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Here are the three types of problems edge computing solutions are helping to combat across industries

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This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here.

Edge computing solutions are key tools that help companies grapple with rising data volumes across industries. These types of solutions are critical in allowing companies to gain more control over the data their IoT devices create and in reducing their reliance on (and the costs of) cloud computing.

edge popularity

These systems are becoming more sought-after — 40% of companies that provide IoT solutions reported that edge computing came up more in discussion with customers in 2017 than the year before, according to Business Insider Intelligence’s 2017 Global IoT Executive Survey. But companies need to know whether they should look into edge computing solutions, and what in particular they can hope to gain from shifting data processing and analysis from the cloud to the edge.

There are three particular types of problems that edge computing solutions are helping to combat across industries:

  • Security issues. Edge computing can limit the exposure of critical data by minimizing how often it’s transmitted. Further, they pre-process data, so there’s less data to secure overall.
  • Access issues. These systems help to provide live insights regardless of whether there’s a network connection available, greatly expanding where companies and organizations can use connected devices and the data they generate.
  • Transmission efficiency. Edge computing solutions process data where it’s created so less needs to be sent to the cloud, leading to lower cloud storage requirements and reduced transmission cost.

In this report, Business Insider Intelligence examines how edge computing is reducing companies' reliance on cloud computing in three key industries: healthcare, telecommunications, and the automotive space. We explore how these systems mitigate issues in each sector by helping to efficiently process growing troves of data, expanding the potential realms of IoT solutions a company can offer, and bringing enhanced computing capability to remote and mobile platforms.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

  • In healthcare, companies and organizations are using edge computing to improve telemedicine and remote monitoring capabilities.
  • For telecommunications companies, edge computing is helping to reduce network congestion and enabling a shift toward the IoT platform market.
  • And in the automotive space, edge computing systems are enabling companies to increase the capabilities of connected cars and trucks and approach autonomy.

In full, the report:

  • Explores the key advantages edge computing solutions can provide.
  • Highlights the circumstances when companies should look into edge systems.
  • Identifies key vendors and partners in specific industries while showcasing case studies of successful edge computing programs.

    Subscribe to a Premium pass to Business Insider Intelligence and gain immediate access to:

    This report and more than 250 other expertly researched reports
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    Forecasts of new and emerging technologies in your industry
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New York's new $4 billion bridge is reportedly plagued by dozens of failing bolts and a simmering cover-up scandal

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Andrew Cuomo Tappan Zee Bridge

  • A whistleblower says engineers have secretly replaced bolts on New York's new Mario Cuomo bridge to hide the faults from inspectors, NBC4NY reported Wednesday. 
  • The state's attorney general is investing the 60 failed bolts (out of more than a million on the entire bridge.)
  • The Mario Cuomo Bridge, which cost $3.98 billion, has been mired in controversy ever since it opened last year. 

A small team of engineers worked under the cover of darkness to replace failing bolts on one of New York’s newest bridges, NBC4NY reported Wednesday.

Sixty bolts out of more than a million total are known to have failed on the newly opened Mario Cuomo Bridge, located on the Hudson River about 25 miles north of New York City.

An NBC4NY investigation revealed that more failed bolts may have been secretly repaired.

According to a safety inspector turned whistleblower, a handful of workers were covertly replacing broken bolts under the cover of darkness before safety inspections could take place, NBC4NY reported. 

The New York attorney general’s office has been investigating the faulty bolts. The construction company that built the bridge says it’s cooperating and that its work is completely safe. One engineering expert told NBC there’s likely no chance of collapse — just inflated maintenance costs throughout the bridge’s lifespan.

Mario Cuomo BridgeIn a statement to the New York Times, Tappan Zee Constructors said: "all bolt testing performed by multiple parties indicates there is not an issue with the bolts."

"TZC has not been provided with, nor is it aware of, any information that is contrary to these bolt testing results," it continued. “TZC has demonstrated a constant willingness to address any additional issues and will continue to do so."

The issue could end up being similar to one which plagued the Bay Bridge across the San Francisco Bay, costing an additional $4.3 million to replace faulty anchors. The builder, in that case, avoided any legal punishment for the problems.

The Mario Cuomo Bridge, which replaced the 50-year-old Tappan Zee Bridge, has been mired in controversy ever since the idea was conceived. Critics were quick to attack Governor Andrew Cuomo for re-naming the new crossing after his father and former governor. Others said the opening of the $3.98 billion bridge was intentionally sped up to happen before the primary race in which Cuomo defeated challenger Cynthia Nixon.

Read more: Virgin Hyperloop One's new CEO has run subway systems and bike-sharing companies around the world — now he’s focused on making Elon Musk's dream a reality.

In 2016, a crane collapsed while contracting the new spans, injuring three motorists and adding headaches to 

"Ninety-percent of the time these things are tracked down and found not to be the big problem someone thought in the beginning," the MIT engineer told NBC4NY. "Ten percent of the time it might end up being a big problem and then it really gets into who is the one who didn’t pay attention to what was going on."

A thruway spokesperson told the New York Times that "the bridge is completely safe for the traveling public."

SEE ALSO: At least three people are injured after a crane collapsed on New York's Tappan Zee bridge

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NOW WATCH: This Rolls-Royce feature might be the world's fanciest way to tailgate

The race to win the US smart speaker market is heating up, and Amazon's dominance is under threat

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Screen Shot 2018 12 20 at 11.16.58 AM

  • According to eMarketer’s latest forecast, Amazon's Echo will drop below two-thirds of U.S. smart speaker users for the first time next year.
  • New competitors, like Apple's HomePod and Facebook's Portal, are entering the U.S. market this holiday season, which could also begin eating at Amazon's lead.

The race to win the U.S. smart speaker market is heating up as Google and Apple begin to close in, very slowly, on Amazon's dominance.

