Editor's note

Artificial intelligence holds huge promise for helping people with tasks both complex and routine, but top technology thinkers like Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking worry that without aggressive regulation, robots might rise up and threaten humanity. Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg don’t agree. AI researcher Jeremy Straub discusses the regulations he already faces in his work and how further restrictions might affect opportunities for innovation.

It’s not an easy time to be a journalist in America, and the thinned-out newsrooms of community newspapers have been especially vulnerable to industry upheaval. University of Oregon journalism professor Damian Radcliffe spent months interviewing editors and reporters at local media outlets in the Pacific Northwest to learn how they’re faring. While many outlets are still struggling to cobble together a reliable revenue model, he also found some surprising reasons for optimism.

Finally, what does your boss know about your health? Big data could help employers predict whether their workers are likely to get sick in the future. Sharona Hoffman at Case Western Reserve University warns that existing laws don’t protect employees’ health data from discrimination based on those predictions.

Jeff Inglis

Editor, Science + Technology

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Should robots and artificial intelligence face additional restrictions? maxuser/Shutterstock.com

Does regulating artificial intelligence save humanity or just stifle innovation?

Jeremy Straub, North Dakota State University

Artificial intelligence has so much beneficial potential that fears about it shouldn't prompt new regulations. Existing rules already govern human and machine behavior.

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