technology

Tuesday December 24, 2024

AI faces a crossroads, with breakthroughs in specialized fields juxtaposed against challenges like diminishing data and systemic limitations, shaping an uncertain but promising future.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday December 24, 2024

AIdeer2025: The Next Leap or a Hiccup in Santa’s Sleigh?

Global efforts in the US, UK, and the EU aim to regulate AI responsibly, but face criticism and challenges in addressing both immediate and long-term risks while balancing innovation and control.

November 3, 2023

Artificial intelligence, long touted as the next frontier in human progress, seems to be reaching an inflection point as 2024 draws to a close. On one hand, its breathtaking potential to unlock mysteries, solve complex problems, and augment human capabilities is undeniable. On the other, experts are sounding alarms about a slowdown in AI’s rapid ascent. The juxtaposition of these realities makes AI both a celebrated innovator and a flawed experiment — much like Santa’s new AI-powered reindeer, AIdeer2025, introduced in this year’s editorial cartoon.

The tech industry, once buoyed by boundless optimism, faces a sobering reality: the era of rapid improvement in generative AI systems may be slowing. According to Demis Hassabis, head of Google DeepMind and a 2024 Nobel laureate for his contributions to artificial intelligence, the industry is grappling with “diminishing returns.” The core problem? The vast reservoirs of internet data that fueled AI’s meteoric rise are drying up. “We’ve achieved peak data,” Hassabis remarked, echoing sentiments shared by industry leaders like Ilya Sutskever, co-founder of OpenAI.

News: Generative AI Still Needs to Prove Its Usefulness

April 15, 2023

Generative AI models like ChatGPT and their ilk depend heavily on large-scale internet datasets to improve their language and reasoning capabilities. However, with the digital text available on the web largely exhausted, researchers are turning to synthetic data generation—where AI models create their own training material. While promising in fields like mathematics and programming, this method struggles with areas requiring nuanced understanding, such as philosophy, ethics, and the arts.

The New York Times recently highlighted another issue plaguing generative AI: hallucinations. These systems often fabricate facts, a glaring flaw that undermines their utility in high-stakes domains. As Rachel Peterson of Meta aptly put it, the industry must grapple with a fundamental question: “Is this thing real or not?”

News: Is the Tech Industry Already on the Cusp of an A.I. Slowdown?

May 13, 2023

Despite these setbacks, AI is proving transformative in targeted applications, particularly in scientific research. As illustrated by CNN’s coverage of the Vesuvius Challenge, AI has succeeded where human ingenuity alone might falter. By using high-resolution X-rays and machine learning algorithms, researchers have begun to decipher the charred Herculaneum scrolls, artifacts buried in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. This breakthrough offers a glimpse into the intellectual heritage of ancient Rome and Greece, promising unprecedented insights into the past.

AI is also reshaping our understanding of the natural world. Machine learning tools have uncovered intricate patterns in the “click” communication of sperm whales, bringing humanity a step closer to decoding animal languages. In archaeology, AI has doubled the number of Nazca geoglyphs mapped in Peru, demonstrating its utility in exploring remote and inhospitable terrains.

In the realm of biology, the AlphaFold Protein Structure Database—a product of Google DeepMind—has revolutionized our understanding of proteins, the building blocks of life. By predicting the structure of nearly all known proteins, AlphaFold has accelerated research in medicine, agriculture, and beyond. However, even AlphaFold is not without limitations, struggling to predict the consequences of protein mutations.

News: ‘A sort of superpower’: Unexpected revelations made possible by AI in 2024

December 16, 2020

The future of AI may hinge on its ability to adapt and innovate beyond its current paradigms. Synthetic data, domain-specific models, and self-learning algorithms represent the industry’s next big bets. Yet these approaches come with their own challenges, including ethical dilemmas and questions about reproducibility.

For now, AI’s trajectory appears to be bifurcated. In specialized, data-rich domains, its superpower-like capabilities continue to deliver astonishing results. But in areas requiring contextual understanding and creativity, the technology faces significant hurdles.

As we contemplate the next steps, perhaps the story of Santa’s AIdeer2025 offers a fitting allegory. Much like the industry itself, AIdeer embodies both promise and uncertainty. Will it light the way for Santa’s sleigh, or will it go off course, leaving Rudolph to save the day once again? Only time—and continued innovation—will tell.

