A World We Dara To Imagine Part Three

Chris Haroun, the founding partner of Haroun Education Ventures and an early investor in YouTube, states the importance of "dreaming big with a passion to learn, earn, and return with no limits." 

Technology is a powerful tool to help address global issues. It can transform lives. Since technology is powerful, cheap, and global in its reach, it can be used to provide impoverished people from around the world with a quality education to help them benefit their societies by equipping them with the right technical skills to develop mission-driven technologies. 

The name of my organization is Edu Global Ventures. Edu Global Ventures is an investment firm that believes in the power of globalization and is passionate about education and technology. My organization believes that all problems in the world can be solved with a combination of education and technology. Apollo Education Group, a privately held for-profit education fund, estimates that the global education market is worth $4.4 trillion. We will not give up and are looking to create enormous value in the long-term for the communities and entrepreneurs we support. We would like to provide the opportunity for less-fortunate people to connect with opportunities to do good through education by helping the entrepreneurs we invest in to identify problems in their local communities and develop solutions to overcome those issues.

At Edu Global Ventures, we pride ourselves in playing the long game, where we prioritize meaningful relationships over those with the odds of a quick financial return. We partner with passionate educators and entrepreneurs and provide them with a steady investment partner across their entire lifecycle. 

Edu Global Ventures has a simple "do-good" business model. We embrace the concept of patient capital where Edu Global Ventures funds companies that are using education to advance technology  and solve problems that exist in their local communities in exchange for equity in their company. It is important to note we are not looking for quick financial returns. Also, we recycle a portion of our financial returns and invest in fragile education systems in countries experiencing epidemics, disasters, and conflict to inspire the future generation of leaders that we hope to work with.

My organization is unique because it reaches out to countries experiencing epidemics, disasters, and conflict to help reconstruct fragile education systems with technologies developed by the creative entrepreneurs we invest in. People residing in countries experiencing epidemics, disasters, and conflict are hard to reach and according to Hector Ruiz, the executive chairman of Advanced Micro Devices, "Technology is only as powerful as it is accessible." We empower underprivileged entrepreneurs because we believe that anyone who has a will, adequate financial backing, and quality education can solve problems using technology.

For example, Sundar Pichai, Google's CEO, exemplifies the type of entrepreneurs Edu Global Ventures is seeking. Mr. Pichai grew up in Chennai, India to a lower-income family where he and his family would all sleep in a small apartment that did not have an adequate supply of electricity. By finding strategic mentors who gave him the opportunity to pursue an education at the Indian Institute of Technology, he eventually went on to become an innovative entrepreneur who is now the Chief Executive Officer of one of the largest companies in the world – Google. 

As a result, I believe Anima Mundi Development Partners should invest in Edu Global Ventures because it is a socially responsible and profitable company that accounts for people, profit, and the planet. Edu Global Ventures is tackling a massive problem – education. At Edu Global Ventures we believe that education and technology will make the world a better place, which is why we invest in passionate entrepreneurs to advance education through technology enabling less privileged people to grow and do good for the societies they live in.

A World We Dare To Imagine Part One

Brief summary of The Blue Sweater
The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz focuses on complex global issues such as wealth disparity, gender inequality, corruption, and poverty through a personal lens. Also, I admire Jacqueline's ability to abide and promote her value of accountability, which she claims can transform human lives and have a measurable impact. An example of where the author ensured accountability was when she held impoverished women in Rwanda liable for a loan. This example of accountability illustrates how if a fortunate person is willing and able to help a less-fortunate individual then both parties should be held accountable for their actions or else the agreement would be meaningless. Also, I found it interesting to learn about the concept of "patient capital." Patient capital is a model of investment that produces both social and financial returns with the intent of alleviating issues regarding poverty.

Education can make the world a better place
Education is a human right. Every single boy and girl who wants a world-class education should have access to one since it can empower others to create lasting change. Consequently, my thesis is that education combined with technology can solve all the problems making this world a better place. Quality education is a path to economic success and social mobility, which lead to new opportunities in areas such as philanthropy, technology, and science. According to Nelson Mandela, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

