recognition, or other “basic” activities that we consider natural and simple for a child of just a few years old – the development is very slow. It is only recently that the amount of data and technology has allowed a gradual development in this area, as shown, for example, by the robotics design company Boston Dynamics [6].

Streisand effect 

Another phenomenon presented in this paper is the Streisand effect. According to this phenomenon, the more one tries to remove or censor a piece of information on the Internet, the more publicity and interest it receives. The effect owes its name to Barbra Streisand and the situation that occurred in 2003, when photographer Kenneth Adelman took photographs of the California coastline to document the progressive erosion [7]. These photographs were made public on a website dedicated to the subject of coastal erosion. Coincidentally, one of the photographs showed Barbra Streisand’s residence. She sued the photographer for invasion of privacy, demanding damages and the removal of the photograph as she did not want anyone to see it. However, it turned out to be quite the opposite – she lost the lawsuit and had to reimburse the photographer, and not only was the photograph not removed, but it received even more publicity and many more views than before the whole situation.  

This effect can be attributed to several factors, mainly based on human psychology, the role of social media and the general mechanisms of online information circulation. People are very reluctant to endure any restrictions imposed on their freedom, including access to information. Often, in situations of enforced censorship, people deliberately act out of spite – they want to get as much news about the “forbidden” information as possible, are willing to share it and spread it further. The “forbidden fruit” effect works in a similar way – by attempting to hide the information, it appears even more interesting and intriguing, even though without the attempt the message would probably have been disregarded. Nowadays, because of the ease of access to information and the multitude of different media, news is widespread and can quickly become viral, attracting huge audiences. The Internet has also changed the perception of various content. In theory, the fact that any user can save and share content makes it impossible to remove something from the Internet once it has been posted there. Given also how quickly the media seize on and publicise instances of censorship, it becomes quite obvious why an attempt to hide or cover up something usually ends up having the opposite effect. 

There are many examples of the occurrence of the Streisand effect. In 2013, after her Super Bowl performance, singer Beyonce’s publicist deemed one of the photos particularly unfavourable and attempted to remove it from the Internet. The effect was exactly the opposite; the photograph became considerably more popular than it had originally been and also began to serve as a template for internet memes. There are also many examples of the Streisand effect from the world of technology. In 2007, a user of the Digg website revealed that the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) copyright protection system used in HD DVD players could be cracked with a string known as 09 F9. Representatives of the industry using this protection demanded that the Digg post be removed and threatened legal consequences. As a result, a great deal of discussion took place on the Internet, and information about the code (which for a while was referred to as “the most famous number on the Internet”) spread heavily and was reproduced in the form of videos, t-shirt prints or even songs [8]. 

Summary

The phenomena discussed in the article show that although technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and the Internet are powerful tools, they have the potential to distort human perception and create misleading impressions. It is easy to fall into the various traps related to technology, which is why awareness of the phenomena mentioned is important, as it allows for a more critical approach towards interaction with technology and information, a better use of their potential and their healthy and sensible application.  

References

[1] https://web.stanford.edu/class/cs124/p36-weizenabaum.pdf 

[2] https://modelthinkers.com/mental-model/eliza-effect 

[3] https://builtin.com/artificial-intelligence/eliza-effect 

[4] https://www.humanprotocol.org/blog/what-is-the-eliza-effect-or-the-art-of-falling-in-love-with-an-ai  

[5] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286355147_Moravec%27s_Paradox_Consideration_in_the_Context_of_Two_Brain_Hemisphere_Functions  

[6] https://www.scienceabc.com/innovation/what-is-moravecs-paradox-definition.html  

[7] https://www.forbes.com/2007/05/10/streisand-digg-web-tech-cx_ag_0511streisand.html  

[8] https://web.archive.org/web/20081211105021/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/03/technology/03code.html 

Proteus Effect – How an Avatar Influences the User

The relationship between man and technology has been a subject of philosophical interest for some time. Over the years, a number of theories have emerged that attempt to explain the reciprocal influence of man on technology and technology on man, or entire societies. Although debates between determinists (who claim that technology shapes humans) and constructivists (who argue that humans shape technology) will likely never be resolved, this article examines the Proteus effect, which may be closer to one of these perspectives.

What is the Proteus effect?

The Proteus effect is a phenomenon first described by Yee and Bailenson in 2007. It is named after the myth of the god Proteus, who could change his appearance in any way he wished. He was said to use this power to conceal his knowledge of past and future events. Yee and Bailenson noted that individuals using virtual avatars change their behaviour based on the observed traits of these characters while playing them in the virtual world. The researchers argue that players infer from the appearance and characteristics of their avatars how they should adjust their behaviour and overall attitude to meet the expectations set by their virtual representation. There are also grounds to believe that this effect can extend beyond digital worlds and influence behaviour and attitudes in the real world [1].

Proteus Effect – Example of Occurrence

To illustrate how the Proteus effect works with a real-world example, I will refer to a study in which the authors investigated the presence of the Proteus effect during matches played with various characters in the popular MOBA game, League of Legends. Participants in the game are divided into two teams of five players each, who then engage in battle on a map. Before starting, each player must choose a so-called champion. League of Legends allows players to play a match with one of over 140 champions [2], each characterised by different appearances and abilities. The authors of this study analysed how players communicate with each other, considering the champion they play.

The presence of the Proteus effect was measured using the game’s chat. Researchers established indicators such as vocality (“acting more vocal”), toxic behaviour (“acting more toxic”), and positive or negative valence. Valence is a form of sentiment analysis aimed at depicting the emotional state of a player. The analysis results confirmed the presence of the Proteus effect, but not for every champion or type of champion. It was primarily observed through valence and toxicity of speech. The most significant finding of this study was proving that the way players communicated via chat indeed changed with the champion they selected. Depending on the chosen character, a player did not necessarily speak more or less but could exhibit more toxic behaviour and be in a worse mood [3].

Utilising the effect

The Proteus effect is a phenomenon that particularly draws our attention to the relationship between people and virtual worlds. It clearly demonstrates that technology, in one way or another, exerts a direct influence on us, even altering our behaviour. Some researchers have attempted to explore whether this effect can be practically applied, for example, in performing certain jobs. Let’s delve into their studies.

Impact on strength

A group of five German researchers hypothesised that using a suitably matched avatar would cause the person controlling it to perform tasks better than if they embodied a different, non-distinctive character or themselves. In this case, the researchers decided to investigate whether a person whose virtual appearance suggests they are stronger than the subject would lead the subject to exert more effort in physical exercises. In addition to tracking the movements of participants wearing VR equipment, grip strength was also measured.

During the study, participants were assigned avatars according to their gender. They were subjected to a series of physical tasks, such as lifting weights of varying heaviness and squeezing a hand as hard as possible for five seconds. According to the results, the authors conclude that the study cannot be considered representative. No increase in grip strength was observed in women, though such results were evident in men. Thus, it can be partially inferred that a more muscular avatar may influence the strength of men [4].

Stimulating creativity 

The following study examined whether an avatar, as a representation of an individual in the virtual world, stimulates creativity. As part of the study, creativity sessions were organised during which participants brainstormed while embodying a particular character. Prior to the sessions, the researchers selected several avatars that were perceived as creative and neutral. Participants were divided into three groups: a control group (brainstorming in the real world), a group using neutral avatars, and a group using creative avatars, defined as inventors.  All groups held creative sessions in the same rooms—the control group gathered around a round table, while the others used equipment in the same room in separate cubicles. They then sat at a round table in a recreated space in virtual reality. 

The left part shows a room with a round table and chairs around it in a virtual space. The right part shows the prototype in the real world.
Figure 2. On the left, the virtual space with a round table and workstations recreated in virtual reality. On the right, its real-world counterpart. [5]

The researchers avoided any contact between the participants in the avatar groups before and after the main part of the brainstorming session took place; the subjects never met each other outside the experiment. A key finding, particularly relevant for the future of remote collaboration, is that the groups using non-creative avatars achieved the same results as those sitting at the table in the real world. However, the most important result is the demonstration that individuals embodying an inventor avatar consistently achieved better results for each creativity indicator used in the experiment [5].

Assistance in improving communication

Another study was conducted to explore the potential for training effective communication skills among physicians in the preoperative stage. Communication with patients can be ineffective, partly because doctors may use jargon or phrases from their professional environment. This study utilised two virtual reality experiences. During the experience, participants played the role of a patient. This enabled the researchers to describe the development and impressions that the subjects experienced.

