{"id":2018976,"date":"2023-09-01T03:49:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T07:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-government-funded-human-ai-teaming-research-monitoring-social-media-messages-during-covid-lockdowns\/"},"modified":"2023-09-01T03:58:52","modified_gmt":"2023-09-01T07:58:52","slug":"u-s-government-funded-human-ai-teaming-research-monitoring-social-media-messages-during-covid-lockdowns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-government-funded-human-ai-teaming-research-monitoring-social-media-messages-during-covid-lockdowns\/","title":{"rendered":"US Govt Funds Research on Human-AI Teaming for Monitoring Social Media During Covid Lockdowns."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fu-s-government-funded-human-ai-teaming-research-monitoring-social-media-messages-during-covid-lockdowns%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2018976&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<h2>The National Science Foundation Funds \u2062Research on Human-AI Teaming for COVID-19 Response<\/h2>\n<p>The National Science Foundation\u2019s Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation awarded nearly $70,000 to three universities\u2062 in 2020 for a\u2062 collaborative research\u2062 grant titled \u201cHuman-AI Teaming for Big Data \u2063Analytics to Enhance Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to\u200b documents reviewed by The Federalist, the NSF allocated $24,498 to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/667715562\/NSF-Award-Search-Award-2029698-RAPID-Collaborative-Research-Human-AI-Teaming-for-Big-Data-Analytics-to-Enhance-Response-to-the-COVID-19-Pandemic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Brigham Young University<\/a>; $24,266 to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/668379075\/NSF-Award-Search-Award-2029719-RAPID-Collaborative-Research-Human-AI-Teaming-for-Big-Data-Analytics-to-Enhance-Response-to-the-COVID-19-Pandemic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">George\u200d Mason University<\/a>; and $20,262 to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/668378792\/NSF-Award-Search-Award-2029692-RAPID-Collaborative-Research-Human-AI-Teaming-for-Big-Data-Analytics-to-Enhance-Response-to-the-COVID-19-Pandemic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">University of Texas at Austin<\/a> for the \u2062project.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cSocial media data can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/four-ways-your-eyes-may-be-telling-you-your-brain-is-in-trouble\/\" title=\"Four Ways Your Eyes May Be Telling You Your Brain Is in Trouble\">provide important clues<\/a> \u2064and local knowledge that can help emergency \u200dmanagers and responders better comprehend and capture the evolving nature of many disasters,\u201d the \u2062project\u2019s abstract states. This funding enabled researchers to study how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-lawmaker-wants-to-ban-minors-from-social-media\/\" title=\"Texas Lawmaker Wants to Ban Minors From Social Media\">artificial intelligence algorithms<\/a> can \u200bhelp authorities track, and potentially act on, American\u2019s\u200c online speech.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>Advancing Human-Machine Learning<\/h3>\n<p>Intending to advance\u2062 the field of \u201chuman-machine\u200b learning\u201d by analyzing how human researchers and AI can collaborate \u2062to \u201ccomprehend social\u2064 media patterns during an evolving disaster,\u201d the project used \u201csocial \u200cmedia messages\u201d to develop algorithmic surveillance practices. The stated purpose of the research was to help \u2062first responders mitigate crises.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers claim their findings will \u201chelp emergency managers\u2063 better train their volunteers who comb\u2062 through social media using their understanding\u2064 of the local knowledge and built environment to help machines\u200b see new patterns in data.\u201d So, should the artificial intelligence in\u2064 question lack the \u2063ability to interpret regionally distinguishing terms (references to minor \u200blandmarks, colloquialisms, etc.), human researchers provide context to fill the gaps.<\/p>\n<p>Keri Stephens, a faculty member in\u2062 the Moody \u2062College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin and a principal investigator for the study, told The Federalist that researchers utilized \u201cpublically available data from Twitter\u201d using various keywords and the platform\u2019s built-in geofencing AI to \u2062focus \u2062on specific areas and communications. Researchers were especially interested in communications discussing \u201crisky\u201d or \u201cpreventative\u201d behaviors, she said. For instance, if a hospital\u200c was overflowing with \u2064Covid patients, a post made in the corresponding area encouraging people to stay away might be flagged \u2063and fed into the algorithm.<\/p>\n<h3>Potential Concerns and Misuse<\/h3>\n<p>Research focused on\u2062 \u201ccapturing ephemeral data from a variety of social media sources\u201d and, \u2063using \u201cdifferent sampling \u200balgorithms for active (machine) learning paradigms,\u201d explored \u201chow humans understand, \u2062process, \u200dand \u2062interpret social media\u2063 messages.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Machine learning refers to instances in which using humans for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/black-rifle-coffee-going-public-in-1-7-billion-deal\/\" title=\"Black Rifle Coffee Going Public In .7 Billion Deal\">complex problem-solving<\/a> and data interpretation is prohibited by expense, time, or capability. Therefore, predictive algorithms and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bruce-willis-denies-selling-rights-to-his-face-to-deepfake-company\/\" title=\"Bruce Willis Denies Selling Rights to His Face to Deepfake Company\">artificial neural networks<\/a> are used to\u200d fill in the gaps and \u200dsubsequently learn how to perform tasks autonomously.<\/p>\n<p>The project\u2019s outcomes report states that researchers \u201cextensively collaborated with the Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) led by Montgomery County \u200cCERT in the Washington D.C. Metro region for social media filtering to find relevant\u200b information for COVID-19 \u200dpandemic\u2064 response.