Are We Sacrificing Too Much For Automation?

Fast Company shares an essay from an anthropologist who researches human agency, algorithms, AI, and automation in the context of social systems: With the advent of computational tools for quantitative measurement and metrics, and the development of machine learning based on the big data developed by those metrics, organizations, Amazon among them, started to transition through a period of what I…

AI is Helping Old Video Games Look Like New

Classic video games are getting a makeover. But it’s not big-name game developers making the improvements: it’s independent modders. From a report: The technique being used is known as “AI upscaling.” In essence, you feed an algorithm a low-resolution image, and, based on training data it’s seen, it spits out a version that looks the same but has more pixels in…

36 Days After Christchurch, Terrorist Attack Videos Are Still on Facebook

The videos on Facebook and Instagram show sections of the raw Christchurch attack footage, and variations continue to thwart Facebook’s moderators and technology.Source: https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/43jdbj/christchurch-attack-videos-still-on-facebook-instagram…

This YouTube Channel Streams AI-Generated Death Metal 24/7

Dadabots was developed by two music technologists who wanted to prove that a neural network was capable of capturing the subtle stylistic differences between Death Metal, Math Rock, and other lesser-known genres.Source: https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/xwnzm7/this-youtube-channel-streams-ai-generated-black-metal-247…

‘We Will Win:’ OpenAI’s ‘Dota 2’ Team Is Crushing Humans Online, But Players Are Not Giving Up

‘The bots are locked. They are not learning, but we humans are. We will win.’Source: https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/8xzaeg/we-will-win-openais-dota-2-team-is-crushing-humans-online-but-players-are-not-giving-up…

Some AI just shouldn’t exist

Source: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/4/19/18412674/ai-bias-facial-recognition-black-gay-transgender…

IBM Halting Sales of Watson AI Tool For Drug Discovery Amid Sluggish Growth

Citing lackluster financial performance, IBM is halting development and sales of a product that uses its Watson AI software to help pharmaceutical companies discover new drugs, news outlet Stat reported on Thursday, citing a person familiar with the company’s internal decision-making. From the report: The decision to shut down sales of Watson for Drug Discovery marks the highest-profile retreat in the…

AI that spots inequality could monitor living conditions in cities

An algorithm that can detect inequality in cities from Google Street View images, could be used to monitor projects aimed at improving living conditions Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2200264-ai-that-spots-inequality-could-monitor-living-conditions-in-cities/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

Facebook is Working on a Voice Assistant To Rival Amazon Alexa and Apple Siri, Report Says

Facebook is working on a voice assistant to rival the likes of Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri and the Google Assistant, CNBC reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. From the report: The tech company has been working on this new initiative since early 2018. The effort is coming out of the company’s augmented reality and virtual reality group, a division…

Microsoft Turned Down Facial-Recognition Sales On Human Rights Concerns

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Microsoft recently rejected a California law enforcement agency’s request to install facial recognition technology in officers’ cars and body cameras due to human rights concerns, company President Brad Smith said on Tuesday. Microsoft concluded it would lead to innocent women and minorities being disproportionately held for questioning because the artificial intelligence has been…