Techno-News Blog. The result is a program that is not just superhuman, but crushingly so. Skill at Go (and chess, and many other games) can be quantified with something called an Elo rating, which gives the probability, based on past performance, that one player will beat another. After 40 days of training AlphaGo Zero had an Elo rating of more than 5,000—putting it as far ahead of Mr Ke as Mr Ke is of a keen amateur, and suggesting that it is, in practice, impossible for Mr Ke, or any other human being, ever to defeat it. More...

Techno-News Blog. Given the uncertainties around Brexit, and idiosyncratic US leadership, it is brave to envisage what the sector will look like in five years’ time. However, of the 120 mainstream universities in the UK, we expect more than half to have committed strategically to online learning. Institutions will deliver a wide range of purely online and blended degrees, short courses, and other accredited activities to a broad range of domestic and global students. More...

Techno-News Blog. Google’s machine learning artificial intelligence software has learned to replicate itself for the first time. The firm first revealed its AutoML project in May – an AI designed to help the firm create other AIs. Now, AutoML has outdone human engineers by building machine-learning software that’s more efficient and powerful than the top human-designed systems. More...

Techno-News Blog. These days, it can seem more difficult than ever before to keep kids excited about learning. With tablets, online games and text messages, students seem so easily distracted. But the good news is that this technology does not have to be the bane of your existence. More...

Techno-News Blog. Barclays Africa is beginning to use AI and machine learning to both detect cybersecurity threats and respond to them. More...

Techno-News Blog. The very first Coursera course was on machine-learning (ML)… it was six years ago. I helped a lot of people get into ML, more than 1.8 million enrolments over the last six years. I hope we can now bring an equally large number of people into deep-learning. More...

Techno-News Blog. I think the culture is really innovative here. I think there’s a reputation that we got where we are now by being more willing to change and more forward looking in our outlook relative to our peer institutions. There’s a certain nimbleness and creativity and willingness to experiment in the culture here that is distinctive. More...

Techno-News Blog. While both Bitcoin and Ethereum are public blockchain networks, Bitcoin only offers one use of the blockchain technology: a digital monetary system that can be used for online Bitcoin payments. The Ethereum blockchain, on the other hand, uses a more advanced scripting language that allows it to run the programming code of virtually any decentralized app, from title registries to electronic voting systems. More...

Techno-News Blog. As students spend more time on digital devices in school, data security becomes increasingly important. Baltimore County has become a leader in student data privacy and security, and is one of only 13 districts in the nation to earn a Trusted Learning Environment seal from CoSN, the membership group representing the nation’s K-12 school technology leaders. More...

Techno-News Blog. Edtech users seem to have a love-hate relationship with the edtech industry. They love what edtech can do but hate that the industry has not lived up to expectations as quickly as had been hoped. There are many reasons for this. More...