"More than 120 million children do not complete primary education" as stated by Børge Brende, President, Member of the Managing Board, World Economic Forum Geneva. This statistic illustrates how millions of children globally do not have the opportunity to help support their families, develop their communities, escape poverty or a fair chance to get a decent job because they have no access to education. Also, the challenge is that a significant proportion of the youth and children around the world who are not pursuing education are the hardest to reach, as they reside in countries that are experiencing epidemics, disasters, and conflict. According to Jacqueline Novogratz, "Today, poor people the world over are seeking opportunity and choice to have greater dignity in their lives - and they want to do it themselves, even if they need a little help. Today we have the tools and technologies to bring real opportunities to people all across the world" (Novogratz, Page xii). So, think about how free, top-quality education can change the world and empower the poor by using technology to provide wireless internet in remote areas of the world, which is a problem that Facebook is already trying to solve through an initiative known as OpenCellular. Given that technology is powerful, relatively cheap, and global in its reach it can be used as a tool to provide less-fortunate boys and girls around the world with a quality education especially since the average price of a college education exceeds $100,000 according to the Insitute of Education Science and Pew Research Center (Carr, 2018).

Knowledge is power. To get an education teaches people how to problem-solve, think critically, and be creative, which can help advance research and development in the field of technology. Thus, allowing less-fortunate individuals who did not have access to education at one point to solve problem they found in their local community like wealth inequality and food shortages. According to the Global Partnership for Education, "420 million people would be lifted out of poverty with a secondary education, thus reducing the number of poor worldwide by more than half" (Collier et al, page 16). Also, "if the enrollment rate for secondary schooling is 10 percentage points higher than the average, the risk of war is reduced by about 3 percentage points" ("Reducing Global Poverty through Universal Primary and Secondary Education"). As a result, children who have access to quality education will have more opportunities and the right skills to succeed in the workplace having the ability to provide a more prosperous future for their families and communities, given that education is a fundamental human right and value.

Works Cited
Brende, Børge, and World Economic Forum Geneva. "Why Education is the Key to Development." World Economic Forum, Project Syndicate, 7 July 2015, www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/07/why-education-is-the-key-to-development/.

Carr, Nicholas. "The Crisis in Higher Education." MIT Technology Reveiw, MIT Technology Reveiw, 20 Apr. 2018, www.technologyreview.com/s/429376/the-crisis-in-higher-education/

Collier, et al. "Understanding Civil War: Evidence and Analysis, Volume 1. Africa." Open Knowledge Repository, Washington, DC: World Bank, 1 Jan. 1970, openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986,7437.

Novogratz, Jacqueline. The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World. Rodale, 2010.

"Reducing Global Poverty through Universal Primary and Secondary Education." UNESCO, June 2017. http://uis.unesco.org/sites/default/files/documents/reducing-global-poverty-through-universal-primary-secondary-education.pdf

Regalado, Antonio. "The Most Important Education Technology in 200 Years." MIT Technology Review, MIT Technology Review, 11 Dec. 2013, www.technologyreview.com/s/506351/the-most-important-education-technology-in-200-years/.

Random Post #2

Facebook Data Breach
Facebook has one crucial responsibility – to protect user data. If Facebook fails to protect user data, then the social media giant does not deserve to serve its end users given that the privacy of their personal information is a selling point for technology users.

In 2013, Aleksandr Kogan, a Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience researcher at Cambridge University, developed a personality test app as part of his academic research. Kogan's application was installed by 300,000 people globally who shared their personal information and unknowingly their friends' data with Facebook. Unfortunately, Facebook's platform at the time enabled app developers like Kogan to access millions of other peoples' data (Wagner, 2018).

In 2015, Cambridge Analytica, a big-data analytics research firm focused on political consulting, approached Aleksander Kogan to acquire the personal information of 50 million Facebook users illegally. Kogan's company, Global Science Research (GSR), agreed to share the personal information of Facebook users it had obtained with Cambridge Analytica to create personalized political ads and ultimately influence swing voters in the United States. Consequently, when the social media giant figured out that Aleksander Kogan sold Facebook user data to a third party, both Kogan and his app were removed from the platform for violating company policy. Also, Facebook requested certifications to verify that Kogan and Cambridge Analytica destroyed the user data.

Unfortunately, in 2018 an investigation conducted by the New York Times found that massive amounts of user data are still available to publicly to Facebook's developer community. The New York Times investigation hurt Facebook's public reputation because it demonstrated to members of the Facebook community that the social media conglomerate lacks integrity. For Facebook to maintain its diminishing trust with users, the company suspended Cambridge Analytica from its platform and rewrote its terms of service and data policies to restrict developers' data access. It is important to note that Facebook will continue to collect the same amount of information about users but won't share that data with developers and advertising businesses as much (“Cambridge Analytica Harvested Data of 50 Million Facebook Users") (Wagner, 2018).

