Facebook is open-sourcing its AI bot-building research
Say hello to smarter artificial intelligence. Soon, anyway. Facebook is opening up the secret sauce that powers its bots so the public can employ and study it. This is part of the Facebook AI Research (FAIR) lab’s mission to help researchers and engineers by making its work available to all. Called fastText, the library of code is now available on Github for public use and scrutiny, and will require a compiler with “good C++11 support.”
The biggest appeal of fastText appears to be speed and efficiency. According to Facebook, fastText is, as its name suggests, much quicker than other learning methods, and can train models “on more than 1 billion words in less than 10 minutes using a standard multicore CPU.” In fact, FAIR claims that, compared to deep learning models, fastText can cut training delays from several days to a few seconds.
fastText focuses on classifying words and sentences, and produces libraries that programs can reference when executing tasks. For example, fastText can learn that the words “boy,” “girl,” “man” and “woman” refer to specific gendered nouns and store those values in a document. Then, when an AI program, like a bot, is interpreting a request, such as “Where my girls at,” it can look into the fastText-generated document and understand that the user is asking for female names.
It’s easy to see how this move makes sense for the social network. It started integrating chat bots in its Messenger app this year, and making it easier to train AI can boost the growth of third-party offerings. Considering the proliferation of AI integration in many of its competitors, such a move can also encourage developers to focus on building for Facebook’s platform first.
In a statement, FAIR said, “Ultimately, we hope that fastText will help us all design better applications and further advance the research in language understanding.” Perhaps future AI developers can look to FAIR’s research for help, which for now appears to be a far more sensible resource than Reddit.
The robots of war: AI and the future of combat
The 1983 film WarGames portrayed a young hacker tapping into NORAD’s artificial-intelligence-driven nuclear weapons’ system. When the hit movie was screened for President Reagan, it prompted the commander in chief to ask if it were possible for the country’s defense system network to be compromised. Turns out it could. What they didn’t talk about was the science fiction of using AI to control the nation’s nuclear arsenal. It was too far-fetched to even be considered. Until now.
At Def Con, seven AI bots were pitted against one another in a game of capture the flag. The DARPA-sponsored event was more than just a fun exercise for hackers. It was meant to get more researchers and companies to focus on autonomous artificial intelligence. As part of the Department of Defense (DoD), DARPA is tasked with making sure the United States is at the forefront of this emerging field.
While the country may currently be mired in a ground wars against insurgents and extremist groups, the DoD is looking at future skirmishes. The department’s long-term artificial intelligence plans are focused more on conflicts with countries like Russia, China and North Korea than terrorism. “Across the military services and the leadership we see people really starting to focus on the next generation of capabilities if we are to deter — and defeat if necessary — not the kind of terrorist organizations we’ve been dealing with but the peer adversaries,” DARPA Director Arati Prabhakar said.
With that in mind, the Department of Defense has introduced its third offset strategy. When faced with new tactical issues, the United States comes up with plans to stay ahead of its adversaries. The military’s first offset strategy was the buildup of nuclear arms. The second, the creation of smarter missiles and more reliance on reconnaissance and espionage. It’s a long-term plan that focuses on cyberwarfare, autonomy and how humans and machines will work together on the battlefield. We’ve entered into an AI arms race. “Our intelligence suggests that our adversaries are already contemplating this move. We know that China is investing heavily in robotics and autonomy. The Russian Chief of the General Staff (Valery) Gerasimov recently said that the Russian military is preparing to fight on a roboticized battlefield.” Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work said during a National Security Forum talk.
Although drone strikes are currently piloted by humans thousands of miles away from a target, in the future, these unmanned craft (airborne, undersea and ground-based) will be largely autonomous and probably part of a swarm that’s simply overseen by humans. DARPA is already researching two self-flying devices. One is the CODE (Collaborative Operations in Denied Environment) program that aims to create an autonomous aircraft that can be used in hostile airspace not just for reconnaissance — but also airstrikes. The other is the Gremlins fleet of small aircraft that can be deployed and retrieved mid-air.
But to keep that horde of flying robots in the air, the DoD will need to work on making sure they can consistently talk to each other. To that end, DARPA has introduced the Spectrum Collaboration Challenge. Like in the Cyber Grand Challenge, multiple teams will compete to build a machine-learning solution for radio-frequency scarcity by predicting what other RF devices and potential enemies are doing and figuring out how to best use the available spectrum.
