Future computers may answer more questions
Source: Fazeena Saleem
Serkan Piantino (left) and Khaled Harras discuss ‘The Future of Computing’ at Carnegie Mellon University ― Qatar yesterday. Baher Amin
By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: In future computers are expected to answer increased number of human questions, a senior Facebook official said here yesterday.
Serkan Piantino, founder and site director of Facebook’s New York office, speaking at a discussion at the Carnegie Mellon in Qatar (CMU-Q), said that the expectation of people on technology to answer their questions is increasing rapidly.
“The questions that we are asking of technology are getting more complicated…. Demands that you put on technology rapidly get closer to what human beings want in their daily lives,” he said at the event ‘The Future of Computing: A Conversation with Serkan Piantino.’
He also said that technology users, “expect computers to answer more and more human questions to be more nuanced and integrated into our lives.”
Piantino is a Carnegie Mellon University alumnus who joined Facebook in 2007.
As director of engineering in Facebook’s artificial intelligence research lab, he played a key role in developing vital features like Timeline and Newsfeed. “While we do store a lot of human moments, we give them the best tools to manage their privacy,” said Piantino. “The best thing about working at Facebook is I get to work on a lot of different things,” he added.
The talk was moderated by Khaled Harras, associate teaching professor of computer science and director of the computer science programme at the Qatar campus.
As many use Facebook on mobile phones, predicting on the future Piantino said: “ I think we’ll start to see more nuanced uses for mobile technology, where it’s more about augmenting life than being an escape.”
In reply to a question regarding some terrorist organisations try using the Facebook for their propaganda, Piantino said extensive steps is taken to prevent such actions.
“We have a huge team that protects our users from those who use Facebook maliciously, we do a lot to make sure that Facebook is a safer place,” said Piantino.
Addressing an audience with majority of CMU-Q students in an advice he said that fresh graduates should seek work at places where they can be productive.
“Go to where people are working that you can contribute. The future will be different from the past- factor that in.” But he said, “ Never build anything you are not comfortable with, ethically.”
Facebook, will introduce more features in the future to make people stay connected in a social media platform, according to Piantino. “Bringing people close together, I think we are going to find even more ways, where can connect people,” he said about future of Facbook.
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