Tech giants pour resources into artificial intelligence

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Singular vision: Silicon Valley's biggest companies are vying with each to build a fully functional artificial brain. Illustration: Doug Griswold/MCT Photo: MCT

The latest Silicon Valley arms race is a contest to build the best artificial brains. Facebook, Google and other leading tech companies are jockeying to hire top scientists in the field of artificial intelligence, while spending heavily on a quest to make computers think more like people.

They're not building humanoid robots not yet, anyway. But a number of tech giants and start-ups are trying to build computer systems that understand what you want, perhaps before you knew you wanted it.

"It's important to position yourself in this market for the next decade," said Yann LeCun, a leading New York University researcher hired to run Facebook's new AI division in December. "A lot is riding on artificial intelligence and content analysis, and on being smarter about how people and computers interact."

Artificial intelligence programs can already recognise images and translate human speech. Tech researchers want to build systems that can match the human brain's ability to handle more complex challenges to intuitively predict traffic conditions while steering automated cars or drones, for example, or to grasp the intent of written texts and spoken messages, so they can better anticipate what kind of information, including ads, their users want to see.

Facebook has recruited several well-regarded AI scientists, including one from Google, in recent months. Google has been working on artificial intelligence for several years, enlisting prominent researchers such as Stanford's Andrew Ng and the University of Toronto's Geoffrey Hinton to help build computer systems known as "neural networks," which are capable of teaching themselves.

But in a sign it wants to do more, Google paid a reported $US400 million in January to buy DeepMind, a British start-up said to be working on artificial intelligence for image recognition, e-commerce recommendations and video games. DeepMind had also drawn interest from Facebook. In March, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg invested personally in Vicarious, a Silicon Valley start-up working on software that can recognise and draw images of animals or other things.

"In the last 18 months, every venture capital firm I know has made at least one investment" in artificial intelligence, robotics or related sectors, said Raj Singh, CEO of Tempo AI, which makes a "smart calendar" mobile app that acts like a personal assistant. Tempo uses technology from SRI, the Menlo Park, California, think tank that developed key elements of Apple's Siri and has spun off several artificial intelligence start-ups.

Competition among digital personal assistants is especially heated: While each works differently, Tempo is vying with Siri, Google Now andMicrosoft's new Cortana. Through a series of upgrades, each has tried to outdo the others in providing reminders and anticipating questions by analysing relevant data from users' calendars, contact lists and email.

The ultimate goal is something closer to "Samantha," the personable operating system voiced by actress Scarlett Johansson in the film Her, though it undoubtedly will be more businesslike.

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Tech giants pour resources into artificial intelligence

Johnny Depp's 'Transcendence' is a stumble, not a fall; he'll be back

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Maybe it's the worn-out fedora. Or the tattoos. Or the jingle-jangle of all those baubles, bangles and beads he often wears when venturing out in public.

It might be the way his voice seems to be permanently altered as a mash-up of his two idols Hunter S. Thompson and Keith Richards. Or that he's making a fifth "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie no matter what you think of the idea.

Or maybe it's because he owns an island and you don't.

Whatever the reason, when Johnny Depp's latest movie, the sci-fi mind-bender "Transcendence," opened recently to bad reviews and indifferent business, many observers seemed just a little too happy to proclaim the 50-year-old actor over-and-out as a movie star, continuing the backlash that began last summer when "The Lone Ranger" rode into box-office oblivion. "Young Johnny Depp Would Hate Old Johnny Depp" jeered a headline on New York magazine's Vulture website. That would be true, I suppose, if a budding actor imagined a career that included three Oscar nominations, more than $6 billion in movie tickets sold and the creation of a genuinely beloved, iconic character as a betrayal of his youthful ideals.

But that's probably not the case here.

Fact is, since fleeing the TV show "21 Jump Street" and the collateral damage of teen idoldom 25 years ago, Depp has done it his way, pursuing a career as a character actor along the lines of a verse that director Tim Burton composed years ago when they began making movies together. "There was a young man, everyone thought was quite handsome, so he tied up his face and he held it for ransom."

The most surprising thing about "Transcendence" may well be that Depp isn't hiding his mug underneath thick makeup or sporting some elaborately constructed hat or costume. His face is front and center on the film's one-sheet, part of it pixelated to convey the movie's story of Will Caster, an artificial intelligence researcher whose consciousness is uploaded onto the Internet. Walking-talking Depp is seen only at the beginning of the movie. For much of "Transcendence," Depp is disembodied, a ghost in the machine, if that. We're never sure how much of Will's essence survived the upload, which, understandably, gives his wife (and research partner) pause. It's a love story framed as an examination of what makes us human.

It's an ambitious movie and not altogether successful in realizing its many enthusiasms. It's also an odd headlining choice for an actor, particularly one as physically gifted as Depp, since it consigns him to spectral status for most of its running time. But at least it contains ideas. When I caught up with it (along with five other people) at a recent matinee, trailers for half a dozen movies played in front of it, all of them sequels or prominently featuring some combination of spandex and capes. Following that parade, "Transcendence," even in its most predictable stretches, felt like an act of defiance.