Why it matters: Tech companies can expand their data-based ads and commerce businesses dramatically through smart speaker usage. There are also billions of dollars at stake in smart speaker hardware sales.

By the numbers: According to eMarketer’s latest forecast, Amazon's Echo will drop below two-thirds of U.S. smart speaker users for the first time next year.

  • While Echo will still capture 63.3% of smart speaker users, it's beginning to face more competition from Google Home, which will account for 31.0% of smart speaker users in 2019, as well as smaller players, like Sonos One and Apple HomePod. (Percentages add up to more than 100 because some consumers own more than one company's device.)
  • Amazon’s share will continue to shrink through 2020, while those of its rivals will grow, eMarketer predicts.

Be smart: New competitors, like Apple's HomePod and Facebook's Portal, are entering the U.S. market this holiday season, which could also begin eating at Amazon's lead.

  • Amazon's voice technology is getting clobbered outside the U.S., as Google and Chinese companies look to expand their voice footprints internationally.
  • eMarketer notes that Amazon has managed to maintain its lead up to this point by brokering partnerships in which its voice assistant could be used on other premium speakers, like Sonos. But now other companies, like Google, are doing the same.
  • Amazon also faced a privacy storm this year after its voice assistant technology, Alexa, accidentally sent out a recording of a couple's conversation.

The big picture: The U.S. is an important market for speaker makers to own because it has the largest smart speaker market in the world (representing 46% share of the global market), and it's still growing.

  • Roughly 20% of U.S. adults today use smart speakers, per eMarketer. That number is expected to grow to one quarter (26.8%) of the U.S. adult population by the end of next year.
  • As a result, smart speaker hardware sales in the U.S. are expected to rise from roughly $2.0 billion in 2017 to $3.2 billion this year, up 64%.
  • And while revenue from ecommerce sales on smart speakers is still relatively small, at roughly $2 billion in the U.S. this year, that number is expected to balloon to up to $40 billion by 2022, as retailers get better at marketing their products for smart speakers.

The bigger picture: Americans are using smart speakers for more functions and owners are starting to put speakers in multiple rooms within houses, which is driving growth.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: We tested out $30 tiny spy cameras from Amazon by spying on our co-workers

This 650-pound pig who survived cancer has been named the most influential animal on social media

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Esther the Pig

  • PETA just named Esther the Wonder Pig, a 650-pound hog, the most influential animal on social media. 
  • Esther is known for her large social media following and The New York Times bestselling-book based on her life. 
  • She also survived cancer this year.

Esther, a 650-pound pig, has a lot to celebrate. After becoming a media sensation, starring in a New York Times bestseller, and surviving cancer, Esther the Wonder Pig has now been crowned the most influential animal on social media. 

She earned the title at PETA's 13th annual Libby Awards, which honors companies, brands, and celebrities who are committed to the welfare and liberation of animals. 

When Esther's dads, Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter, first adopted Esther in 2012, she was a 4-pounds micro-pig.

It’s always a good day for a pool day.

A post shared by Esther The Wonder Pig (@estherthewonderpig) on Jul 9, 2018 at 12:43pm PDT on

Six years later, Esther is anything but micro, weighing in at 650 pounds. Jenkins and Walter welcomed her into their family and now all cohabitate in their home in Ontario, Canada. 

In 2016, Esther became the subject of a New York Times bestselling-book, "Esther the Wonder Pig: Changing the World One Heart at a Time," written by her dads about their experience living with a large hog and opening a farm animal sanctuary. 

Things can get pretty crazy around here on a Friday night.

A post shared by Esther The Wonder Pig (@estherthewonderpig) on Nov 16, 2018 at 5:14pm PST on

Esther also has a children's book called "Esther the Wonder Pig."

Read more:This man quit his corporate job to travel around Australia with his cat, and their bond is inspiring thousands

Since then she has become a star. Esther has garnered over 400,000 followers on Instagram and over a million likes on her Facebook page. 

Good morning, beautiful.

A post shared by Esther The Wonder Pig (@estherthewonderpig) on Nov 27, 2018 at 5:35am PST on

All of her accounts, which are run by Jenkins and Walter, promote animal welfare and a vegan lifestyle. According to PETA, Esther inspired many fans to stop eating meat, including her dads. 

Some of her most 'liked' photos on Instagram are the ones of her all dressed up.

I found a smashing new dress at the outlet mall today. I'm pretty sure it's last season, but I don't think anybody's gonna notice.

A post shared by Esther The Wonder Pig (@estherthewonderpig) on Sep 7, 2018 at 2:46pm PDT on

Despite her fame, she's like any pig who loves to roll around in the mud.

I busted out of my backyard to go ice mudding, and immediately regretted it.

A post shared by Esther The Wonder Pig (@estherthewonderpig) on Dec 2, 2018 at 10:23am PST on

"Animals don’t judge, they just want to be your friend," one post on Instagram reads. "Humans should be more like animals."

It's not all fun and games, though. Earlier this year, Esther entered a difficult phase of her life when she was diagnosed with cancer. 

The bravest, and most beautiful piggy ever is riding out recovery like a champ. Not even a three hour surgery can wipe the smile of this face. #FutureBreastCancerSurvivor

A post shared by Esther The Wonder Pig (@estherthewonderpig) on Aug 28, 2018 at 11:20am PDT on

Jenkins and Walter raised over half a million dollars to bring a CT scanner to Canada large enough for Esther to fit into (so she could be properly diagnosed).

"All animals should have access to the medical care they need, and we won’t stop fighting for them until they get it," they wrote in one post

After removing the cancerous lump, it was announced that Esther was cancer-free in September.

With a new title and her happy home life, Esther and her fathers hope to continue to inspire thousands. 

"Esther has become a way for us to share with other people," their website reads, "and hopefully help others see how smart and amazing these creatures are."

Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: I'm a diehard iPhone user who switched to Android for a week — here's what I loved and hated about the Google Pixel 3 XL

An artist from Belgium creates shadow art using everyday objects

10 signs you might have a vitamin C deficiency, according to an expert

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vitamin c

  • Fatigue, bleeding gums, and tooth decay are all signs of a vitamin C deficiency.
  • Adult men need 90 mg of vitamin C per day and adult women need 75 mg of vitamin C per day.
  • Vitamin C helps to keep bones and teeth strong and aids with iron absorption, amongst other things.

Your body needs vitamin C to help heal wounds, keep your bones and teeth strong, and to help absorb iron in your body. Vitamin C is also used to help create vital proteins that are responsible for making your skin, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels, according to the US National Library of Medicine. The body needs vitamin C to help a handful of enzymes in the body produce molecules we need every day, like collagen and carnitine.

Without vitamin C, the body has trouble producing these molecules efficiently and problems arise. The deficiency is also known as scurvy. The body uses vitamin C as an antioxidant that reduces the harmful effects of reactive oxygen species. We spoke to Alexander Michels, a research associate at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. Michels has over 18 years of experience researching vitamin C at the Linus Pauling Institute including aspects of how vitamin C is transported within the body.

Here are 10 signs that you might have a vitamin C deficiency.

You notice more wrinkles than normal.

Vitamin C works to protect your skin from the harmful implications of UV radiation and oxygen exposure. Vitamin C also supports collagen synthesis.

"Collagen is important for the structure of your skin, so vitamin C has the potential to lessen the appearance of wrinkles and support wound healing," Michels told INSIDER. "When vitamin C levels in the body get very low, this can lead to a variety of skin problems that will alter its appearance, like thickening of the skin, and bruising or bleeding around hair follicles."



Your hair is breaking off easily.

"People with severe vitamin C deficiency grows hair that grows in a very peculiar corkscrew pattern," said Michels.

This particular type of hair is very fragile and breaks very easily. If your hair used to be thick and lush, but is now frail and weak, you may have a very serious vitamin C deficiency.



Your gums are bleeding.

Collagen is what holds together your skin, bones, gums, and teeth. Vitamin C is crucial to collagen production, and without it, these things can suffer. Without enough vitamin C, your gums can become inflamed and eventually begin to bleed.

"When people consume too little vitamin C, the effects can be mild or severe depending on the level of vitamin C that remains in the body," said Michels. "When someone does not consume enough vitamin C for a few days up to a few weeks, the only effect would be a loss of antioxidant protection. That’s something that has no definable symptom. As time goes on and vitamin C levels in the body fall even further, the symptoms of deficiency would start to appear. First with general weakness and fatigue, and later with bleeding gums."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

People are being paid up to $16,000 for a single picture of their dog on Instagram

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Instagram dog

  • Brands from Google to Dyson are paying thousands of dollars to work with Instagram's top "pet influencers,"Fast Company reports.
  • The founder and CEO of a talent agency for pets told Fast Company that animals with more than 1 million followers can earn up to $16,000 per Instagram post.
  • A senior-level manager at Hearst Digital Media said she once paid a dog owner $32,000 to post on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Dogs (and their proud owners) are making bank on Instagram.

An emerging "pet influencer" community on the photo-sharing app has brands clamoring to hire furry friends for sponsored posts and ads, according to a new story on Fast Company.

Reporter Lara Sorokanich spoke with Loni Edwards, the founder and CEO of The Dog Agency, a New York City-based management firm that facilitates business deals between brands and owners of pets with at least 50,000 Instagram followers. She sees demand for pets on social media "expanding and growing."

"Pets are universally loved, they make people happy," Edwards told Fast Company. "And they're safe. They're not going to say politically charged things or get drunk at a party. So they have all the benefits of traditional, human influencers with all these extra plus factors."

The Dog Agency has paired its 160 pet influencers — which includes a few cats and monkeys — with a wide array of brands, from Purina and Dyson to Google and 20th Century Fox, according to its website.

Edwards' average client has between 100,000 and 200,000 Instagram followers and earns "a couple thousand dollars per post," she told Sorokanich. The serious money starts coming in when you hit the 1 million follower mark: anywhere from $10,000 to $16,000 per Instagram post.

That's more than the $7,500 average rate for a human influencer with over a million followers, according to Brittany Hennessy, the senior director of influencer strategy and talent partnerships at Hearst Digital Media. In fact, Hennessy has paid double that for a dog influencer.

In her book "Influencer: Building Your Personal Brand in the Age of Social Media," Hennessy wrote that she "once paid a dog $32,000 for two Facebook posts, one Instagram post, and one tweet. Probably took his owner all of three minutes to take the photos and write the captions."

Read more:A woman who pays Instagrammers and YouTubers for brands like Cosmo and Esquire explains why working with influencers is 'almost guaranteed' to increase sales in a way TV and print ads don't

Hennessy previously told Business Insider that the influencer marketing industry is projected to be worth $5 billion to $10 billion by 2020. She said "top" influencers are making "half a million dollars" a year from sponsored posts and campaigns with brands.

That's why part of Edwards' job is ensuring the pet owner isn't just after the dollar.

"[We have to] make sure that they're in it for the right reasons, that they love their pet and they love that they're able to spend this extra quality time with their pet," Edwards told Fast Company. "It's more prevalent now than when I started the agency, but now that people know that you can make money from this, there are people trying to force their pet into this."

Read the entire Fast Company story here »

SEE ALSO: 'Why go to work?': A 25-year-old New Yorker gets $4,000 a month in donations from his social-media followers and says he makes more money livestreaming his days than he did working a traditional job

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NOW WATCH: Tim Cook's estimated net worth is $625 million — here's how he makes and spends his money

Here's how fintech is taking over the world — and what's coming next

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global fintech funding

Digital disruption is affecting every aspect of the fintech industry.

Over the past five years, fintech has established itself as a fundamental part of the global financial services ecosystem.

