Anki’s Vector Is a Little AI-Powered Robot Now on Kickstarter for $200

Is this the personal home robot we’ve been waiting for? No, but Vector will make you smile San Francisco-based robotics company Anki is launching today a new robot called Vector. It drives on little tank treads, has an expressive LCD face, and is constantly moving around, making beeps and bloops. Vector resembles Anki’s previous robot, Cozmo, but is packed with more technology—and character. Anki says Vector is designed as a robot companion and helper for people at home. But don’t expect much: The robot has a tiny voice and can barely push a coffee mug around. Its little arms can lift only a special plastic block. What Vector is good at, Anki says, is engaging with people. The robot can certainly get your attention. At one point during my interview with Anki’s chief strategy officer Patrick De Neale, Vector interrupted us to demand a fist bump. De Neale promptly complied. Vector is available starting today on Kickstarter at a Continue reading Anki’s Vector Is a Little AI-Powered Robot Now on Kickstarter for $200

President Reif urges “farsighted national strategy” to address China competition

In an op-ed piece published today in The New York Times, MIT President L. Rafael Reif urges a more farsighted response to address China’s attempts to dominate cutting-edge technologies, which have included tactics such as industrial espionage and theft of intellectual property. While strong and decisive action against such practices is essential, Reif writes, it is not enough. “[I]t would be a mistake to think that an aggressive defense alone will somehow prevent China’s technological success — or ensure America’s own,” he says. Rather, the most important action the U.S. can take to protect its global leadership role is to redouble its core strength in innovation, starting with ground-breaking federally funded research. China has begun to do just that, in a concerted national effort, including a project called “Made in China 2025” that aims to achieve global dominance in several key areas of technology and manufacturing. Because of these ambitious Continue reading President Reif urges “farsighted national strategy” to address China competition

Holding law-enforcement accountable for electronic surveillance

When the FBI filed a court order in 2016 commanding Apple to unlock the iPhone of one of the shooters in a terrorist attack in San Bernandino, California, the news made headlines across the globe. Yet every day there are tens of thousands of court orders asking tech companies to turn over Americans’ private data. Many of these orders never see the light of day, leaving a whole privacy-sensitive aspect of government power immune to judicial oversight and lacking in public accountability. To protect the integrity of ongoing investigations, these requests require some secrecy: Companies usually aren’t allowed to inform individual users that they’re being investigated, and the court orders themselves are also temporarily hidden from the public. In many cases, though, charges never actually materialize, and the sealed orders usually end up forgotten by the courts that issue them, resulting in a severe accountability deficit. To address this issue, Continue reading Holding law-enforcement accountable for electronic surveillance