Raw lore is a set of beliefs that people take on to feel good about themselves that cannot be controlled by one entity, so it exists relatively unmanaged (or “raw”). We use it to navigate ambiguities and gaps in our knowledge about specific fields. Venkatesh Rao uses recycling as an example; we adopt recycling habits based on our beliefs about the effectiveness of recycling. For example, even if we’re clueless about the recycling process, we might still recycle because we feel guilty for contributing to landfill waste. Read full article here
Societal Issues
AI Predicts Crime A Week In Advance With 90 Per Cent Accuracy
An artificial intelligence model built by Ishanu Chattopadhyay and his colleagues analysed crime data in Chicago from 2014 to 2016 and managed to predict future levels of crime down to the nearest 300 metres, a week before they actually happened. While extremely useful, this artificial intelligence has been shown to expose racial prejudice in law enforcement. Hopefully, as the study’s data and methodology have been made available for others to evaluate, these prejudices can be avoided in the next iteration. Read full article here