Fintech startups have raised, and continue to raise, billions of dollars annually, pushing incumbent financial institutions to get in on the action. Legacy players have begun using fintech to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving financial services landscape.

So what's next?

Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, explores recent innovations in the fintech space as well as what might be coming in the future in our brand new exclusive slide deck, The Future of Fintech: How Fintech Is Taking Over The World and What Comes Next.

To get your copy of this free slide deck, click here.

Join the conversation about this story »


40 gift cards you can give for the holidays that'll still feel personal — even if you got them last-minute

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The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

nike gift card

Gift cards are an ideal gift in a lot of ways. For instance, you get to give them exactly what they want — in the color, style, and exact model that they want it — without polling their closest friends, family, and private online wish lists. They also typically don't expire.

Below, you'll find 40 of the best ones to give. If you want more options, there are also lots of restaurant gift cards on Amazon and plenty of other brands here. Otherwise, you might opt for stores like Best Buy with free in-store pickup

Below, you'll find 40 of the best gift cards to give this year:

Looking for more gift ideas? Check out all of Insider Picks' holiday gift guides for 2018 here.

Brooklinen

Buy a Brooklinen gift card

Brooklinen makes the best high-end sheets at the best price on the internet. Have a gift card delivered digitally, or in a gift card box. You can find a full review of Brooklinen's sheets here.



Amazon

Buy an Amazon gift card

An Amazon gift card is a more polite version of giving them cash — with it, they can buy pretty much anything they've had on their wish list — whether it's new and exciting tech or completely utilitarian home basics. You can also buy it in a gift card box.



Spotify

Buy a Spotify gift card on Amazon or Best Buy

They probably already have a Spotify account, but that doesn't mean they won't appreciate not having to pay for it for a while. A Spotify gift card lets you fund the next few months of something they love and use multiple times per day. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Nobody likes workers being forced into unpaid leave before Christmas, but there's one noticeable shift when it comes to government employees

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nancy pelosi chuck schumer donald trump meeting

  • A new INSIDER poll found most respondents don't approve of pre-holiday furloughs and missed paychecks for workers.
  • When framed in the context of a private corporation shutting down, 80% disapproved and only 4% approved of treating workers in such a way. 
  • When framed as a government shutdown due to conflict between Congress and the president, though, only 39% of conservative respondents disapproved, while 26% approved. 

The federal government is staring down a shutdown this week, putting 800,000 federal employees have been at risk of furlough and going without pay just before the holidays. 

A new INSIDER poll conducted on SurveyMonkey from December 14-16 found that most people disapprove of a government shutdown — and surprise end-of-year furloughs in general. But there was a noticeable shift in attitude when the furlough applied to government workers.

Here's a breakdown:

  • We asked 1,136 people drawn from a national sample about whether or not they approved of employees being furloughed, instructed to not go to work, and not being paid ahead of the holidays as a result of executive indecision.
  • Of the 1,012 who answered the question, only 6% approved, 13% neither approved or disapproved, and 80% disapproved.

But not everyone saw the same version of that question:

  • Half of the people had the question framed as "due to a dispute between congress and the president, parts of the US government could shut down."
  • The other half saw that "due to a dispute between shareholders and management, a private corporation may temporarily shut down."

While distaste for private companies surprising their employees with unexpected furloughs and missed paychecks was universal, when those employees worked for the government, we observed a shift among respondents who identified as moderately or very conservative.

Among those groups:

  • 26% of respondents approved or strongly approved of treating government workers like that, compared to only 6% of conservatives who thought it was appropriate for a private employer to do that.
  • A shift of that size wasn't seen among moderate or strong liberal-identifying respondents, or respondents who identified as politically neutral or only slightly liberal or conservative.

(Note: Numbers may not add up to 100% due to people who skipped the question or declined to identify a political ideology.)

How Americans feel about shutdowns

The current fight over funding is centered on President Donald Trump's demands for a wall along the US-Mexico border. The president is insisting that Congress include $5 billion in funding for the wall, which has so far made little progress despite being the centerpiece of Trump's 2016 campaign.

Congress this week looked set to punt on the issue. Senate Majority Leader Mich McConnell, a Republican, introduced a short-term funding bill that would keep the government open through February 8.

While Trump could still veto the bill for not meeting his border wall demands, the short-term delay would give certainty to thousands of nervous federal workers in the days before Christmas.

In the event of a shutdown, many essential federal government services would still operate, such as the payment of Social Security checks. But a shutdown freezes all nonessential services, and staff deemed nonessential are placed on furlough.

According to congressional research, around 420,000 federal employees in affected departments would be forced to work without pay, and another 380,000 employees would be placed on furlough in the event of a shutdown.

During a furlough, nonessential government workers are prevented from coming into the office or doing any work for the extent of the shutdown. Congress can authorize back pay for workers affected by the shutdown, but it must pass legislation to do so.

SurveyMonkey Audience polls from a national sample balanced by census data of age and gender. Respondents are incentivized to complete surveys through charitable contributions. Generally speaking, digital polling tends to skew toward people with access to the internet. SurveyMonkey Audience doesn't try to weight its sample based on race or income. Total 1,136 respondents, margin of error plus or minus 2.97 percentage points with 95% confidence level.

SEE ALSO: Congress is preparing to kick the fight over Trump's border wall down the road

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Anthony Scaramucci claims Trump isn't a nationalist: 'He likes saying that because it irks these intellectual elitists'

A Princeton professor is urging computer scientists to put down the keyboard and actually learn what technology is doing to society

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AI axios

  • As scientists in major fields have done for decades, AI experts are being prodded to step out of the lab, get political and help formulate how society confronts what they are creating.
  • It's important that the makers of AI are involved in the debate over the ultimate boundaries and uses of technologies that will transform how people live and work in the coming decades and beyond.