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Taken at face value, one might not find reason\u2063 for concern with providing first responders more tools to respond to emergencies. Given the recent Hawaiian \u2063wildfires, this program\u200b makes a lot of sense. If roads are \u2063blocked by debris or communities are unable to escape,\u200c and people are live-tweeting their experience, having the ability to rapidly interpret and respond to their concerns would come in handy.<\/p>\n<p>In this regard, the \u201chuman-AI \u200bteaming\u201d could prove majorly useful.<\/p>\n<p>However, there is no \u2064guarantee this new method of surveillance will be used solely for the stated purpose of disaster mitigation.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/07\/06\/missouri-v-biden-proves-corporate-media-lied-about-big-techs-censorship-crusade-against-conservatives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Missouri v. \u200cBiden<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em>and the \u201cTwitter Files\u201d demonstrated that the federal government and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-government-funded-human-ai-teaming-research-monitoring-social-media-messages-during-covid-lockdowns\/\" title=\"US Govt Funds Research on Human-AI Teaming for Monitoring Social Media During Covid Lockdowns.\">social \u200bmedia companies \u200dfrequently work hand-<\/a>in-glove to monitor and suppress the speech of Americans.<\/p>\n<p>Twitter, for instance, used\u200d the Hamilton 68 digital dashboard to algorithmically monitor and blacklist accounts\u200b suspected of amplifying Russian \u201cdisinformation\u201d that was\u200b inconvenient for the Democrat establishment and failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.<\/p>\n<p><strong>[READ:[READ:<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/02\/03\/by-exposing-hamilton-68-the-twitter-files-proved-the-deep-state-is-a-weapon-aimed-directly-at-you\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>By Exposing Hamilton 68, \u2063The\u2064 \u2018Twitter Files\u2019 \u2063Proved The Deep State Is A Weapon Aimed \u200dDirectly At You<\/strong><\/a><strong>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Technology \u200cand practices supposedly created for the betterment of American \u200bsociety are often used as political cudgels to silence and disenfranchise the political outgroup \u2014 \u200btypically people who are conservative and religious. This synthesis of public \u2064and private power frequently has dire consequences for these communities.<\/p>\n<p>Santa \u200cClara County Public Health Department, for instance, wrongly attained\u200b geolocation data from the data brokerage SafeGraph to levy exuberant fines against Calvary Chapel Church for\u2063 defiance of Covid restrictions. If the\u2062 local government hadn\u2019t wrongly attained this data by violating the \u2062company\u2019s terms of service, \u2064the\u200d church would not face more than $1 million in fines.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"tibnaI6SBFwvdMH52Tu8jh0ZOC1pY3Lsoye\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Santa\u2064 Clara County public health\u2064 spied on Calvary Church using cell phone geolocation company SafeGraph data. <\/p>\n<p>The company just announced that this use of its data violated its terms \u200bof service. \u200d <\/p>\n<p>The church still faces\u200d $1.2 million in fines from\u2064 the county for \u200dworshipping. \u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3QVn9mPP7C\">pic.twitter.com\/3QVn9mPP7C<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 \u200bJay Bhattacharya \u2063(@DrJBhattacharya) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DrJBhattacharya\/status\/1695211686167548001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 25, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>During Covid, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-10779833\/CDC-used-location-data-millions-cell-phones-track-lockdown-compliance.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">purchased<\/a> similar geolocation data from SafeGraph\u200d to monitor millions of \u200dAmericans\u2019 travel patterns for compliance \u2063with lockdown protocols.<\/p>\n<p>The CDC \u201cplanned to use the data \u200cto analyze compliance with curfews\u201d and \u201ctrack patterns of people\u200b visiting K-12\u2063 schools,\u201d according to the Daily Mail.<\/p>\n<p>Given the federal government\u2019s persistent habit \u2062of working with Big Tech to\u200c censor and monitor\u200c American\u2019s online activity, it\u2019s likely any progress made \u2062in \u201chuman-AI teaming\u201d will be coopted to suppress information deemed inconvenient to permanent Washington.<\/p>\n<p><strong>[READ:[READ:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/07\/31\/facebook-files-2-0-reveal-white-house-pressured-facebook-to-censor-true-content\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u2018Facebook Files\u2019\u2063 2.0 Reveal White House\u200b Pressured Facebook\u2062 To Censor \u2018True\u2019 Content<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Brigham Young University and George Mason University did not return a\u200c request for comment by publication time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The National Science Foundation&#8217;s Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation granted around $70,000 to three universities in 2020. The research grant, called &#8220;Human-AI Teaming for Big Data Analytics to Enhance Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic,&#8221; received $24,498 for Brigham Young University and $24,266 for another university, according to The Federalist&#8217;s findings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1185,"featured_media":2018977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2018976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2018976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1185"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2018976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2018976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2018977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2018976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2018976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2018976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}