The Importance of Active Learning in Data Science and Engineering

Originally posted in Cybersecurity Insiders Back when I was pursuing my undergraduate degree in electronics and software engineering, I couldn’t imagine a path that would lead to me working with NATO on port protection and maritime defense, teaching smart submarines how to trust each other. But while I was working toward a Ph.D., that’s what happened. Instead of following the path into academia, a friend enticed me to work with him on biometrics. From there, I found an opportunity to apply my skills and knowledge to the cybersecurity industry – but that’s not something I could have predicted either. ...

March 4, 2020 · Andrew Bolster

Legal Considerations for Trusted Defence Autonomy

This is another short extract from the Thesis that I thought was particularly relevant given recent news coverage of the dangers of autonomy and AI, particularly in the field of “killer robots”. Legal Considerations in Design Trust If there is one key feature of the application of robotics and autonomy to the defence field that separates it from applications in commercial and civil fields, it is the potential direct impact on life and safety. ...

September 28, 2017 · Andrew Bolster

Human Factors related to Trusted Operation of Autonomous Systems

Preface It’s nearly a year to the day since I passed my Ph.D Viva (And since I last updated the blog…), so I thought it’d be fun to very-gently tidy up one of my appendices that’s a bit relevant to current stories about the end of the world and machines taking over and such. It’s a piece of work that I enjoyed researching and had originally had as a significant part of the main thesis, but it just didn’t fit in anywhere sensible, so it got stripped to it’s bare minimum and kicked to the end. ...

September 21, 2017 · Andrew Bolster

Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men

Recently the only additions I’ve been making to this blog are presumptious ' I’ll be doing this’ messages, and this is no excection. I’ve been living and working in Athlone, Ireland for the past year and have really learnt alot and very much enjoyed myself, but however much I will miss the place, academia drags on; it sounds like a campaign slogan but I’m back in Queens for ‘TWO MORE YEARS…TWO MORE YEARS’ ...

July 12, 2009 · Andrew Bolster

Unfeeling Fire

This is an approximate transcript from my July 2018 talk at Digital DNA’s AI NI Community Panel on wether the use of AI in defence and surveillence was inherently evil Yes, It’s been sitting in my drafts folder for months because I completly forgot about it, sorrynotsorry Hello folks, I’m Andrew Bolster, most everyone calls me Bolster. And nobody calls me Doctor. I’m a Data Scientist at Alert Logic, a cyber security firm based Texas but with a research office in Weavers Court where we monitor, analyse and identify malicious and suspicious internet activity, protecting thousands of companies with advanced sequence and pattern matching sensors deployed across the world. ...

Andrew Bolster