1. Artificial Intelligence

Category Archives: Artificial Intelligence

Merging traditional toys with artificial intelligence

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Toys are a $22 billion-a-year industry, so it only makes sense that some of the biggest innovators in tech are racing to cash in. Insiders at New York City's annual Toy Fair claim the future of toys is in the hybrids that merge traditional, physical toys with video games and smartphones, reports CBS News correspondent Gigi Stone Woods.

Anki co-founder and CEO Boris Sofman said his goal is to transform the toy business.

"I think that the toy industry is one of those industries that hasn't evolved nearly as much as it should have over the last few decades," Sofman said.

He developed the company's toy, Drive, and upcoming Overdrive with fellow Ph.D. graduates from Carnegie Mellon's robotics institute.

"When people see the products we make for the first time, it feels like science fiction to them because it shouldn't exist," Sofman said.

Unlike classic slot race cars of another era, Anki cars aren't limited to the skill of the player since they can think for themselves.

"They sense the environment 500 times per second. They have 50 megahertz computers inside of them. They understand where they are and they communicate," Sofman said. "When you're playing the game, whichever cars you're not controlling, they actually come to life and are self-aware and they compete against you."

Powered by a sophisticated, artificial intelligence technology not typical of a toy, the $150 Drive starter kit is America's second best-selling toy next to dolls from the movie "Frozen."

The co-founders said they spend more time than they should on playing video games to check out the competition.

"We call it research," Sofman said.

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Merging traditional toys with artificial intelligence

RI Seminar: Michael Tarr : I would kill for a pigeon (CMUs new BrainHub) – Video

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RI Seminar: Michael Tarr : I would kill for a pigeon (CMUs new BrainHub)
Michael Tarr Professor and Head, Psychology, Carnegie Mellon February 13, 2015 Abstract The study of biological intelligence can be summed up by this quip from Terry Pratchett: "Real stupidity...

By: cmurobotics

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RI Seminar: Michael Tarr : I would kill for a pigeon (CMUs new BrainHub) - Video

Her – Elements of Science Fiction Showcasing The Human Condition – Video

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Her - Elements of Science Fiction Showcasing The Human Condition
A look at Spike Jonze #39;s Her, an incredible work of Science Fiction set in the not-too-distant future explores our relationship with virtual technology while giving thorough consideration to...

By: Elements of Science Fiction Movie Reviews

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Her - Elements of Science Fiction Showcasing The Human Condition - Video

Is Cortana a dangerous step towards artificial intelligence?

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Artificial intelligence is close to entering our everyday lives.It might not be the Skynet-style system that comes to mind when we think of AI, but virtual assistant software designed to learn about its user could well be the first step towards full-blown machine intelligence.

Just last month, Bill Gates made headlines across the web when he stated thathe is concerned about super intelligence as part of a Reddit AMA. Gatestrepidation regardingthe technology came as something of a surprise to many, but hes far from the only siliconsuperstar calling for caution.Should we be more concerned than we are about this sort of technology?

Speaking to MIT students in 2014, Elon Musk described artificial intelligence asour biggest existential threat.Last month, the Tesla and SpaceX CEOcontributed $10 million to the Future of Life Institute, a Boston-based volunteer organization that works to nip threats to our species survival in the bud. Artificial intelligence is one of many perceived threats that the institute has its sights set on.Musk sits on the groups board of advisers alongside Stephen Hawking, who himself has been quoted saying AI could spell the end of the human race.

Elon Musk describesartificial intelligence asour biggest existential threat.

With Gates, Musk and Hawking assembled, it might seem like the backlash against artificial intelligence is about to begin. But, while the three have utteredattention-grabbing warnings on the far-flung future of AI, theyve been referring to a level of intelligence that isnt on the table just yet.Bill Gates followed his concerns about the technology with a caveat that thehaving thesemachines take care of jobs for us should be positive if we manage it well.

Still, it seems that we have already set out on theroad towards super intelligence. A smart phone or a smart television may seem like a small step forward, but its a clear indication of the direction that wereheaded. Systems are being built that let computers learn our usage habits and build on that knowledge to serve theirpurpose better. A host of different companies are putting this sort of technology to a broad range of uses, but few projects wear their status as an artificial intelligence quite as proudly as Microsofts Cortana.

Debuting last year as acompetitorto services like Siri and Google Now, Cortana has been endlessly described as a virtual assistant by its creators. Microsoft also claimsthe software continually learns about its user and that its designers hope it will eventually be able to interact with users in an anticipatory manner. All in all, it sounds like it could be the first piece of artificial intelligence that really splits opinion with the mainstream. Its easy to see why these features could be very useful, but wecan also imagine users shying away from such familiarity with their virtual assistant.