While the government agency is offering cash prizes for the teams that help come up with a solution, DARPA is also working on the more impressive sounding Behavioral Learning for Adaptive Electronic Warfare (BLADE) program. That research will be “developing the capability to counter new and dynamic wireless communication threats in tactical environments.”
It’s a two-pronged approach to solving something that’s going to be key to keeping communications open between everything on the battlefield. But neither will be ready for battle anytime soon.
Prabhakar said that while AI is extremely powerful it’s also limited in some very important ways. Even though their statistical systems like image recognition are currently better than humans’, they’re far from perfect and “when they make mistakes, they make mistakes that no human would make.” If a system goes awry, there’s no underlying theory on why. “You don’t understand what’s happening,” Prabhakar told Engadget.
There’s also the issue of faith. At what point does the military decide to deploy something that it might not fully understand? DARPA and the DoD are trying to figure this out. “Knowing how much and in what circumstances to trust a system are some really big questions,” Prabhakar said.
Even if you trust the AI infrastructure that’s been created and believe it’ll do everything it’s supposed to, it could still be hacked. “I don’t think people fully understand yet what it means to deceive these systems” Prabhakar said. In addition to trust, DARPA thinks a lot about the potential for artificial intelligence to be hacked or tricked into veering from its mission.
A rogue drone or smart gun that’s been hacked could be devastating. It could alter the course of a mission or worse, turn on its human counterparts. Which brings us back to the DARPA Cyber Grand Challenge and its bots that find and fix vulnerabilities. They’re an important part of a giant puzzle of technology that’ll pit robot against robot with human helpers.
The future of warfare will be filled with AI and robots, but it’ll be more than just autonomous drones clashing on the battlefield. It’ll include humans and computers working together to attack and defend military systems. More importantly, it’ll be a world where whoever builds the best artificial intelligence will emerge the victor.
‘Rez Infinite’ is getting a collector’s edition from iam8bit
Much like the game itself, Rez Infinite is being released in a very unorthodox manner. For example, iam8bit is publishing the game as part of a special collection with a vinyl soundtrack, special T-shirts, and collectible pins.
If you’re going to choose a game to make your publishing debut with, as iam8bit is doing here, you couldn’t do much better than Rez Infinite, a port of the cult classic Rez, originally released on the Dreamcast in 2001.
After being ported to the PlayStation 2 in 2002, it amassed followers with its unique mix of on-rails shooter action and thumping electronic beats. Rez Infinite is being remade for PlayStation VR, which should take an already unique experience and transform it into something positively transcendental, combining an excellent soundtrack with trippy visuals and audio that syncs up to your actions in-game.
The physical edition of Rez Infinite from iam8bit comes with the vinyl soundtrack mentioned above with the retrospective booklet sewn right into the two LPs and bonus 7″ cover. Complete with quotes and lore straight from creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi himself, it’s a custom-made tome that should offer a good amount of insight into the game and the history behind it.
Additionally, you’ll get two T-shirts, with one designed by Fez creator Phil Fish. A few collectible pins round things out. What this package is missing, however, is the Trance Vibrator peripheral that originally released as part of a special collector’s edition for Japanese audiences. We can dream, though.
Rez Infinite is coming out on October 13th alongside PlayStation VR. Fall can’t get here quickly enough.
Source: iam8bit
Gawker.com will shut down as part of Univision buyout
Gawker Media’s long, strange legal battle is done, and so is Gawker.com — reporter JK Trotter just confirmed that the site is set to cease operations next week, after 14 years of snarking up every possible tree. The announcement comes on the heels of Univision’s $135 million bid for Gawker Media’s network of websites, which also includes Kotaku, Lifehacker, Deadspin, Jalopnik, Jezebel and our friendly rival Gizmodo.
At this point, we don’t know what Gawker’s online legacy will look like. “The near-term plans for Gawker.com’s coverage, as well as the site’s archives,” Trotter mentions, “have not yet been finalized.”
Speaking of things that haven’t been finalized, the fate of Univision’s deal hasn’t been set in stone yet either. A New York bankruptcy court will pass judgment on the offer later today, and after that, the $135 will hang in the air while Gawker Media appeals the verdict of its case against Hulk Hogan. What’s more, the question of Gawker’s continued existence hung over the entire process — Univision has been steadily growing its online assets by acquiring satire site The Onion and The Root, an online magazine dedicated to African-American culture. The rest of Gawker’s network could bring plenty of new eyeballs to Univision’s advertisers, but Gawker.com’s reputation was likely considered too toxic to salvage by its new corporate overlords.
