[kictanet] kictanet Digest, Vol 108, Issue 27

powell omondi powelyomondy at gmail.com
Thu May 12 18:53:55 EAT 2016 

well in this particular case it is the algorithm that was set by Facebook,
but for the Microsoft bot Tay was as a result of the machine learning, it
was learning and developing as it interacted with other users on twitter.(
Cognitive thinking)

KIND REGARDS,
FELIX POWEL OMONDI
*+254718048029*

*powelyomondy at gmail.com <powelyomondy at gmail.com>*

*“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is
now.” *


On Thu, May 12, 2016 at 6:48 PM, <kictanet-request at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
wrote:

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> Today's Topics:
>
>    1. Re: Is Facebook biased on its newsfeed? (Ahmed Mohamed Maawy)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 12 May 2016 18:47:58 +0300
> From: Ahmed Mohamed Maawy <ultimateprogramer at gmail.com>
> To: Ali Hussein <ali at hussein.me.ke>
> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Is Facebook biased on its newsfeed?
> Message-ID:
>         <CAPZHszMdOd8VcahQ0Njd6bKs3QNjt=
> XQpd7AMNb9m66S2UDM2g at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> I may be wrong anyway Ali. But maybe its the way I see these 2 disciplines.
>
> But I think Algorithms are more of computations and logic operations.
> Machine Learning gives these Algorithms the decision making capabilities
> and comprise of a set of algorithms + historic data with the capability to
> make predicitions.
>
> On Thu, May 12, 2016 at 6:44 PM, Ali Hussein <ali at hussein.me.ke> wrote:
>
> > Ahmed
> >
> > I stand educated. :-)
> >
> > Thank you.
> >
> > Ali Hussein
> > Tel: +254 713 601113
> > On May 12, 2016 6:42 PM, "Ahmed Mohamed Maawy" <
> > ultimateprogramer at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Ali, This is what I mean:
> >>
> >> Algorithms: a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or
> >> other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer.
> >>
> >> Machine Learning: Machine learning is a subfield of computer science
> that
> >> evolved from the study of pattern recognition and computational learning
> >> theory in artificial intelligence. In 1959, Arthur Samuel defined
> machine
> >> learning as a "Field of study that gives computers the ability to learn
> >> without being explicitly programmed"
> >>
> >> On Thu, May 12, 2016 at 6:36 PM, Ali Hussein <ali at hussein.me.ke> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Ahmed
> >>>
> >>> Machine learning doesn't happen in a vacuum...
> >>>
> >>> *Ali Hussein*
> >>> *Principal*
> >>> *Hussein & Associates*
> >>> +254 0713 601113 / 0770906375
> >>>
> >>> Twitter: @AliHKassim
> >>>
> >>> Skype: abu-jomo
> >>>
> >>> LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> "Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking
> >>> what no one else has thought".  ~ Albert Szent-Gy?rgyi
> >>>
> >>> Sent from my iPad
> >>>
> >>> On 12 May 2016, at 6:10 PM, Ahmed Mohamed Maawy <
> >>> ultimateprogramer at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> I think there is a need to differential Machine Learning and Algorithms
> >>> fellows. Machine Learning is where the problem is :)
> >>>
> >>> On Thu, May 12, 2016 at 5:55 PM, Ahmed Mohamed Maawy <
> >>> ultimateprogramer at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> Its not the algorithms Ali, its the Machine Learning process :)
> >>>>
> >>>> On Thu, May 12, 2016 at 5:42 PM, Ali Hussein <ali at hussein.me.ke>
> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>>> Ahmed
> >>>>>
> >>>>> You obviously missed the story of the Microsoft algorithm that was
> >>>>> taught to behave like a racist.   :-)
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> http://www.theverge.com/2016/3/24/11297050/tay-microsoft-chatbot-racist
> >>>>>
> >>>>> My point is that we do seem to forget that all these algorithms are
> >>>>> created by humans who have biases.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Google is in trouble for deliberately skewing their algorithms to
> >>>>> benefit their own products. Not sure this is wrong but the European
> >>>>> regulators seem to think so to the extent of threatening them with a
> 10% of
> >>>>> revenue fine..
> >>>>>
> >>>>> With great power comes great responsibility - so goes the adage..
> >>>>>
> >>>>> *Ali Hussein*
> >>>>> *Principal*
> >>>>> *Hussein & Associates*
> >>>>> +254 0713 601113 / 0770906375
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Twitter: @AliHKassim
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Skype: abu-jomo
> >>>>>
> >>>>> LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> "Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and