 

Friday August 16, 2024

The decline of AM radio and traditional local media erodes vital community engagement, diverse cultural representation, accurate news coverage, and job opportunities, leaving society adrift in a landscape increasingly dominated by misinformation and fragmented digital platforms.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday August 16, 2024

A Lament for a Vanishing Medium

Link to the animated version of this editorial cartoon.

The decline of AM radio and traditional local media erodes vital community engagement, diverse cultural representation, accurate news coverage, and job opportunities, leaving society adrift in a landscape increasingly dominated by misinformation and fragmented digital platforms.

April 9, 2012

As automakers like Ford, BMW, Volkswagen, and Tesla phase out AM radios from their new vehicles, a cornerstone of American life teeters on the brink of obsolescence. The removal of AM radio from cars signifies more than just a shift in technology; it marks the erosion of a key medium that has been the voice of local communities for nearly a century. This change is part of a broader trend that is seeing traditional centralized sources of information—radio, television, and daily newspapers—being eclipsed by the vast, decentralized world of the internet. While this transition is exciting in its promise of innovation, it leaves us to grapple with the profound implications of losing a vital source of local information.

The recent closure of WCBS Newsradio 880 is a stark illustration of this trend. For nearly 60 years, WCBS was a bastion of all-news radio, providing reliable updates and in-depth coverage of local and national events. Its impending shutdown, as Audacy shifts its focus to sports programming, highlights the financial and operational challenges facing traditional news formats. Despite being a top-billing station, WCBS’s inability to survive in the current media climate underscores the fragility of established media outlets in the face of evolving consumer preferences and technological changes.

News: What the Demise of WCBS Newsradio 880 Says About the Future of All-News Radio

October 4, 2013

Similarly, the shuttering of CHML in Hamilton, Ontario, this week, further exemplifies this shift. CHML’s departure from the airwaves represented the loss of a local institution that had served the community for decades. This move not only deprived listeners of a trusted source of local news but also contributed to the growing phenomenon of news deserts, where local information becomes scarce and harder to access.

News: 900 CHML closes, ending nearly a century of local radio in Hamilton

The loss of local radio is emblematic of a broader issue: the decline of traditional media outlets that have long served as the backbone of local news. Daily newspapers and local TV stations, once staples of American households, have been supplanted by a plethora of online sources, often leading to news deserts—areas with little to no access to reliable local news coverage. This shift has significant consequences for public accountability, as fewer local journalists are available to cover city council meetings, school board decisions, and other vital civic matters.

As we navigate these uncharted waters, society appears to be adrift, struggling to find its bearings in a rapidly changing media landscape. The evolution from centralized traditional media to a decentralized digital world is fraught with challenges. Job losses in journalism and broadcasting have been significant, leading to uncertainty about the future of local information. In the absence of robust local media, rumours, confusion, and misinformation can spread unchecked, undermining the very fabric of our communities.

Essay: End of a love affair: AM radio is being removed from many cars 

June 9, 2022

The excitement of the digital revolution is undeniable. It has democratized information, giving voice to the previously unheard and connecting us in ways that were once unimaginable. However, this progress comes at a cost. Little has emerged to fully replace the comprehensive coverage and local accountability that traditional media provided. As a result, we find ourselves in a precarious position where the loss of local radio and other traditional media forms threatens the cohesion and informed nature of our society.

In this moment of transition, it is crucial to reflect on what we stand to lose and what we must do to preserve the integrity of local information. Efforts to save local radio are not just about preserving a nostalgic past but about ensuring that our communities remain informed, engaged, and connected. We must seek ways to adapt traditional media’s strengths to the digital age, finding new models that blend the best of both worlds. Only then can we hope to navigate these uncharted seas without losing our way. (AI)

Published September 13, 1995

Way back in September 1995, before I became the Spec’s editorial cartoonist, I drew for the Brabant chain of newspapers serving the communities of Hamilton, Dundas, Ancaster, Flamborough, Stoney Creek and Hamilton Mountain. I was given a nice gig at the time illustrating local personalities (John Fortino, Max Mintz, Sheila Copps, George Love and Jimmy Lomax) written up by longtime CHML radio presenter, John Hardy. He was axed from his job in local radio the same year, 1997, when I was hired at the Hamilton Spectator. In the Saturday August 17 edition in the Spec, Hardy reflects on the loss of am900 CHML, and what it means for the city of Hamilton. 

Wednesday March 13, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday March 13, 2019

Ontario to ban cellphones from classrooms starting next school year

Ontario students will no longer be able to use their cellphones in the classroom next September, as Premier Doug Ford makes good on a populist campaign promise.

