MIT created a psychopathic AI based on Norman Bates

mit ai psychopath norman media lab bias

While many researchers are calling for regulations to ensure safe and ethical AI development, MIT has created one with a psychopathic personality. The scientists, from MIT’s unconventional Media Lab, based their AI’s personality on serial killer Norman Bates from Hitchcock thriller Psycho. AI Norman is designed to caption images. Whereas most neural networks are trained on a range of images to reduce bias, poor Norman was exposed 'to the darkest corners of Reddit.' Anyone who has found...

6 June 2018 | Ethics

Apple aims to simplify AI models with CreateML and Core ML 2

apple coreml createml ai

During its annual WWDC event, Apple announced the launch of its CreateML tool alongside the sequel of its Core ML framework. CreateML aims to simplify the creation of AI models. In fact, because it’s built in Swift, it’s possible to use drag-and-drop programming interfaces like Xcode Playgrounds to train models. Core ML, Apple’s machine learning framework, was first introduced at WWDC last year. This year, the company has focused on making it leaner and meaner. Apple claims Core ML 2...

5 June 2018 | Apple

Opinion: The risks of AI in remote medical consulting

With the increasing use of AI in healthcare, a warning from medical union MDDUS of the ‘inherent risks in remote consulting' offers a timely reminder of the potential dangers. Following our story yesterday on Samsung’s partnership with Babylon Health, an NHS consultant reached out with his (puzzling) experience of Babylon’s technology:

Just when you thought the @babylonhealth #AI #Chatbot couldn't get any worse...

I gave it the most basic of medical...

1 June 2018 | Healthcare

Samsung partners with Babylon Health to offer AI consultations

Samsung has partnered with Babylon Health to offer AI-powered medical consultations to its smartphone users via the ‘GP at Hand’ service. AI News first covered GP at Hand in November last year. “GP at Hand is a window into what the NHS of the future will look like,” said Dr Howard Freeman MBE, senior GP. “When innovative NHS GPs embrace Babylon's technology to make life better for their patients, the sky is the limit.” The service uses AI to determine if a patient’s symptoms...

31 May 2018 | Bots

DSTL will run Ministry of Defence’s AI research lab

UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has announced the creation of an AI research lab based at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) in Porton Down, as part of an initiative by the Ministry of Defence. The lab will focus on advancing the use of AI for defence purposes to ensure the UK remains able to counter evolving threats. Dstl currently delivers more than £20 million of AI research. Specific focuses of the new facility will include autonomous vehicles, countering fake...

29 May 2018 | Government

Russian startup is building a controversial ‘ethnicity-detecting’ AI

A startup from Russia is building an AI which uses facial recognition to determine ethnicity, prompting fears it could be used for automated racial profiling. NtechLab lists ‘ethnicity detection’ as an upcoming feature of its solution. The algorithm promises the ability to examine people and determine their ethnicity. An image, which has since been pulled as the result of backlash, showed classifications of people including ‘European’, ‘African’, and ‘Arabic’. The company is...

25 May 2018 | Privacy

Bill forcing AI bots to reveal themselves faces EFF opposition

A bill that would force AI bots to reveal themselves as not being human is facing opposition from the EFF over free speech concerns. Many were slightly disturbed by Google’s demo of its Duplex AI conducting a phone call and the other participant being unaware they weren’t speaking to a human. Less than a month later, Microsoft demonstrated it also had the same capabilities. There are clearly big changes ahead in how we interact, and not everyone is going to be happy speaking to a robot...

24 May 2018 | Bots

Watch out Google Duplex, Microsoft also has a chatty AI

Not content with being outdone by Google’s impressive (yet creepy) Duplex demo, Microsoft has shown it also has an AI capable of making human-like phone calls. The company first launched its XiaoIce project back in August 2017. In April, Microsoft said it had achieved full duplexing — the ability to speak and listen at the same time, similar to humans. Microsoft’s announcement was made before Google’s demonstration earlier this month but, unlike Google, the company had nothing to show...

23 May 2018 | Bots

UK Businesses: AI will create jobs, not destroy

The majority of UK businesses are reporting that AI will create more jobs than it destroys, helping to quell one of critics’ biggest fears. While many are excited about the possibilities of artificial intelligence, just as many have concerns. Most agree that, whether it’s predominantly good or bad, AI will have a profound impact on society. “Business leaders need to arm the workforce for a new ‘machine age’ of increasing artificial intelligence and automation,” says Duncan...

22 May 2018 | Robotics

Theresa May: AI is a ‘new weapon’ against cancer

Prime Minister Theresa May will use a speech today in Cheshire to highlight the potential of AI to diagnose cancer earlier. Cancer has a higher successful treatment rate the earlier it’s diagnosed. The later the diagnosis, the greater the risk of death or long-term debilitating effects. In her speech, Mrs May will say:

"Late diagnosis of otherwise treatable illnesses is one of the biggest causes of avoidable deaths.

The...

21 May 2018 | Healthcare