Big Data

Emerging Technologies

commentary
The Metaverse: What It Is and Is Not
The metaverse is quickly expanding, but its meaning remains unclear. Until an agreement on a definition of “metaverse” is reached, efforts to manage the technology development and related public policy could be muddled at best.
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Jun 20, 2022
Swaptik Chowdhury, Timothy Marler

Big Data

essay
Tracking Migration Amid War and Disease
Researchers from RAND and RAND Europe have been working on a way to better track migrant numbers, country by country and state by state, in almost real time. They do it by tapping into one of the largest information-gathering operations on the planet, Facebook.
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Apr 28, 2022
Terrorism Threat Assessment

blog
Terrorism Research: How RAND Defined and Built a New Field of Knowledge
In the early 1970s, amid a worldwide rash of bombings, hijackings, and hostage-takings, RAND researchers began creating the first international database of terrorist incidents. Maintained until 2009, it chronicles more than 40,000 terrorist attacks since 1968.
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Mar 9, 2022
Machine Learning

commentary
Reining in COVID-19 Disinformation from China, Russia, and Elsewhere
During the pandemic, misinformation and conspiracy theories have spread more virulently than ever before. The vast scale of the problem means scalable solutions like machine learning could be needed to rein in the bots, trolls, and conspiracy theories being spread by bad-faith actors.
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Nov 19, 2021
Christian Johnson, William Marcellino
Military Strategy

commentary
The United States Can Achieve AI Dominance with Its Allies
Close collaborators in any AI alliance must be able to usefully contribute to the work and be trustworthy enough to share in cutting-edge technical advancements. While achieving this close collaboration with allies may be difficult, it will be essential if the United States hopes to achieve the data dominance needed to succeed in future combat.
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Oct 9, 2020
James Ryseff
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

blog
The Evidence on Kids and COVID-19, China's Use of Big Data, Telemedicine: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on what we know (and what we don't) about kids and COVID-19, how China is using big data, the future of telemedicine, and more.
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Sep 4, 2020
Artificial Intelligence

commentary
Catholic Church and Tech Companies Join to Call for Transparency in AI
The Catholic Church joined with technology companies in February to release the “Rome Call for AI Ethics,” which it hopes will lend meaning if not governance frameworks for the use of artificial intelligence. Making sure that “everyone can benefit” from AI by making its discoveries widely available will be important. This is perhaps where the church can be most effective.
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Mar 31, 2020
Patrick S. Roberts @RamblingRoberts
Media Literacy

commentary
Our Actions Determine What We Read and See Online. Algorithms Are Only a Part of That Process
As social media has increasingly become the main outlet for people to acquire news and opinion, there are concerns about the effect of algorithm-driven services on the spread of misleading information. But the issue doesn't merely lie with how social platforms use algorithms to deliver content.
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Feb 7, 2020
Tor Richardson-Golinski, Amelia Harshfield, et al.
Information Operations

commentary
Artificial Intelligence and the Manufacturing of Reality
Humans carry flaws in deciding what is or is not real. The internet and other technologies have made it easier to weaponize and exploit these flaws. And artificial intelligence will likely be used to exploit these weaknesses at an unprecedented scale, speed, and level of effectiveness.
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Jan 20, 2020
Christopher Paul, Marek N. Posard @mnposard
Intelligence Analysis

q&a
Intel, Ethics, and Emerging Tech: Q&A with Cortney Weinbaum
Cortney Weinbaum studies topics related to intelligence and cyber policy as a senior management scientist at RAND. In this interview, she discusses challenges facing the intelligence community, the risks of using AI as a solution, and ethics in scientific research.
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Aug 23, 2019
The Internet

commentary
Three 'New Rules' Worth Considering for the Internet
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg has called for new internet regulation starting in four areas: harmful content, election integrity, privacy, and data portability. But why stop there? His proposal could be expanded to include much more: security-by-design, net worthiness, and updated internet business models.
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May 10, 2019
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Bioethics

commentary
Biology, in the Language of the People
As technology and the ability to gather ever-growing amounts of data move further into the realms of biology and human performance, communication and transparency become increasingly important. Experts should consider whether they are using the words, examples, and models that connect with a broad audience most effectively.
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Feb 21, 2019
Timothy Marler, Dona Odell
Artificial Intelligence

commentary
Does the U.S. Face an AI Ethics Gap?
Instead of worrying about an artificial intelligence “ethics gap,” U.S. policymakers and the military community could embrace a leadership role in AI ethics. This may help ensure that the AI arms race doesn't become a race to the bottom.
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Jan 11, 2019
Benjamin Boudreaux
commentary
Data Breaches Could Cause Users to Opt Out of Sharing Personal Data. Then What?
As tech-based systems have become all but indispensable, many institutions might assume user data will be reliable, meaningful and, most of all, plentiful. But what if this data became unreliable, meaningless, or even scarce?
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Dec 28, 2018
Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung
commentary
Intentional Bias Is Another Way Artificial Intelligence Could Hurt Us
Conversations about unconscious bias in artificial intelligence often focus on algorithms unintentionally causing disproportionate harm to entire swaths of society. But the problem could run much deeper. Society should be on guard for the possibility that nefarious actors could deliberately introduce bias into AI systems.
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Oct 22, 2018
Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung
Artificial Intelligence

commentary
Keeping Artificial Intelligence Accountable to Humans
Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are often only as intelligent and fair as the data used to train them. To enable AI that frees humans from bias instead of reinforcing it, experts and regulators must think more deeply not only about what AI can do, but what it should do—and then teach it how.
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Aug 20, 2018
Osonde A. Osoba @OsondeOsoba

Page 1 of 4

A New Approach to U.S. Security Policy in the Middle East

Wait Times for Veterans Scheduling Health Care Appointments

Elon Musk May Have a Point About Bots on Twitter

Putin's Latest Threats, U.S. Policy in the Middle East, Disaster Recovery: RAND Weekly Recap

Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy with Research

The Policy Currents Podcast

Improving Psychological Wellbeing and Work Outcomes in the UK

Managing Escalation in Crisis and War

Getting to Know Military Caregivers and Their Needs

Planning for the Rising Costs of Dementia

Big Data

The Metaverse: What It Is and Is Not

Tracking Migration Amid War and Disease

Terrorism Research: How RAND Defined and Built a New Field of Knowledge

Reining in COVID-19 Disinformation from China, Russia, and Elsewhere

The United States Can Achieve AI Dominance with Its Allies

The Evidence on Kids and COVID-19, China's Use of Big Data, Telemedicine: RAND Weekly Recap

Catholic Church and Tech Companies Join to Call for Transparency in AI

Our Actions Determine What We Read and See Online. Algorithms Are Only a Part of That Process

Artificial Intelligence and the Manufacturing of Reality

Intel, Ethics, and Emerging Tech: Q&A with Cortney Weinbaum

Three 'New Rules' Worth Considering for the Internet

Biology, in the Language of the People

Does the U.S. Face an AI Ethics Gap?

Data Breaches Could Cause Users to Opt Out of Sharing Personal Data. Then What?

Intentional Bias Is Another Way Artificial Intelligence Could Hurt Us

Keeping Artificial Intelligence Accountable to Humans

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