Using Game Theory to Save Lives
Fei Fang is an assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University, where she specializes in artificial intelligence for societal challenges. Her research interests lie at the intersection of game theory and machine learning, and her research has both advanced academic theory and been used to address real-world issues. An algorithm she developed in 2013 for protecting moving targets with mobile resources has been utilized by the US Coast Guard for protecting the 60,000 daily passengers of the Staten Island Ferry in New York City. She has also proposed the Green Security Game Model and developed algorithms to design patrol strategies in protected areas, which have led to the development of the PAWS (Protection Assistant for Wildlife Security) application to defend against tiger poaching in Southeast Asia. Research in her area is also being used to protect national infrastructure, reduce homelessness, prevent suicides, detect illegal mining sites, crack down on predatory payday lending, and predict crop yields to help prevent hunger.
Game theory is a critical component in the development of Fang’s algorithms. She says that each challenge she addresses is thought of as a zero-sum, two player game against adversaries, where it’s important to randomize patterns so it’s harder for attackers to find the weakest points. Her games are frequently modeled as attacker-defender games like the ones we have analyzed in class, and she uses mixed strategies to analyze the probability that certain players will act in certain ways.
Her algorithm for protecting the Staten Island Ferry works as follows: it makes the patrol routes of the US Coast Guard Patrol boats random and unpredictable, including regular speed changes and U-turns, in an attempt to make it more difficult for attackers to plan a method of attack. Before Fang’s algorithm, only one patrol boat would follow one ferry at a time, leaving the other ferries vulnerable to attack. Similarly, her algorithm used by the PAWS application predicts which areas have a high threat of poaching, which allows patrols to more efficiently utilize their limited resources. She hopes that she can continue using game theory and machine learning to develop applications that can save lives and serve as tools to make the world a better place.
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612054/fei-fang-carnegie-mellon-artificial-intelligence/