AI innovation in search and speech: Ting Cai
By Christi Warren
As artificial intelligence emerges as an enabling technology across multiple platforms, the center of that innovation should be the people who use those technology, So says Ting Cai, director of product and technology at Microsoft and Bing, at the 10th Data & AI for Media Week at Microsoft in San Francisco on May 3.
When Cai’s son needed help with his math homework, but they were in separate cities, rather than trying to explain it over the phone he suggested his son try out the Microsoft Bing app.
The app uses deep learning to understand what a photograph is, so when Cai’s son took a picture of the math program inside the Bing app, it was able to show him how to do it.
“All of these wonderful technologies can be used for wonderful things, but can also do
harm,” said Cai, director of product and technology at Microsoft and Bing.
Product design must take the public interest into account, not just optimize for user engagement, he said.
“Feeding people what they already believe is going to generate more sharing and more usage, and you can make more money on ads, but you can push people into their filter bubbles and that’s not good for society,” he said.
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