Earlier this month, Ed Felten — a Princeton professor and former adviser to President Obama — chided an international audience of artificial intelligence experts packing a cavernous Montreal convention center.

What he's saying: For too long, AI hands have been hiding in their basements, in effect playing God by deciding which technology is ultimately released to the masses, Felten said. Stop assuming that you know what's best for people, he admonished his listeners, and instead dive into the already-raging public debate of what happens next with AI.

What's happening: As scientists in major fields have done for decades, AI experts are being prodded to step out of the lab, get political and help formulate how society confronts what they are creating.

Why it matters: It's important that the makers of AI are involved in the debate over the ultimate boundaries and uses of technologies that will transform how people live and work in the coming decades and beyond.

"It’s only fair that those whose lives we are going to change should have some say in how that change comes about. Decisions will be made. What is our role?"

— Ed Felten, Princeton professor

What’s happening: Employees at Google, Microsoft and Amazon — all of them dominant AI developers — have signed petitions urging their companies to back away from contracts to provide AI software to defense and law enforcement agencies.

But as AI increasingly informs life-altering decisions in banking, defense and other areas, top figures in the field are marshaling researchers for political action. In Montreal for the NeurIPS conference, Felten banged the war drum.

  • "We have a duty to be more active and more constructive in participating in public life," Felten said.
  • He laid out a mathematical model of democracy to explain why political decisions can seem nonsensical. (It's about one-third of the way down in this slideshow.)
  • Felten's bottom line: Fight to be in the room with political deciders, and encourage a culture that engages publicly.

Such momentum is slowly building.

  • "The group of us deeply concerned about the societal impacts of AI has grown extensively," said Brent Hecht, chair of the ACM Future of Computing Academy, an association of young computing professionals.
  • "People in computer science are definitely becoming aware of the impact that their research has on their society," said Mikey Fischer, a Stanford computer science Ph.D. student. 

This movement is being pushed along by nonprofits, including the Partnership on AI and OpenAI. The Center for a New American Security, a think tank, has convened back-room conversations between policymakers and researchers.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: I tried cooking an entire Thanksgiving dinner using Google Home Hub and found there are two major flaws with it

Democrats want to avoid a repeat of Republicans' 2016 debate chaos and will split up their 2020 debates by 'random selection'

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bernie sanders hillary clinton

  • The Democratic Party revealed Thursday its plans for the 2020 campaign.
  • Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said the party will hold a total of 12 primary debates to accommodate what is shaping up to be a large cohort of candidates.
  • The first two debates are scheduled for June and July of 2019.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez outlined the party's plan for the 2020 election on Thursday, telling reporters that the plan comes after “100 hours of conversations” with former candidates and campaigns.

The party, Perez said, will hold 12 primary debates to accommodate what will likely be a large pool of candidates. The first two debates, scheduled for June and July of 2019, will be split into two consecutive nights. The participating candidates will be selected by random public draw. Voters can expect a debate per month for the rest of 2019 after a brief break in August. 

The last debate will be held in April of 2020. All early-state debates will be held in 2020. The plan discourages candidates from participating in non-DNC sanctioned debates. 

Read more: Meet the 2020 presidential contenders who are poised to start campaigning right away in 2019

In a call with reporters, Perez said he and his aides came up with the 2020 plan after “100 hours of conversations” with former candidates and campaigns. 

"To win back the presidency in 2020, Democrats must lead with our values. That began with the historic reforms to expand and increase trust in our party, and it will continue by conducting party business fairly, transparently, and inclusively throughout the 2020 primary process," Perez said. "To that end, we have listened and learned about debate experiences from a wide array of stakeholders."

Perez, who began serving as DNC chair two years ago, said the party expects and welcomes a large field of candidates. He emphasized the importance of grassroots fundraising in the 2020 election.

“My goal in this framework is to give the grassroots a bigger voice than ever before; to showcase our candidates on an array of media platforms; to present opportunity for vigorous discussion about issues, ideas and solutions; and to reach as many potential voters as possible," he said. 

SEE ALSO: An early look at the 2020 presidential contenders

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Anthony Scaramucci claims Trump isn't a nationalist: 'He likes saying that because it irks these intellectual elitists'

Deutsche Bank has hired a new managing director in credit trading — one of the bank's top businesses

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Christian Sewing

  • Deutsche Bank has hired a new managing director in its credit-trading business, one of the bank's top performers.
  • Drew Meany, formerly an MD at Cantor Fitzgerald, is joining Deutsche Bank as an MD in high-yield credit trading, according to people familiar with the matter.
  • While overall fixed-income trading revenues have declined at Deutsche Bank this year, credit trading is a bright spot where the bank is tied for first on the industry league tables.

Deutsche Bank is adding talent in its credit-trading business, one of its top performers, poaching a senior trader from Cantor Fitzgerald.

Drew Meany, formerly a managing director at Cantor, is joining Deutsche Bank as an MD in high-yield credit trading, according to people familiar with the matter.

Meany, who worked at Imperial Capital prior to Cantor, will start early next year and report to Jeff Chang, who was hired away from UBS in 2017 and runs high-yield credit in the US for Deutsche.

Deutsche Bank, Cantor Fitzgerald, and Meany each declined to comment. 

The German bank has had a challenging year, including cuts to its sales and trading operation in the US amid declining revenues and the ouster of John Cryan as CEO, who was replaced in April by retail-banking expert Christian Sewing.

But the bank's credit-trading business remains a top performer. While overall revenues in its global fixed-income, currencies, and commodities division have taken are down 17%, according Bloomberg data, it was tied for first-place in credit trading through the first half of the year, according to data from industry consultant Coalition.  

The bank is especially strong in distressed and high-yield trading, according to people familiar with the matter.