As a result of Facebook's data breach, prominent figures like Elon Musk, the legendary founder of Tesla, SolarCity, and SpaceX, deleted his companies Facebook profiles. According to Musk, "I just don't like Facebook. Gives me the willies" (Grant, 2018). When Musk deleted the Facebook profiles of all his companies, he implicitly showed that he does not trust the social networking company with his data. He clarified that the deletion of his companies' Facebook profiles was not a strategic political statement.

Ironically, Facebook sells targeted advertisements to businesses based on user data, which accounts for the social media conglomerates' largest business segment. Given that Facebook wants to maintain its robust advertising-based business model, the company faces a significant challenge moving forward to ensure the trust and privacy of its users (Grant, 2018).

Facebook is actively trying to repair its public reputation and level of integrity with more than two billion users after the Cambridge Analytica scandal. According to Will Rogers, "it takes a lifetime to build a good reputation, but you can lose it in a minute."

Works Cited
“Cambridge Analytica Harvested Data of 50 Million Facebook Users.” News Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 17 Mar. 2018, www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/analytica-harvested-data-50-million-facebook-users-180317202148643.html.

Grant, Nico. “Facebook Data Scandal Has Left Zuckerberg Isolated in Tech.” Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 2 Apr. 2018, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-02/facebook-data-scandal-has-left-zuckerberg-isolated-in-big-tech.

Wagner, Kurt. “Read Mark Zuckerberg's Full Statement on Facebook's Privacy Scandal.” Recode, Recode, 21 Mar. 2018, www.recode.net/2018/3/21/17147746/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-cambridge-analytica-data-breach-users-video-election.

Born on Third Base Blog Post

In the United States, wealth inequality is a significant problem that is causing economic and ecological injustice as well as racial division. As a result, Chuck Collins, a one percenter, gave away his $500,000 trust fund to charity because he wanted to help reduce the wealth inequality gap and the problems that arise from this phenomenon. Chuck donated his entire inheritance solely based on the belief that his wealth could be used more efficiently to help promote and solve issues that are important to him such as the environment, racial equality, and peace. In my opinion, Chuck is a risk-taker who has well-defined goals and pursues his passion of promoting social good, which are attributes of his that I admire.

All Americans regardless of their socioeconomic status should read Born on Third Base because they can benefit from the invaluable insight that Chuck Collins provides. Chuck, a well-off white American, emphasizes how a lack of justice and a widening wealth inequality gap makes the lives of everyone worse off. According to Collins, "each day that inequalities deepen, so do hopelessness, deprivation, and the injuries of poverty. We must intervene in this system powerfully and urgently" (Collins, Page 133). His vision for an equitable world encourages the notion of shared success rather than the pursuit of individualistic self-interest to unite both rich and poor Americans for an improved state of economic justice in the long-run.

Born on Third Base has broadened my perspective and provided me with a new understanding of the relationship between wealth, inequality and social issues. I am intrigued to learn more about the solutions that Chuck Collins will provide to help me understand how I can help end the socioeconomic class war and rebuild communities that were damaged as a result of wealth inequality.

Works Cited
Collins, Chuck. Born on Third Base: a One Percenter Makes the Case for Tackling Inequality, Bringing Wealth Home, and Committing to the Common Good. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2016.

The Botany of Desire

Initially, humans believed to have direct control over plants, but no one has thought that plants control us to ensure their long-term survival. Human beings, unfortunately, do not give enough credit to plants even though they satisfy our wants that is why we carefully select what plants to grow and engineer. Plants can satisfy people's wants by providing things such as beauty (tulip), control over nature (potato), intoxication (marijuana) and sweetness (apple). The relationship between plants and how they satisfy desires of humans is known as The Botany of Desire. (Pollan, 2008)

Plants create molecules that can change or alter human perception and their mind. For example, Marijuana has enabled humans to change their perception of consciousness, which goes to show how plants can control humans if people actively are willing to change their understanding of plants. The Botany of Desire written by Michael Pollan has broadened my perspective regarding humans' relationship with their environment and how plants are essential in satisfying our desires. (Pollan, 2008)

Works Cited

Pollan, Michael. The Botany of Desire: A Plant's Eye View of the World. Random House, 2008. 

“The Botany of Desire, with Michael Pollan.” PBS, 2008. 

Random Post #1

My mother; the jack of all trades. She is artistic, respectful, solution-oriented, hardworking, helpful, compassionate, and result-driven. A lady who advocates for internal happiness rather than short-term external (i.e., materialistic) satisfaction. She is someone who truly values and understands the meaning of a genuine friendship where both parties abide by a set of principles and morals that they will never deviate from. My mother, an independent lady, who maintains self-respect regardless of the circumstances she faces, has inspired me to act with my conscience rather than my desires. She is not materialistic and does not judge people from a socioeconomic perspective, which are important attributes that I aspire to learn from her.