Gawker might soon go dark, but the conversations it sparked will live on. If nothing else, media wonks will continue to talk about Peter Thiel’s decisive financial and legal retribution against the site, and the precedents it could set for independent journalism that deals with people in power.
Source: Gawker
Sprint Launches New $60 Unlimited Plan With Data Optimization
Sprint has announced a new plan called Unlimited Freedom that offers unlimited talk, text, and 4G LTE data for $60 per month. A second line can be added for $40 per month, while up to eight more lines can be added for an additional $30 per month each. The total cost for a family of four, for example, would be $160 per month, the same price as T-Mobile’s new ONE plan for that many lines.
Unlimited Freedom automatically optimizes select content, limiting video streams to up to 480p resolution, gaming up to 2 Mbps, and music streams up to 500 kbps. The carrier did not specify if tethering is included, or if customers will be able to upgrade to unlimited HD video and music for an additional monthly charge. T-Mobile ONE offers unlimited HD video for an additional $25 per month.
Sprint also announced that its prepaid subsidiary Boost Mobile is launching a new Unlimited Unhook’d plan featuring unlimited talk, text, and 4G LTE data, with the same content optimizations, for $50 per month. Up to four additional lines can be added for $30 per month each. The new plans from both Sprint and Boost Mobile are available for new and existing customers starting tomorrow.
Tag: Sprint
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Apple Drops ‘Store’ From Apple Store Branding
Apple appears to be making a slight branding change to its retail business, dropping the “Store” moniker when referring to its Apple Store locations. Apple has already made the change online, and all of its store pages now refer to stores by names like “Apple Union Square” or “Apple Valley Fair” or “Apple The Grove,” instead of “Apple Store, Valley Fair” or “Apple Store, The Grove.”
It’s a change that appears to have started rolling out with the launch of the newer Apple Stores, like the Union Square location in San Francisco. Apple has always referred to that store as just Apple Union Square, and over the course of the last few days, the company has updated all of its retail store webpages to remove the “Store” branding. What was once “Apple Store, Fifth Avenue,” for example, is now just “Apple Fifth Avenue.”
The new website for The Grove Apple Store
An archived page for the Fifth Avenue Apple Store has the older branding as of August 12, suggesting this is a fairly recent change to Apple’s retail plan.
The old website for The Grove Apple Store
Apple also recently sent out a memo to its retail employees, letting them know that the “Store” branding is gradually being dropped from both retail locations and online. While Apple told employees the change will be gradual and will start with new stores, pages for almost all stores have been updated to remove the “Store” titling.
The decision to remove the “Store” portion of Apple’s line of retail locations likely has to do with efforts to turn newer stores into more than just simple stores, positioning them as gathering places for their communities. Apple Union Square, for example, features an outdoor plaza with regular acoustic performances and a 6K video wall with seating called “The Forum,” aimed at allowing artists, photographers, and musicians to inspire and educate customers through year-round programs, events, and classes.
Tag: Apple retail
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iPhone 7 Camera Module Confirms Optical Image Stabilization for 4.7-Inch Model
A new leaked image of the iPhone 7’s rear camera module has been posted online today (via Nowhereelse.fr), bringing with it more concrete evidence that the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 will include optical image stabilization alongside its various other camera improvements. Previous reports surrounding the smaller-screen iPhone have hinted at the inclusion of image stabilization, but today’s camera module leak provides the first visual hint of its addition into the upcoming 4.7-inch iPhone.
Images via NWE
The component in question includes four small cutouts surrounding the single-lens camera, housing the springs and equipment that allow for the lens to float slightly, leading to clearer, less blurry images. The same component for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s lack these cutouts. Since the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in 2014, optical image stabilization has been limited to the “Plus” versions of Apple’s smartphone, alongside features like better battery life.
With optical image stabilization now believed to be coming to both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, the different camera abilities will be focused on the single-lens and dual-lens hardware for the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch versions of the smartphone. Mockups over the last few months for both devices have shown larger camera bumps when compared to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, and the camera hardware in general has been believed to be one of the major selling points of an otherwise modest update year.
Currently, it’s believed that Apple will reveal the iPhone 7 at an event on September 7, and open up pre-orders on September 9. The specific launch date is a bit more ambiguous, with both September 16 and September 23 flagged as potential options.
Related Roundup: iPhone 7
Tag: nowhereelse.fr
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Microsoft Launches OneNote Import Tool to Help Mac Users Transition From Evernote
Microsoft today announced the launch of its OneNote Import Tool for Mac, which is designed to allow Mac users to quickly and easily transfer all of their notes from note-taking app Evernote to Microsoft’s own note-taking app, OneNote.
Transitioning from Evernote to OneNote is as simple as downloading the import tool, letting the app locate Evernote notebooks, signing into your Microsoft account, and hitting the import button. From there, all of your Evernote content is available in OneNote.
Microsoft’s OneNote Import Tool is timely because Evernote recently made a policy change that has pushed users into seeking other note taking services. As of late June, customers who use a free Evernote basic account are only able to access their notes on a total of two devices. Accessing Evernote content on more than two devices now requires an Evernote subscription, priced at $3.99 per month or $34.99 per year.
OneNote requires notes to be stored using Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage service (which comes with 5GB free storage) but there are no restrictions on accessing notes across multiple devices. OneNote also offers many of the same features that are available in Evernote and it can serve as an alternative to Apple’s own Notes app.
OneNote lets you work the way you want. You can get your ideas down in a range of ways that include typing, inking, embedding videos, recording audio, or clipping web content. If you prefer to use paper and pen, you can even scan that content with OneNote to make it digital, searchable and available from your phone to your laptop. We’ve heard that many Evernote users rely heavily on their clipper. OneNote has a great clipper for all major browsers, available for free at OneNote.com/clipper.
Microsoft’s new OneNote Import Tool can be downloaded from the OneNote website for free.
Tags: Evernote, Microsoft, OneNote
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iOS and Android Combined for Record 99% of Smartphone Sales Last Quarter
The latest numbers from research firm Gartner reveal that the smartphone industry continues to be a virtual two-horse race between iOS and Android. The operating systems combined for a record 99.1% worldwide market share in the second calendar quarter of 2016, compared to 96.8% in the year-ago period.
Android remained the world’s most widely used smartphone operating system with 86.2% market share in the second quarter, up from 82.2% a year ago, while iOS dropped to 12.9% market share from 14.6% in the year-ago period. Windows and BlackBerry smartphones continued their long-running descent, dropping to 0.6% and 0.1% market share worldwide respectively.
iOS and Android achieving a 99% duopoly in the smartphone market is remarkable given that Symbian and BlackBerry operating systems were industry leaders just six years ago. Symbian was used by several major mobile phone vendors, including Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson.
Symbian was essentially discontinued in 2012, beyond being used on a few regional smartphones in Japan, while BlackBerry released its first Android smartphone last year. Meanwhile, Microsoft scaled back its Windows Phone efforts earlier this year following continuously poor sales of Lumia devices.
Tags: Gartner, Android
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Apple Watch 2 With GPS for Improved Navigation, Fitness Tracking Coming This Fall
Apple plans to announce new Apple Watch models this fall with improved health tracking and GPS chips, according to a new Bloomberg report that confirms previous rumors we’ve heard about the Apple Watch 2.
The upcoming Apple Watch 2 will not, however, feature cellular connectivity to make it less dependent on the iPhone, as Apple has not been able to compensate for the extra battery life that a cellular connection consumes.
Apple had been in talks this year with mobile phone carriers in the U.S. and Europe to add cellular connectivity to the watch, according to people familiar with the talks. A cellular chip would have theoretically allowed the product to download sports score alerts, e-mail and mapping information while out of an iPhone’s reach.
During the discussions, Apple executives expressed concern that the cellular models may not be ready for release this year and that the feature may be pushed back to a later generation, according to the people. Apple warned that, even on an aggressive schedule, the earliest possible shipment time-frame for cellular models would have been this December, one of the people said.
Apple is researching low-power cellular chips for future versions of the Apple Watch, but has been unable to make it work for 2016. The company’s “ultimate goal” for the Apple Watch is to decouple it from the iPhone, but technology will need to improve before it is able to do so. LTE connectivity and significant Apple Watch design changes are not expected before 2017.
The addition of a GPS chip, something planned for the next-generation Apple Watch, will allow the device to more accurately determine a user’s location for better fitness and health tracking capabilities along with improved navigation. Previous reports have also suggested the Apple Watch 2 will include a barometer, a higher capacity battery, and improved waterproofing techniques.
Bloomberg’s report does not give a specific launch date for the next-generation Apple Watch beyond “fall,” but it is possible Apple plans to launch new Apple Watch models alongside the iPhone 7, which is expected to be unveiled at an event that will take place on September 7.
A previous rumor from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested we will see both a second-generation Apple Watch with the aforementioned new features and an upgraded first-generation Apple Watch with an improved processor and superior waterproofing.
Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 2, watchOS 3
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)
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