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Migrant father contradicts US officials, says his 7-year-old daughter who died in Border Patrol custody was given no water for 8 hours

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jakelin caal maquin

  • The father of Jakelin Caal Maquin, a seven-year-old migrant girl who died in Border Patrol custody, has again contradicted US officials' story about her death.
  • Nery Gilberto Caal Cuz told his lawyers that Border Patrol agents didn't give him or his daughter water for eight hours — though they did provide cookies.
  • A government timeline says migrants "had access to food, water and restrooms" during that time.
  • Jakelin's official cause of death hasn't yet been determined, but Border Patrol has faced accusations that the agency didn't do enough to get her immediate medical care.

The father of Jakelin Caal Maquin, a seven-year-old Guatemalan girl who died in Border Patrol custody earlier this month, has again contradicted US officials' account of her last hours, saying she was given no water while they were detained.

Jakelin and her father were among a group of 163 migrants arrested by Border Patrol agents on December 6 in a remote stretch of the New Mexico desert. A little more than 24 hours later, the girl was dead.

According to his lawyers, Nery Gilberto Caal Cuz said agents didn't give him or his daughter water between roughly 9:16 p.m. on December 6, when the group was taken to the Antelope Wells Port of Entry, and 5 a.m. the next morning, when they were placed on a bus to the Loudsburg Border Patrol station more than 90 miles away.

Read more: The family of a 7-year-old migrant girl who died in Border Patrol custody is disputing US officials’ account of her death

The information contradicts a government timeline that said the migrants "had access to food, water and restrooms" while they were held at Antelope Wells. It also contradicts a statement from the Guatemalan consulate head Tekandi Paniagua, who said Jakelin and Nery had both been given water.

"What we do know and what our client is unequivocal about is that no water was provided to either him or his daughter," Chris Benoit, a lawyer representing Jakelin's father, told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday.

"They were provided cookies," he added.

The family's story contradicts Border Patrol's

jakelin caal maquin

Though the cause of Jakelin's death hasn't yet been determined, Border Patrol has faced accusations that the agency didn't do enough to get her immediate medical care.

According to the timeline, Jakelin couldn't access emergency medical care until roughly 90 minutes after she began vomiting on the bus to Lordsburg. Customs and Border Protection said the delay was due to the remoteness of their location.

"Meeting emergency medical personnel in Lordsburg was the best means to provide the child with emergency care," CBP said in the timeline.

jakelin caal maquin guatemala

Jakelin's father has also contradicted US officials' previous claim that the girl had not been given food or water for days before the group's arrest. In a statement released by lawyers last Saturday, Jakelin's parents said she had been given food and water and appeared to be in good health during the migrants' journey to the US.

They also took issue with a form Jakelin's father signed saying she was in good health. The form is written in English, which he doesn't speak.

"It is unacceptable for any government agency to have persons in custody sign documents in a language that they clearly do not understand," the statement said.

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NOW WATCH: Anthony Scaramucci claims Trump isn't a nationalist: 'He likes saying that because it irks these intellectual elitists'

The man who taught Donald Trump how to tweet said the day the president could use Twitter on his own was comparable to velociraptors learning to open doors in 'Jurassic Park'

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  • Justin McConney served as the social media director for the Trump Organization from 2011 to 2017. 
  • He used to draft and send out tweets for Trump before teaching the now-president how to do it himself. 
  • McConney suggested that Trump should lighten up on the platform and have "more of a sense of humor about himself."

President Donald Trump's former social media director said his first reaction to learning Trump could tweet on his own was "Oh no," comparing it to velociraptors learning to doors in "Jurassic Park."

Justin McConney opened up about teaching Trump to tweet in an interview with Politico published on Thursday.

He served as the social media director for the Trump Organization from 2011 to 2017, and originally drafted and sent all of Trump's tweets until he learned the president could do it himself.

"The moment I found out Trump could tweet himself was comparable to the moment in 'Jurassic Park' when Dr. Grant realized that velociraptors could open doors," McConney told Politico in an interview. "I was like, 'Oh no.' "

Trump's first tweet was simple, with him thanking actress Sherri Shepherd for her comments about him on "The View" in 2013.

McConney, who was 24 when he first got Trump to start using Twitter, told Politco that he wanted to develop the now-president's brand on Twitter and other social media platforms.

"I wanted the Donald Trump who is on Howard Stern, commenting on anything and everything," he said.

Read more:40 photos that tell the story of Trump and his administration in 2018

He said initially, Trump had him print out Twitter mentions, and he would write his responses in Sharpie before handing the messages to McConney to type up and send out.

When he was on "The Apprentice," Trump would phone his tweets to McConney, even dictating the punctuation.

Despite not knowing much about the new technology, Trump "knew PR and he new news cycles very well," McConney said.

Once he could tweet on his own, Trump started to weigh in on a number of topics and even feuded with Rosie O’Donnell and former Yankee Alex Rodriguez.

Now Trump uses the app to tweet an astounding number of times a day. Subjects of his tweets include his border wall, rants about the "Fake News" media, special counsel Robert Mueller's "Witch Hunt," and comments on other political leaders. The tweets often begin early in the morning, and, pundits have noticed, are often tied to whatever's being covered on Fox News.

McConney suggested that Trump should lighten up on the platform.

"[He] should go back to having more of a sense of humor about himself," McConney said.

SEE ALSO: The newest Obamacare enrollment numbers prove the health law is 'far from dead' despite repeated attacks from Trump and the GOP

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NOW WATCH: Anthony Scaramucci claims Trump isn't a nationalist: 'He likes saying that because it irks these intellectual elitists'


What you need to know on Wall Street today

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Welcome to Finance Insider, Business Insider's summary of the top stories of the past 24 hours. Sign up here to get the best of Business Insider delivered direct to your inbox.

A stock picker in Wall Street's top 1% this year unveils the 4 investment themes he thinks will crush the market in 2019

When it comes to picking stocks to put in his portfolio, Kyle Weaver isn't particularly interested in companies that can be easily influenced by external factors like trade or oil prices.

