Each week on a Wednesday Nikolas Badminton, Futurist highlights the top stories from the past week relating to the incredible rise of artificial intelligence and its application in society, the workplace, in cities, and in our lives.
In Artificial Intelligence Bulletin – Human Rights Predictions  we see an AI systems correctly predict outcomes, smarter killer drones, stock market cheaters, in-car sales and online education for AI training.

Artificial intelligence predicts results of human rights trials with nearly 80% accuracy

An international team of computer scientists developed an algorithm that can predict the outcomes of the European Court of Human Rights with high accuracy. By running a text analysis on the written content of court documents, the researchers were able to determine judicial decisions with 79% accuracy on average.

Running an algorithmic analysis allowed the team to identify specific parts of the judicial system that are the most important.

For example, the study revealed the truth about an underlying battle in two schools of legal thought: the difference between “formalism” and “realism.” A formalist judge rules to the letter of the law, doling out justice exactly as lawmakers intended. A realist judge admits that laws aren’t perfect, and takes a look at the facts of each case to see how the law should be applied.

The algorithm revealed that most of the judges are realists, and that the individual fact patterns in each case are the top predictor of how a case will turn out.

Read more at MIC

DARPA’s New Drone Can Tell Apart Soldiers and Civilians in Real Time

Video from an autonomous drone as it flew above a replica of a Middle Eastern village at a military testing range at Camp Edwards, in Massachusetts. By DARPA on Publish Date October 25, 2016.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYL4ZSzRm5M
Read more at NY Times

How Artificial Intelligence Could Catch Stock Market Cheaters

Two exchange operators have announced plans to launch artificial intelligence tools for market surveillance in the coming months and officials at a Wall Street regulator tell Reuters they are not far behind. Executives are hoping computers with humanoid wit can help mere mortals catch misbehavior more quickly.

The software could, for instance, scrub chat-room messages to detect dubious bragging or back-slapping around the time of a big trade. It could also more quickly unravel complex issues, like “layering,” where orders are rapidly sent to exchanges and then canceled to artificially move a stock price.

A.I. may even sniff out new types of chicanery, said Tom Gira, executive vice president for market regulation at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). “The biggest concern we have is that there is some manipulative scheme that we are not even aware of,” he told Reuters. “It seems like these tools have the potential to give us a better window into the market for those types of scenarios.”

Read more at FORTUNE

GM wants to use artificial intelligence to sell you stuff while driving

General Motors has partnered with IBM to add the latter’s artificial intelligence smarts to its cars. IBM’s Watson will be used to augment GM’s OnStar service, which currently offers features like vehicle tracking and turn-by-turn navigation for a monthly subscription fee.
The upgraded OnStar Go, though, seems to be more about advertising than anything else. GM says the main use will be to let drivers “connect and interact with their favorite brands,” with Watson crunching data on users habits to deliver personalized services. Depending on your outlook, some of these services could be genuinely useful. Or, they could be just another unnecessary and intrusive attempt to sell you things. This time, though, it’s happening in your car.
Details on these services are pretty thin at the moment, but GM has outlined a number of potential uses, including:

• Curating “personalized experiences” on iHeartRadio based on drivers’ listening habits
• Directing drivers to nearby Exxon and Mobil fuel stations when their car is running low on gas
• Making in-car payments using Mastercard’s Masterpass system

Read more at The Verge

This Online Education Firm Is Offering an Artificial Intelligence Training Program

Udacity is partnering with IBM Watson, Didi Chuxing, and Amazon for a new “Nanodegree” program.
Artificial intelligence, the machine learning technology that allows “smart” machines to take over human tasks like driving cars or ordering pizza, is quickly becoming the go-to technology for many industries to hire talent for, including health care, auto, and finance. Research firm Markets and Markets estimates the AI market will grow to more than $5 billion by 2020, given the rising adoption of AI across these industries.
That’s why online education company Udacity is debuting a new way for workers to learn skills needed to be experts in developing artificial intelligence for the likes of IBM and others.
Read more at FORTUNE

***

Nikolas Badminton is a world-respected futurist speaker that researches, speaks, and writes about the future of work, how technology is affecting the workplace, how workers are adapting, the sharing economy, and how the world is evolving. He appears at conferences in Canada, USA, UK, and Europe. Email him to book him for your radio, TV show, or conference.