> thinking
> >>>>> what no one else has thought".  ~ Albert Szent-Gy?rgyi
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Sent from my iPad
> >>>>>
> >>>>> On 12 May 2016, at 5:20 PM, Ahmed Mohamed Maawy <
> >>>>> ultimateprogramer at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>> There are a number of elements at play here:
> >>>>>
> >>>>>    1. Obviously to a great degree this algorithm has massively helped
> >>>>>    Facebook. Not that I am totally on their side, what I mean to say
> is that
> >>>>>    lets give credit where its due. Without this algorithm we would
> have seen
> >>>>>    massive fallout and loss of klout. This is something Twitter did
> not figure
> >>>>>    out so well. LinkedIn is still the place professionals like to
> hang out,
> >>>>>    but its not the place professionals like to stay. Just stating
> how it came
> >>>>>    to be that Facebook is air and air is life (so to speak).
> >>>>>    2. If truly there is a bias to all this (which I am yes, yet to
> >>>>>    comprehend how this bias is visible) it can mean 2 things:
> >>>>>       1. Either content producers are not building influence better
> >>>>>       than those who rank at the top. Or
> >>>>>       2. If not, there is a genuine market opportunity in this gap.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> But algorithms are algorithms, and my experience developing
> algorithms
> >>>>> tells me computer algorithms can not easily be twisted to lie,
> especially
> >>>>> in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> But these are all books on their own anyway.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Just my 2 cents.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> On Thu, May 12, 2016 at 4:52 PM, Ali Hussein via kictanet <
> >>>>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>>> Listers
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> This mail is coped from the Fortune.com <http://fortune.com> Data
> >>>>>> Sheet.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> The ?Trending? topics section of Facebook seems such a trivial
> thing,
> >>>>>> and in many ways it is. It looks and feels like an
> afterthought?ironically,
> >>>>>> it started as an attempt to copy Twitter
> >>>>>> <
> http://link.fortune.com/click/6706588.20757/aHR0cDovL3RlY2hjcnVuY2guY29tLzIwMTQvMDEvMTYvZmFjZWJvb2stdHJlbmRpbmcv/55ba80258cc2b2e72d8b457aBf20eece1
> >?and
> >>>>>> many users probably don?t even notice it?s there. But now, it has
> triggered
> >>>>>> a national discussion around bias and the power of social platforms.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> In case you missed the brouhaha, it started with a report from
> >>>>>> Gizmodo that profiled
> >>>>>> <
> http://link.fortune.com/click/6706588.20757/aHR0cDovL2dpem1vZG8uY29tL3dhbnQtdG8ta25vdy13aGF0LWZhY2Vib29rLXJlYWxseS10aGlua3Mtb2Ytam91cm5hbGlzdHMtMTc3MzkxNjExNw/55ba80258cc2b2e72d8b457aB4ee70a20
> >a
> >>>>>> team of anonymous journalists working at Facebook who curate the
> news that
> >>>>>> shows up in the Trending section. A subsequent report quoted one of
> the
> >>>>>> journalists as saying the team routinely removed certain
> >>>>>> <
> http://link.fortune.com/click/6706588.20757/aHR0cDovL2dpem1vZG8uY29tL2Zvcm1lci1mYWNlYm9vay13b3JrZXJzLXdlLXJvdXRpbmVseS1zdXBwcmVzc2VkLWNvbnNlci0xNzc1NDYxMDA2/55ba80258cc2b2e72d8b457aBf141c2b3>
> right-wing
> >>>>>> political sites from the section, even when the social network?s
> data
> >>>>>> showed they were trending.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> The revelation seemed harmless enough, at first: Journalists hired
> to
> >>>>>> edit things were actually editing them! But the comment soon
> snowballed
> >>>>>> into a debate over Facebook?s role in news consumption, and whether
> its
> >>>>>> sheer size and influence brings with it some level of
> responsibility.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Facebook responded to the story
> >>>>>> <
> http://link.fortune.com/click/6706588.20757/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZmFjZWJvb2suY29tL3RzdG9ja3kvcG9zdHMvMTAxMDA4NTMwODIzMzc5NTg/55ba80258cc2b2e72d8b457aBf49ae890>
> by
> >>>>>> saying that its policy is to remain as neutral as possible
> editorially, and
> >>>>>> that it will look into reports of misbehavior. Then it issued a
> second,
> >>>>>> even more heartfelt response, after the Senate Commerce Committee
> sent
> >>>>>> a letter
> >>>>>> <
> http://link.fortune.com/click/6706588.20757/aHR0cDovL2dpem1vZG8uY29tL3NlbmF0ZS1nb3AtbGF1bmNoZXMtaW5xdWlyeS1pbnRvLWZhY2Vib29rLXMtbmV3cy1jdXJhdGktMTc3NTc2NzAxOA/55ba80258cc2b2e72d8b457aB1d911177>
> asking
> >>>>>> the company to answer some questions around political influence and
