Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence

Robots Have Started Teaching Other Robots New Skills

In an important advance that takes us one step closer to the inevitable robopocalypse, MIT researchers have developed a system that teaches robots how to acquire new skills—and then teach those skills to different types of robots. The system is called C-LEARN, and it was developed by researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence … Continued

Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence

Why FaceApp’s Selfie Filters Work So Well and Why They Don’t

Over the past few weeks, Facebook and Instagram feeds have been flooded with creepily realistic facial transformations produced by “FaceApp,” a free app for iOS and Android whose filters add smiles to photos, alter faces to make them older or younger, and even make them “male” or “female.” The app’s startling believability is made possible … Continued

Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence Could Prevent the Next Video Game Animation Disaster

Human character animation has gotten much better over the years, but it’s still one of the most recognizable issues when enjoying video games. Animations are normally a predetermined set of canned motions, and while real enough looking in the right setting, can totally break the immersive experience when they stray out of bounds. The uncanny … Continued

Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence

This Artificially Intelligent Speech Generator Can Fake Anyone’s Voice

The human voice, with all its subtlety and nuance, is proving to be an exceptionally difficult thing for computers to emulate. Using a powerful new algorithm, a Montreal-based AI startup has developed a voice generator that can mimic virtually any person’s voice, and even add an emotional punch when necessary. The system isn’t perfect, but … Continued

Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence

Alibaba’s Jack Ma Issues Dire Warning That AI Could Steal CEOs’ Jobs

While Elon Musk is running around cautioning the world about the real danger of Skynet-style warrior robots, Jack Ma would like you to consider another possible problem: CEOs might lose their overpaid gigs and there will be no golden parachute. Well, let’s be honest, there probably will be a golden parachute… somehow. https://deadspin.com/science-ceos-are-such-bullshit-1792484736 Ma, the … Continued

Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence

LOL, the Treasury Secretary Says Automation of Jobs Is “50-100 More Years” Away

Steve Mnuchin, the genius behind Suicide Squad and our nation’s treasury secretary, isn’t worried about artificial intelligence or automation. It’s not even on his radar, so just relax. https://gizmodo.com/genius-behind-suicide-squad-now-fifth-in-line-for-the-p-1792325594 On Friday, Mnuchin sat down with Axios’ Mike Allen to talk about a wide range of issues including the strength of the dollar, tax reform, and … Continued

Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence

Intel Says It’s Developing a Genderless AI

Early this morning, Tag Heuer and Intel announced a new smartwatch ahead of next week’s major watch and jewelry show, Baselworld. The sequel to last year’s $1500 Tag Heuer Connected, the Connected Modular 45 is another beast of a smartwatch, with a huge 45mm face and a lot of Intel inside. And according to the … Continued

Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence

The New Tech That Could Turn Police Body Cams Into Nightmare Surveillance Tools

Time and time again, police officers shoot, and sometimes kill, civilians holding harmless objects, later claiming they mistook them for guns: a cell phone, a bible, and a Wii controller. In early February, police body camera manufacturer Taser announced that it had acquired the artificial intelligence startup Dextro Inc—a “computer vision” research team that claims … Continued

Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence

Bots on Wikipedia Wage Edit Wars Between Themselves That Last For Years

Revision wars on Wikipedia amongst human editors is an all-too-common occurrence, but new research from the UK shows that similar online battles are being waged between the site’s software robots. As a new study published in PLOS ONE reveals, Wikipedia’s bots don’t always get along, frequently undoing each other’s edits. These online algorithms, each equipped … Continued

Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence

This Piano-Playing Computer Makes Me Feel Less Lonely But Also Really Weird Inside

Most people, with the exception of those who live beneath the subway grates and Ted Cruz, don’t like to be alone for too long. We need—nay, crave—the attention of others. When that attention comes from an intelligent piano-playing machine, however, shit gets weird. A.I. Duet, a new experiment from Google, does just this. It’s pretty … Continued

Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence

Google Brain Cleans Up Low-Res Photos by Turning Everyone Into a Glitched Out Monster

The team at Google Brain has made an impressive breakthrough for increasing the resolution of images. They’ve managed to turn 8×8 grids of pixels into monstrous approximations of human beings. Neural networks are our best chance at being able to truly increase the level of detail in a low-resolution image. We’re stuck with the pixel … Continued

Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence

These 23 Principles Could Help Us Avoid an AI Apocalypse

Science fiction author Isaac Asimov famously predicted that we’ll one day have to program robots with a set of laws that protect us from our mechanical creations. But before we get there, we need rules to ensure that, at the most fundamental level, we’re developing AI responsibly and safely. At a recent gathering, a group … Continued

Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence

Why It Matters That Human Poker Pros Are Getting Trounced By an AI

We’re at the halfway point of the epic 20-day, 150,000-hand “Brains Vs. Artificial Intelligence” Texas Hold’em Poker tournament, and a machine named Libratus is trouncing a quartet of professional human players. Should the machine maintain its substantial lead—currently at $701,242—it will be considered a major milestone in the history of AI. Here’s why. Given the … Continued

Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence

Ebay’s Founder Is Giving Away $10 Million to Support AI That Is Good and Not Evil

For the most part, artificial intelligence these days is pretty sweet. Whether you want to set a timer with your voice, play a game of chess with a computer or just put a Minion’s head on Superman’s body, AI can help you achieve your goal. Of course, that same power can be used for things … Continued

Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence

The Most Futuristic Predictions That Came True in 2016

Another year has passed, which means we’re another step closer to the tomorrow of our dreams. Here are the most futuristic developments of 2016. An artificial intelligence finally defeated a grandmaster at Go In a tournament that rivaled the historical importance of Deep Blue vs chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov in 1996 and Deep Blue vs … Continued

Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence

Ted Cruz, Notable Human Man, Launches Investigation Into Artificial Intelligence

Senator Ted Cruz, long believed to be a human man, will hold Congressional hearings about artificial intelligence tomorrow. And while Gizmodo has yet to confirm or deny the rumors that Ted Cruz is trying to build his own Westworld-style amusement park, we’re sure everything is fine. The hearings are titled “The Dawn of Artificial Intelligence,” … Continued

Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence

10 Ludicrously Advanced Technologies We Can Expect by the Year 2100

Predicting the future is hard. It’s nearly impossible to know what technological marvels await in the next few years, let alone the next eight decades. Undaunted, we’ve put together a list of 10 super-advanced technologies that should be around by the year 2100. Some of these technologies are rather “out there,” but I’m reasonably confident … Continued

Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence

Oh Good, MIT Made an AI Nightmare Machine 

If Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking’s foreboding pronouncements about the dangers of Artificial Intelligence don’t have you spooked enough, MIT has deliberately launched a project that is designed to make AI scary. Or, at least, to make scary images using deep learning. Using a unique deep learning algorithm, researchers have attempted to teach their artificial … Continued

Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence

Charlie Rose Flirting With a Creepy Robot Is Worse Than It Sounds

Watching Charlie Rose attempt to interview a bald, poorly dressed, artificially intelligent robot is akin to watching your own grandfather try to use Siri, except much, much worse. On this week’s 60 Minutes Overtime, as part of a longer episode about artificial intelligence, the famous interviewer tries to get some answers out of Sophia—the same … Continued

Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence

‘Rogue’ Algorithm Blamed for Historic Crash of the British Pound

The British pound suffered a “flash crash” earlier this morning in which it plummeted six percent against the US dollar within a matter of minutes. All signs point to high frequency stock trading as the culprit—and possibly a single algorithm. “I initially doubted what I saw on my screen.” The British pound fell by more … Continued