Weaver, who oversees $5 billion as lead manager of the Fidelity Advisor Growth Opportunities Fund, instead prefers to identify and buy shares in companies that can stand on their own two feet, regardless of macro conditions.

He believes this simplifies the investment process by eliminating the types of exogenous drivers that can hurt share prices regardless of a company's underlying quality. This helps him avoid pouring money into companies that appear strong but are actually vulnerable to uncontrollable forces.

But that's just half the battle. Weaver is also on the hunt for high-growth stocks he can buy at bargain prices.

Amazon accidentally sent 1,700 Alexa recordings to the wrong person, including audio from in the shower

Amazon accidentally sent 1,700 recordings of someone speaking to Alexa to the wrong person, according to a German magazine.

The magazine said that the recordings had lots of personal information and that it was easily able to find the person whose data was leaked.

The episode underscores that Amazon stores audio files when you speak to Alexa.

Uber's entire business model is in jeopardy after losing its latest legal battle over the rights of UK drivers

Uber has lost its latest court bid to stop its British drivers being classified as workers, entitling them to rights such as the minimum wage, in a decision which jeopardizes the taxi app's business model.

Two drivers successfully argued at a tribunal in 2016 that the Silicon Valley firm exerted significant control over them to provide an on-demand service, and that they should cease to be considered as self-employed, which gives few protections in law.

An employment appeal tribunal upheld that decision last year, prompting Uber to go to the Court of Appeal. On Wednesday, a majority of judges there said they agreed with the previous verdicts and rejected Uber's arguments.

In markets news

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[Report] Future of Life Insurance Industry: Insurtech & Trends in 2018

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  • Life insurance is fundamentally hard to sell; it’s morbid to think about, promises no immediate rewards, and often requires a lengthy paper application with minimal guidance.
  • Despite the popularity of personalized products in other areas of finance and fintech, life insurance largely remains unchanged.
  • A small, but growing pocket of insurtech startups are shaking up the status quo by finding ways to digitize life insurance and increase its appeal.

Life insurance is a fundamentally difficult product to sell; it requires people to think about their deaths without promising any immediate returns.

Life Insurance Graphic

And, despite tech innovations and the development of personalized services in other areas of finance, life insurance remains largely unchanged.

Luckily, there is a small but growing pocket of insurtech startups looking to modernize it. These companies are finding ways to digitize life insurance to  appeal to consumers — and they’re giving incumbents the opportunity to revamp traditional offerings, either by partnering with them or using their technology.

Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has forecasted the shifting landscape of life insurance in the The Future of Life Insurance report. Here are the key problems insurtechs are tackling:

  • Lack of education: Forty percent of US consumers told the Life Insurance and Market Research Association (LIMRA) that they feel intimidated by the life insurance application process, often drastically overestimating its cost and facing uncertainty about how much or which type of coverage to buy.
  • Inconvenient application process: It can take weeks or months for coverage to take effect because of the sheer number of meetings and parties combing through paperwork in each round of the application process. The risk for the insurer often warrants reviews from the carrier, a team of underwriters, a broker, and even a medical examiner.
  • Low customer loyalty: Life insurance tends to be a “set it and forget it” type of purchase, with very few people revisiting it after buying. Insurers and consumers therefore have limited contact for most of the relationship — with the exception of an annual bill, of course.
  • Inefficient data management and processing: The aggregate data life insurers rely on is typically fed into algorithms that make broad assumptions about particular populations, and often incorporate outdated medical documentation — all of which can delay applications and result in unnecessary rejections.

Want to learn more?

The need for modernization in life insurance is clear: Overall sales are slowing and policy ownership is hitting record lows. And because it’s such a tightly-regulated space, innovation from incumbents has stagnated — but they’re not helpless. Consumer-focused and insurer-focused startups have emerged to offer new technologies and process improvements.

The Future of Life Insurance report from Business Insider Intelligence looks at the two main strategies life insurtechs are adopting to drive change in this market, for the benefit of both buyers and sellers. In full, the report discusses best practices incumbents and startups should adopt to steer clear of the risks attached to applying emerging technologies to such a tightly regulated product.

Insurtech startups will soon set new industry standards and consumer expectations around this complex product. That, in turn will serve as a catalyst for innovation among legacy players.

Companies included in this report: Ladder, Haven Life, Getsurance, Tomorrow, Fabric, Atidot, AllLife, Royal London, Polly, Life.io, Legal & General, Vitality, Discovery, John Hancock, Dai-ichi Life.

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Here's how much the typical millennial, Gen X, and baby-boomer worker earns in every US state

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  • Older Americans tend to have a higher income than younger Americans, and this holds in most US states and Washington, DC.
  • Business Insider found the median income for full-time, year-round workers in each state among three generational age groups: millennials, Gen Xers, and baby boomers.
  • The gap in median income between millennials and baby boomers ranged from the older generation making about 25% more than millennials in Iowa to 65% more than millennials in Alaska. 

Across the US, older workers tend to have a higher income than younger workers.

Business Insider analyzed individual-level data from the US Census Bureau's 2017 "American Community Survey" available from the Minnesota Population Center's Integrated Public Use Microdata Series and found the median total income among full-time, year-round employed workers in each state for three generational age groups: millennials (age 21 to 36 in 2017), Gen Xers (age 37 to 52), and baby boomers (age 53 to 71). Median means half the group makes below that amount and half makes above that amount.

In all 50 states and Washington, DC, the median millennial made less money than the median Gen Xer or baby boomer, and in most states boomers earned more than their Gen X counterparts.

The gap in median salary between millennials and baby boomers ranged from the median boomer making about 25% more than the median millennial in Iowa to a 65% gap between the median millennial and median boomer in Alaska.

Here's what the typical worker in each of those three generations makes in every state.