> the
> >>>>>> Trending section.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> The real issue, of course, isn?t the tiny section of the Facebook
> >>>>>> home page that follows trending topics. It?s the fact that the kind
> of
> >>>>>> editorial selection those journalists engaged in is happening every
> minute
> >>>>>> of every day on the main news feed, courtesy of the Facebook ranking
> >>>>>> algorithm. And that algorithm, since it is programmed by human
> beings,
> >>>>>> inevitably contains biases of all kinds.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> The bottom line is that Facebook is more than just a social network
> >>>>>> where people exchange photos of their pets?it is the largest and
> >>>>>> most influential
> >>>>>> <
> http://link.fortune.com/click/6706588.20757/aHR0cDovL3d3dy52b3guY29tLzIwMTYvNS8xMC8xMTY0MDE0MC9mYWNlYm9vay1tZWRpYS1pbmZsdWVuY2U/55ba80258cc2b2e72d8b457aBca65e309>
> media
> >>>>>> entity the world has ever seen. The sooner Facebook acknowledges
> that, and
> >>>>>> becomes part of the discussion around how it can manage its social
> >>>>>> responsibilities, the better off we will all be.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> *Ali Hussein*
> >>>>>> *Principal*
> >>>>>> *Hussein & Associates*
> >>>>>> +254 0713 601113 / 0770906375
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Twitter: @AliHKassim
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Skype: abu-jomo
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> "Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and
> >>>>>> thinking what no one else has thought".  ~ Albert Szent-Gy?rgyi
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Sent from my iPad
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> _______________________________________________
> >>>>>> kictanet mailing list
> >>>>>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
> >>>>>> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Unsubscribe or change your options at
> >>>>>>
> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/ultimateprogramer%40gmail.com
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder
> >>>>>> platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT
> policy
> >>>>>> and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in
> the ICT
> >>>>>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and
> development.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable
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> respect
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> >>>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> --
> >>>>> *Ahmed Maawy*
> >>>>> Executive Director - SwahiliBox / M-Power (CBO)
> >>>>> Ambassador - Open Knowledge
> >>>>> Director - Startup Grind Mombasa
> >>>>> Software Developer - AJ+ / EveryLayer
> >>>>> (KE) +254 714 960 627
> >>>>> Skype: ultimateprogramer
> >>>>>
> >>>>> swahilibox.co.ke
> >>>>> www.okfn.org <http://okfn.org/>
> >>>>> startupgrind.com
> >>>>> ajplus.net
> >>>>> www.everylayer.com
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> --
> >>>> *Ahmed Maawy*
> >>>> Executive Director - SwahiliBox / M-Power (CBO)
> >>>> Ambassador - Open Knowledge
> >>>> Director - Startup Grind Mombasa
> >>>> Software Developer - AJ+ / EveryLayer
> >>>> (KE) +254 714 960 627
> >>>> Skype: ultimateprogramer
> >>>>
> >>>> swahilibox.co.ke
> >>>> www.okfn.org <http://okfn.org/>
> >>>> startupgrind.com
> >>>> ajplus.net
> >>>> www.everylayer.com
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> *Ahmed Maawy*
> >>> Executive Director - SwahiliBox / M-Power (CBO)
> >>> Ambassador - Open Knowledge
> >>> Director - Startup Grind Mombasa
> >>> Software Developer - AJ+ / EveryLayer
> >>> (KE) +254 714 960 627
> >>> Skype: ultimateprogramer
> >>>
> >>> swahilibox.co.ke
> >>> www.okfn.org <http://okfn.org/>
> >>> startupgrind.com
> >>> ajplus.net
> >>> www.everylayer.com
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> *Ahmed Maawy*
> >> Executive Director - SwahiliBox / M-Power (CBO)
> >> Ambassador - Open Knowledge
> >> Director - Startup Grind Mombasa
> >> Software Developer - AJ+ / EveryLayer
> >> (KE) +254 714 960 627
> >> Skype: ultimateprogramer
> >>
> >> swahilibox.co.ke
> >> www.okfn.org <http://okfn.org/>
> >> startupgrind.com
> >> ajplus.net
> >> www.everylayer.com
> >>
> >
>
>
> --
> *Ahmed Maawy*
> Executive Director - SwahiliBox / M-Power (CBO)
> Ambassador - Open Knowledge
> Director - Startup Grind Mombasa
> Software Developer - AJ+ / EveryLayer
> (KE) +254 714 960 627
> Skype: ultimateprogramer
>
> swahilibox.co.ke
> www.okfn.org <http://okfn.org/>
> startupgrind.com
> ajplus.net
> www.everylayer.com
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