As a result of my mother's teachings and principles, I would like to share an experience of mine where I was inspired by her to show respect in regards to other peoples opinions and improve by any means necessary.

I believe that character is shown when someone commits an act of kindness and expects nothing in return. The principles that demonstrate my character are honesty, reflection, and respect, which enable me to become a better person over time. Being honest and reflective are essential for me. Implementing those principles in my approach towards life will help me identify my weaknesses, and by reflecting on them, I can seek solutions to solve those problems. For example, in my junior year of high school, I was not immediately accepted onto the varsity tennis team because the coaches felt that I needed to improve my game strategy and serves. Given that I successfully identified these problems, I practiced with a private coach seven days a week for two hours until I made the varsity tennis team before the final cut. In my opinion, respect occurs when one shows admiration for another person's qualities, weaknesses, or accomplishments. And if it weren't for my mother's hard work ethic and solution-oriented personality, I would have probably taken the easy route of accepting failure. 

I would like to commemorate how my mother has inspired me to be respectful and result-oriented instead of being careless and ignorant. She has enabled me to make better decisions that will hopefully help shape a more prosperous path for my future. I am eternally indebted and grateful to her for teaching me these valuable lessons. 

Expert article

The Artificial Intelligence Revolution: Blessing or Threat?

By Amirteymour Moazami (Spring 2018)

How Artificial intelligence (AI) & Machine learning (ML) are disrupting traditional industries but yet can pose a threat to humanity

Imagine a world where cars can drive themselves, reduce traffic, and increase safety. Imagine a world where robots fight wars instead of soldiers. Is AI dangerous or convenient? Historically, ideas like this were just part of one’s imagination, yet, today, AI & ML are making these once science-fiction ideas become a reality!

What is the difference between AI & ML?

Artificial intelligence is software that performs tasks which involve intuition and would usually require human intelligence. Human intelligence: our ability to reason, make decisions, form plans, understand information, which can all be done with AI. In other words, AI helps computer systems to think like humans. Do you know Siri, the smart personal assistant on an iPhone that helps you get things done by using speech recognition? (Gruber, 2017) That’s the power of AI. 

Artificial intelligence gave birth to machine learning. The aim of ML is to teach computers how to learn and act on their own by feeding it information and finding patterns in the data. ML helps computerized systems get smarter over time through experiences without depending on programming — a technique that is known as unsupervised learning. Imagine you are teaching an airplane how to fly. Every time the plane successfully takes off and lands you say, “good airplane” and every time the airplane crashes you say, “bad airplane.” This example of machine reinforcement learning is dependent on rewards. Every time the airplane performs the correct task it gets a positive reward. Over time, the machine understands how to work itself to maximize positive rewards (Ng, “Machine Learning Lecture”). Another powerful example is how Tesla learns over time as they collect more and more data from cars driving on streets while in assisted-driving mode. As machines become more knowledgeable, so do humans.

Is AI a blessing?

AI & Driverless cars

                                                   Source: Qualcomm & TomTom

Self-driving cars are here. Waymo, Google’s driverless car division, has been laser-focused on developing its self-driving technology since 2009. They are committed to creating a safer driver that is fully aware of its surroundings at all times and never gets distracted, so people and things can move around effortlessly without the need for a human driver. Waymo is working hard to offer a reliable and cheap source of transportation to everyone, making roads safer, while still being eco-friendly. Google’s self-driving vehicles have already obtained more than 4 million miles of driving experience on city streets in areas like Austin, TX and Phoenix, AZ. This significant amount of self-driving experience from Google’s fleet of vehicles implies that these cars are continuously learning on their own by collecting information. And this data helps the driverless car control all sorts of real-world situations and conditions in a safe and non-disruptive manner. AI & ML is an important part that has enabled Waymo to make significant progress on driverless vehicles, which intrigues me. Intriguing is: ability of computers to learn, behave, and render judgment almost as good as humans.

How self-driving cars work?

Self-driving vehicles have sensors, radars, cameras, and software within them that is programmed to detect road work, other cars, cyclists and pedestrians up two hundred yards away in all directions. Given that self-driving vehicles are computerized systems, they are continuously gathering information that updates to the cloud in real-time, which allows the car to become smarter about its environment the more miles it drives (“Waymo Safety Report on the Road to Fully Self-Driving” 12-15).

