IBM and MIT are working together to make sure A.I. isn’t our downfall

In September 2017, IBM announced a ten-year partnership with MIT, based around a $10 million investment into artificial intelligence research. Scientists, professors, and students working in the field were encouraged to submit their ideas for new avenues of study.

A.I. is rapidly becoming a major focus of modern technology, and its importance to our everyday lives will only increase over the next few years. IBM and MIT both want to be on the forefront of the latest developments – but this partnership goes far beyond the technology itself.

The lab will consider the societal impact of A.I. alongside its efforts to push the technology forward. The idea is not just to explore what’s possible, but also make sure that the cutting edge doesn’t cut too deep.

The Four Pillars

MIT and IBM are committed to keeping an open mind. Not every idea will be followed up, but all kinds of pitches are welcomed. So far, the two organizations have established four main pillars that will guide future research.

The first is core algorithmic advances, with a focus on ensuring the development process is more transparent than it is today. IBM’s vice president of A.I., Dario Gil, told Digital Trends that the intent is to move away from the “black box” model, which obfuscates much A.I. research today, and make it more understandable from an outside perspective.

Then there’s work on what IBM and MIT refer to as the physics of A.I. — the hardware that will be used to take the technology to new heights. Another strand of research will look at potential practical applications for A.I. across various industries.

Finally, there’s the broad topic of “shared prosperity.” This branch of study will investigate how researchers can stop A.I. and automated labor from leaving the human workforce behind, or otherwise have a negative impact on the average person’s economic future.

Now is the time to look at A.I. from all angles, because the major advances that have been made in recent years are soon going to have a direct impact on our lives.

From I.T to A.I.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the rise of the personal computer transformed our homes and workplaces. IBM hopes that A.I. could do the same. .

Gil takes the stance that A.I. is the new I.T., in that it will soon become ubiquitous across all industries and organizations, impacting how people work and live even if they’re not directly engaged with it. He points to the relatively rapid adoption of computers over the last few decades, and how quickly it became an accepted fact that any modern business needed to take advantage of modern technology. I.T. departments became commonplace. Computer science emerged as a discipline. He sees a similar path forward for A.I.

“Every business on earth is going to start thinking, ‘well, how do I deploy A.I.?’”

“Every business on earth is going to start thinking, ‘well, how do I deploy A.I.?’” he said. “Just like with I.T. ‘How am I going to use it to solve problems that I couldn’t solve before?’”

He cites the number of students taking the Introduction to Machine Learning Course at MIT. Three years ago, 200 students registered for the course; this year, over 700 students have registered, the record for any class in terms of demand. Stanford’s Introduction to Machine Learning class has also set records this year, with 1,080 students signed up.

Many smart young people are looking to put their talents to use in the field of A.I. – and when they graduate in a few years’ time, they’ll be working with hardware that’s even more advanced than the best we have today.

Playing with Power

If you look at some of the algorithms that everybody’s using today that’s got everyone excited, like deep learning – those algorithms are not new,” explained Gil “Those algorithms have been with us for many decades, actually.” According to him there are two factors holding back A.I. development — the computational power we have access to, and the amount of digital data we have on hand to train these neural networks with.

“Computational power is at the center of the A.I. action today,” he added. “And it’s going to remain so for many, many years to come.”

In April of last year, IBM put Watson into SoftBank’s Pepper Robot

Training large models requires a huge amount of data, and remains a costly, often inefficient process. Over the next decade we could make improvements in this respect, but it’s going to require better hardware. In the short-term, Gil projects that we’re going to establish new architectures that are based upon existing silicon technology. Beyond that, researchers are considering analog A.I. that abandons today’s silicon transistors and introduces memory-like elements into the computation process.

This work is undeniably promising, but it’s a simple evolution of the hardware we have today. Another, more dramatic option is the use of a quantum computer to explore the potential of an A.I. Such research is still in its earliest conceptual stages, but the enormous computational power of a large-scale universal quantum computer seems likely to inspire a major leap in our understanding.

MIT’s lab will have access to IBM Q, the company’s flagship quantum project. Recently updated to a 20-qubit processor, an even more impressive 50-qubit version on the horizon – hardware that will surely be a real gamechanger when it’s possible to use it to its full potential. This avenue of research is set to be a two-way street. Machine learning will be used to help advance research into quantum hardware, and the results will help scientists push the boundaries of machine learning.

Safe Passage

“We’re motivated to make technology that solves problems for the world,” explained Gil. “For me as a leader, it’s very important that we do it in the right way. To do it in the right way, you need to be thoughtful – you need to study these issues with rigor and seriousness.”

A.I. can be a force for good, but it also has the potential to cause great harm. We’ve already seen examples, such as bots used to harass people online. There’s also the capacity for collateral damage, like the people who will lose their jobs if automated machinery becomes the norm in various industries.

“We want to bring A.I. safely into the world”

“We are aware of the concerns surrounding AI and its future abilities – and that’s something anyone in this field must consider as they embark on new research,” wrote Anantha Chandrakasan, the dean of MIT’s school of engineering, in email correspondence with Digital Trends. “But we see the best path forward as exploring and understanding the risks and opportunities the future of AI might bring, and thereby, formulating scenarios about how to best respond to such concerns.”

“We want to bring A.I. safely into the world,” said Gil. To that end, the lab will see practitioners in the field collaborate with experts from various disciplines like economics and politics. It’s a matter of putting people who understand the technology inside-out in communication with people who are well-versed in the social issues that will occur.

“The kind of conversation that’s happening, broadly, in society is interesting, but it tends to be either utopia or dystopia,” Gil explained, referring to the dual fantasies of a future where no human has to work, and a doomsday where hyper-intelligent robots take over. “It’s the two extremes. The sophisticated, nuanced conversation of what we need to do, step-by-step, is often not encountered.”

The MIT-IBM Watson A.I. Lab will be the setting for these discussions. It’s clear that A.I. is bursting with potential, but that brings about its own challenges. Individuals and organizations working in the field are sure to want to use their talents to break new ground. Both MIT and IBM want to facilitate that important work – but they want to make sure that it’s carried out with the proper caution.

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Next year’s flagship Android phones may offer facial recognition features

Are fingerprint sensors on the way out? A report from Digitimes makes the case that Android smartphone makers may soon start following Apple’s lead and opt for facial recognition software in place of the current fingerprint reader.

According to the report, Huwai, Oppo, and Xiamoi are all working on 3D sensor technology of their own. This is the technology used in the iPhone X‘s Face ID software, which allows Apple’s latest flagship to be unlocked by reading the owner’s face.

According to DigiTimes’ “industry sources,” the companies that make the technology necessary for 3D facial sensors are getting an increasingly large number of orders, which would imply that next year’s flagship Android faces will feature something similar to Apple’s Face ID.

The basics of this technology have been around for some time, but Apple boasts that its new Face ID is the most accurate of its kind. The Cupertino company says that there is only a 1 in a million chance of a random person’s face tricking Face ID, compared to the 1 in 50,000 chance offered by fingerprint sensors.

While these are only rumors at this point, don’t be surprised if they turn out to be true. We’ve already heard that the Galaxy S9 may offer similar features. In fact, we’re starting to see it on Android phones already. The OnePlus 5T, which goes on sale later this month, will offer facial recognition software in addition to fingerprint scanning.

One interesting question is rather or not these flagship Androids will completely do away with fingerprint scanners — as Apple has done with the iPhone X — or offer facial recognition on top of a password and fingerprint scanning technology. We could reasonably assume that the facial recognition will remain optional for now. The iPhone X is selling well, but it remains a niche device meant to appeal to Apple’s hardcore fans. It’s not yet clear if the mass-market is ready to fully embrace facial recognition.

It’s a nice option to have, but Android devices have always prided themselves on being a bit more open than iOS, so it would be nice see them remain open in regards to fingerprint scanning and facial recognition.

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Watch NASA test the supersonic parachute for the 2020 Mars mission

Last month, NASA took another step towards the Red Planet with a test of its supersonic parachute, designed to slow the spacecraft down as it enters the Martian atmosphere at more than 12,000 mph. A dramatic video on board the test flight captured the parachute opening flawlessly at nearly twice the speed of sound.

“It is quite a ride! The imagery of our first parachute inflation is almost as breathtaking to behold as it is scientifically significant,” said Ian Clark of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “For the first time, we get to see what it would look like to be in a spacecraft hurtling towards the Red Planet, unfurling its parachute.”

An earlier parachute test resulted in a failure, with the parachute shredding soon after deployment.

The first phase of the Advanced Supersonic Parachute Inflation Research Experiment (ASPIRE) was launched aboard a Black Brant IX rocket from Wallops Island, Virginia. After reaching a height of 32 miles, the payload capsule began to plummet back to Earth. Once it reached a speed of Mach 1.8 at an altitude of 26 miles, the Mars parachute deployed successfully. The ASPIRE splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean 35 minutes after liftoff

The test parachute was almost identical to the one used to land NASA’s Curiosity rover on the surface of the red planet in 2012. “Everything went according to plan or better than planned,” said Clark. The next ASPIRE test is planned for February of 2018. “We not only proved that we could get our payload to the correct altitude and velocity conditions to best mimic a parachute deployment in the Martian atmosphere, but as an added bonus, we got to see our parachute in action as well.”

In addition to the parachute, the Mars mission’s landing system includes a descent vehicle and a tricky procedure known as a “skycrane maneuver,” which lowers the rover on a cable to the surface.

The Mars 2020 rover will look for signs of ancient Martian life by drilling for core samples that may contain evidence of past microbial life and “cache” them for collection during a possible future mission. It will also test different methods of producing oxygen from the Martian atmosphere.

After launching during the summer of 2020, when the two planets are relatively close to each other, the rover is scheduled to set down on the surface of Mars in February 2021.

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This $23 Top Greener USB-C Outlet deal is electric

Amazon has the Top Greener USB C Outlet on sale for $23.19 which is the lowest price ever for this item. This outlet has received a 4.1 out of 5-star rating based on 109 customer reviews. The USB Charger Outlet with Type C and Type A Smart intelliChip USB Ports recognizes the need for your devices then charges at the maximum speed, whether it’s a smartphone, Android tablet or an iPad. It features an interchangeable face cover that can easily snap on. The white cover comes attached but you can change it to black or light almond.

This can replace any standard wall outlet and installation is a breeze. With this charging outlet, you can eliminate plug confusion and charging adapters. For under $70 you could grab this item and the Top Greener USB Wall Outlet, 4.8A 24W Ultra High-Speed USB Wall Charger.

TL;DR

• What makes this deal worth considering? – This is the lowest price ever for this item. The Top Greener USB C Outlet easily replaces any standard wall outlet.
• Things to know before you buy! – This is sold by a 3rd party seller so there is a slight shipping cost and Prime benefits are not available.

See at Amazon

Treaty ending use of planet-warming HFCs takes effect in 2019

The treaty phasing out the use of Earth-warming hydrofluorocarbons now has an official start date. Sweden has become the 20th country to ratify the Kigali Amendment, invoking a clause that has the measure taking effect on January 1st, 2019. From then on, wealthier countries (less fortunate nations have until 2024 or 2028) must cut back on use of the greenhouse gas in everything from air conditioning to refrigerators. Ideally, this pushes companies to use and develop eco-friendly coolants.

If the ramping down of HFC use works as intended, it could theoretically avoid as much as an 0.5C increase in the overall global temperature. Given that the Paris Agreement has most of the world fighting to keep global warming to 2C or less in this century, that would represent a major accomplishment.

There’s one catch, though: the US. The country has yet to ratify the treaty, and it might not do so given President Trump’s intent to withdraw from the Paris Agreement and overall aversion to climate science. If the US doesn’t move forward, though, it’s more likely to hurt itself than anyone else. It may limit American coolant makers’ access to other countries’ markets for HFC alternatives. The Kigali Amendment is still likely to have its intended effect, especially since American firms may switch to more climate-friendly chemicals regardless of the government’s stance. It’s just that US government decisions may let stragglers hang on to HFCs for longer than they would otherwise.

Via: New York Times

Source: United Nations

Nintendo Sets ‘Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp’ Release Date for November 22

Nintendo on Twitter today confirmed that the company’s upcoming iOS game, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, will launch worldwide on November 22. The confirmation of a release date comes nearly one month after the game was first unveiled in late October, after which it soft launched on the Australian iOS App Store and climbed to the top of the charts there faster than either Super Mario Run or Fire Emblem Heroes.

When it launches later this week, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will be a miniaturized version of the main games in the series, allowing players to visit and manage a campsite in lieu of a full village. At the camp, players can decorate the location with furniture to attract certain animal characters, as well as go fishing, hunt for bugs, shop, and more to complete quests and craft items to further deck out the camp.

Have you heard the news? Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will be coming to mobile devices worldwide on 11/22! #PocketCamp pic.twitter.com/jShJwDgnls

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) November 20, 2017

Just like the other games in the series, time passes in real time so when you open the app the game will reflect the time of day in the real world, subsequently affecting certain bug and fish spawns and allowing for upcoming seasonal events. There’s also a social aspect that allows players to visit the camps of their friends to get inspired by their designs, and sell or exchange items with them.

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will be free-to-play, and uses optional “Leaf Tickets” so players can bypass long wait times when they build structures, purchase the materials needed to craft furniture, and more. If you’re interested in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, visit our sister site Touch Arcade to read some first impressions on the game ahead of its release on November 22.

Tags: Nintendo, Animal Crossing, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
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Jeffrey Tambor leaves Amazon’s ‘Transparent’ over harassment claims

The slew of sexual harassment and assault allegations surfacing in Hollywood has affected another major streaming service. Transparent actor Jeffrey Tambor has announced he’s leaving the Amazon show after two transgender actresses on the show (Van Barnes and Trace Lysette) alleged that he made lewd remarks and got “physical.” He wasn’t formally pushed out, but he argued that he couldn’t stay on the show given the “politicized atmosphere” the harassment claims brought to the table. “This is no longer the job I signed up for four years ago,” he said in a statement.

Tambor has denied the allegations ever since they appeared weeks earlier, even though show producer Our Lady J backed both claims. While he said he had “deep regret” if his actions were ever “misinterpreted by anyone as being aggressive,” he declared it “simply and utterly untrue” that he would set out to harass others. Amazon had no comment on the departure when we asked, but the company has been talking to Tambor, creator Jill Soloway and others involved in the production team as it investigated the accusations.

There were hints that Tambor might have been dropped from the show even if he hadn’t left. Deadline tipsters have claimed that there had been talk of writing Tambor’s character out of Transparent for the fifth season, and that Tambor’s option to star in that season hadn’t yet been picked up. If so, Tambor may have seen the writing on the wall and left voluntarily.

Whether or not the assertions are true, the exit leaves Amazon in largely the same position as Netflix: one of its earliest original shows is facing a crisis as its lead male actor’s behavior overshadows the production. Tambor’s leaving is unlikely to have as much of an effect as it would have a few years ago, when he played more of a central role in both the show and Amazon’s quest for awards. Still, it’s safe to presume that Amazon would have preferred that Tambor avoid questionable behavior in the first place and thus avoid compounding problems that began with Amazon’s executive team.

Source: Deadline

Kickstarter lets you subscribe to creators with Drip

Kickstarter initially acquired Drip back in March of 2016, though it was launched six years ago by Sam Valenti IV and partner Miguel Senquiz. The crowdfunding giant hasn’t done much with Drip since it was acquired, but that’s about to change. Drip is a crowdfunding tool that allows people to subscribe to a creator and give them monthly payments. This is in contrast to the Kickstarter model, which is to pledge money to one single project. Drip now functions much like Patreon does, with a couple of features that sets it apart.

Currently, Drip is in a limited beta period, and is invite-only for creators. It will open up for more artists early next year. At the moment, a total of 61 artists have subscription pages.

“We’re at the very beginning stages,” Kickstarter co-founder Perry Chen told TechCrunch. “I think there are a lot of people that haven’t seen the tools that currently exist as fitting for their practice. There’s been a good amount of ground gained with serial content creators, and I think the question is can a broader group of content creators find this kind of model as something that can work for them. We’re trying to see if we can have an impact in this space, and honestly, the more the merrier.”

Kickstarter requires creators to get fully funded within in a certain amount of time. Drip doesn’t operate this way, however. Instead, the user account will remain active no matter how much money has been pledged. The platform encourages more people to join and subscribe by allowing creators to choose from anywhere between seven and 30 days for funders to become founding members. They will be rewarded with special perks if they are able to pledge within that time window.

With Drip, you’re also able to move funders and projects over to a completely different crowdfunding platform with ease. This helps to sell the idea that Drip is absolutely all-in as far as supporting creators and artists. “We’re not basing our success or failure primarily on growth,” Kickstarter’s new chief product officer, Jamie Wilkinson, told The Verge. “It’s about, are we succeeding in our mission? Are we helping creator projects come to life?”

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How Hollywood techniques and virtual reality are changing the field of neuroscience

We’re all familiar with the CGI used in big-budget Hollywood movies. When used properly, this technology can help bring even the most fantastical of worlds to life, but Scientific American reports that such technology is making its way into the world of neuroscience where it is being used to study the human brain.

At the 2017 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington D.C., a team of researchers showed off two projects that highlight what this technology can do when applied to the realm of neuroscience.

Tyler Ard, a researcher at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, showed how computer rending techniques can be applied to the results of MRI scans to produce images from large amounts of data. Ard and his team have developed software that will make it easy to import this data. He also said they plan on making it freely available to other scientists.

The team isn’t content to solely make use of CGI for MRI scans, however. They are also combining it with virtual reality to create 3D images of the human brain, allowing researchers to more easily study the brain and perform virtual dissections. Ard believes that this will be a more effective means of learning neuroanatomy than traditional means.

“This can be useful when learning neuroanatomy,” Ard told Scientific American. “The way that I learned it, we had to look at slices, and that’s real hard. This is a way that allows you to understand 3-D structure better.”

Ard is hopeful that the Neuro Imaging in Virtual Reality program will be available next year.

Tracing Neurons with VR

Right now, most of the interest around VR is confined to gaming circles, but a team of researchers at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City have developed a program that will allow scientists to use VR to more easily trace neurons.

The current techniques require scientists to create 2D images of their neuron scans and rotate the image to see what’s behind the neuron’s branches. Considering that a single cubic millimeter of the human brain contains 50,000 neurons and each of those has roughly 6,000 connections to their neighbors, it can be a slow process.

The team from the University of Utah has found a way to create 3D VR images of neuron pathways, allowing scientists to walk around their images and use handheld controllers to rotate them.

In order to show off the program, the team had four professional neuroscientists map a series of neuron images using the new VR technology and standard desktop computer. The VR proved just as accurate as the desktop method, but was 1.7 times faster.

Will Usher, who helped demonstrate the technology, said that his team hopes to release the program for commercial VR devices within a year.

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Tesla launches external battery pack for iPhone and Android devices

At a recent event, Tesla announced its new Roadster and semi-truck, but the company also released another product that didn’t get nearly as much attention. The company best known for its electric cars has released an external battery pack that can be used to charge your Android smartphone or iPhone while you’re away from an outlet.

It might seem a bit strange, but the company does produce batteries for consumer use, such as the Tesla Powerwall, which is used to supply power to homes, especially in the case of a disaster or power outage. The new Powerbank, available on Tesla’s website, is powered by the same 18650 cell used in the Model X and S vehicles, though the cars use more than a single cell, of course.

In terms of technical specifications, the Powerbank doesn’t differ too much from similar external battery packs, and the $45 price tag is a bit steep, considering you can find other models that are more affordable. However, some of the cheaper devices are only compatible with one type of phone. But it’s in the area of design that Tesla puts much of its efforts.  The Powerbank is sleek and compact enough to make it fairly easy to carry with you. As for the looks, the product description reads, “Designed and inspired after Tesla’s supercharger monument at the Tesla Design Studio.”

There were some outlets reporting that the Powerbank were sold out, but it appears that Tesla has added new inventory as the product is still listed as for sale on Tesla’s website.

Whether or not there’s a market for a $45 external cellphone charger is a question that has yet to be answered. We imagine most people will be able to make do with the cheaper offerings found online, but for those who love Tesla and want something a bit more unique, this product could fill a niche. Beyond that, this could also come in handy if you’re in a situation where you need to charge different types of phones. If you’ve got an Android and your friend has an iPhone, then switching this back and forth might be a bit cheaper than buying separate battery packs.

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