algorithms

Facebook's Moments app uses facial recognition technology to group photos based on the friends who are in them. Amid privacy concerns in Europe and Canada, the versions launched in those regions excluded the facial recognition feature.

National

Facebook's Facial Recognition Software Is Different From The FBI's. Here's Why

3:00pm May 18, 2016

by Naomi LaChance

Every time one of its 1.65 billion users uploads a photo to Facebook and tags someone, that person is helping the facial recognition algorithm. Its accuracy rate is said to be higher than the FBI's.

Daniel Craig plays James Bond in the film Casino Royale. Dramatis, a computer program, can detect suspense from this scene and rates it even higher as the plot thickens.

Can You Teach A Computer To 'Feel' Suspense?

12:09pm August 19, 2015

by Chris Benderev

Scientists want to make computers into better storytellers, but to do that they have to teach the machines a tricky element: suspense. Now researchers believe they've taken a big step forward.

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By clicking "Like" and commenting on Facebook posts, users signal the social network's algorithm that they care about something. That in turn helps influence what they see later. Algorithms like that happen all over the web — and the programs can reflec

What Makes Algorithms Go Awry?

2:23pm June 10, 2015

by NPR Staff

Every time you "Like" a Facebook post, among other things, you help provide data to an algorithm. But algorithms, like the humans who design them, aren't foolproof — and can reflect bias.

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Now Algorithms Are Deciding Whom To Hire, Based On Voice

8:58am May 27, 2015

by Aarti Shahani

If you're trying out for a job, the one judging you may not be a person — it could be a computer. Algorithms are evaluating human voices to determine which ones are engaging, calming and trustworthy.

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"Timescape" finds words in the news associated with Sept. 11, and weights them according to prominence in a story — not just how often they appear.

National

An Algorithm Is A Curator At The Sept. 11 Museum

4:34pm July 01, 2014

by Aarti Shahani

Curators at the September 11 Memorial and Museum came up with a novel solution to the problem of interpreting the tragedy. They put a computer algorithm in charge of an exhibit. But is it objective?

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