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  1. RAND
  2. >The RAND Blog
/content/rand/blog/jcr:content/par/bloglist .topic.big-data
The RAND Blog

Big Data

  • U.S. and Canadian personnel using a virtual training platform in Fort Meade, MD, June, 2020, photo by U.S. Navy Chief Mass Communication Specialist Jon Dasbach/U.S. Cyber Command
    Military Strategy

    commentary

    The United States Can Achieve AI Dominance with Its Allies

    James Ryseff

    Oct 9, 2020

    War on the Rocks

    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.

    Read More »
  • Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

    blog

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

    Sep 4, 2020

    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.

    Read More »
  • Pope Francis gestures as he speaks during the weekly general audience at Vatican, February 26, 2020, photo by Remo Casilli/Reuters
    Artificial Intelligence

    commentary

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

    Patrick Roberts @RamblingRoberts

    Mar 31, 2020

    United Press International

    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.

    Read More »
  • People waiting to board a subway train, photo by william87/Getty Images
    Media Literacy

    commentary

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

    Tor Richardson-Golinski, Amelia Harshfield, Advait Deshpande

    Feb 7, 2020

    Open Access Government

    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.

    Read More »
  • Two digital faces facing each other, photo by wildpixel/Getty Images
    Information Operations

    commentary

    Artificial Intelligence and the Manufacturing of Reality

    Christopher Paul, Marek N. Posard @mnposard

    Jan 20, 2020

    Strategy Bridge

    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.

    Read More »
  • Cortney Weinbaum at the Roberta Wohlstetter Forum on National Security in Arlington, Virginia, October 24, 2018, photo by Grace Evans and Khorshied Samad/RAND Corporation
    Intelligence Analysis

    q&a

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

    Aug 23, 2019

    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.

    Read More »
  • Motion blur. Abstract technology and cyber space environment, photo by Quardia/Getty Images
    The Internet

    commentary

    Three 'New Rules' Worth Considering for the Internet

    Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein

    May 10, 2019

    TechCrunch

    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.

    Read More »
  • Young Asian woman looking at an eye scanner image, photo by Photographer is my life/Getty Images
    Bioethics

    commentary

    Biology, in the Language of the People

    Timothy Marler, Dona Odell

    Feb 21, 2019

    Annals of Biostatistics & Biometric Applications

    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.

    Read More »
  • Artificial eye looking through greenery
    Artificial Intelligence

    commentary

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

    Benjamin Boudreaux

    Jan 11, 2019

    RealClearDefense

    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.

    Read More »
  • Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing regarding the company's use and protection of user data on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 11, 2018
    Data Privacy

    commentary

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

    Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung

    Dec 28, 2018

    United Press International

    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?

    Read More »
  • A robot's hand selecting a candidate photograph
    Discriminatory Practices

    commentary

    Intentional Bias Is Another Way Artificial Intelligence Could Hurt Us

    Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung

    Oct 22, 2018

    Scientific American

    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.

    Read More »
  • Face detection and recognition
    Artificial Intelligence

    commentary

    Keeping Artificial Intelligence Accountable to Humans

    Osonde A. Osoba @OsondeOsoba

    Aug 20, 2018

    TechCrunch

    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.

    Read More »
  • Osonde Osoba in a RAND panel discussion in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, February 20, 2018
    Artificial Intelligence

    q&a

    The Human Side of Artificial Intelligence: Q&A with Osonde Osoba

    May 1, 2018

    Osonde Osoba has been exploring AI since age 15. He says it's less about the intelligence and more about being able to capture how humans think. He is developing AI to improve planning and is also studying fairness in algorithmic decisionmaking in insurance pricing and criminal justice.

    Read More »
  • AI robot pressing a nuclear launch button.
    Artificial Intelligence

    article

    How Artificial Intelligence Could Increase the Risk of Nuclear War

    Apr 23, 2018

    Advances in artificial intelligence have provoked a new kind of arms race among nuclear powers. AI could challenge the basic rules of nuclear deterrence and lead to catastrophic miscalculations.

    Read More »
  • William Welser IV, Rebecca Balebako, and Osonde Osoba in a RAND panel discussion in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, February 20, 2018
    Data Privacy

    blog

    'Alexa, What Do You Know About Me, and Who Are You Telling?'

    Mar 1, 2018

    RAND experts held a wide-ranging discussion about artificial intelligence and privacy. They raised questions about fairness and equity regarding privacy and data use, while also highlighting positive trends and developments across the evolving AI-privacy landscape.

