2018年经济学人 自由交流:数字无产者(2)

 

They also hoover up valuable data from users through the use of tools like reCAPTCHA, which ask visitors to solve problems that are easy for humans but hard for AIs, such as deciphering text from books that machines are unable to parse¹.

它们还通过reCAPTCHA之类的工具的使用从用户那里搜集有价值的数据。这类工具要求访问者解决对人类来说很容易但对AI却很难的问题，例如辨认来自机器无法辨析的书籍中的文本。

That does not just screen out malicious² bots, but also helps digitise books.

这不仅将恶意机器人屏蔽在外，还有助于书籍的数字化。

People “pay” for useful free services by providing firms with the data they crave³.

人们通过给公司提供它们梦寐以求的数据为各种免费服务“付费”。

These data become part of the firms' capital, and, as such, a fearsome source of competitive advantage.

这些数据成为公司资本的一部分，而且就其本身而言，也是一种可怕的竞争优势之源头。

Would-be startups that might challenge internet giants cannot train their AIs without access to the data only those giants possess.

可能挑战互联网巨头的准初创公司不可能在不访问只有这些巨头们拥有的数据的情况下训练它们的AI。

Their best hope is often to be acquired by those very same titans, adding to the problem of uncompetitive markets.

它们的最佳希望经常是被这些巨头收购，加重了非竞争市场问题。

That, for now, AI's contributions to productivity growth are small, the authors say, is partly because of the free-data model, which limits the quality of data gathered.

作者称，AI对生产力增长的贡献目前微乎其微，部分是因为这种免费数据的模式，它限制了收集到的数据的质量。

Firms trying to develop useful applications for AI must hope that the data they have are sufficient, or come up with ways to coax⁴ users into providing them with better information at no cost.

试图为AI开发有用应用的公司必须指望自己拥有的数据足够多。不然，就得想法不花一分钱地去诱导用户给他们提供更好的信息。

For example, they must pester⁵ random⁶ people—like those blur-deciphering visitors to websites—into labelling data, and hope that in their annoyance⁷ and haste they do not make mistakes.

例如，他们必须麻烦随机人群——如那些涂抹辨识码的网站访问者——为数据贴上标签，而且还要希望他们在不耐烦和匆忙之中不出错。

Even so, as AI improves, the amount of work made vulnerable to displacement⁸ by technology grows, and ever more of the value generated in the economy accrues⁹ to profitable firms rather than workers.

即便如此，随着AI的发展，被技术搞得对失去位置弱不禁风的工作的数量日渐增加，在经济体中被生产出来的价值越来越多地向盈利公司而不是工人累积。

As the authors point out, the share of GDP paid out to workers in wages and salaries—once thought to be relatively¹⁰ stable—has already been declining over the past few decades.

正如作者所指出的那样，以工资和薪水形式付给工人的GDP比例——曾经被认为是相对稳定的——在过去的几十年中，早已在不断下降之中。

1 parse   

v.从语法上分析；n.从语法上分析

参考例句：

• I simply couldn't parse what you just said.我完全无法对你刚说的话作语法分析。
• It causes the parser to parse an NP.它调用分析程序分析一个名词短语。

2 malicious   

adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的

参考例句：

• You ought to kick back at such malicious slander. 你应当反击这种恶毒的污蔑。
• Their talk was slightly malicious.他们的谈话有点儿心怀不轨。

3 crave   

vt.渴望得到，迫切需要，恳求，请求

参考例句：

• Many young children crave attention.许多小孩子渴望得到关心。
• You may be craving for some fresh air.你可能很想呼吸呼吸新鲜空气。

4 coax   

v.哄诱，劝诱，用诱哄得到，诱取

参考例句：

• I had to coax the information out of him.我得用好话套出他掌握的情况。
• He tried to coax the secret from me.他试图哄骗我说出秘方。

5 pester   

v.纠缠，强求

参考例句：

• He told her not to pester him with trifles.他对她说不要为小事而烦扰他。
• Don't pester me.I've got something urgent to attend to.你别跟我蘑菇了，我还有急事呢。

6 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

7 annoyance   

n.恼怒，生气，烦恼

参考例句：

• Why do you always take your annoyance out on me?为什么你不高兴时总是对我出气？
• I felt annoyance at being teased.我恼恨别人取笑我。

8 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。

9 accrues   

v.增加( accrue的第三人称单数 )；（通过自然增长）产生；获得；（使钱款、债务）积累

参考例句：

• If you put money in the bank, interest accrues. 如你将钱存于银行，则自然生息。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Interest accrues on a bank accout. 银行账户的利息在增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。