For example, if your self-driving car’s sensor sees that another vehicle in front of it is slowing down, then the software predicts that the car in front of you is approaching a stop sign or a red light. This observation would cause your car to stop comfortably to avoid an accident. Or imagine crossing the road while you are using your phone. A car is driving towards you, and you’re unaware of it. But all of the sudden the driverless car detects you and slows down automatically. Wouldn’t you and your family appreciate that?

Safer streets

According to the Waymo Safety Report, “94% of crashes involve human choice or error” that led to 1.25 million deaths globally in 2014. Accidents caused by humans are usually because the driver is either drunk or distracted. So, developing driverless cars that are always paying attention, learning in real-time and making roads safer can cut down accidents by about 90% and save $190 billion in healthcare costs as told by a report conducted by McKinsey (Ramsey 2015). And this is all possible because of AI and ML. Isn’t this awesome?

Or is AI a threat to humanity?

Will intelligent machines control humans, or will we control intelligent machines? AI systems can become smarter than any human and outperform them in almost all intellectual domains, which means that it will be nearly impossible for humans to predict how these systems will behave. As machines learn to think for themselves and adapt to their immediate environments, they present a substantial risk to humanity.

Autonomous weapons

Weaponized AI is built to cause disruption. Autonomous weapons have artificial intelligence systems within them and can be in the form of guns, robots or drones. Intelligent weapons have the capability of carefully choosing and eliminating targets (people and establishments) without human intervention. If autonomous weapons are in the hands of the wrong people, it can result in a large number of deaths or injuries without difficulty (“Benefits & Risks of Artificial Intelligence). For example, an armed drone is a plane that does not have a human pilot and can damage targets based on a specific pre-established criterion.

Militaries around the world realize the potential of AI and how it can be a useful tool in warfare. If any dominant military organization around the globe follows through with the development of autonomous weapons, an AI arms race is bound to happen. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, “the leader in AI will rule the world.” An AI arms race between militaries can lead to a high death rate globally. An AI war is not helpful for human advancement. But using AI to make the combat zone a safer place for people, especially for ordinary citizens is beneficial to humanity. According to Dr. Peter J. Bentley, a computer scientist, and professor at University College London, “We can reduce casualties in conflicts since losing a drone is better than losing a person” (Allison, 2017). He says it is easier to use drones in warfare rather than a person since the cost of human life will never equal the value of weaponized AI regardless of how pricey it is.

How to manage a future with AI?

AI can pose a risk to humanity. But it can also help solve diseases such as cancer using genomic data and let robots fight wars instead of humans. Being mindful of the dangers presented by AI and applying best practices possible to manage its potential consequences through proactive regulation can make AI beneficial for humanity. It’s our decisions as humans to decide whether AI will compete with us or help satisfy our needs and improve our well-being.

References

Allison, Peter Ray. “Will Killer Robots Make Us Safer?” Alphr, 14 Dec. 2017                                           www.alphr.com/arificial-intelligence/1007974/will-killer-robots-make-us-safer

“Benefits & Risks of Artificial Intelligence.” Future of Life Institute,   futureoflife.org/background/benefits-risks-of-artificial-intelligence/.

“How AI Can Enhance Our Memory, Work and Social Lives.” Performance by Tom Gruber, TED, Apr. 2017,             www.ted.com/talks/tom_gruber_how_ai_can_enhance_our_memory_work_and_social_li  ves.

Karpukhin, Sergei. “Putin Says the Country Who Leads the Development of A.I. Will Rule the    World.” CNBC, 4 Sept. 2017, www.cnbc.com/2017/09/04/putin-leader-in-artificial-intelligence-will-rule-world.html.

Ng, Andrew. “Machine Learning Lecture.” Palo Alto, California, Stanford University.

Ramsey, Mike. “Self-Driving Cars Could Cut Down on Accidents, Study Says.” Wall Street        Journal, 2 March 2015, https://www.wsj.com/articles/self-driving-cars-could-cut-down- on-accidents-study-says-1425567905

Walsh, Toby. “AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS: AN OPEN LETTER FROM AI & ROBOTICS     RESEARCHERS.” Future of Life Institute, 28 July 2015, futureoflife.org/open-letter-           autonomous-weapons/.

“Waymo Safety Report on the Road to Fully Self-Driving.” Waymo, pp. 1–42.,     storage.googleapis.com/sdc-prod/v1/safety-report/waymo-safety-report-2017.pdf.