During the experiment, participants experienced negative or positive communication styles in a situation where they were about to undergo surgery. Interviews conducted at the next research stage revealed that participants recognised the importance of good communication skills. Overall, the participants learned and adjusted their communication style in their subsequent work. Virtual reality, in which participants embodied a patient in one of the two experiences, proved effective in providing a fully immersive experience. As participants stated, they felt as if they were the patient. It can be further concluded from this study that the Proteus effect is also useful for educational purposes, improving communication, and increasing empathy towards others [6].

Summary

In the face of continuous technological development, we constantly discover new phenomena that can shape our future approach to technology. The Proteus effect demonstrates that its impact can be much more direct than we may assume. Although this phenomenon is largely harmless, it indicates how we can be influenced by our virtual representation. People have already begun exploring applications of this effect in various areas, such as mental enhancement of strength, supporting creative processes, and improving communication skills. However, to ascertain whether the Proteus effect will become a permanent aspect of our daily lives, we will need to wait and see. Additionally, it is worth noting that Microsoft has begun organising international conferences in virtual reality, utilising avatars for participation. Polish entrepreneur Gryń—former owner of Codewise—has established a company in London to scan people for such purposes. At BFirst.Tech, leveraging its expertise in Data Architecture & Management—specifically through its Artificial Intelligence Adaptations product—a project has been completed for the Rehasport clinic network, enabling surgeries to be conducted in augmented reality (AR).

References

[1] The Proteus Effect: The Effect of Transformed Self‐Representation on Behavior: https://academic.oup.com/hcr/article-abstract/33/3/271/4210718?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false 

[2] Number based on description at: https://www.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/champions/ (accessed 23 June 2024) 

[3] Do players communicate differently depending on the champion played? Exploring the Proteus effect in League of Legends: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0040162522000889

[4] Flexing Muscles in Virtual Reality: Effects of Avatars’ Muscular Appearance on Physical Performance: https://www.academia.edu/77237473/Flexing_Muscles_in_Virtual_Reality_Effects_of_Avatars_Muscular_Appearance_on_Physical_Performance 

[5] Avatar-mediated creativity: When embodying inventors makes engineers more creative: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563216301856 

[6] Patient-embodied virtual reality as a learning tool for therapeutic communication skills among anaesthesiologists: A phenomenological study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738399123001696 

Artificial Intelligence — a tool for breaking human records

Go, originating from China with a history spanning over 2500 years, and chess, originating from India and dating back approximately 1500 years, are the most popular strategic board games in the world. Significant not only in terms of entertainment but also culturally. The rules are clear and precise, making the entry threshold for new players for both of these games very low. It is this simplicity that gives rise to the invention of original solutions. It also about tactics and, above all, enormous human intellectual effort. All that to defeat the opponent. 

Artificial Intelligence is not only the subject of serious applications such as Intelligent Acoustics in industry, Artificial Intelligence Adaptation in development research or Data Engineering. These and other algorithms are also used in various fields of entertainment. They are used to create models, artificial players to beat human players in board games and even in e-sports. 

At the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, chess and Go lived to see their digital versions. Computer games also emerged, with players vying for first place on the board and e-sports titles. In parallel with these, several artificial intelligence models with appropriately implemented rules have emerged to search for better plays and beat human players. In this post, I am going to describe how board games, computer games and artificial intelligence complement and inspire each other. I am also going to show how a properly trained artificial intelligence model has defeated not only individual modern grandmasters, but also entire teams. 

Artificial intelligence conquers board games

How artificial intelligence defeated a chess grandmaster has its roots in the Deep Blue project led by IBM. The main goal of the project was to create a computerised chess system. Deep Blue was the result of years of work by scientists and engineers. The first version of Deep Blue was developed in the 1980s. It used advanced algorithms, i.e.: 

  • Tree Search based on a database of chess moves and positions, 
  • Position Evaluation
  • Depth Search

In 1996, the first match between Deep Blue and Garri Kasparov took place. This match was experimental and was the first official meeting of its kind. Kasparov won three games, drawing and losing one. In May 1997, they clashed again in New York. This time, Garii Kasparov fell in a duel with artificial intelligence. Deep Blue won twice and lost only once. A draw was declared three times. 

Fig. 1 Garii Kasparov during a game against Deep Blue in May 1997. 

Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/20-years-after-deep-blue-how-ai-has-advanced-since-conquering-chess/ 

Less is more

An equally interesting case is a programme created by DeepMind called AlphaGo. This artificial intelligence was designed to play Go, as the world found out when it beat Go grandmaster Lee Sedol. Go is much more difficult than other games, including chess. This is due to the much larger number of possible moves. It makes it difficult to use traditional AI methods such as exhaustive search [1, 2]. DeepMind started work on the AlphaGo programme in 2014. The aim was to create an algorithm that could compete with the masters. It used advanced machine learning techniques:

  • Deep Learning
  • Reinforcement Learning (RL), 
  • Monte Carlo Tree Search

AlphaGo’s first significant achievement was beating European competitor Fan Hui in October 2015. The engine from DeepMind completely dominated each game, thus winning five to zero [3]. The next step was to defeat grandmaster Lee Sedol. During the matches, artificial intelligence surprised not only its opponent but also experts with its unconventional and creative moves. The programme demonstrated its ability to anticipate strategies and adapt to changing conditions on the board. As a result, after games played from 9-15 March 2016, AlphaGo claimed a historic victory over Lee Sedol, winning the five-match series 4-1. 

Competition on digital boards 

In 2018, OpenAI created a team of artificial players, the so-called bots, dubbed the OpenAI Five. The bot team faced professional players in Dota 2, one of the most complex MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) games. Two teams of five players battle against each other to destroy the opponent’s base. Several advanced machine learning techniques and concepts were used to ‘train’ OpenAI Five:   

  • Reinforcement Learning – bots learned to make decisions by interacting with the environment and receiving rewards for certain actions, 
  • Proximal Policy Optimisation (PPO) – this is a specific RL technique that, according to the developers, was crucial to its success [5]. This method optimises the so-called policy (i.e. decision-making strategy) in a way that is more stable and less prone to oscillations compared to earlier methods such as Trust Region Policy Optimisation (TRPO) [6]. 
  • Spontaneous learning – artificial players played millions of games against each other. This allowed them to develop increasingly sophisticated strategies, learning from their mistakes and successes. 

In August 2018, artificial intelligence beat the semi-professional Pain Gaming team at the annual world championship ‘The International’. In 2019, at the OpenAI Five Finals event, the bots defeated a team made up of top players. It included members of the OG team, winners of The International in 2018. DeepMind, on the other hand, decided not to stop with AlphaGo and turned its focus towards StarCraft II, one of the most popular real-time strategy (RTS) games, by creating the AlphaStar programme. AI went into one-on-one duels with professional StarCraft II players in 2019. In January, it defeated the strategy’s top players — Gregory “MaNa” Komincz twice — and also won over Dario “TLO” Wünsch. AlphaStar thus proved its capabilities. 

Artificial Intelligence in e-sports

Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly important role in the training of professional e-sports teams. Especially in countries such as South Korea, where the League of Legends is one of the most popular games. Here are some key areas where AI is being used for training in professional organisations such as T1, and Gen.G

Analytics teams use huge amounts of collected data from league and friendly matches. They analyse match statistics such as number of assists, gold won, most frequently taken paths and other key indicators. This allows coaches to identify patterns and weaknesses in both their players and opponents. 

Advanced training tools using artificial intelligence, such as ‘AIM Lab’ or ‘KovaaK’s’, help players develop specific skills. Such tools can personalise training programmes that focus on improving reactions, aiming, tactical decisions and other key aspects of the game. 

They are also used to create advanced simulations and game scenarios while mimicking various situations that may occur during a match. This allows players to train under conditions closely resembling real-life scenarios. This allows players to better prepare for unexpected events and make better decisions faster during actual matches. 

AI algorithms can be used to optimise team composition by analysing data on individual player skills and preferences. The results of such studies can suggest which players should play in which positions. They can also help select line-ups to maximise team effectiveness. 

Conclusions

This article shows how artificial intelligence has dominated board games and made a permanent presence in e-sports. It has defeated human champions in chess, Go, Dota 2 and StarCraft II. The successes of projects such as Deep Blue, AlphaGo, OpenAI Five and AlphaStar show the potential of AI in creating advanced strategies and improving gaming techniques. Future development opportunities include its use in creating more realistic scenarios, developing detailed and personalised player development paths, and predictive analytics that can revolutionise training and strategy across industries. 

