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Google’s new ‘Machine Learning Crash Course’ is now available and it’s free for everyone. If robots are coming for your job this class will prepare you for your next one.

This same course has been taken by more than 18,000 Google engineers, and this is the first time it’s been made available to the general public. It’s part of the company’s ‘Learn With Google AI’ initiative.

According to Google it’s free because the world needs to understand AI:

During the class students will watch lectures from Google researchers, participate in interactive visualizations, and complete 40 lessons. It takes about 15 hours and uses TensorFlow, Google’s open source machine learning platform.

Course prerequisites include a mastery of intro-level algebra concepts and at least an introductory understanding of basic programming. Knowledge of calculus and the ability to code in Python are helpful, according to the course’s website, but not necessary.

This is a fantastic way for anyone to get started in AI, and specifically TensorFlow. Students will learn about basic algorithms, classification models, and how neural nets work. Upon completion they should have the fundamentals needed to start working on basic projects and tutorials in the TensorFlow environment.

The class is available in English, French, Korean, Mandarin, and Spanish.

If you’re interested in taking Google’s free Machine Learning Crash Course you can get started here. For those who aren’t ready for the whole class there’s a variety of resources available at ‘Learning With Google AI‘, including specific tutorials and guides for every skill level.

The app maker added a Unicode character space after the actual WhatsApp Inc. name, which in computer code reads WhatsApp+Inc%C2%A0.

However, this hidden character space at the end of the WhatsApp Inc. would be easily invisible to an average Android user browsing Google Play Store, allowing this dodgy version of the app to masquerade as a product of WhatsApp Inc.

In other words, the titles used by the fake app maker and real WhatsApp service are different but appeared same to a user.

According to Redditors, who first spotted this fake app on Friday, the app was not a chat app; instead, it served Android users with advertisements to download other apps.

"I've also installed the app and decompiled it," one Redditor said. "The app itself has minimal permissions (internet access) but it's basically an ad-loaded wrapper which has some code to download a second apk, also called 'whatsapp.apk.' The app also tries to hide by not having a title and having a blank icon."

It is an unfortunate truth that even after so many efforts by Google (even recently launched Bug Bounty Program), malicious apps continuously somehow managed to fool its Play Store's security mechanism and infect millions of Android users.

Google Play Store is still surrounded by hundreds of other fake and malicious apps that trick users into downloading and installing them and potentially infect their smartphones to carry out malicious things without their knowledge.

So, users are advised to be more vigilant while downloading apps not only from the third-party app store but also from official Play Store in order to protect themselves.

Some of the biggest names in technology have been lavishing millions on Congress during the third quarter, according to government documents — at a time when they're under increasing regulatory scrutiny from Washington.

The disclosures, required by the Lobbying Disclosure Act, revealed Google spent $4.17 million lobbying Congress this most recent quarter. Facebook spent $2.85 million, while Twitter spent $120,000. The figures were first reported by Bloomberg News.

Last quarter Google spent $5.93 million lobbying lawmakers, while Facebook and Twitter spent $2.38 million and $120,000 respectively.

The three tech titans are sending lawyers to U.S. congressional committees on Nov. 1 to testify on their behalf in response to Russian political ad buying on their platforms during the 2016 election.

The controversy has led to lawmakers calling for more regulation for online ads. On October 19, three senators — Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Mark Warner, D-Va., and John McCain, R-Ariz. — co-sponsored the bi-partisan "Honest Ads Act."

The legislation require disclaimers and disclosures to the Federal Election Commission for online political ads. Platforms with 50 million or more unique monthly users would have to keep a public database of political ads, and the companies would have to make "reasonable" efforts to prevent foreign nations from interfering with U.S. elections through ads.

Other tech companies that disclosed large lobbying amounts this past quarter include Microsoft ($1.95 million), Amazon ($3.41 million), Oracle ($3.82 million) and Apple ($1.86 million), among others.

In a letter sent to 32 top companies, Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.), chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Tex.), first vice chair, asked for detailed diversity statistics and an accounting of how much partnership and philanthropic spending is allocated to Hispanic-serving and Hispanic-led institutions. 

"The tech sector employs 7 million people in the U.S. and accounts for more than $1.3 trillion in economic activity in the nation’s economy. Unfortunately, in tech and 'gig economy' companies, Hispanics are routinely underrepresented and underfunded," they wrote. 

Apple, Airbnb, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Uber were among the companies to receive a letter from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

The inquiry comes at a critical moment for the tech industry, which is grappling with its lack of racial and ethnic diversity, especially Latinos. 

By 2060, more than a quarter of the U.S. population will be Latino, representing more than $1 trillion in economic power and a major opportunity for the tech industry to appeal to a tech-savvy group with its products and services.

Yet in Silicon Valley tech companies, Latinos comprise a distinct minority, making up 6% of employees, versus the 22% of employees in non-tech firms in the area, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Hispanics are also underrepresented nationwide in the tech sector at 8% of employees and 3% of executives. At major Silicon Valley tech companies such as Google and Facebook, that percentage is far smaller.

Top universities turn out black and Hispanic computer science and computer engineering graduates at twice the rate that leading technology companies hire them, a USA TODAY analysis showed.

And it's not just computer science: Minorities are also sharply underrepresented in non-technical jobs such as sales and administration, with African Americans faring noticeably worse than Hispanics, according to USA TODAY research.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is following the example of the Congressional Black Caucus, which has been pressing Silicon Valley on diversity. It launched the Tech 2020 initiative, a campaign to boost recruitment of African Americans in the tech industry over the next five years. Next week the Congressional Black Caucus is sending its second delegation to Silicon Valley for meetings with top tech companies.

Some of the pointed questions Hispanic lawmakers asked tech companies: How many Hispanics are senior executives or on the board of directors? Who are the three most senior Hispanics? How many Hispanic full-time employees are employed in public policy, federal government relations, state and local government relations, public relations/communications, marketing and legal?  How many Hispanics lead those departments? How many Hispanic-owned firms do companies contract with?

Lawmakers say the information will provide a baseline on staffing and corporate social responsibility priorities for the companies.

"The Hispanic community in the United States has played and will continue to play a pivotal role in the social, economic and political development of our country. As we look to the future, the Hispanic community, as the nation’s largest minority group, is well-positioned to help lead the way as our economy undergoes its most recent transformation," the letter reads. "But we cannot do so if we are not given a seat at the table."

source: USATODAY