BGU and MIT Develop Cultural Intelligence Software
BGU and MIT Develop Cultural Intelligence Software
June 28, 2012
Press Releases, Robotics & High-Tech
BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL, June 28, 2012 – While identifying cultural differences is a major challenge facing intelligence agencies, researchers from Israel and the United States have developed computer-based methodology to improve knowledge, apply data and better decipher these nuances and biases.
This new methodology will be presented in a paper called “Can Computers Help Us to Better Understand Different Cultures?” at the 2012 European Intelligence and Security Informatics Conference in August by researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) of Beer-Sheva, Israel and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Unlike other forms of intelligence which rely heavily on advanced technologies to intercept and interpret information, cultural intelligence has traditionally been the province of human experts and evaluations.
At the conference, BGU Department of Education Chair Prof. Yair Neuman and Prof. Newton Howard of MIT will discuss this novel methodology, which paradoxically uses the shortcomings of automatic machine translation — the translation of text from one language to another — to improve cultural understanding and intelligence.
“This methodology seeks to identify our own shortcomings in understanding various cultures, while producing surprising results,” Neuman explains. “For instance, it was found that historic American political speeches understood from the perspective of the Arab language were wrongly perceived as sentimental and emotionally loaded compared to the original meaning. By identifying these biases, we can better understand and adjust our thinking.”
The researchers add that this methodology is a promising new tool for computer-based cultural intelligence technology, but is currently only in the beginning stages of its development.
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
BGU at a glance:
20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
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