References

[1] Google achieves AI ‘breakthrough’ by beating Go champion, “BBC News”, 27 January 2016 

[2] AlphaGo: Mastering the ancient game of Go with Machine Learning, “Research Blog” 

[3] David Larousserie et Morgane Tual, Première défaite d’un professionnel du go contre une intelligence artificielle, “Le Monde.fr”, 27 January 2016, ISSN 1950-6244 

[4] https://openai.com/index/openai-five-defeats-dota-2-world-champions/ accessed 13 June 2024 

[5] https://openai.com/index/openai-five/ accessed 13 June 2024 

[6] Schulman, J., Wolski, F., Dhariwal, P., Radford, A., & Klimov, O. (2017). Proximal policy optimization algorithms. arXiv preprint arXiv:1707.06347

Uncanny valley 

The uncanny valley is a term used to refer to the familiar, disturbing impression people have when a robot resembles a human being very closely but is not convincingly realistic [1]. The phenomenon first emerged in the 1970s. Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori observed that robots became more interesting the more they resembled humans in appearance. However, this tendency holds only up to a certain point. He then described this phenomenon as bukimi no tani (English: uncanny valley). After ‘reaching’ bukimi no tani, interest turns into alienation, anxiety or even fear [2].

Fig. 1. Diagram illustrating the uncanny valley phenomenon. 

Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/uncanny-valley-personalization-mac-reddin-/  

Why do we experience the uncanny valley?

We have yet to find one concrete answer to this question. However, several theories help us better understand why it occurs. These reasons are divided as follows:

  • Neurological

In a 2019 study, Fabian Grabenhorst and a team of neuroscientists analysed the neurological aspect of the uncanny valley. They investigated brain patterns in 21 people using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a technique that measures changes in blood flow in different brain areas. During the tests, participants determined their confidence level towards humans and robots with varying levels of human similarity. The results showed that some specific parts of the brain were particularly important for the uncanny valley. Two parts of the medial prefrontal cortex, responsible for attention and senses, showed unusual activity. One of them transformed the ‘human resemblance signal’ into a ‘human detection signal’ and overemphasised the boundary between human and non-human. On the other hand, the other correlated this signal with a sympathy rating. This combination formed a mechanism that closely resembles the uncanny valley phenomenon.

  • Psychological

It turns out that as early as 1919, Sigmund Freud observed a phenomenon he described as ‘a strange emotion felt by people which is aroused by certain objects’. He suggested that the feeling we then experience may be related to doubts about whether something inanimate has a ‘soul’. Interestingly, at the time, his observation obviously referred not to robots but realistic dolls or wax figures. He suggested that the phenomenon may be older than we think and pertain to more things than just machines. Today, the film industry uses a similar mechanism. Many horror films give human characteristics to characters that are not human.

  • Evolutionary

The uncanny valley can also be linked to evolution. The robots we classify in the uncanny valley look like humans but also have features that are clearly not human. Some of these features, such as lifeless skin, unnatural facial features or a voice that does not match their appearance, can make us associate them with something outside the norm or even dangerous. This, in turn, creates aversion or fear in us. When we are confronted with something that is human, but unrealistic, not ‘like a living thing’, it evokes a feeling similar to the one we experience when we come into contact with something that is dead.

  • Cognitive

The uncanny valley may also stem from an existential fear of robots replacing humans. The sight of a robot that resembles a human in appearance but is not human disrupts our expectations of what a human looks like versus what a robot looks like. It raises doubts about who humans are, what they should look like, and how they should behave. It is worth noting that the anxiety does not stem from the mere existence of robots but from the existence of such robots that combine elements that do not usually occur together. For example, robots that ‘sound like robots’ are not a problem for us, while robots with a human voice are [2, 3].

The uncanny valley in reality

The uncanny valley is present in many different areas. Outside robotics, it can also be observed in computer games or films that use computer-generated imagery (CGI). This effect goes beyond technology and can be caused by objects such as realistic dolls, mannequins or wax figures.

  • Sophia

Photo 1. Photo of the Sophia robot. 

Source: https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plik:Sophia_%28robot%29.jpg  

Sophia is the most advanced humanoid robot yet developed. Created by Hanson Robotics, it was first activated in 2016. Sophia was granted citizenship of Saudi Arabia, thus becoming the world’s first robotic citizen. The robot was awarded the title of Innovation Champion of the United Nations Development Programme. Sophia has also gained recognition through appearances on TV programmes such as Good Morning Britain and The Tonight Show [4]. Sophia can express various complex emotions, assume human facial expressions and interact with others. The robot is equipped with the ability to process and use natural language, facial recognition and visual tracking [5]. Sophia’s ‘skin’ is made of a special material developed by researchers at Hanson Robotics, which has been named Frubber. It is a type of rubber that resembles human skin’s texture and elasticity [6]. Because of its appearance and behaviour, which are very close to those corresponding to humans, it is still too unnatural. Sophia is the case of the uncanny valley and can thus arouse discomfort and anxiety.

  • The Polar Express

Fig. 2. Computer-generated shot from The Polar Express

Source: https://collider.com/worst-cases-of-uncanny-valley-movies/ 

The Polar Express is a 2004 animated film directed by Robert Zemeckis. This film was made using CGI, which many believe was misused. The producers of the film adaptation themselves had conflicting visions of how the film should be made. In an interview with Wired, Robert Zemeckis said that ‘live action would look awful, and it would be impossible – it would cost $1 billion instead of $160 million.’ In contrast, Tom Hanks, who played seven characters in the film, argued that the film should not have been made as animation [7]. The filmmakers found a kind of consensus by combining the two approaches. They used motion capture, a method of recording actors’ movements and then transferring them to a computer. However, critics argue that the filmmakers failed to represent the characters well, making them seem insufficiently realistic. The characters lack human emotions and facial expressions; they move unnaturally, and their gaze seems constantly ‘absent’.

Consequences of the uncanny valley

The uncanny valley significantly impacts the future of many different areas of our lives. With the existing knowledge of the unwanted feelings it can cause, roboticists, filmmakers and video game designers can factor this problem into their work. It is clear now that there is value in developing robots that do not create mistrust between the machine and the user. Otherwise, they will be exposed to poor reception and less usefulness in achieving their intended purpose.

In films, on the other hand, overly realistic computer-generated characters can, at best, elicit a lack of sympathy from the viewer and, at worst, feelings such as anxiety or even fear. This is why filmmakers often overemphasise certain characters’ physical characteristics. Giving characters distinctive traits such as outsized eyes, unnatural skin colour, or overly dynamic movements is one way of dealing with avoiding the effect caused by the uncanny valley. Similar mechanisms are used in computer games; designers may want to create characters that are not overly realistic to avoid an unfavourable reception from players. However, there are also exceptions; in some cases, filmmakers or game designers may want to get characters that deliberately fit into the uncanny valley. In this way, they can control, for example, how villains will be perceived. A protagonist who exhibits some unnatural and overly realistic characteristics will create a sense of resentment among the audience [8, 9].

The uncanny valley and UX

A very interesting issue in the uncanny valley is its impact on user interface design. Adding certain realistic elements to the interface design can have positive effects. For example, light and shadow lend a sense of being able to press an item, and sound can provide a counterpart to a particular sound that we would also hear in real life. However, adding too much realism can lead to too thin a line between the virtual and the real. For example, a highly detailed calendar application whose texture resembles natural paper. The fact that we cannot touch it but only ‘scroll’ through it on a computer or smartphone screen can give us the impression of something strange, ‘not right’. This is why it is so important not to strive for elements that completely mirror real objects. By striking the right balance between realism and fiction, the user experience becomes enjoyable and dilemma-free [10].

Fig. 3. A very realistic Google Chrome logo from 2008 and its upgraded, much less realistic version from 2011. 

Source: https://bpando.org/2011/03/17/the-new-chrome-logo/  

Conclusions

People experience anxiety when encountering almost realistic-looking but still insufficiently realistic human-like entities; this phenomenon is called the uncanny valley. It is critical in various areas. Some examples include advanced robots, computer-generated characters or even forms beyond the realm of technology, such as dolls or wax figures. The implications of the uncanny valley can significantly affect the acceptance and usability of technology. In the context of UX, awareness of the uncanny valley is crucial for designers who seek to minimise undesirable effects by designing interfaces appropriately so that users feel comfortable and engaged in their interactions with products.