As did "The Lone Ranger," last summer's would-be franchise tent pole that, thanks to incessant harping over production delays and budget overruns, arrived in theaters with the stench of failure. But this was a bold movie in every respect, an entertaining, dazzling western made in the spirit of Spielberg and Sergio Leone that looked at the mythology of America's westward expansion with a progressive sensibility that you wouldn't expect from either producer Jerry Bruckheimer or the Walt Disney Co. The French loved it (of course) with critic Jacky Goldberg reading "Ranger" as an assertion that "America was founded on the theft and unlawful killing of Indians and the exploitation of Chinese immigrants to build the train."

That's one way of looking at it. My kids just dug hi-yo! the horse playing Silver and the way Depp gave Tonto a deadpan dignity that brought to mind Buster Keaton, a good two decades after young, idealistic Johnny paid tribute to the silent film star in the beautiful, absurdist romance "Benny & Joon."

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Johnny Depp's 'Transcendence' is a stumble, not a fall; he'll be back

Starchaser – School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering – Video

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Starchaser - School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
MACE undergraduate and postgraduate students supported a rocket launch aimed to raise funds for the NOVA 2 rocket. Video of the rocket launch - read more abo...

By: School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, University of Manchester

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Starchaser - School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering - Video

Defending Allies, Sharing Responsibility, Upholding Values – NATO Secretary General – Video

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Defending Allies, Sharing Responsibility, Upholding Values - NATO Secretary General
"Defending Allies, Sharing responsibility, Upholding values" Speech by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the Tallinn University, Estonia, 9 May 2014. Transcript: http://goo.gl/PBy7Yw.

By: NATO

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Defending Allies, Sharing Responsibility, Upholding Values - NATO Secretary General - Video

NATO alliance, facing a more assertive and militarily capable Russia, ponders what to do next

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Russian President Vladimir Putin, on a boat, inspects the missile cruiser Moskva during a navy parade marking the Victory Day in Sevastopol, Crimea, Friday, May 9, 2014. Putin extolled the return of Crimea to Russia before tens of thousands Friday during his first trip to Black Sea peninsula since its annexation. The triumphant visit was quickly condemned by Ukraine and NATO. (AP Photo / Ivan Sekretarev)The Associated Press

Russian President Vladimir Putin lights a candle in Sevastopol where he attends celebrations marking the Victory Day, in Crimea, Friday, May 9, 2014. President Vladimir Putin hailed the return of Crimea to Russia as the restoration of "historic justice" before a jubilant, welcoming crowd Friday on the holiday that Russians hold dearest. Putin's visit to the Crimean port of Sevastopol, was strongly criticized by both NATO and Ukraine's Foreign Ministry. (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Alexei Druzhinin, Presidential Press Service)The Associated Press

NATO Secretary General Anders Rasmussen ,left, meets with Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk at the Prime Minister's Office in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, May 8, 2014. Rasmussen is in Poland for talks with the country's leaders.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)The Associated Press

BRUSSELS Russia's ongoing confrontation with the West has ignited debate inside and outside the U.S.-led NATO alliance about what its responsibilities are, and how much of its time and effort should be spent to prepare for and if necessary counter Russian President Vladimir Putin's military ambitions.

Ian Lesser, senior director for foreign and security policy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said NATO must remain mindful of other modern security challenges, including cyberterrorism, threats to energy supplies and armed Islamic extremism.

But he predicted the trans-Atlantic alliance's focus will shift dramatically because of what he termed the biggest game changer in European security and defense environment in 20 years: Russia's armed aggression in Crimea and the Kremlin's continuing military pressure on Ukraine.

"Today we have a situation in which Russia and especially the Russian leadership is highly unpredictable," Lesser said. "There is something about the current crisis that suggests Russia is a rogue state, with all that would imply for deterrence and reassurance of allies."

As the alliance ponders how to react in Europe after years of fielding operations in the Middle East, Africa and Afghanistan, one of NATO's top commanders told The Associated Press that Russia's demonstrated ability to swiftly mobilize large numbers of troops in so-called snap exercises and Moscow's uncertain intentions have forced a rethink of NATO's capacity to respond and the deployment of its forces.

"What I am thinking about now is, is NATO correctly positioned and is it at the right state of responsiveness?" U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO's supreme commander in Europe, said in a recent interview. "If we expect that Mr. Putin is going to be in charge of Russia for many years, if we are going to see this kind of exercise behavior in the future, are we prepared to react to the next snap exercise that goes across a border to impose its will on another sovereign nation in a different part of Europe? That's what I've been doing a lot of thinking about."

Already, NATO has reinforced its Baltic air patrols, put AWACS surveillance planes in the skies over Poland and Romania, dispatched warships to the Baltic and Black seas and sent 600 U.S. Army paratroopers to Poland and the Baltic states on temporary deployment.

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NATO alliance, facing a more assertive and militarily capable Russia, ponders what to do next

NATO Flummoxed by Aggressive Russia

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BRUSSELS (AP) Russia's ongoing confrontation with the West has ignited debate inside and outside the U.S.-led NATO alliance about what its responsibilities are, and how much of its time and effort should be spent to prepare for and if necessary counter Russian President Vladimir Putin's military ambitions.