Building on the sense of personality that gave Siri a novelty factor with users, Cortana is intended to be thought of as a entityrather than just a program. While Apple encouraged people to call Siri by her name, Microsoft isgoing one step further; a friendly Hey, Cortana is the default methodof calling the applications attention. Alongside the many lines of humorous banter that have been recorded as responses for stock questions, its clear that Cortana is meant to be an intelligence that charms users as it learns about them.

Cortana is meant to be an intelligence that charms users as it learns about them.

While seeing this product come from the company that the concerned Bill Gates once co-founded might seem like a contradiction in itself, you only have to look at the name Cortana to have other alarm bells begin to sound. Cortana first appeared as an artificial intelligence in the Halo video games, and the same voice actress that played the role in those games has been tapped to voice the personal assistant. However, the way that the character has been portrayed in Halo hasnt always made her out to be the sort of technology you would want in your pocket.

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Is Cortana a dangerous step towards artificial intelligence?

4 ways healthcare is putting artificial intelligence, machine learning to use

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Artificial intelligence and concerns over the long terms consequences has come up again in the news week in the form of a Scientific American blog musing over how artificial intelligence will evolve Is AI Dangerous? It Depends There is a certain amount of hand wringing over AI and, to a lesser extent, its branches such as machine learning and natural language processing. It also drew attention to notables who have voiced concern over AI including Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk.

The concerns tend to emerge from worst case scenarios and assume that even though AI can be used for beneficial purposes, what if the technology is turned against us?

But many people applying AI to make healthcare delivery more efficient and automated dont see it that way. Its worth a look at the diverse applications for AI across healthcare including biotech and health IT, since these are some areas where it is having a significant impact from informing healthcare decisions to speeding up the selection of targets for drug development.

Medication adherence AiCure uses mobile technology and facial recognition to determine if the right person is taking a given drug at the right time. It uses mobile devices to capture patient data from an application. It uses automated algorithms to identify patients, the medication and the process of medication ingestion. That date gets transmitted in real-time back to a clinician through a HIPAA-compliant network. Clinicians can confirm that the patients are taking their medication as directed. But its technology can also be used to flag adverse events.

Next IT developed Alme Health Coach to get a deeper dive on why people arent taking their meds. It is a relative newcomer to healthcare. It developed virtual assistants to guide and better understand consumer problems across areas like banking, retail and money management. Part of the AI component involves repeating what users say to verify and clarify thoughts that are transmitted back and forth by users. The health coach is designed to be configured for specific diseases, medications and treatments. The health coach may be synched with the users sleep alarm so it can trigger questions like how they slept and that can prompt questions about their medication. The idea is to collect actionable data that doctors can use to better work with patients (providing the patient agrees they can share the data).

Healthy behavior Welltok tapped IBMs Watson superbrain to support its vision of connecting consumers with personalized activities. Its Cafwell Concierge app uses Watsons natural language processing abilities to understand users goals and provide the right balance of nudges and alerts so it can meet those targets and reward them. Watson is also part of a broader mission in healthcare to provide more targeted care, such as guiding oncologists on the most appropriate cancer treatment options based on the patients medical history and other data.

Support care givers Automated Insights put its natural language generation platform Wordsmith to work in a collaboration with Great Call a mobile app developer.GreatCall Link is an app that allows friends and family members to learn about whats going on with a GreatCall device carrier the app connects with.The app creates a way to notify them when a connected device is used to call for help. The app is equipped with patented GPS technology so it also shows the location of the device (and the user). Underscoring the level of interest in AI, Automated Insights was acquired this week by Vista Equity Partners and Sports data company STAT.

Drug development Biotech companies are also combining artificial intelligence and big data to identify new drug compounds, such as Cloud Pharmaceuticals and Berg. Johnson & Johnson and Sanofi are using Watson to find new targets for FDA approved drugs.

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4 ways healthcare is putting artificial intelligence, machine learning to use

Steve Grubb – Using Natural Language Processing To Make A Security Assistant – Video

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Steve Grubb - Using Natural Language Processing To Make A Security Assistant
Natural Language Processing (NLP) is an artificial intelligence user interface methodology where users can ask questions as if they were having a conversation with another person. During this...

By: RedHatCzech

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Steve Grubb - Using Natural Language Processing To Make A Security Assistant - Video


  1. Artificial Intelligence