References

[1] https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/uncanny-valley  

[2] https://spectrum.ieee.org/what-is-the-uncanny-valley  

[3] https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/uncanny-valley-what-is-it-and-why-do-we-experience-it  

[4] https://aidriven.pl/ai/etyka-i-prawo/robot-sophia-jak-humanoidy-zmieniaja-nasze-postrzeganie-ai/ 

[5] https://robotsguide.com/robots/sophia 

[6] https://www.hansonrobotics.com/the-making-of-sophia-frubber/ 

[7] https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-disturbing-valley-robert-zemeckis-polar-express/  

[8] https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/uncanny-valley  

[9] https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-uncanny-valley-4846247 

[10] https://cassidyjames.com/blog/uncanny-valley-curve/

Society 5.0

The idea behind Society 5.0 is to create a super-intelligent society in which various social challenges are solved by implementing innovations of the fourth industrial revolution — such as IoT, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, or the sharing economy — into every industry and social life. In such a world, people, machines and their environment are interconnected and able to communicate with each other [1]. In practice, Society 5.0 will, among other things, seek to provide better care for seniors — in Japan, the population is ageing rapidly, and if there were ever to be a shortage of hands to care for the elderly in the future, it is the new quality of computing that will be able to raise the standard of healthcare for retirees [2]. Society 5.0 is a term that refers to a new society in which technological developments are human-centred and seek valuable solutions for the lives of people around the world.

Solutions for Better Human Life

Fig. 1. Illustration of Japan’s social transformation plan — Society 5.0. 
Source: https://www.japan.go.jp/abenomics/_userdata/abenomics/pdf/society_5.0.pdf

[Accessed: 7 March 2024]. 

History of the Development of Society

Society 5.0 is the result of nothing more than an evolution spanning five stages of social development: 

  • Society 1.0: Gatherer-hunter society (the way of life of the first humans, which lasted until about 12,000 years ago) — a society that based its lifestyle on hunting for animals and searching for wild vegetation and other types of nutrients [3]. 
  • Society 2.0: Agricultural society (first appears around 10,000–8,000 years ago) — a society that focuses its economy primarily on agriculture and the cultivation of large fields [4]. 
  • Society 3.0: Industrial society (from the late 18th century onwards) — a society in which the dominant way of organising life is through mass production technologies, used to produce immense quantities of goods in factories [5]. 
  • Society 4.0: Information society (since the second half of the 20th century) — a society in which the creation, dissemination, use, integration and management of information is an essential aspect of economic, political or cultural activities [6]. 

Technological Integration for a Better Quality of Life

The concept of collecting data from the world around us, processing it by computers and putting it to practical use is not new in today’s world. The operation of air conditioners, for example, is based on exactly this principle. They regularly measure the temperature in a room and then compare the reading with a pre-programmed temperature. Depending on whether the measured temperature is higher or lower than the one originally set, the device pauses or starts the airflow. This mechanism uses automated computer systems. The term ‘information society’ (Society 4.0) therefore refers to a society in which each such system acquires data, processes it and then uses it in its own specified environment.

Now, knowing exactly what the idea of Society 4.0 is, we can understand what distinguishes it from Society 5.0. The fundamental difference is that Society 5.0, instead of using systems that operate in a defined, limited way, will use systems that operate in an integrated way, affecting the life of society as a whole. Data will be processed by advanced information systems, such as Artificial Intelligence, as these systems are adapted to process such large amounts of data. The main purpose of using the collected data will be to ensure everyone’s happiness and comfort [7]. At BFirst.Tech, we also see these needs and respond to them with specific tools. Our areas — Data Engineering and Data Architecture & Management use innovative technological solutions to collect, analyse and manage data to support efficient and sustainable process management. This type of management has a significant impact on security, data reliability and strategic decision-making, which contributes to the prosperity of society.

The New Era of Prosperity and the Challenges It Faces

Society 5.0 aims to use state-of-the-art technology in such a way as to ensure the well-being of all people. The idea is that technological development can be a tool to address social inequalities, improve quality of life and create a more sustainable community. The main objectives it envisages are:

  • reducing social inequalities, 
  • speeding up medical services and increasing the precision of medical procedures and operations, 
  • increasing food production while reducing waste 
  • improving public safety 
  • solving problems caused by natural disasters, 
  • promoting public participation in the development of ideas and projects, 
  • ensuring transparent access to data and ensuring information security. 

Society 5.0 aims to create a harmonious balance between technological development and societal needs, but this brings its own challenges. One of the most crucial conditions for this vision’s successful implementation is the commitment and leadership of governments. This is because governments are responsible for aspects such as funding, the implementation of technology in public life or the creation of new security-related legislation. Cybersecurity risks are another significant challenge. It is important to bear in mind that the actions of hackers, or issues related to data theft, can effectively hinder the development of innovation, so it is crucial to ensure a sound level of data protection [8].

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Society 5.0 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are two separate initiatives that are moving in a very similar direction. Indeed, these two innovative approaches share one common goal — to eliminate social problems sustainably. It can be said that Society 5.0 will, in a way, realise the Sustainable Development Goals, through specific actions. These actions, matched with specific goals, are:

  • aiming for more accurate and efficient diagnosis of diseases through the use of advanced technologies (such as Big Data and Artificial Intelligence),
Illustration of UN Sustainable Development Goal 3.

Fig. 2. Illustration of UN Sustainable Development Goal 3. 

Source: https://www.un.org.pl/download 

  • disseminating e-learning and making education more accessible,
Illustration of UN Sustainable Development Goal 4.

Fig. 3. Illustration of UN Sustainable Development Goal 4. 

Source: https://www.un.org.pl/download 

  • creation of new jobs related to fields such as robotics, Artificial Intelligence or data analytics,
Illustration of UN Sustainable Development Goal 8.

Fig. 4. Illustration of UN Sustainable Development Goal 8. 

Source: https://www.un.org.pl/download 

  • promoting innovation and investing in new infrastructure (such as smart networks or high-speed internet),
Illustration of UN Sustainable Development Goal 9.

Fig. 5. Illustration of UN Sustainable Development Goal 9. 

Source: https://www.un.org.pl/download 

  • creating smart cities that use sensors and data analysis to optimise traffic flow, reduce energy consumption and improve safety, 
Illustration of UN Sustainable Development Goal 11.

Fig. 6. Illustration of UN Sustainable Development Goal 11. 

Source: https://www.un.org.pl/download 

  • Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainable transport.
Illustration of UN Sustainable Development Goal 13.

Fig. 7. Illustration of UN Sustainable Development Goal 13.

Source: https://www.un.org.pl/download 

Common Direction

It is crucial that the benefits of Society 5.0 are equally available to everyone, so that everyone has the same opportunity to benefit from their potential. Only with such an approach can Society 5.0’s contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals have a chance of an effective outcome [9]. BFirst.Tech, as a substantive partner of the United Nations Global Compact Network Poland (UN GCNP), is also concerned with the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, through the specific activities it undertakes. In areas that focus on data processing, design and management, namely Data Engineering and Data Architecture & Management, our company implements goals that overlap with those targeted by Society 5.0, such as Goal 9 — on securing, aggregating and analysing big data, optimising and managing and controlling the quality of processes using AI; Goal 11 — on securing critical information that impacts on improving the lives of urban residents; and Goal 13 — on reducing resource consumption and waste emissions by increasing production efficiency.

Changes Affecting Numerous Areas

With the implementation of the Society 5.0 concept, many various facets of society can be modernised. As mentioned earlier, one of these is healthcare. With Japan’s ageing population, the country is currently grappling with rising expenses and the need to care for seniors. Society 5.0 solves this problem by introducing Artificial Intelligence, which collects and then analyses patient data to provide the highest level of diagnosis and treatment. Remote medical consultations, in turn, positively impact the convenience of the elderly, giving them the possibility of contacting a doctor even from their own place of residence.

Another facet is mobility. Most rural areas of Japan do not have access to public transport, influenced in part by a declining population contributing to an increasingly sparsely populated area. The growing shortage of drivers, linked to the ever-expanding e-commerce sector, is also a problem. The solution that Society 5.0 proposes to these issues is the implementation of autonomous vehicles such as taxis and buses. What is also worth mentioning is the area of infrastructure. In Society 5.0, it will involve sensors, AI and robots that will autonomously control and maintain roads, tunnels, bridges and dams. The final area worth mentioning is financial technology (FinTech). In Japan, the majority of monetary transactions are still carried out using cash or banking procedures, which can take far too long. Society 5.0 proposes the implementation of Blockchain technology for monetary transactions and the introduction of universal smartphone payments available everywhere [10]. 

Summary

Society 5.0 is the concept of a society that uses advanced technologies to create a society based on sustainability, social innovation and digital transformation. The aim of Society 5.0 is not only to achieve economic growth, but also to improve the quality of life of citizens. There are also some challenges behind the development of this idea, mainly related to data security, or the introduction of appropriate regulations to ensure a transition that will be smooth and comfortable for all. Society 5.0 largely shares a vision of the future with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) announced by the United Nations — many of the SDG targets can be achieved through the implementation of this concept. Society 5.0 encompasses a wide range of areas of society, including healthcare, mobility, infrastructure and financial technology. Through advanced technologies in these areas, the aim is to create a sustainable and innovative society that will positively impact citizens’ quality of life.

