Help Rescuers Find Missing Persons With Drones and Computer Vision

There’s a definite sense that robots are destined to become a critical part of search and rescue missions and disaster relief efforts, working alongside humans to help first responders move faster and more efficiently. And we’ve seen all kinds of studies that include the claim “this robot could potentially help with disaster relief,” to varying degrees of plausibility. But it takes a long time, and a lot of extra effort, for academic research to actually become anything useful—especially for first responders, where there isn’t a lot of financial incentive for further development. It turns out that if you actually ask first responders what they most need for disaster relief, they’re not necessarily interested in the latest and greatest robotic platform or other futuristic technology. They’re using commercial off-the-shelf drones, often consumer-grade ones, because they’re simple and cheap and great at surveying large areas. The challenge is doing something useful with all of the imagery Continue reading Help Rescuers Find Missing Persons With Drones and Computer Vision

SnotBot Drone Swoops Over Blowholes to Track Whale Health

1/4 The SnotBot drone passes over a blue whale at the moment of exhalation. Photo: Christian Miller/Ocean Alliance 2/4 A humpback whale rolls as a drone approaches. Photo: Christian Miller/Ocean Alliance 3/4 SnotBot passes over a surfacing humpback whale off the coast of Gabon, in Africa. Photo: Christian Miller/Ocean Alliance 4/4 The drone approaches a blue whale mother and calf in the Gulf of California. Photo: Christian Miller/Ocean Alliance Previous Next It’s a beautiful morning on the waters of Alaska’s Peril Strait—clear, calm, silent, and just a little cool. A small but seaworthy research vessel glides through gentle swells. Suddenly, in the distance, a humpback whale the size of a school bus explodes out of the water. Enormous bursts of air and water jet out of its blowholes like a fire hose, the noise echoing between the banks. “Blow at eleven o’clock!” cries the lookout, and the small boat swarms with activity. A crew Continue reading SnotBot Drone Swoops Over Blowholes to Track Whale Health

MIT art installation aims to empower a more discerning public

Videos doctored by artificial intelligence, culturally known as “deepfakes,” are being created and shared by the public at an alarming rate. Using advanced computer graphics and audio processing to realistically emulate speech and mannerisms, deepfakes have the power to distort reality, erode truth, and spread misinformation. In a troubling example, researchers around the world have sounded the alarm that they carry significant potential to influence American voters in the 2020 elections.  While technology companies race to develop ways to detect and control deepfakes on social media platforms, and lawmakers search for ways to regulate them, a team of artists and computer scientists led by the MIT Center for Advanced Virtuality have designed an art installation to empower and educate the public on how to discern reality from deepfakes on their own. “Computer-based misinformation is a global challenge,” says Fox Harrell, professor of digital media and of artificial intelligence at MIT Continue reading MIT art installation aims to empower a more discerning public

In 2016, Microsoft’s Racist Chatbot Revealed the Dangers of Online Conversation

This is part five of a six-part series on the history of natural language processing. In March 2016, Microsoft was preparing to release its new chatbot, Tay, on Twitter. Described as an experiment in “conversational understanding,” Tay was designed to engage people in dialogue through tweets or direct messages, while emulating the style and slang of a teenage girl. She was, according to her creators, “Microsoft’s A.I. fam from the Internet that’s got zero chill.” She loved E.D.M. music, had a favorite Pokémon, and often said extremely online things, like “swagulated.”  Tay was an experiment at the intersection of machine learning, natural language processing, and social networks. While other chatbots in the past—like Joseph Weizenbaum’s Eliza—conducted conversation by following pre-programmed and narrow scripts, Tay was designed to learn more about language over time, enabling her to have conversations about any topic. Tay was designed to learn more about language over time…. Eventually, Continue reading In 2016, Microsoft’s Racist Chatbot Revealed the Dangers of Online Conversation