Data Science Insider: July 16th, 2021

In this week’s Super Data Science newsletter: Domain Knowledge and Data Science. Neural Networks and Natural Language Understanding. AI Will Have a Bigger Impact than Fire, says Google CEO. AI Could Be the Answer to a Good Night’s Sleep. Holly Herndon’s Releases AI Deepfake. Cheers, - The SuperDataScience Team P.S. Have friends and colleagues who could benefit from these weekly updates? Send them to [this link]( to subscribe to the Data Science Insider. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Domain Knowledge and Data Science]( brief: Domain knowledge is a frequently overlooked skill that data scientists must master in order to truly excel in their chosen field. All too frequently guides to beginning a successful data science career assume a five-step system of knowledge based on: Programming language proficiency, database querying with some version of SQL, constructing ETL pipelines between various softwares, deep knowledge of statistics and calculus for ML and data visualization tools such as Tableau or PowerBI. However, it is argued in this article by data scientist Quentin McTeer, that the true power of an algorithm and data can be harnessed only when we have some form of domain knowledge and that the importance of coding has been overstated. He argues that whilst many coding or visualization problems can be resolved through open-access resources, domain knowledge is something which has to be actively sought through communication and cross-team collaboration. Why this is important: If you are in the process of developing a data science career, you need to be able to stand out from the crowd. Having knowledge of the industry that you wish to work in is an underrated advantage, which when combined with your data science skills could make you a formidable job candidate. [Click here to find out!]( [Neural Networks and Natural Language Understanding]( brief: This Tech Talks book review of Marjorie McShane and Sergei Nirenburg’s Linguistics for the Age of AI offers a fascinating take on the limitations of NLP. One of the original goals of AI research was to endow intelligent agents with human-level natural language capabilities. Recent AI research, however, has focused on applying statistical and ML approaches to big data rather than attempting to model what people do and how they do it. In this book, McShane and Nirenburg return to the original goal of recreating human-level intelligence in a machine and present a human-inspired, linguistically sophisticated model of language understanding for intelligent agent systems that emphasizes meaning—the deep, context-sensitive meaning that a person derives from spoken or written language. McShane and Nirenburg argue that the only way to achieve human-level language understanding by machines is to place linguistics front and center, using statistics and big data as contributing resources. Why this is important: Keeping abreast of the latest reading materials can be difficult, with such a plethora of resources becoming available every day. But this book offers a fascinating new perspective on an issue that many of us may have previously considered. [Click here to read on!]( [AI Will Have a Bigger Impact than Fire, says Google CEO]( In brief: AI will have a more profound impact on humanity than fire, electricity and the internet, the head of Google has declared in a new BBC podcast. Sundar Pichai, chief executive of the tech company, believes that AI will fundamentally change how we live our lives and will transform healthcare, education and manufacturing. The Google boss warned that the development of AI was still in its very early stages but added: “I view it as the most profound technology that humanity will ever develop and work on.” Pichai seemed vague but hopeful about the world’s chances of using AI in a responsible way, saying: “And so for you to truly solve for, you know, peaceful coexistence with AI, you would again need over time global frameworks and constructs. And everyone will get affected the same way, just like climate. And I think that’s what will draw people together.” Why this is important: If Pichai’s predictions prove correct, and AI fundamentally changes society, then technologists who’ve mastered AI skills and frameworks will become the most valued people on the planet—the equivalent of that one person in the tribe capable of striking two rocks together in just the right way to make fire! [Click here to discover more!]( [AI Could Be the Answer to a Good Night’s Sleep]( In brief: Scientists have developed an AI which enables people to monitor their breathing while asleep and help discover the causes and solutions to sleep problems using their smartphones. Devised by Professor Guy Brown and Dr Ning Ma from the University of Sheffield’s Speech and Hearing Research Group, the state-of-the-art AI can monitor snoring levels and identify sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea. The technology is being commercialised through a new app called SoundSleep which is available on iOS devices, and according to researchers, soon to be available on Android. Currently the app uses the Sheffield AI to enable people to monitor the sounds they make while sleeping through their smartphone. The app records and tracks snoring levels and provides nightly reports to help people discover the causes, factors and solutions. But the team have now developed the AI to be able to diagnose sleep apnoea caused by sleep disorders. Why this is important: Sleep apnoea causes a person's breathing to stop and start while they sleep and they may also make gasping, snorting or choking noises, wake up a lot and snore loudly. Without treatment the condition can lead to high blood pressure, a higher chance of having a stroke, depression, mood swings, difficulty concentrating at school or work and an increased risk of having a serious accident due to tiredness. Sleep disorders are usually diagnosed in specialist sleep clinics, but these can be uncomfortable and inconvenient for patients. [Click here to see the full picture!]( [Holly Herndon Releases AI Deepfake]( In brief: Holly Herndon, a prominent voice on the cross-section between AI and the music industry who has prominently used AI in her music, has released a new voice instrument: her AI deepfake ‘twin’ Holly+. It’s a website where you can upload any polyphonic audio and have it transformed into a download of music sung in Herndon’s voice. “Vocal deepfakes are here to stay,” Herndon said in a statement. “A balance needs to be found between protecting artists, and encouraging people to experiment with a new and exciting technology. That is why we are running this experiment in communal voice ownership. The voice is inherently communal, learned through mimesis and language, and interpreted through individuals.” The Holly+ IP is owned by a DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organisation) cooperative, and any income generated from the tools’ usage and licensing will go toward the funding of new tool development. Why this is important: As we have seen in previous news stories; voice models, in combination with ML technology, already allow for anyone to clone a voice to generate music and media. Generally, however, this has involved creating new works by deceased artists. The opportunities and complications inherent to these techniques will only intensify as time goes on but Herndon’s move seeks protect artists and is based on her extensive experience with AI. [Click here to find out more!]( [Super Data Science podcast]( In this week's [Super Data Science Podcast](, Susan Walsh joins us to discuss her important work in helping companies clean and normalize procurement data and, hopefully, save them money through clean data. --------------------------------------------------------------- What is the Data Science Insider? This email is a briefing of the week's most disruptive, interesting, and useful resources curated by the SuperDataScience team for Data Scientists who want to take their careers to the next level. Want more conversations like this? [DataScienceGO Virtual]( is back for a fourth edition. This July 23-25, meet with more than a thousand attendees to learn from data science experts like Jon Krohn, Ken Jee, Erica Greene, and Ben Taylor. Register for FREE and join this amazing data science community. [Find out more here!]( Know someone who would benefit from getting The Data Science Insider? 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