References

[1] https://www.japan.go.jp/abenomics/_userdata/abenomics/pdf/society_5.0.pdf [Accessed: 7 March 2024]. 

[2] https://sektor3-0.pl/blog/japonski-czlowiek-nowej-ery-czyli-spoleczenstwo-5-0/ 

[3] https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/hunter-gatherer-culture/ 

[4] https://www.thoughtco.com/agrarian-society-definition-3026047 

[5] https://www.thoughtco.com/industrial-society-3026359 

[6] https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/Information-Society 

[7] Atsushi Deguchi, Chiaki Hirai, Hideyuki Matsuoka, Taku Nakano, Kohei Oshima, Mitsuharu Tai, Shigeyuki Tani “What is Society 5.0?” 

[8] https://www.sydle.com/blog/society-5-0-5fc163e1725a642683ed9230 

[9] https://media.inti.asia/read/society-50-and-the-sustainable-development-goals-a-roadmap-for-a-better-future 

[10] https://medium.com/@jacobprakoso/japan-super-smart-society-5-0-9b9e8ba49a7 

SEO

What makes some websites appear immediately after entering a search query, while others disappear in the midst of other sites? How can we make it easier for users to find our website? SEO is responsible for these and other aspects, and it has nothing to do with randomness.  Whether you are just starting your journey with running a website or have been doing it for a long time, whether you handle everything yourself or delegate it to someone else, it’s important to know the basic principles of SEO. After reading this article, you will learn what SEO is, what it consists of, and how to use it properly. 

What is SEO?

Let’s start with what SEO actually is and what it consists of. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a set of activities undertaken to improve the positioning of a website in search results [1]. It consists of various practices and strategies, such as proper text editing and building a link profile. SEO also involves adapting the website to algorithms used by search engines. These algorithms determine which pages will be displayed on the first page of search results and in what order. Through optimization, a website can gain a better position in the search results, which increases its visibility.

It is important to remember, of course, that SEO tools are only one way to improve the popularity of a website. It doesn’t produce results as quickly as, for example, paid advertising, but it’s relatively inexpensive. Furthermore, the achieved effect will last longer and won’t disappear after a subscription expires, as is the case with many other marketing techniques.

On-site positioning

We can divide SEO into two types: on-site and off-site. On-site SEO includes all activities that take place on a specific website. These are all editorial, technical, or other issues that affect content loading speed. By taking care of these aspects, the website is more readable for both the user and Google’s robots. Good on-site SEO requires attention to:

  • Metadata and ALT description – even if a page is readable for users, what about search engine algorithms? To make it readable for them as well, it’s worth taking care of meta titles and descriptions, which will help search engines find our website. In addition, it is also worth taking care of ALT descriptions, also known as alternative text. Algorithms don’t understand what’s in images. With this short description, they will be able to assign its content to the searched phrase and improve positioning. 
  • Header – this is another thing that affects more than just human perception. Proper distribution of headers and content optimization in them can significantly contribute to improved positioning. 
  • Hyperlinks – the set of links, also known as the link profile. Here we can distinguish between external and internal linking. External linking refers to links coming from websites other than our own and is considered off-site SEO. On the other hand, internal linking refers to links within a single website that redirect users to other tabs or articles. 

Off-site positioning

Off-site SEO refers to all activities undertaken outside the website to increase its visibility and recognition on the web. This helps generate traffic to the site from external sources. Such activities include:

  • Hyperlinks – again, a link profile that builds a site’s popularity and recognition on the web. Off-site SEO includes external linking, i.e. from other sources. It is worth ensuring that these are of good quality, i.e. from reliable sources. Gone are the days when only quantity mattered. Nowadays, search engine algorithms pay much more attention to value.
  • Internet marketing – this includes activities such as running profiles on social media, engaging in discussions with users on forums, or collaborating with influencers. These aspects do not directly affect search results but can indirectly contribute a great deal to boosting the number of queries about our website. 
  • Reviews – after some time, opinions about a website or business naturally appear on the web. It’s worth taking care of them and responding to users who leave them. Maintaining a good customer opinion is one aspect of building a trustworthy brand image [3].

Link building and positioning

Link building is the process of acquiring links that will lead to our website. These can be links from external sources (so-called backlinks) or internal linking. In that case, we are talking about links that will redirect us within a given website. A well-built link profile significantly affects positioning, as discussed above [4]. However, how has the significance of such practices changed? 

For many years, Google allowed SEO practitioners a lot of leeway in this regard. It was commonplace to encounter sites that had hundreds of thousands of links leading to them because the number of links had a significant impact on positioning, and their quality was not as crucial. The vast majority of these were low-quality links, which were posted online in forums, guestbooks, directories, comments, etc. This was often not handled by a human, but special applications were used that did it automatically. This approach brought significant results and could be carried out relatively inexpensively. But not for long. This all changed in April 2012. There was a kind of revolution back then – Google introduced a new algorithm called Penguin.

How did Penguin change SEO?

What is Penguin? It is an algorithm created by Google and introduced on 24th April 2012, to combat unethical SEO practices. SEO specialists tried to trick Google’s script by buying links and placing them in inappropriate places, but Penguin effectively caught them. 

Let’s try to answer how Penguin works. This script analyses the links leading to a particular website and decides on their value. If it deems them to be of low quality, it will lower the rankings of the sites they lead to. Such links include purchased ones (also from link exchanges) or those created by bots. It will also do the same for spam links, such as those placed in forum comments or on completely unrelated websites. However, its action is not permanent – when low-quality links are removed, a given website can regain its position. It’s worth mentioning that Penguin was not created only to detect fraud and reduce the visibility of websites in search results. Its role is also to reward honestly conducted websites. If it deems the link profile valuable, it will increase the visibility of such sites [6].

Ethical and unethical positioning

Depending on what we base our SEO techniques on, a distinction can be made between White Hat SEO and Black Hat SEO. These terms allude to the good and evil characters in western tales. According to culturally accepted convention, the characters usually wore white and black hats respectively, hence the association. But what do they mean and how do these techniques differ?

White Hat SEO is ethical SEO, applied according to guidelines recommended by search engines. It involves procedures such as creating good quality content (free of duplicates). Using headings, bullet points and ensuring paragraphs are the right length is also important. Black Hat SEO, on the other hand, is characterized by unethical behavior aimed at artificially boosting popularity. These include practices such as overusing key phrases out of context, hiding text or buying links. Such actions can result in a decrease in trust in the site and the imposition of filters lowering its position. Even exclusion from search results is possible[7].

Summary

The key to increasing traffic to a website and improving its positioning is the skilful use of SEO tools. These are both on-site and off-site techniques that can significantly increase reach. When using SEO, it is important to remember to do it properly. By following the recommendations of search engines and adapting the content to both the user and the algorithms, we can count on positive results and improved statistics. Unethical practices, on the other hand, can lead to the opposite effect.

References

[1] https://searchengineland.com/guide/what-is-seo 

[2] https://www.semstorm.com/pl/blog/seo-and-ppc/czym-sie-rozni-on-site-seo-od-off-site-seo 

[3]https://www.semrush.com/blog/off-page-seo/?kw=&cmp=EE_SRCH_DSA_Blog_EN&label=dsa_pagefeed&Network=g&Device=c&utm_content=676606914923&kwid=dsa-2185834089536&cmpid=18361923498&agpid=157305243831&BU=Core&extid=105138960331&adpos=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw7-SvBhB6EiwAwYdCAQvsJcp7q2JoIQMf2RzGg_HVRjTFb7AB2sTcZ2khQdIN3qvCREr9GhoCzOIQAvD_BwE 

[4] https://greenparrot.pl/blog/co-to-jest-off-site-seo/ 

[5] https://1stplace.pl/blog/algorytm-google-pingwin/  

[6] https://www.business2community.com/infographics/history-google-penguin-infographic-01468714 

[7]https://www.semrush.com/blog/black-hat-seo/?kw=&cmp=EE_SRCH_DSA_Blog_EN&label=dsa_pagefeed&Network=g&Device=c&utm_content=683809340380&kwid=dsa-2264710307245&cmpid=18361923498&agpid=156456448517&BU=Core&extid=105138960709&adpos=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw7-SvBhB6EiwAwYdCAZln5MkdcE3R2XZq-FUhanEKkDWUbpUoZxIowWHslE3ETaNFW88vPBoCJ5sQAvD_BwE

Moral dilemmas associated with Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is one of the most exciting technological developments of recent years. It has the potential to fundamentally change the way we work and use modern technologies in many areas. We talking about text and image generators, various types of algorithms or autonomous cars. However, as the use of artificial intelligence becomes more widespread, it is also good to be aware of the potential problems it brings with it. Given the increasing dependence of our systems on artificial intelligence, how we approach these dilemmas could have a crucial impact on the future image of society. In this article, we will present these moral dilemmas. We will also discuss the problems associated with putting autonomous vehicles on the roads. Next we will jump to the dangers of using artificial intelligence to sow disinformation. Finaly, it will come to te concerns about the intersection of artificial intelligence and art.