Ian Lesser, senior director for foreign and security policy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said NATO must remain mindful of other modern security challenges, including cyberterrorism, threats to energy supplies and armed Islamic extremism.

But he predicted the trans-Atlantic alliance's focus will shift dramatically because of what he termed the biggest game changer in European security and defense environment in 20 years: Russia's armed aggression in Crimea and the Kremlin's continuing military pressure on Ukraine.

"Today we have a situation in which Russia and especially the Russian leadership is highly unpredictable," Lesser said. "There is something about the current crisis that suggests Russia is a rogue state, with all that would imply for deterrence and reassurance of allies."

As the alliance ponders how to react in Europe after years of fielding operations in the Middle East, Africa and Afghanistan, one of NATO's top commanders told The Associated Press that Russia's demonstrated ability to swiftly mobilize large numbers of troops in so-called snap exercises and Moscow's uncertain intentions have forced a rethink of NATO's capacity to respond and the deployment of its forces.

"What I am thinking about now is, is NATO correctly positioned and is it at the right state of responsiveness?" U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO's supreme commander in Europe, said in a recent interview. "If we expect that Mr. Putin is going to be in charge of Russia for many years, if we are going to see this kind of exercise behavior in the future, are we prepared to react to the next snap exercise that goes across a border to impose its will on another sovereign nation in a different part of Europe? That's what I've been doing a lot of thinking about."

Already, NATO has reinforced its Baltic air patrols, put AWACS surveillance planes in the skies over Poland and Romania, dispatched warships to the Baltic and Black seas and sent 600 U.S. Army paratroopers to Poland and the Baltic states on temporary deployment.

Discussions are under way on longer-term measures, and how NATO must reposition, retool and otherwise react to the new challenge from Moscow will be the most pressing question on the agenda when President Barack Obama and leaders of the alliance's 27 other member nations gather for a summit in Wales this September.

During a visit to Canada this week, Breedlove said he wants the political leaders to think about permanently stationing alliance forces in Eastern Europe to reinforce local defense capabilities.

"I think this is something that we have to consider, and we will tee this up for discussion through the leaderships of our nations and see where that leads," Breedlove said Wednesday in Ottawa.

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NATO Flummoxed by Aggressive Russia

A First Amendment attack on Assembly… in George Washington

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On May 7 I attended a public hearing on a proposed ordinance in Fairfax County that would limit assembly in private homes. The proposal would limit the size of gatherings at a home to no more than three gatherings of 50 or more people in a 40-day period.

When our Founders wrote the first amendment they included a right to assembly. Though this right is talked about less frequently than others such as speech and press, it is one of the most important. It affects the family, the church, and the people and any attack on it should be opposed with the fervor of those who began our country. The dangers that were foreseen in 1789 regarding limits on peaceable assembly at the national level apply equally to the local level.

At first glance, the average person may not think this new law is such a big deal. Those at the first hearing stated otherwise. One citizen noted that his large Greek family meets regularly for Sunday lunch and that the proposed law would jeopardize their traditional meal together. An attack on the family.

Another citizen mentioned the fact that he is a deacon at his church and that they use an adjacent residential yard for large church activities, particularly for local children. These would be banned. An attack on the church.

Yet another citizen mentioned that numerous human rights organizations around the world recognize freedom of assembly as one of the basic freedoms. After all, if you cant organize against those in power without fear of government intervention how can you expect to fight government tyranny? Grassroots political movements would be hindered. An attack on the people.

Already the county regulates the minutiae of its citizens daily lives. The issue at hand is one of raw government power. In truth, most citizens will not be affected immediately by this ordinance. This makes it no less grievous.

Why the attempt to limit assembly in George Washingtons backyard? Proponents of the ordinance cited only a small number of cases where this issue had come up in the county in recent years. They mentioned in-home restaurants which are already banned in other parts of the zoning code. They consistently ignored the Constitutional and privacy concerns expressed by Fairfax residents.

Prior to the meeting two supervisors mentioned stopping home worship services as the original motive behind the ordinance. When Fairfax County tried to stop home churches previously, Congress stepped in and protected the churches. The countys attorneys recommended going after the places of worship on other grounds and so the county proposed this law. This is unacceptable in a country where religious liberty is listed in the Bill of Rights as our first freedom.

One of the most telling remarks came when the proponents of the law shared why it was needed the code is silent in this area. But our First Amendment rights including the freedom of speech werent written for the codes benefit, but for the peoples.

The code already says too much. A little silence would be golden.

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A First Amendment attack on Assembly... in George Washington

Bitcoin Trade Bitcoin Pricing How to trade Bitcoin Commodity Trading Advisor – Video

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Bitcoin Trade Bitcoin Pricing How to trade Bitcoin Commodity Trading Advisor
Bitcoin Trade | Bitcoin Pricing | How to trade Bitcoins | Price of a Bitcoin | Commodity Trading Advisor http://commodityrobotscam.org/ Full Review http://commodityrobotscam.org/commodityRobot/...

By: Commodity Robot

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Bitcoin Trade Bitcoin Pricing How to trade Bitcoin Commodity Trading Advisor - Video