    Read More »
  • Data sharing and privacy concept
    Integrated Care

    commentary

    Collaboration Is the Best Strategy to Combat Population Health Concerns

    Vivian L. Towe

    Dec 14, 2017

    The Hill

    The greatest opportunities to improve health happen pretty much everywhere but the doctor's office. Collaborative programming that merges strategies from housing, education, or labor could make a big difference.

    Read More »
  • Speech bubbles imposed over a world map
    Big Data

    essay

    Big Data, Big Questions

    Oct 16, 2017

    RAND-Lex is a computer program that can scan millions of lines of text and identify what people are talking about, how they fit into communities, and how they see the world. The program has shed light on how terrorists communicate, how the American public thinks about health, and more.

    Read More »
  • Scales of justice in front of computer monitors with code
    Sentencing

    commentary

    The Intersection of Algorithms and an Individual's Rights

    Dan Grunfeld

    Sep 29, 2017

    Daily Journal

    Data collection, and our reliance on it, have evolved extremely rapidly. The resulting algorithms have proved invaluable for organizing, evaluating and utilizing information. How do individuals' rights come in to play, when data about their lives is compiled to create algorithms, and the resulting tools are applied to judge them?

    Read More »
  • A man being interviewed by police in dark interrogation room
    Criminal Justice

    commentary

    What Data Is the Government Keeping About You?

    Dulani Woods, Brian A. Jackson

    Mar 1, 2017

    Inside Sources

    Governments are amassing a wealth of data on citizens, a trend that will continue as technology advances. But with no reliable way to ensure that the data is accurate, risks abound. In the criminal justice system, for example, poor quality data could affect individual freedoms and employability.

    Read More »
  • Man opening a black box with a light inside
    Data Analysis

    commentary

    No Company Should Be Able to Keep You from Checking Your Government's Math

    Brian A. Jackson

    Jan 18, 2017

    Inside Sources

    Data and computer models are becoming more and more important for making policy decisions on everything from prison sentences to tax bills. But citizens should be able to “check the math” on decisions that affect them.

    Read More »
  • Digital silhouettes of people
    Data Privacy

    commentary

    Rethinking Data Privacy

    Osonde A. Osoba @OsondeOsoba, John S. Davis II

    Oct 5, 2016

    Inside Sources

    Society benefits from the exchange of large-scale data in many ways. Anonymization is the usual mechanism for addressing the privacy of data subjects. Unfortunately, anonymization is broken.

    Read More »
  • Double decker bus going by Big Ben and Parliament in London, UK
    Transportation Planning

    commentary

    Looking Out the Window to Transport in 2035

    Charlene Rohr

    Jun 27, 2016

    The RAND Blog

    The UK's roads, railways, and airports are some of the most congested in the world. Exploring future transport scenarios and the technologies that will drive them can help guide today's policy and investment decisions.

    Read More »
  • Cloud computing and lightning
    The Internet

    commentary

    Strong Winds Ahead for Cloud Computing: Can Data Localization Threaten Future Growth?

    Marlon Graf, Jakub P. Hlavka, Bonnie L. Triezenberg

    Apr 29, 2016

    The RAND Blog

    A growing number of constraints have been imposed around the world on information in the cloud, fueling concerns that the Internet, the economic engine of the information age, may become hopelessly fragmented.

    Read More »
  • Satellite image of the United States at night
    Energy Consumption

    essay

    Power to the People: How Smart Grids Can Change the Way We Live

    Apr 27, 2015

    A modernized, 'smart' grid could change how much you pay for electricity, where it comes from, and how likely you are to lose it in a summer storm. But has the reality of the smart grid kept pace with the promise?

    Read More »

Quoted

  • Insulated from the partisan passions that sunder our politics and our society, a January 6 Commission created by Congress or the Biden administration could analyze whether this was an isolated uprising or the harbinger of more to come. It could make recommendations to prevent such attacks in the future in Washington or at statehouses throughout the country.

    brian michael jenkins, brian jenkins

    Brian Michael Jenkins

    Senior Adviser to the RAND President

    Source: Los Angeles Times

  • The disorganized public health response to the pandemic in the United States helped ensure that the nation led the world in infections nearly from the beginning of the pandemic and it has remained there since.

    Rafiq Dossani

    Rafiq Dossani

    Director, RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy

    Source: The RAND Blog

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