The problem of data acquisition and bias

As a rule, human judgements are burdened by a subjective perspective; machines and algorithms are expected to be more objective. However, how machine learning algorithms work depends heavily on the data used to teach the algorithms. Therefore, data selected to train an algorithm with any, even unconscious bias, can cause undesirable actions by the algorithm. Please have a look at our https://bfirst.tech/problemy-w-danych-historycznych-i-zakodowane-uprzedzenia/earlier article for more information on this topic.

Levels of automation in autonomous cars

In recent years, we have seen great progress in the development of autonomous cars. There has been a lot of footage on the web showing prototypes of vehicles moving without the driver’s assistance or even presence. When discussing autonomous cars, it is worth pointing out that there are multiple levels of autonomy. It is worth identifying which level one is referring to before the discussion. [1]

  • Level 0 indicates vehicles that require full control of the driver, performing all driving actions (steering, braking acceleration, etc.). However, the vehicle can inform the driver of hazards on the road. It will use systems such as collision warning or lane departure warnings to do so. 
  • Level 1 includes vehicles that are already common on the road today. The driver is still in control of the vehicle, which is equipped with driving assistance systems such as cruise control or lane-keeping assist. 
  • Level 2, in addition to having the capabilities of the previous levels, is – under certain conditions – able to take partial control of the vehicle. It can influence the speed or direction of travel, under the constant supervision of the driver. The support functions include controlling the car in traffic jams or on the motorway. 
  • Level 3 of autonomy refers to vehicles that are not yet commercially available. Cars of this type are able to drive fully autonomously, under the supervision of the driver. The driver still has to be ready to take control of the vehicle if necessary. 
  • Level 4 means that the on-board computer performs all driving actions, but only on certain previously approved routes. In this situation, all persons in the vehicle act as passengers. Although, it is still possible for a human to take control of the vehicle. 
  • Level 5 is the highest level of autonomy – the on-board computer is fully responsible for driving the vehicle under all conditions, without any need for human intervention. [2] 

Moral dilemmas in the face of autonomous vehicles

Vehicles with autonomy levels 0-2 are not particularly controversial. Technologies such as car control on the motorway are already available and make travelling easier. However, the potential introduction of vehicles with higher autonomy levels into general traffic raises some moral dilemmas. What happens when an autonomous car, under the care of a driver, is involved in an accident. Who is then responsible for causing it? The driver? The vehicle manufacturer? Or perhaps the car itself? There is no clear answer to this question.

Putting autonomous vehicles on the roads also introduces another problem – these vehicles may have security vulnerabilities. Something like this could potentially lead to data leaks or even a hacker taking control of the vehicle. A car taken over in this way could be used to deliberately cause an accident or even carry out a terrorist attack. There is also the problem of dividing responsibility between the manufacturer, the hacker and the user. [3]

One of the most crucial issues related to autonomous vehicles is the ethical training of vehicles to make decisions. It is expecially important in the event of danger to life and property. Who should make decisions in this regard – software developers, ethicists and philosophers, or perhaps country leaders? These decisions will affect who survives in the event of an unavoidable accident. Many of the situations that autonomous vehicles may encounter will require decisions that do not have one obvious answer (Figure 1). Should the vehicle prioritise saving pedestrians or passengers, the young or the elderly? How important is it for the vehicle not to interfere with the course of events? Should compliance with the law by the other party to the accident influence the decision? [4]

An illustration of one of the situations that autonomous vehicles may encounter

Fig. 1. An illustration of one of the situations that autonomous vehicles may encounter. Source: https://www.moralmachine.net/  

Deepfake – what is it and why does it lead to misinformation?

Contemporary man using modern technology is bombarded with information from everywhere. The sheer volume and speed of information delivery means that not all of it can be verified. This fact enables those fabricating fake information to reach a relatively large group of people. This allows them to manipulate their victims into changing their minds about a certain subject or even attempt to deceive them. Practice like this has been around for some time but it did not give us such moral dilemmas. The advent of artificial intelligence dramatically simplifies the process of creating fake news and thus allows it to be created and disseminated more quickly.

Among disinformation techniques, artificial intelligence has the potential to be used particularly effectively to produce so-called deepfakes. Deepfake is a technique for manipulating images depicting people, relying on artificial intelligence. With the help of machine learning algorithms, modified images are superimposed on existing source material. Thereby, it is creating realistic videos and images depicting events that never took place. Until now, the technology mainly allowed for the processing of static images, and video editing was far more difficult to perform. The popularisation of artificial intelligence has dissolved these technical barriers, which has translated into a drastic increase in the frequency of this phenomenon. [5]

Video 1. Deepfake in the form of video footage using the image of President Obama.

Moral dilemmas associated with deepfakes

Deepfake could be used to achieve a variety of purposes. The technology could be used for harmless projects, for example educational materials such as the video showing President Obama warning about the dangers of deepfakes (see Figure 2). Alongside this, it finds applications in the entertainment industry, such as the use of digital replicas of actors (although this application can raise moral dilemmas), an example of which is the use of a digital likeness of the late actor Peter Cushing to play the role of Grand Moff Tarkin in the film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (see Figure 2).

A digital replica of actor Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin

Fig. 2. A digital replica of actor Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin. Source: https://screenrant.com/star-wars-rogue-one-tarkin-ilm-peter-cushing-video/ 

However, there are also many other uses of deepfakes that have the potential to pose a serious threat to the public. Such fabricated videos can be used to disgrace a person, for example by using their likeness in pornographic videos. Fake content can also be used in all sorts of scams, such as attempts to extort money. An example of such use is the case of a doctor whose image was used in an advertisement for cardiac pseudo-medications, which we cited in a previous article [6]. There is also a lot of controversy surrounding the use of deepfakes for the purpose of sowing disinformation, particularly in the area of politics. Used successfully, fake content can lead to diplomatic incidents, change the public’s reaction to certain political topics, discredit politicians and even influence election results. [7]

By its very nature, the spread of deepfakes is not something that can be easily prevented. Legal solutions are not fully effective due to the global scale of the problem and the nature of social network operation. Other proposed solutions to the problem include developing algorithms to detect fabricated content and educating the public about it.

AI-generated art

There are currently many AI-based text, image or video generators on the market. Midjourney, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion and many others, despite the different implementations and algorithms underlying them, have one thing in common – they require huge amounts of data which, due to their size, can be obtained only from the Internet – often without the consent of the authors of these works.  As a result, a number of artists and companies have decided to file lawsuits against the companies developing artificial intelligence models. According to the plaintiffs, the latter are illegally using millions of copyrighted images retrieved from the Internet. Up till now, he most high-profile lawsuit is the one filed by Getty Images – an agency that offers images for business use – against Stability AI, creators of the open-source image generator Stable Diffusion. The agency accuses Stability AI of copying more than 12 million images from their database without prior consent or compensation (see Figure 3). The outcome of this and other legal cases related to AI image generation will shape the future applications and possibilities of this technology. [8]

An illustration used in Getty Images' lawsuit showing an original photograph and a similar image with a visible Getty Images watermark generated by Stable Diffusion. Graphic shows football players during a match.

Fig. 3. An illustration used in Getty Images’ lawsuit showing an original photograph and a similar image with a visible Getty Images watermark generated by Stable Diffusion. Source: https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/6/23587393/ai-art-copyright-lawsuit-getty-images-stable-diffusion  

In addition to the legal problems of training generative models on the basis of copyrighted data, there are also moral dilemmas about artworks made with artificial intelligence. [9]

Will AI replace artists?

Many artists believe that artificial intelligence cannot replicate the emotional aspects of art that works by humans offer. When we watch films, listen to music and play games, we feel certain emotions that algorithms cannot give us. They are not creative in the same way that humans are. There are also concerns about the financial situation of many artists. These occur both due to not being compensated for the created works that are in the training collections of the algorithms, and because of the reduced number of commissions due to the popularity and ease of use of the generators. [10]

On the other hand, some artists believe that artificial intelligence’s different way of “thinking” is an asset. It can create works that humans are unable to produce. This is one way in which generative models can become another tool in the hands of artists. With them they will be able to create art forms and genres that have not existed before, expanding human creativity.