August 24, 2018

CTV News Toronto has confirmed that the Ministry of Education will change the code of conduct for students and teachers, implementing a ban on smartphone use during class time but allowing local school boards to decide how to enforce the new rules.

“Ontario’s students need to be able to focus on their learning – not their cellphones,” Education Minister Lisa Thompson said in a statement.

“By banning cellphone use that distracts from learning, we are helping students to focus on acquiring the foundational skills they need like reading, writing and math.”

The new student code of conduct is expected to have strict guidelines for cellphone use, including preventing students from placing their phones face-down on desks, even with the ringer set to silent.

September 3, 2013

Students would be allowed to bring their phones into the classroom, the government said, but usage would be reserved for educational and emergency situations.

“Obviously for emergency purposes, for medical purposes and for specific courses that require technological platforms – they’d be permissible,” Progressive Conservative MPP Stephen Lecce told CTV News Toronto.

The government said teachers and parents overwhelmingly supported banning cellphone use during telephone town halls and surveys conducted last fall, in which 97 per cent of the 35,000 respondents advocated for the move.

Among the feedback sent to the ministry of education, educators complained that phones were not only a distraction but that students were also using them to cheat and share unflattering photographs of teachers on social media.

September 17, 2010

Ministry of education officials, speaking on background, said students wouldn’t be expected to lock up their phones and while enforcement will be difficult, it will be left up to school boards.

“Parents deserve to know it, students deserve to know it for their own protection, and to be fair, educators want how they’re going to have that enforceability,” Lecce said.

While Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner agrees that cellphones can be a distraction, he is critical of what he describes as the government’s “top-down regulation” approach.

“The Ford government is just duplicating powers that educators already have to control cellphone use in their classrooms. Instead of empowering schools to create reasonable cell phone use policies, Ford is promising a province-wide ban that is impossible to enforce,” Schreiner said in a statement. (Source: CTV News)  

 

Wednesday March 21, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday March 21, 2018

‘Utterly horrifying’: ex-Facebook insider says covert data harvesting was routine

Hundreds of millions of Facebook users are likely to have had their private information harvested by companies that exploited the same terms as the firm that collected data and passed it on to Cambridge Analytica, according to a new whistleblower.

September 17, 2015

Sandy Parakilas, the platform operations manager at Facebook responsible for policing data breaches by third-party software developers between 2011 and 2012, told the Guardian he warned senior executives at the company that its lax approach to data protection risked a major breach.

Where’s Zuck? Facebook CEO silent as data harvesting scandal unfolds

“My concerns were that all of the data that left Facebook servers to developers could not be monitored by Facebook, so we had no idea what developers were doing with the data,” he said.

Parakilas said Facebook had terms of service and settings that “people didn’t read or understand” and the company did not use its enforcement mechanisms, including audits of external developers, to ensure data was not being misused.

Parakilas, whose job was to investigate data breaches by developers similar to the one later suspected of Global Science Research, which harvested tens of millions of Facebook profiles and provided the data to Cambridge Analytica, said the slew of recent disclosures had left him disappointed with his superiors for not heeding his warnings.

“It has been painful watching,” he said, “because I know that they could have prevented it.” (Source: The Guardian) 

 

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Friday June 23, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday June 23, 2017

Sears Canada to close 59 stores, lay off 2,900 in restructuring

Sears Canada plans to close 59 stores and eliminate 2,900 jobs across the country as part of a court-supervised restructuring process.

Shares in Sears Canada were halted Thursday morning after the retailer applied for and was granted protection from its creditors under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act — the law that covers insolvency proceedings.

The move gives the retailer 30 days to restructure itself, which includes $450 million in debtor-in-possession financing to fund the company while it restructures, a process that will include closing dozens of locations and laying off thousands of workers.

The chain will axe 20 full Sears stores, 15 Sears Home Stores, all 10 outlet stores and 14 Sears Hometown stores — roughly one-third of its current retail footprint.

All other Sears locations will remain open, the chain said, and the company “plans to continue to operate a large number of stores, continue to maintain significant employment, and to service its customers across Canada,” Sears said in a court filing.

About 500 office positions at the company were to be eliminated immediately. The remainder of the job losses will come as Sears closes stores. As of May 30, the company employed approximately 17,000 people, with 10,500 in part-time positions and the rest working full-time.

Trading in the shares was halted before the Toronto Stock Exchange opened on Thursday, pending news. Minutes later, Sears Canada announced its plan in a press release. (Source: CBC) 

 

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