Featured in Five is a monthly section where we pose questions to a Computing Reviews featured reviewer. Here are the responses from our November featured reviewer, Ahmed Nagy.
Q) What is the most important thing that's happened in computing in the past 10 years?
A) I believe the work related to large language models (LLMs) is at the top of the list. It is a continuation of modeling, which received a lot of attention from academia and industry 20 years ago. It is associated with better experiences and interactions on the web. It also has ties to semantic modeling and a wide range of information retrieval and search technologies.
Q) If you weren't working in the computer science field, what would you be doing instead?
A) I would be working as a fisherman or a farmer. I love nature and could spend long hours observing plants, aquatic animals, and astronomical events. I believe that there is a lot of intelligence baked into nature; one can learn a lot about intelligent adaptations when given the time to observe and analyze. I include several examples of this in an upcoming paper, but I will also mention a few here:
(1) the memory model for fish and the level of sensor processing that happens locally on the skin and centrally in the brain of the fish in their natural habitat. It is optimized to ensure that the system is unlikely to get overwhelmed with data processing and it is an extremely interesting and relevant model for modern data processing approaches.
(2) The adaptations of tree seeds to move. Seeds with wings are blown further, and thus it is easier to ensure a resilient diversity and build underground networks of communication that act as resources to send nutrients. This creates a smart system for nutrient exchange that does not deplete local resources and allows for a sustainable network of communication with a marvelous load balancing technique.
3) Adaptation in vision that produces color-blind individuals is nature’s approach to reducing cognitive overload on the brain (since color blindness is a form of dimensionality reduction). However, nature has done this in an intelligent way since it chose which colors should be grouped and then mapped to one signal. As a result, the brain of the subject does not need to separate multiple colors, thus optimizing cognitive power to identify other more necessary vision-based information such as the movement of objects (which is necessary for survival).
Such subtle analysis comes from observing nature and questioning how a situation serves evolutionary needs and supports ecosystem intelligence. It also comes from personal experience in my case.
Q) By the end of your career, where do you think computer science will have taken us? What are you working on that might contribute toward that?
A) I believe there will be a stunning level of automation for many tedious tasks. Artificial intelligence (AI) will address various needs in emergency planning, security, and safety, not to mention telehealth. There is the potential for misuse, but that should not deter us from getting the best out of what we have. I believe my work speaks to this.
My work relates to the protection of critical infrastructure, including space infrastructure, from a wide range of risks including cyberattacks. AI and machine learning have a lot to offer here.
Finally, teaching kids about technology is very important to me—and very challenging!
Q) Who is your favorite historical figure? Why?
A) Gödel is one of the most interesting figures. As a mathematician, he was able to go against the belief of the mathematical community that everything is provable. He brought to light that in any system there are statements, premises, and/or axioms that might not be proved. His work is still relevant, especially when it comes to explainable AI, informed policymaking, and data-driven policymaking. Though it is necessary to have objective, consistent reasoning, not every decision or output can be fully explained and justified at the same level of detail. His incompleteness theorems are a reminder that we have no choice but to embrace uncertainty in any quest for truth. It is important to keep in mind that there are axioms and statements that may never be proven as correct or false.
Adopting and accepting that errors are a part of life can make it easier to address many different types of challenges. However, such errors should never be used to justify systemic discrimination against minorities or specific groups. There is still a lot of work to be done in standardization and education to ensure governments, organizations, and entities are data driven when they need to be rational and systematic.
Q) What is your favorite type of music?
A) I have a broad taste in music: Latin, Arabic, jazz pop, street/folk. Listening to street music is one way I enjoy new cultures and learn about other countries. I have also explored synthesized music and AI music using generative approaches—an interest that comes from my sons’ interest in music as they play guitar.
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Click here to read one of Ahmed’s reviews.