The popularity and possibilities of generative artificial intelligence continue to grow. Consequently, there are numerous debates about the legal and ethical issues surrounding this technology. It has the potential to drastically change the way we interact with art.

Conclusions

The appropriate use of artificial intelligence has the potential to become an important and widely used tool in the hands of humanity. It has the potential to increase productivity, facilitate a wide range of activities and expand our creative capabilities. However, the technology carries certain risks that should not be underestimated. Reckless use of autonomous vehicles, AI art or deepfakes can lead to many problems. These can include financial or image losses, but even threats to health and life. Further developments of deepfake detection technologies, new methods of recognising disinformation and fake video footage, as well as new legal solutions and educating the public about the dangers of AI will be important in order to reduce the occurrence of these problems.

References

[1] https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle-safety/automated-vehicles-safety

[2] https://blog.galonoleje.pl/pojazdy-autonomiczne-samochody-bez-kierowcow-juz-sa-na-ulicach

[3] https://www.forbes.com/sites/naveenjoshi/2022/08/05/5-moral-dilemmas-that-self-driving-cars-face-today/

[4] https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-45991093

[5] https://studiadesecuritate.uken.krakow.pl/wp-content/uploads/sites/43/2019/10/2-1.pdf

[6] https://www.medonet.pl/zdrowie/wiadomosci,kolejny-lekarz-ofiara-oszustow–zostal-twarza-pseudolekow–dr-sutkowski–to-jest-kradziez,artykul,26668977.html

[7] https://businessinsider.com.pl/technologie/nowe-technologie/deepfakes-historia-falszywych-filmow-i-pomysly-na-walke-z-nimi/s17z2p0

[8] https://apnews.com/article/getty-images-artificial-intelligence-ai-image-generator-stable-diffusion-a98eeaaeb2bf13c5e8874ceb6a8ce196

[9] https://www.benchmark.pl/aktualnosci/dzielo-sztucznej-inteligencji-docenione.html

[10] https://businessinsider.com.pl/technologie/digital-poland/sztuczna-inteligencja-w-sztuce-szansa-czy-zagrozenie/7lq70sx

Artificial intelligence and voice creativity

Artificial intelligence and voice creativity

 

Artificial intelligence (AI) has recently ceased to be a catchphrase that belongs in science-fiction writing and has become part of our reality. From all kinds of assistants to text, image, and sound generators, the machine and the responses it produces have made their way into our everyday lives. Are there any drawbacks to this situation? If so, can they be counterbalanced by benefits? This post addresses these questions and other dilemmas related to the use of AI in areas involving the human voice. 

How does artificial intelligence get its voice? The development of AI voices encompasses a number of cutting-edge areas, but the most commonly used methods include  

 

  • machine learning algorithms that allow systems to learn from data and improve their performance over time. Supervised learning is often employed to train AI voice models using large data sets related to human speech. With supervised learning, an AI model learns to recognise patterns and correlations between text input and corresponding voice messages. The AI learns from multiple examples of human speech and adjusts its settings so that the output it generates is as close as possible to real human speech. As the model processes more data, it refines its understanding of phonetics, intonation, and other speech characteristics, which results in increasingly natural and expressive voices;  

 

  • natural language processing (NLP) enables machines to understand and interpret human language. Applying NLP techniques allows artificial intelligence to break down written words and sentences to find important details such as grammar, meaning, and emotions. NLP allows AI voices to interpret and speak complex sentences, even if the words have multiple meanings or sound the same. Thanks to this, the AI voice sounds natural and makes sense, regardless of the type of language used. NLP is the magic that bridges the gap between written words and speech, making AI voices sound like real people, even when complex language patterns are involved.  

 

  • Speech synthesis techniques allow machines to transform processed text into intelligible and expressive speech. This can be done in a variety of ways, for example, by assembling recorded speech to form sentences (concatenative synthesis) or using mathematical models to create speech (parametric synthesis), which allows for greater customisation. Recently, a breakthrough method called neural TTS (Text-to-Speech) has emerged. It uses deep learning models, such as neural networks, to generate speech from text. This technique makes AI voices sound even more natural and expressive, capturing the finer details, such as rhythm and tone, that make human speech unique.  

 

 

In practice, the available tools can be divided into two main categories:  Text-to-Speech and Voice-to-Voice. Each allows you to clone a person’s voice, but TTS is much more limited when it comes to reproducing unusual words, noises, reactions, and expressing emotions. Voice-to-Voice, put simply, “replaces” the sound of one voice with another, making it possible, for example, to create an artificial performance of one singer’s song by a completely different singer, while Text-to-Speech uses the created voice model to read the input text (creating a spectrogram from the text and then passing it to a vocoder, which generates an audio file) [1]. As with any machine learning issue, the quality of the generated speech depends to a large extent on the model and the data on which the model was trained.  

While the beginnings of the research on human speech can be traced back to as early as the late 18th century, work on speech synthesis gained momentum much later, in the 1920s-30s, when the first vocoder was developed at Bell Labs [2]. The issues related to voice imitation and cloning (which is also referred to as voice deepfakes) were first addressed on a wider scale in a scientific paper published in 1997, while the fastest development of the technologies we know today occurred after 2010. The specific event that fuelled the popularity and availability of voice cloning tools was Google’s publication of the Tacotron speech synthesis algorithm in 2017 [3].   

 

Artificial intelligence can already “talk” to us in many daily life situations; virtual assistants like Siri or Alexa found in devices and customer service call machines encountered in various companies and institutions are already widespread. However, the technology offers opportunities that could cause problems, raising controversy about the ethics of developing it in the future. 

At the forefront here are the problems raised by voice workers, who fear the prospect of losing their jobs to machines. For these people, apart from being part of their identity, their voice is also a means of artistic expression and a work tool. If a sufficiently accurate model of a person’s voice is created, then suddenly, at least in theory, that person’s work becomes redundant. This very topic was the subject of a discussion that ignited the Internet in August 2023, when a YouTube creator posted a self-made animation produced in Blender, inspired by the iconic TV series Scooby-Doo [4]. The controversy was caused by the application of AI by the novice author to generate dialogues for the four characters featured in the cartoon, using the voice models of the original cast (who were still professionally active). A wave of criticism fell on the artist for using someone else’s voice for his own purposes, without permission. The issue was discussed among animation professionals, and one of the voice actresses from the original cast of the series also commented on it. She expressed her outrage, adding that she would never work with this artist and that she would warn her colleagues in the industry against him. As the artist published an apology (admitting his mistake and explaining that his actions were motivated by the lack of funds to hire voice-overs and the entirely amateur and non-profit nature of the animation he had created), the decision to blacklist him was revoked and the parties reconciled. However, what emerged from the discussion was the acknowledgment that the use of artificial intelligence for such purposes needs to be legally regulated. The list of professions affected by this issue is long, and there are already plenty of works using people’s voices in a similar way. Even though this is mostly content created by and for fans paying a kind of tribute to the source material, technically speaking, it still involves using part of someone’s identity without their permission. 

 

Another dilemma has to do with the ethical concerns that arise when someone considers using the voice of a deceased person to create new content. The Internet is already full of “covers” in which newly released songs are “performed” by deceased artists. This is an extremely sensitive topic, considering the feelings of the family, loved ones, and fans of the deceased person, as well as how the deceased person would feel knowing that part of their image was used this way.  

Another danger is that the technology may be used for the purposes of deception and misrepresentation. While remakes featuring politicians playing multiplayer games remain in the realm of innocent jokes, putting words that the politicians have never said into their mouths, for example, during an election campaign, is already dangerous and can have serious consequences for society as a whole. Currently, the elderly are particularly vulnerable to such fakes and manipulation, however, with the improvement of models and the parallel development of methods for generating images and mouth movements, even those who are familiar with the phenomenon may find it increasingly difficult to tell the difference between what is false and what is real [5].  

In the worst-case scenario, such deceptions can result in identity theft. From time to time, we learn about celebrities appearing in advertisements that they have never heard of [6]. Experts and authorities in specific fields, such as doctors, can also fall victim to this kind of identity theft when their artificially created image is used to advertise various preparations that often have nothing to do with medicine. Such situations, already occurring in our country [7], are particularly harmful, as potential recipients of such advertisements are not only exposed to needless expenses but also risk their health and potentially even their lives. Biometric verification by voice is also quite common. If a faithful model of a customer’s voice is created and there is a leak of his or her personal data, the consequences may be disastrous. The risk of such a scenario has already materialised for an application developed by the Australian government [8]. 