SEE ALSO: Here's what the typical American worker earns at every age

Alabama

Millennial: $32,000

Gen Xer: $46,500

Baby boomer: $50,000



Alaska

Millennial: $43,000

Gen Xer: $65,000

Baby boomer: $71,000



Arizona

Millennial: $35,000

Gen Xer: $50,000

Baby boomer: $55,000



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

We went shopping at Pier 1 Imports and saw why it has struggled to turn things around and compete with Amazon and TJ Maxx (PIR)

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  • Pier 1 Imports is struggling to keep up with competitors like Amazon, Walmart, and TJ Maxx
  • On Wednesday's earnings call, the brand reported comparable sales had fallen 10.5% in the most recent quarter.
  • Part of why the retailer has struggled is that its products don't provide "the style, the value, the selection" that customers want, interim CEO Cheryl Bachelder said during the call. 
  • Former CEO Alasdair James, who stepped down on Wednesday, explained the brand's plans to fix these issues during an earnings call in June, but said in October that the plans are taking "longer than expected." 

As companies like Amazon, Walmart, TJ Maxx, and Wayfair continue to expand into home goods, it's getting harder for Pier 1 Imports to compete.

In its most recent quarterly earnings release on Wednesday, the brand reported that comparable sales had fallen 10.5%.

"For non-shoppers, shoppers that are very engaged in this category, but don't currently shop with Pier 1, and for some of our less core customers, they describe our stores as being overwhelming," former CEO Alasdair James, who stepped down on Wedendsay, said in an April analyst meeting.

Interim CEO Cheryl A. Bachelder, a member of the company's board of directors, said on Wednesday's earnings call: "It's become clear that we are not giving our Pier 1 customer the style, the value, the selection that she wants to find in our stores and online. The sector is performing well. So, we know the opportunity is there for Pier 1."

Analysts have criticized the retailer for not stocking enough unique inventory.  

GlobalData Retail's Neil Saunders wrote in an email to Retail Dive in April: "While the market is growing, so too is competition. As much as it is true that Pier 1's aesthetic used to make it distinct, others are now replicating this — at least in parts of their offers." 

In the company's earnings call in June, James explained how the brand plans to combat these issues by rebranding Pier 1 and offering more trendy pieces that would appeal to millennials. He also discussed the importance of improving the shopping experience in-store. The retailer is currently testing new store formats that have wider aisles and less clutter in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. 

But on in October, James said: "Our second quarter financial results reflect execution challenges around our August brand re-launch and our 'New Day' strategic plan initiatives [are] taking longer than expected to gain traction."

We recently visited a Pier 1 Imports store in New York City and found many of the critiques of the brand to be true. Here's what we saw: 

SEE ALSO: Amazon just opened a new store that sells only its best products. Here's what it's like to shop there.

We went to the Pier 1 Imports store on the Upper East Side.



At the front of the store were Halloween products, all of which were 25% off.



Most of the first floor was seasonal decor. The furniture and decor in stock definitely seemed more traditional than trendy.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Watch mechanics go through 6 fire extinguishers trying to douse flaming Tesla battery modules rigged to a Disney Princess car as molten copper comes 'raining down' everywhere

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Tesla battery fire, Rich Benoit

  • YouTube star mechanic Rich Benoit posted a video of modified Tesla battery modules catching on fire after being improperly used. 
  • Benoit said the start of the fire was entirely his fault. He said the modified battery wasn't charging or being cooled correctly when it caught on fire.
  • Once the fire had ignited it was intense and difficult to put out. 
  • "There are significant safety concerns when salvaged Teslas are repaired improperly or when Tesla parts are used outside of their original design intent, as these vehicles could pose a danger to both the mechanic and other drivers on the road," a Tesla spokesperson said in a statement to Business Insider. 

Massachusetts-based mechanic Rich Benoit has garnered almost 400,000 followers on YouTube with his show, Rich Rebuilds. Most of the time he fixes Teslas, but a few weeks ago he put one-eighth of a Tesla battery inside of a Disney Princess electric car — he and his friends named it Daisy.

A few days later, Daisy caught on fire as she was charging in the garage and Benoit and his friends went through six fire extinguishers as hot plastic and copper were raining from the sky. The pieces of battery got so hot they started melting into asphalt once they hit the ground. The guys described the sound of all this as like "combat training," and when the firefighters arrived they asked if there was live ammunition in Daisy's trunk.

"We can't put it out," they said as the flames kept reigniting.

Benoit said that the start of this fire was his fault. He was not using a Tesla charger on the vehicle, and the battery didn't have a proper cooling system in place when it caught on fire either. A Tesla spokesperson told Business Insider that using Tesla parts improperly can be dangerous. 

"There are significant safety concerns when salvaged Teslas are repaired improperly or when Tesla parts are used outside of their original design intent, as these vehicles could pose a danger to both the mechanic and other drivers on the road," the spokesperson said. 

While Benoit said the cause of Daisy's fire was caused by improper use, the source of a recent Tesla battery fire has not yet been determined. 

A California man's Tesla Model S caught fire twice in a matter of hours on Tuesday after it suffered a flat tire and was taken to a shop for repairs. The owner had bought the Tesla three months before, and driven it around 1,200 miles, according to reports. 

A Tesla spokesperson told Business Insider that they were investigating the matter and are working with local first responders. The spokesperson also said that its vehicles are designed so that when there is a fire, it spreads slower than in a gas-powered car. This is so occupants will have more time to exit the vehicle.

Still though, Tesla has come under some government scrutiny after authorities have struggled to extinguish battery-electric fires in its vehicles.  

You can watch the video of  Benoit's fire below, and if you have any experience with Tesla battery fires give me a shout at llopez@businessinsider.com

 

And for more from Benoit, check out an episode of Business Insider's podcast Household Name, where we ask him how he got his start fixing Teslas.

SEE ALSO: Here's what you find when you take apart a Tesla

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