Episode 28: Collect Carefully – Show Notes The era of Big Data has meant the ability gathering and processing of vast stores of information about almost anything. It enables data scientists to bring enormous swaths of data to bear on a given problem. Further, it expands the ability to collect data from research techniques that […]
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Episode 27: Predicting Mortality – Show Notes Death comes for us all. Even for kings he comes. Robert Bolt Researchers in the UK have been able to vastly improve the capabilities to predict an early death for middle-aged patients. New algorithms were developed to be 76% accurate, even finding different indicators that were more predictive. […]
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Episode 26 – Citizenship, Privacy, and the 2020 Census Show Notes The US Census happens every ten years and provides the basis for democratic representation, federal fund distribution, and swaths of research. But this time, the census is poised to potentially degrade its own results. The proposed inclusion of a single question around citizenship on […]
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Episode 25 – US GDPR Show Notes Data scientists in many industries rely on personal data to develop models and make decisions. They can gather data from third parties, the internet, internal sources, and more to amass a stockpile of information on which to base algorithms. That could change if the government implements a US […]
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Episode 24: Preventing Fake News – Show Notes Researchers at OpenAI have made amazing breakthroughs in natural language processing in the creation and interpretation of content. So amazing, in fact, that they have elected to withhold the full version from release so that it does not fall into malicious hands. They stated preventing fake news […]
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Episode 23: Concerns About AI – Show Notes Horror stories of AI gone mad are everywhere in science fiction – but are they likely to become reality? Many Americans now believe so. Based on a recent Vox article covering a study from the University of Oxford, we discuss the top concerns about AI on the […]
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Episode 22: Protect Privacy – Show Notes IT are not the only ones responsible to protect privacy of data. Data scientists share this burden as they search for, collect, store, utilize, and share vast amounts of information. In this episode, we explore what data scientists and non-practitioners should do to help protect privacy. Additional Links […]
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Episode 21: Differential Pricing in Opaque Markets – Show Notes Why do some people pay $120 and others pay $650 for a seat on the same airplane? Or the same car insurance policy? Differential pricing is everywhere but it is especially prevalent in opaque, algorithm-driven markets. Is it fair to charge differently for different people? […]
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Episode 20: Price Discrimination in Retail – Show Notes Price discrimination is when companies show different prices to different customers based on what each customer is willing to pay. For many retailers, that means gathering data and creating algorithms that predict what a customer will spend on each item. Is it fair to force customers […]
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Episode 19: Proxy Variables – Show Notes This quick, informational segment introduces the concept of proxy variables. In short, proxy variables are data elements used in place of something that may be more pertinent but also more difficult to measure. It also touches on confounding and lurking variables – in case you wanted a dose […]
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