Bits: Google’s Ad Issues Expose a Vulnerability

View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Monday, April 3, 2017 [For the latest updates, go to nytimes.com/bits »]( [A Google project is bringing machine-learning techniques to bear on the problem of identifying content on its YouTube service that advertisers might find inappropriate.]( A Google project is bringing machine-learning techniques to bear on the problem of identifying content on its YouTube service that advertisers might find inappropriate. Dado Ruvic/Reuters [Can Machine Learning Improve Ad Automation?]( There was a time when IBM was a monopolistic giant that looked indestructible. And there was a time when Microsoft looked like the tech company that could never be beaten. Today, a handful of companies have that sort of iron grip on the industry, but perhaps none quite so much as Google — the ad-driven heart of the Alphabet conglomerate. Self-driving cars may be the future, and bioscience sure is interesting, but it’s the ads that pay the bills. Now, even as Google enjoys historic success, a run of bad news has exposed a vulnerability in its automated advertising system. In recent weeks, big advertisers have become increasingly concerned that their brands have been appearing alongside YouTube videos posted by extremists and other unwelcome material. Automated ad systems may be good at identifying copyright violations, but they’re not so good at seeing things in context, the way that humans do, as Daisuke Wakabayashi [writes](. A gun being waved in a clip from an action movie, for example, is much different from a gun being waved in a recruiting video from a terrorist organization. Google is turning to a type of artificial intelligence called machine learning to deal with the problem. In essence, the company’s engineers are trying to teach computers to see things in context, as a human would. Google executives say they know this is an urgent problem. And as anyone who has followed the tech industry over the years knows, vulnerabilities are not to be taken lightly. — Jim Kerstetter Read More [Google Training Ad Placement Computers to Be Offended]( By DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI It’s about context. Google engineers are trying to teach machines to recognize what can be offensive or inoffensive depending on the situation. ADVERTISEMENT More From The Times [How Uber Uses Psychological Tricks to Push Its Drivers’ Buttons]( By NOAM SCHEIBER The start-up has undertaken an extraordinary experiment in behavioral science to subtly entice an independent work force to maximize company revenue. [Dyson Is the Apple of Appliances (and Just as Secretive)]( By MARK SCOTT With an eye for both design and engineering, this British consumer electronics company is aiming for — and winning — the high end of the market. [It’s Not Their Pop Idol, but a Bot. Fans Cheer Anyway.]( By BEN SISARIO Chatbots on Facebook Messenger are changing how the music industry connects with listeners, who say they’re happy to hear even from automated versions of their favorite stars. Itineraries [The Digital Nomad Life: Combining Work and Travel]( By TANYA MOHN Dozens of new programs allow the experience of living and working in far-off places, weeks or months at a time. [Facebook Pushes Outside Law Firms to Become More Diverse]( By ELLEN ROSEN The social media giant, like other corporations, is pressing its outside law firms to have more minorities and women working on its legal matters. Tech Tip [Replacing a Photo in Your Facebook Post]( By J. D. BIERSDORFER If you publish the wrong photo to your timeline, you can delete it and substitute the right picture without losing comments and reactions. HOW ARE WE DOING? We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to [newsletters@nytimes.com](mailto:newsletters@nytimes.com?subject=Bits%20Newsletter%20Feedback%20223). ADVERTISEMENT LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up [here](. FOLLOW BITS [Twitter] [@nytimesbits]( Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »]( | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Bits newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2017 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018