Professor Ian Kerr presented “In Machines We Trust? Cloud computing, ambient intelligence and robotics” on April 6, 2011 at the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Philosophy and supported by Microsoft Research Cambridge.
In his lecture, Prof. Kerr explored the issue of cloud computing—data storage and processing that are carried out by hardware held in a different location instead of one’s computer--and its social implications which have focused on questions of data ownership, privacy and security, and the increased dependence of users of third-party service providers. Additionally, Prof. Kerr discussed the broader implications of “the cloud” as an example of our increasing tendency to assign complex human operations and activities to machines.