AI to get X-ray vision: Researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory are getting close to creating AI that can see through walls, Geek.com reported. The research team is using AI to analyze radio signals bouncing off human bodies. The result is a neural network-generated stick figure that moves like the targeted person does.
Dr. AI will see you now: Perhaps more useful that looking through walls, some AI technologies are now being used to identify tuberculosis, pneumonia, upper respiratory infection, and bronchitis based on how a cough sounds, said AdWeek. Several companies are exploring other ways to use AI in healthcare settings.
Encryption wars, part 207: Apple has moved to close a security hole that law enforcement agencies used to defeat encryption on iPhones, according to many news reports, including one in the New York Times. The Apple move set off a new round of debate about encrypted devices and law enforcement access, the Washington Post noted.
It appears that at least one company that builds iPhone cracking tools already has a workaround, however, Motherboard reported.
Meanwhile, an FBI official suggested that each encrypted device that law enforcement agencies cannot crack represents a victim without justice, BusinessInsider.com said.
Blockchain vs. fake news: Two of our favorite topics have merged. The developer of Adblock Plus, the controversial advertising-blocking browser tool, has released a beta version extension for the Chrome browser that plans to use blockchain technology to spot fake news, according to Engadget. The Trusted News extension uses four established fact-checking sites to spot fake news, but developer eyeo plans to decentralize the database using the Ethereum blockchain to manage user feedback on news articles.
The cost of a breach: A Vermont librarian sued consumer credit bureau Equifax and has won $600 in small claims court, reports Krebs on Security. The librarian had asked for $5,000, but the court awarded her enough to cover the cost of up to two years of online identity theft protection services.
Read the Internet Society’s Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning policy paper and explore how it might impact the Internet’s future.