Is the Apple Watch the next iPhone?

After a huge fanfare it appears that Apple's much hyped Apple Watch has gone with the wind. Google, Garmin and many others have been quick to launch or relaunch their smart watches to the world.

"Our fans all aspire to having one"

Yet a recent visit to a city Apple store revealed an incredible interest in Apple Watch. "Our fans all aspire to having one" said one of the blue shirted Apple Geniuses. He's right the word "aspire" seems apt. Not everyone I spoke to could justify the cost of between $500 and $1500+, depending on their fashion sense and bank account.

Apple's Watch is an aspirational purchase - CCommons

With so many 'aspirations' Apple has planted a powerful seed in the mind of millions of people around the world. It would only take a killer app to turn those aspirations into purchases.

So all Apple has to do is wait for some of the multitude in the developer community to come up with the apps that will spark the imagination. There are many apps already here and many more coming through the pipelines every week. Some of the best are apps are really useful to have on your arm. We love some of the following:
London Bus and Tube tracker - Apps that estimate when your transport will arrive, brilliantly useful.
Runtastic - is one of many fitness trackers that are actually very useful when on your wrist.
AirBnB - has made a splash with their Apple Watch App, adding even more convenience to an incredible service.
Evernote - has a great app that adds your wrist to it's incredibly useful note taking cloud software.

The killer app has not yet come, it will. When it does Apple will reap huge rewards in the same way it is still for it's game changing iPhone.More glam info at Apple Watch web page

If you have an idea for a great Apple Watch app let us know, we may just be able to help you. Contact us for a confidential discussion.

Who’s to blame when artificial intelligence systems go wrong?

Republished via:

1. by Gary Lea
   Visiting Researcher in Artificial Intelligence Regulation at Australian National University
2. There has been much discussion of late of the ethics of artificial intelligence (AI), especially regarding robot weapons development and a related but more general discussion about AI as an existential threat to humanity.

   If Skynet of the Terminator movies is going to exterminate us, then it seems pretty tame – if not pointless – to start discussing regulation and liability. But, as legal philosopher John Donaher has pointed out, if these areas are promptly and thoughtfully addressed, that could help to reduce existential risk over the longer term.

   In relation to AI, regulation and liability are two sides of the same safety/public welfare coin. Regulation is about ensuring that AI systems are as safe as possible; liability is about establishing who we can blame – or, more accurately, get legal redress from – when something goes wrong.

   The finger of blame

   Taking liability first, let’s consider tort (civil wrong) liability. Imagine the following near-future scenario. A driverless tractor is instructed to drill seed in Farmer A’s field but actually does so in Farmer B’s field.

   Let’s assume that Farmer A gave proper instructions. Let’s also assume that there was nothing extra that Farmer A should have done, such as placing radio beacons at field boundaries. Now suppose Farmer B wants to sue for negligence (for ease and speed, we’ll ignore nuisance and trespass).

   Is Farmer A liable? Probably not. Is the tractor manufacturer liable? Possibly, but there would be complex arguments around duty and standard of care, such as what are the relevant industry standards, and are the manufacturer’s specifications appropriate in light of those standards? There would also be issues over whether the unwanted planting represented damage to property or pure economic loss.

   So far, we have implicitly assumed the tractor manufacturer developed the system software. But what if a third party developed the AI system? What if there was code from more than one developer?

   Over time, the further that AI systems move away from classical algorithms and coding, the more they will display behaviours that were not just unforeseen by their creators but were wholly unforeseeable. This is significant because foreseeability is a key ingredient for liability in negligence.

   To understand the foreseeability issue better, let’s take a scenario where, perhaps only a decade or two after the planting incident above, an advanced, fully autonomous AI-driven robot accidentally injures or kills a human and there have been no substantial changes to the law. In this scenario, the lack of foreseeability could result in nobody at all being liable in negligence.

   Blame the AI robot

   Why not deem the robot itself liable? After all, there has already been some discussion about AI personhood and possible criminal liability of AI systems.

   But would that approach actually make a difference here? As an old friend said to me recently:

   Will AI systems really be like Isaac Asimov’s Bicentennial Man – obedient to the law, with a moral conscience and a hefty bank balance?

   Leaving aside whether AI systems can be sued, AI manufacturers and developers will probably have to be put back into the frame. This might involve replacing negligence with strict liability – liability applied without any need to prove fault or negligence.

   Strict liability already exists for defective product claims in many places. Alternatively there could be a no fault liability scheme with a claims pool contributed to by the AI industry.

   Rules and regulations

   On the regulatory side, development of rigorous safety standards and establishing safety certification processes will be absolutely essential. But designing and operating a suitable framework of institutions and processes will be tricky.

   AI expert input will be needed in establishing any framework because of the complexity of the area and the general lack of understanding outside the AI R&D community. This also means that advisory committees to legislatures and governments should be established as soon as possible.

   Acknowledging that there are potentially massive benefits to AI, there will be an ongoing balancing act to create, update and enforce standards and processes that maximise public welfare and safety without stifling innovation or creating unnecessary compliance burdens.

   Any framework developed will also have to be flexible enough to take account of both local considerations (the extent of own production versus import of AI technology in each country) and global considerations (possible mutual recognition of safety standards and certification between countries, the need to comply with any future international treaties or conventions etc).

   So as we travel down the AI R&D path, we really need to start shaping the rules surrounding AI, perhaps before it’s too late.

   We’ve already started discussions around driverless cars – see here and here – but there’s so much more to deal with when it comes to AI.

   What do we do next? Over to you.
3. 
   
4.  Republished under Creative Commons — Attribution/No derivatives licence.

Google Maps via MyBusiness

At our recent business event held in Gosford we heard direct from Google executives the importance they place on businesses and organisations registering for Google Maps and by extension mobile access. They advocated the streamlined process called MyBusiness.

The revised process via the MyBusiness registration is incredibly simple. The new MyBusiness process overrides the previous registration that many found complicated and difficult to understand.

Register here

A quick series of questions and a thorough validation process that involves an automated phone call or a postcard sent to your business address will have your business secured.

The result will be a listing similar to that showed above. The most important point is the listing on Google Maps (seen on the right),  opening hours of your business and a click through phone number.
These importance of these listings can not be over estimated. With so many people using Google maps and mobile search features you really need to be there. Don't hesitate, get onboard here: Google.com.au/Mybusiness

Dave Abrahams of OI & Duncan McGrath of Google Aust

Contact Organise Internet for details on how to make the most of this registration process. 

Google comes to Gosford

We're very pleased to announce that we're bringing Google Australia to Gosford on June 22, in what we think will be a wonderful eye opener for all people involved in business on the Central Coast.

Gosford, Monday, June 22, 9am – 12pm, Central Coast Leagues Club

Topics covered: Adwords, YouTube, MyBusiness, Maps, Mobile, Analytics, Google Trusted Store & future developments.

Expert focus: How to brand, profile, sell, profit and grow via search, mobile, desk top, third party assets. SEOvSEM. 

Assisted account setup: Bring your laptop, tablet and enact registrations, advertising credits and business validations on the day.

Businesses on the Central Coast.  Secure your place. Unique event with guest speakers from Google Australia.

Hosted by: OI Organise Internet a certified Google Partner. Guest speakers are from Google Australia. Event partners; Central Coast Business Review, Central Coast Leagues Club.

Event information and registrations here: