MIT trained an A.I. using morbid Reddit captions, and it became a psychopath

MIT

Science fiction has given us many iconic malevolent A.I. characters. However, these are often figures like Terminator’s T-800 or Alien’s Ash who commit emotionless murder to pursue an end goal. Those which exhibit more unhinged paranoid behavior, like 2001: A Space Odyssey’s HAL 9000, frequently do so because of a fault in their programming, rather than through design.

That’s what makes MIT’s “Norman” project so intriguing. Named after Psycho’s Norman Bates, it’s a newly created artificial intelligence billed as the “world’s first psychopath A.I.” Shown randomly generated inkblot tests, it offers disturbing interpretations like “man shot dead in front of his screaming wife” or “man gets pulled into dough machine.” What caused it to have this terrible view of the world? Access to Reddit, of course.

Norman was trained on image captions from the infamous subreddit r/watchpeopledie, dedicated to documenting real instances of death. Due to ethical and technical concerns, as well as the graphic content of the videos contained in it, the A.I. was only given captions describing the pictures. However, since it has only observed horrifying image captions, it sees death in whichever subsequent picture it looks at. Think of it a bit like that saying about how, for someone with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Except that instead of nails, it sees people beaten to death with hammers.

MIT

If you’re wondering why on earth this would be close to a good idea, it’s because it’s meant to illustrate a problem concerning biased data sets. Essentially, the idea is that machine learning works by analyzing vast troves of data. Feed it biased data and you get algorithms that spit out the wrong responses — whether that be systemically racist results or, well, this kind of thing.

“Our group is currently releasing a new project to fight against machine learning-based bias and discrimination,” the researchers told Digital Trends.

In another possible future research direction, they are interested in expanding the inkblot aspect of the project to use data mining to see if there’s an explanation for why people see different things in inkblot tests. So far, they have collected more than 200,000 user responses. “We are hoping to analyze this data to see what kind of clusters these responses create,” they said. “For example, are there specific groups of people who respond to the inkblots quite differently than others?” (And are those people by any chance regular visitors of r/watchpeopledie, just like Norman?)

To be honest, we’re just relieved to hear that none of them are planning to apply any of Norman’s lessons to, say, making the next generation of Roomba more efficient. A murder-happy vacuum cleaner sounds like a really bad idea!

Apple’s USB-C MagSafe adapter will make you want to live the ‘dongle life’

iPopba/123RF

When Apple launched the MacBook, it decided to embrace the future by ditching all legacy ports — even the beloved MagSafe charging connector — in favor of adopting the lone USB Type-C port. As it turns out, Apple didn’t need to abandon the MagSafe port when it went all-in with USB Type-C.

A patent filing with the United States Patent Office from early 2016 reveals that Apple had been working on an adapter that would allow the company to still fully embrace the USB Type-C port while still delivering the benefits of a magnetic MagSafe connector. The MacBook — and by proxy, the MacBook Pro — would still ship with the standard USB Type-C port, but Apple’s patent filing with the shows that a magnetic adapter could be plugged into the USB Type-C port to deliver the functionality of a MagSafe connector.

“An illustrative embodiment of the present invention may provide a connector adapter having a connector insert and a magnetic connector receptacle,” Apple said of its innovation in its patent application. “The magnetic connector receptacle on the adapter may receive a corresponding magnetic connector insert that may be connected to a charger through a cable. The connector insert of the adapter may be inserted into a connector receptacle on an electronic device.”

The end that is inserted into the device could be fitted for micro USB, USB Type-C, or other types of port. The adapter itself could be constructed in a number of ways with various different materials. The non-conductive housing could be made from “silicon or silicone, rubber, hard rubber, plastic, nylon, elastomers, liquid-crystal polymers (LCPs), ceramics, or other nonconductive material or combination of materials” using “injection or other molding, 3-D printing, machining, or other manufacturing process,” Apple said, while the conductive portion would be made from metals.

Such a solution wouldn’t be as elegant as having a dedicated MagSafe charging port on the device, like on the MacBook Air and older MacBook Pro, but it would give users access to all their ports for connecting other peripherals and accessories when the laptop isn’t charging. The adapter works in a similar manner to Grffin’s magnetic adapter and USB Type-C cable, a third-party accessory that retails for $40, Forbes reported.

Apple’s MagSafe connector was well loved because it made charging effortless. When you need to recharge Apple’s older MacBook Pro, the magnets guide the cable to the port and snaps into place. However, the main draw with MagSafe is that if someone trips over your power cord, the magnets would unlatch and break away from your laptop. The alternative is that your expensive laptop would fly to the ground.

Given that Apple’s invention is for an adapter for the USB Type-C port, rather than a native solution that’s built into the company’s notebook, perhaps someday Apple would release this accessory as yet another dongle. A previous Apple patent revealed the company was working on stackable MagSafe accessories.

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Best Waterproof Pouches for Android Phones

Brace your phone. Summer is coming.

Whether you’re heading somewhere awesome and wet for your vacation like the Bahamas, or you’re intending to bring your phone along as you go tubing on the Comal River, a waterproof pouch is an easy way to protect your phone from electronics’ biggest enemy: water.

IPX8 cases are widely prevalent, come in many styles, colors, and sizes to accommodate phones both big and small, and since they’re usually big enough for a driver’s license and some cash, they go from unitasker to waterproof purse. Whatever you’re looking for in a waterproof pouch, you can probably find it in one of these.

• Mpow
• CaliCase Floating Waterpoof Case
• JOTO
• FITFORT

A few notes before we get started:

• You can’t use a fingerprint scanner through a waterproof pouch. Be prepared to unlock your phone via password or PIN, or use Smart Lock to keep the device unlocked.
• You can use the buttons and for most newer model pouches you can interact with the touchscreen through the plastic, but you’ll probably want to open the camera app before you go underwater and you’ll definitely want to use the volume buttons as the shutter buttons to take photos.
• Most of these pouches are secured to a lanyard using a “Quick Release” mechanism. If someone yanks your pouch, the pouch will probably detach and the quick release mechanism can break. Be warned, be alert, and if you want some extra protection, swap it out for a beefier lanyard with a carabiner.
• Most of these pouches do not float on their own so that they don’t try to float away from you while you’re in the pool or snorkeling. If you want your pouch to float, consider getting a floating strap to use with your waterpoof pouch.

Mpow

There are a lot of cases out there to choose from, but Mpow’s cases are by far the most prevalent and some of the most popular. They usually come in packs of two to four, in different colors so the whole family can tell their phones apart, and work well enough to last an entire vacation. Now, this isn’t to say they’re infallible, but so long as you’re gentle when getting your phone in or out of it, they can be reusable. This pouch can fit phones with up to a 6-inch diagonal screen, though for phones on the larger end of that scale you may need to remove their case before you put them in.

Mpow ($11.99 for 3)

CaliCase Waterproof Floating Case

At $16 a pop, the CaliCase is one of the more expensive pouches here, but it also offers a few things over the competition. It’s double-layered, which means leaks have to get through two layers of plastic instead of one and should last longer for enthusiasts looking to not replace your waterproof pouch after two months of weekend kayaking. CaliCase also comes with a Lifetime Warranty.

CaliCase floats, which will work against you a little if you’re using it while snorkeling, but if you’re kayaking or tubing, your phone won’t sink to the bottom of the lake. It also secures via lockable carabiner to keep it strapped to your lanyard, kayak, or backpack. There are some color variants of the CaliCase that are Glow in the Dark, so can find it on a dark beach. There are also non-glowing colors, including an American flag design of the original CaliCase, but not in the Extra-Large version that fits the Google Pixel 2 XL.

Just keep in mind that the Clear CaliCase does not float, and that the colored versions of this case do not show the full back of the phone, but rather have a clear porthole for about the bottom third of the case for the camera.

CaliCase Extra-Large Waterproof Floating Case ($15.99 each)

JOTO

JOTO’s cases have over 20,000 reviews on Amazon and still have a 4.5-star rating. It is the #1 waterproof pouch on Amazon. Its pouches have been trusted and used by hundreds of thousands of users over the years, and while the pouches may not be made to last forever, JOTO will get you through your watery vacation so long as you’re gentle getting when you open and close the pouch when removing cash or taking out your phone to charge.

These pouches have colored borders, both sides of your phone are fully visible inside the case. The color options here aren’t quite as sexy as the Mpow or CaliCase, but they get the job done and offer enough colors to let everyone in the family have their own shade. The JOTO pouch can fit phones with up to a 6-inch diagonal screen, though for phones on the larger end of that scale, you may need to remove their case before you put them in.

JOTO ($8-$10 each)

FITFORT

FITFORT offers a fluorescent ring around their pouches, making it easier to spot the colored versions when wearing them at beachside concerts or during an early morning kayak. In addition to the normal twist-to-lock seal, FITFORT also has a press-to-seal zipper between the top clip and the pouch, another barrier that water has to work through before reaching your phone. The 4-pack is for up to 5.5″ inch phones, will make it a little easier for smaller phones like a Pixel 2, but there’s also a 2-pack available of floating pouches that fit phones up to 6″ phones. The 4-pack features plastic clips attaching the pouches to lanyards while the 2-pack use Quick-Release lanyard clips.

FITFORT ($13.99 for 4)

FITFORT Floating Pouch ($10.99 for 2)

How do you stay dry?

Got a favorite waterproof pouch for your Android phone? Do you want a floater or a sinker? Do you prefer a bright color or is black fine so long as it keeps your phone dry? Let us know which one you use in the comments.

Play online with a full year of PlayStation Plus for just $50

It Only Does Everything.

Sony’s got 12 months of PlayStation Plus for just $49.99. A year of the service is normally $60, and discounts directly from Sony are pretty rare. This is part of Sony’s “Days of Play” event, so it will probably expire June 18 when the event does. You can read more about “Days of Play” here, including information about a limited edition PlayStation 4 Pro console. You might find this deal on Amazon eventually, too, although it’s currently $60 there.

If you’re already a PlayStation Plus member, you can extend your current subscription for $10 cheaper with this deal. If you’re new, then this will open you up to a whole new world with PlayStation. Not only will you be able to play games online with friends and strangers alike, you’ll also get access to exclusive PlayStation Plus discounts and free games that are released every month. The two free games for the PS4 this month include Trials Fusion and XCOM 2, which are both very fun.

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Of course Facebook ‘shared’ data with phone makers — but only because you let it happen

It’s not surprising that data was ‘shared,’ but it’s surprising that people didn’t realize what was going on.

Fresh Facebook news broke on Tuesday that the company has built decade-long partnerships with a handful of phone makers and other technology companies to more deeply integrate Facebook services and data into phones and websites. The deals offered phone makers the opportunity to integrate Facebook services directly into the contacts, dialer and launcher apps, among others — and of course in exchange also provided the companies with deeper hooks into user profile information than the typical Facebook APIs would offer.

This was taken as yet another bombshell revelation of how Facebook has been playing fast and loose with customer data — but I didn’t see it that way at all, and wasn’t even surprised to hear that these deals were made or continue to operate.

Facebook has been baked into nearly every Android phone since 2010.

Anyone who’s been around Android even half as long as I have knows that Facebook is baked into just about every Android phone sold today. The integration ranges from pre-installed Facebook and Instagram apps up to system-installed non-removable Facebook app (which often updated itself outside of the Play Store) and deep integration into your contacts and dialer. This was far more common back around 2010 when the Facebook app was … bad, but is still an extremely common occurrence. Each phone did (and does) it slightly differently, so it’s no surprise that it took a unique partnership with each company to get Facebooks features and data integrated into the operating system the way each company wanted. Yes, that’s going to mean data is being shared to, and stored on, the phone — that’s how this works.

Remember when it was revealed that Facebook kept call logs and messages from Android phones? Yeah, it’s kind of like that. From the point of view of Facebook and the phone maker, deep Facebook integration into the phone is of value to consumers, and so that’s what they offered — even if it led to more-than-usual amounts of personal information being “given” (although the specifics are debatable) to these companies.

Each company had slightly different data access requirements for their system — that’s just how this works.

So why is anyone surprised that Facebook made individual deals with companies to integrate the service into phones and in return offer deep access to data? This was blatantly obvious for years with early Android phones. Perhaps what really trigged the outrage was that Huawei was listed as one of the smartphone manufacturer partners for this program (alongside other Chinese OEMs like Lenovo, Oppo and TCL), which is, of course, embattled with the U.S. government over national security concerns. Huawei, for its part, claims it never stored the data on servers and it remained on the device — but regardless, looking at this one company is a red herring; data being offered up to any company without your explicit consent isn’t a good look.

But given the way that we know Facebook operates, and particularly how it operated in the past, that people are shocked and appalled by this news is just hilarious. None of this is surprising in the least, nor should anyone have expected that Facebook would have proactively disclosed that these deals were made. This sort of data sharing and private API access is the type of thing you undoubtedly agree to in a lengthy terms of service page for both Facebook and the phone you’re using. Not to mention that this is the sort of partnership for data sharing many companies partake in regularly with pre-installed apps and services other than Facebook. Shouting about how Facebook needs to be held to some new standard is unrealistic and misguided.

No, the real way to fix this problem is to simply not install Facebook on your Android phone. And if your phone comes with Facebook pre-installed, as so many do, disable whatever portions you can and never sign into your Facebook account on that device. You just made that entire partnership between Facebook and the phone manufacturer useless.

Yes, Facebook could have been more forthcoming about what companies it had deep sharing arrangements with. (And we can’t overlook that the phone companies could’ve made a clear disclosure.) But Facebook can only share data with your phone system if you have the app installed and your account logged in. You are the last line of defense here — don’t think for a second that you can install an app like Facebook and have complete control over what it collects and where that information is shared within the system. That’s just not how things work right now, nor has it been for the past 10 years.

Allow me to quote myself from that article about Facebook keeping call logs:

You gave Facebook access to that information. Android’s shaky and overly broad permissions settings gave Facebook a massive helping hand to accomplish this, but you installed the app and you pushed the button to allow the permissions as part of the installation. Facebook didn’t “steal” anything or operate outside of the parameters set by the Android Market and Google Play, it just used them to their fullest extent.

The story, and who’s responsible for your information, hasn’t changed since then.

You can use the Pixelbook’s power button as a two-factor authentication key

The functionality is available now in the Developer Channel.

Being safe and secure online is critical these days, and one of the best ways to go about that is by using two-factor authentication. USB security keys are one of the safest ways to use 2FA, but if you’ve got a Pixelbook, you can mimic a USB key’s functionality with its power button.

As spotted by 9to5Google, there’s a new option within the Chrome OS Developer Channel that allows you to turn the Pixelbook’s power button into a physical U2F (Universal 2nd Factor) key.

Once you’re in the Developer Channel, you’ll want to enter u2f_flags g2f into a Chrome Shell (hold down Ctrl + Alt + T at the same time). After that, you’re good to go.

You can technically enter this command on any Chromebook, but the Pixelbook is the only one that appears to actually work. Furthermore, it’s worth noting that the Developer Channel in Chrome OS can often be buggy and unstable due to its experimental nature. As such, it’d be worth picking up a backup USB key anyways just in case something goes awry with your Pixelbook.

How to change your software channel on Chrome OS

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Google Assistant vs. Cortana: Which is better for you?

Google Assistant and Cortana are both great at the basics of being a smart assistant, but there are some differences when it comes to platform and home automation support.

If you’re back and forth between Google’s and Microsoft’s ecosystems, one of the bigger sticking points can be the virtual assistant that each company offers. Yes, both will be able to tell you the weather, stock information, and help you navigate. But, the assistants differ when it comes to where they’re supported, and accessories you can use with them.

Here’s how Google Assistant and Cortana stack up.

Where are they supported?

Of course, it doesn’t matter what Google and Microsoft include with Assistant and Cortana if they aren’t available where you live. Google Assistant will be available in 52 countries by the end of 2018. Meanwhile, Cortana is available in 13 countries and seven languages. Do note that the capabilities of each assistant will vary from region to region and language to language.

What platforms are they supported on?

The next trick to finding out which assistant is best for you is finding out what platforms each is supported on. Cortana is available on Windows 10, Xbox, iOS and Android. Cortana is also built into the Harmon Kardon Invoke speaker. For even better integration, Android users can set Cortana as the default voice assistant.

Google Assistant is available on iOS, Android, Android TV, Android Auto, Wear OS watches, Smart Displays, connected headphones and speakers, and the Google Pixelbook, though there is evidence to suggest it will come to other Chromebooks in the future. There’s also evidence to suggest Google Assistant will be coming to the Xbox One.

More: Here’s every device with Google Assistant built-in

What can you do with each one?

Both assistants are great for the basics of answering questions, completing web searches, setting reminders and checking the weather. Both assistants also work will smart appliances, including building your own IFTTT recipes. Google Assistant does have an advantage in this field by working with a lot more brands than Cortana does.

More: Comprehensive list of Cortana commands on Windows 10

More: Every smart home device that works with Cortana

More: These products are services work with Google Assistant

More: Our favorite IFTTT recipes for Google Assistant

Which one is best?

Deciding which smart assistant is best for you comes down to the other services you use. If your main PC runs Windows, you use Microsoft services like OneNote and Office 365, and your Xbox is your main entertainment system, Cortana is going to be a better fit for you. Meanwhile, if you’re mostly using Google services — even if you have a Windows PC or Xbox — Google Assistant is going to be better for you.

If you’re completely neutral, Google Assistant will be the better choice because it’s supported by more home automation vendors, more smart speaker vendors, and is available in more countries.

What say you?

So which assistant do you think is a better match for you? Let us know down below!

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Angela Ahrendts Announces New App Prototyping ‘Today at Apple’ Sessions Coming Later in June

Senior vice president of Apple Retail, Angela Ahrendts, today tweeted out an announcement for a new “Today at Apple” session focused on app prototyping for aspiring developers. News of the session arrives as Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference comes to an end today, after first kicking off with a keynote in San Jose, California on Monday.

Ahrendts describes the new program as a way to help app makers get started with prototyping, which she describes as “one of the most important steps of the design process.” The session itself is based on a popular talk from WWDC, and events for the prototyping lessons will begin at Apple retail locations later in June.

We’re launching a new #TodayatApple session to help aspiring app makers get started with one of the most important steps of the design process — prototyping. The session is based on a popular #WWDC talk. Sessions start later this month https://t.co/NMAVfZrdT3

— Angela Ahrendts (@AngelaAhrendts) June 8, 2018

Ahrendts has spearheaded Today at Apple sessions since the program expanded globally in May 2017, after originally beginning at Apple’s flagship store in Union Square in San Francisco. Today at Apple offers free sessions to teach skills in photography, videography, music, coding, art, and design, all using Apple products like iPad and Mac.

You can find Today at Apple sessions near you by visiting the company’s website, although it appears to be too early for the new prototyping sessions to be listed.

Tags: Angela Ahrendts, Today at Apple
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Snapchat Expanding Bitmoji ‘Friendmojis’ to Apple’s Messages App for First Time

Snapchat is expanding the use of its Bitmoji characters — specifically “Friendmojis” — for iOS users in the coming days. With the update, iPhone and iPad users will be able to send personalized Friendmojis, or Bitmoji stickers that include both you and your friend, directly in Apple’s Messages app.

Currently, Bitmoji is available as a keyboard extension and a Messages app so users can send Bitmoji in Messages, but the new update marks the first time combo Friendmojis can be sent outside of the main Snapchat app. Anyone who has their Bitmoji and Snapchat accounts linked together will be able to send Friendmojis in Messages.

To send a Friendmoji, a new “Friend” icon will appear in the upper-right corner of the Bitmoji keyboard extension, which can be added to trusted keyboards in the iOS Settings app. From there users will see a list of Snapchat friends they can tap on to generate customized Friendmojis featuring their own Bitmoji and their friend’s character.

Friendmojis have numerous themes and celebratory messages, from simple “Good Morning” messages to more specific stickers for birthdays, holidays, major events, apologies, and more. Snapchat acquired Bitmoji in the summer of 2016, heavily integrating the sticker characters into its app over the years. In 2018, Snapchat now uses Bitmojis as the main form of identifying friends in the app.

Since Bitmojis popularized the creation of personalized animated characters, many companies have now unveiled interest in the space, most recently Apple with its own “Memoji” coming in iOS 12 on iPhone X. With Memojis, users can create customized animated characters that look like themselves, and then use the iPhone X’s True Depth camera system to replicate movements made by the mouth, eyes, eyebrows, and tongue.

Memoji messages can be sent through Messages as stickers and video clips, and can be attached to the user’s face in a video clip. Memojis are an evolution of Animoji, which take traditional emoji characters and turn them into full 3D emojis that follow the face movements of the user. Of course, the main difference between Apple’s efforts and Bitmoji is Bitmoji’s focus on full-body customization, while Apple’s animated characters are only floating heads.

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Apple Music Rolling Out Update With ‘Coming Soon’ Section, Album Launch Dates, and New Artist Profiles

Apple appears to be rolling out a series of updates for Apple Music today, including a small but useful new section called “Coming Soon,” which allows subscribers to check out new albums about to be released over the next few weeks. On iOS and macOS, the hub is located in the Browse tab > New Music > scroll down to find Coming Soon > tap “See All.” Music Videos were previously the last thing to see here, but now Apple has introduced Coming Soon as well.

The hub lists artists from a variety of different genres, with impending albums from Panic! At The Disco (“Pray For the Wicked”, June 22), Florence + The Machine (“High As Hope”, June 29), Interpol (“Marauder”, August 24), and more. With only about 10 albums listed, Coming Soon isn’t an entirely definitive source of every upcoming album on Apple Music, but albums have been added to the section throughout the morning so it appears Apple will be continuously expanding this area.

On macOS, there is a drop down menu for sorting options, but it only has a “Recent Bestsellers” option at this point. Apple could update this to make it even easier to sort upcoming albums by release dates, genres, and more. On iOS, however, there is no sorting option at this time.

Coming Soon on macOS
In another addition, Apple is now making it possible to easily see album launch dates on their respective pages on iOS and macOS. In the Editors’ Notes section, following the traditional encouragement to add the pre-release album to your library, there’s a new line that begins “Album expected…” followed by the album’s specific release date. Some albums not listed in Coming Soon still have a release date specified on their pages, so this update appears to be a bit more wide-ranging.

Lastly, another rollout appears to be happening today in regards to artist profiles, showing up as of now only in iTunes on macOS. These profiles have a slightly tweaked layout with artist portraits in circular bubbles, and a “Featured Release” that includes release dates.

There’s also a “Play” button next to the artist’s name, which was first noticed by iOS 12 beta testers and appears to be launching now for all Apple Music users, although as of writing MacRumors has only seen profile updates on a computer running macOS 10.13.4 and not on iOS. This button shuffles all of an artist’s music at once.

The Coming Soon tab and release dates have appeared for multiple users on iOS 11.4, as well as on macOS 10.13.4. Apple didn’t mention Apple Music during its WWDC keynote and at this time doesn’t appear to be planning a major update to the app this fall. Besides the updated artist profiles, iOS 12 beta testers have discovered that subscribers will be able to perform searches for music via lyric snippets.

(Thanks, Ram K and Jack!)

Tag: Apple Music
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