AR Apps Predicted to Hit 2bn Downloads - Weekly Mash-Up 158

After 500 Million Pokemon Go Downloads, AR Apps Projected to 2 Billion App Downloads
MediaPost

Thanks to the Pokemon GO craze, the AR market is now projected to grow to more than 2 billion app downloads in the next five years. Research has indicated that although consumer-facing AR apps like Pokémon Go have high levels of awareness, the revenue driven by enterprise AR is higher and will lead the market in the next five years. Increasing efficiency for users and lowering costs will be the primary driver of AR adoption in enterprise, rather than generating revenue. Read more

Should we protect artificial intelligence from sexual harassment?
New Statesmen

Ilya Eckstein, CEO of Robin Labs, claims 5 percent of interactions in their database are sexually explicit, and that “some people try very hard to establish a relationship with the bot.” Although some operating systems are programmed to fend off sexual harassment, some like, Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant, which is voiced by a woman, don’t currently seem to fend for themselves, so should we be fighting for them? Read more

Computer Vision Leader Fei-Fei Li on Why AI Needs Diversity
Spectrum

The lack of diversity in AI is representative of the state of computer science and the tech industry in general. Women and ethnic minorities such as African-Americans and Latinos are largely underrepresented in the industry. There are three reasons why we should think deeply about increasing diversity in AI: practical economics, innovation and creativity and justice and fairness. Read more

How Virtual Reality Can Help Us Feel the Pain of Climate Change
Smithsonian

Researchers at Stanford University are educating the general public about one of the major consequences of climate change on the ocean bed: ocean acidification. Users are immersed in an underwater experience, where they take on the perspective of a coral, one whose branches break off with an audible crack. VR is multifaceted - offering the public an innovative way of learning about climate change. Read more