 

It is extremely difficult to predict in what direction the development of artificial intelligence will go with regard to human voice generation applications. It seems necessary to regulate the possibility of using celebrity voice models for commercial purposes and to ensure that humans are not completely replaced by machines in this sphere of activity. Failure to make significant changes in this matter could lead to a further loss of confidence in tools using artificial intelligence. This topic is divisive and has many supporters as well as opponents.  Like any tool, it is neither good nor bad in itself – rather, it all depends on how it is used and on the user’s intentions. We already have tools that can detect whether a given recording has been artificially generated. We should also remember that it takes knowledge, skill, and effort to clone a human voice in a convincing way. Otherwise, the result is clumsy and one can immediately tell that something is not right. This experience is referred to as the uncanny valley. The subtleties, emotions, variations, accents, and imperfections present in the human voice are extremely difficult to reproduce. This gives us hope that machines will not replace human beings completely, and this is only due to our perfect imperfection.

Problems in historical data and coded bias

Prater & Borden

 

In 2014, Brisha Borden, 18, was charged for committing theft of property worth eighty dollars after she decided to ride a child’s bicycle that had been left abandoned and unsecured. Brisha has committed lesser offences in the past as a juvenile.

 

A year earlier, forty-one year old Vernon Prater was caught stealing tools from a shop with a total value of $86.35. Vernon had already been charged with armed robbery, for which he received a five-year prison sentence. He was also charged with attempted armed robbery.

 

In the USA at the time, a risk prediction system was used to assess whether a person would commit other crimes in the future. This system gave a rating from 1 to 10, where the higher the numerical value, the higher the risk of committing crimes in the future. Borden – a black teenager – was given a high risk rating: 8, and Prater, on the other hand – a white, adult male – a low risk rating: 3. After two years, Brisha Borden had committed no crime, while Vernon Prater was serving an eight-year prison sentence after breaking into a warehouse and stealing electronics worth several thousand dollars. [1]

 

Hidden data

 

Automated machine learning and big data systems are increasing in number in our daily lives. From algorithms suggesting a series for the user to watch, to one that will decide the instalment of your mortgage. However, the moment an algorithm decides on such an important issue for a human being, the dangers begin to emerge. Can we even trust such systems to make important decisions? Computer algorithms give a sense of impartiality and objectivity. But is this really the case?

 

In a nutshell, machine learning algorithms “learn” to make decisions based on the data provided. Regardless of the method of this learning, be it simple decision trees or more sophisticated artificial neural networks, by design the algorithm should extract patterns hidden in the data. Thus, the algorithm will only be as objective as the learning data is objective. While one might agree that, for example, medical or weather data are objective because the expected results are not the result of human decisions, decisions about, for example, the granting of credit or employment were historically made by people. Naturally, people are not fully objective and are guided by a certain worldview and, unfortunately, also by prejudices. These biases find their way into the data in a more or less direct way.

 

The issue of preparing data suitable for training machine learning algorithms is a very broad topic. A discussion of possible solutions is a topic for a separate article.

In this case, since we do not want the algorithm to make decisions based on gender, age or skin colour, is it not possible to simply not provide this data? This naive approach, while seeming logical, has one big loophole. Information about this sensitive data can be (and probably is) coded into other, seemingly unrelated information.

 

Historical data are created by people, and unfortunately people are guided by certain biases. These decisions percolate through the data, and even if when creating a model, one considers not to include data on race, age, gender, etc. in the input, it may be that this information gets through indirectly through, for example, postcode information. It may be possible, for example, to use Bayesian networks to visualise the interconnections between different features. This tool aims to show where data, based on which one would not want to make decisions, may be hidden. [2]

 

Judicial risk assessment system in the USA

 

Reference should again be made to the algorithm used in the US penal system (COMPAS system). Julia Dressel and Hany Farid [3] tried to investigate how this system works. First, they conducted a survey in which respondents with no background in criminology were given a brief description of the accused person’s crime (including their age and gender, but not their race) and a history of previous prosecutions, their aim was to predict whether the person would be convicted again in the next two years. The results of the survey conducted showed an efficiency (67%) similar to the system used by the US penal system (65.2%). Interestingly, the proportion of false-positive responses, i.e. where defendants were incorrectly assigned to a high-risk group, was consistent regardless of race. Black people, both in the anonymous survey and according to COMPAS, were more likely to be categorised in the higher risk group than white people. As a reminder – survey respondents had no information about the race of those accused.

 

Other machine learning methods were then tested, including a logistic regression algorithm with two features in the input – age and number of previous accusations. This algorithm works in such a way that individual measurements from the training dataset are placed on (in this case) a two-dimensional plane (each axis is the value of a given feature). A straight line is then drawn separating cases from two different categories. Usually, it is not possible to draw a perfect straight line that separates the two categories without error. Therefore, a straight line for which the error is minimal is determined. In this way, a straight line is obtained that divides the plane into two categories – those who have been charged within two years and those who have not been charged (Fig.1).

Fig.1 Mode of operation of the logistic regression algorithm.

This algorithm has an efficiency (66.8%) similar to COMPAS (65.4%). In this case too, a much higher proportion of black people incorrectly classified as higher risk than white people was observed.

 

As it turns out, information about race can also permeate the arrest rate data [2][3]. In the US, for example, black people are arrested for drug possession four times more often than white people [8][9].

 

Non-functioning models

 

Sometimes models just do not work.

 

In 2012, data from a rating system for New York City teachers from 2007 to 2010 was published. This system gave teachers a rating from 1 to 100 supposedly based on the performance of the teacher’s students. Gary Rubinstein [4] decided to look at the published data. The author noted that in the statistics, teachers who had been included in the rating programme for several years had a separate rating for each year. Based on the assumption that a teacher’s rating should not change dramatically from year to year, he decided to see how it changed in reality. Rubinstein outlined the teachers’ ratings, where on the X-axis he marked the first-year teaching rating and on the Y-axis the second-year teaching rating for the same class. Each dot on the graph represents one teacher (Fig.2).

analiza danych historycznych na wykresie z różowymi kwadratami
Fig.2 Graph of teacher ratings in two consecutive years. [4]

The logical result would be a near linear relationship or some other correlation, due to the fact that the results of the same class with one teacher should not change drastically from year to year. Here, the graph looks more like a random number generator, with some classes rated close to 100, the next year had a score close to 0 and vice versa. Such a result should not be generated by the system on the basis of which teachers’ salaries are set, or even whether to dismiss such a person, as this system simply does not work.

 

Face recognition algorithms have a similar problem. Typically, such technologies are set up so that a machine learning algorithm analyses multiple images that are a face and multiple images that represent something else. The system detects patterns that are characteristic of faces that are not present in other images. The problem starts when someone has a face that deviates from those present in the training dataset. Those creating such an algorithm should try to have as diverse a training dataset as possible. Unfortunately, it turns out that there is often an under-representation of people with darker skin colour in the training datasets. Those most often have a skin colour distribution similar to the society from which the data are collected. That is, if the training dataset consists of images of US and European citizens, for example, then the percentage of each skin colour in the dataset shall be similar to that of the US and European demographics, where light-skinned people predominate (Fig.3).

wykres słupkowy przedstawiający dane historyczne z podziałem na rasy
Fig.3 Left: US census data [6]. Right: percentage of races in publicly available datasets [7].

At MIT University [5], the accuracy of facial recognition algorithms by gender and skin colour was investigated. They found that the technologies of the most popular companies, such as Amazon and IBM, failed to recognise women with dark skin colour (Figure 4). When these technologies are used in products that use facial recognition technology, there is an issue of availability and security If the accuracy is low even for one specific group, there is a high risk of someone unauthorised to access, for example, a phone. At a time when facial recognition technology is being used by the police in surveillance cameras, there is a high risk that innocent people will be wrongly identified as wanted persons. Such situations have already occurred many times. All this due to a malfunctioning algorithm, which could quite easily be fixed with the right selection of training datasets.

wykres słupkowy przedstawiający dane historyczne z podziałem na przedsiębiorstwa
Fig. 4 Investigated accuracy of face recognition technology. [5] [5]

Following the publication of the MIT study, most companies have improved the performance of their algorithms so that the disparity in facial recognition is negligible.

 

Inclusive code

 

We cannot be 100 per cent trusting of machine learning algorithms and big data, especially when it comes to deciding human fate.

 

In order to create a tool that is effective, and does not learn human biases, one has to go down to the data level. It is necessary to analyse the interdependencies of attributes that may indicate race, gender or age and select those that are really necessary for the algorithm to work correctly. It is then essential to analyse the algorithm itself and its results to ensure that the algorithm is indeed objective.

 

Machine learning models learn by searching for patterns and reproducing them. When unfiltered historical data is provided, no new, more effective tools are actually created, but the status quo is automated. And when human fate is involved, we as developers cannot afford to repeat old mistakes.

 

References: