Anyone who’s spent much time on the web will know what TL;DR stands for⁠—but, for everyone else, it’s an acronym for “Too Long, Didn’t Read”.

It’s an understandable sentiment we’ve all felt at some point. People lead busy lives. Some outlets now even specialise in short, at-a-glance news.

The problem is, it’s hard to get the full picture of a story in just a brief snippet.

In a world where fake news can be posted and spread like wildfire across social networks – almost completely unchecked – it feels even more dangerous to normalise “news” being delivered in short-form without full context.

There are two sides to most stories, and it’s hard to see how both can be summarised properly.

News folks are not going to love this. Some product manager announced internally a tool that FB is developing called "TL;DR". Basically, it will use AI to summarize long form articles and spit out bullet points so people don't have to read the full piece.

What could go wrong!

— editor Mac 🙃 (@RMac18) December 15, 2020

However, the argument also goes the other way. When articles are too long, people have a natural habit of skim-reading them. Skimming in this way often means people then believe they’re fully informed on a topic… when we know that’s often not the case.

TL;DR needs to strike a healthy balance between summarising the news but not so much that people don’t get enough of the story. Otherwise, it could increase existing societal problems with misinformation, fake news, and lack of media trust.

According to BuzzFeed, Facebook showed off TL;DR during an internal meeting this week. 

Facebook appears to be planning to add an AI-powered assistant to TL;DR which can answer questions about the article. The assistant could help to clear up anything the reader is uncertain about, but it’s also going to have to prove it doesn’t suffer from any biases which arguably all current algorithms suffer from to some extent.

The AI is also going to have to be very careful in not taking things like quotes out-of-context and end up further automating the spread of misinformation.

There’s also going to be a debate over what sources Facebook should use. Should Facebook stick only to the “mainstream media” which many believe follow the agendas of certain powerful moguls? Or serve news from smaller outlets without much historic credibility? The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle, but it’s going to be difficult to get right.

Facebook continues to be a major source of misinformation – in large part driven by algorithms promoting such content – and it’s had little success so far in any news-related efforts. I think most people will be expecting this to be another disaster waiting to happen.

(Image Credit: Mark Zuckerberg by Alessio Jacona under CC BY-SA 2.0 license)

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Most of us are hardwired to hate not speaking directly to a human when we have a problem—following years of irritating voicemail systems. However, perhaps the only thing worse is being on hold for an uncertain amount of time due to overwhelmed call centres.

Chatbots have come a long way and can now quickly handle most queries within minutes. Where a human is required, the reduced demand through using virtual agent technology (VAT) means customers can get the assistance they need more quickly.

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly increased the adoption of VAT as businesses seek to maintain customer service through such a challenging time.

According to IBM’s study, 99 percent of organisations reported increased customer satisfaction by integrating virtual agents. Human agents also report increased satisfaction and IBM says those “who feel valued and empowered with the proper tools and support are more likely to deliver a better experience to customers.”

68 percent of leaders cite improving the human agent experience as being among their key reasons for adopting VAT. There’s also economic incentive, with the cost of replacing a dissatisfied agent who leaves a business estimated at as much as 33 percent of the exiting employee’s salary.

IBM claims that VAT performance in the past has only been studied through individual case studies. The company set out, alongside Oxford Economics, to change that by surveying 1,005 respondents from companies using VAT daily.

Businesses wondering whether virtual assistants are worth the investment may be interested to know that 96 percent of the respondents “exceeded, achieved, or expect to achieve” their anticipated return.

On average, companies which have implemented VAT have increased their revenue by three percent.

IBM is one of the leading providers of chatbots through its Watson Assistant solution. While there’s little reason to doubt the claims made in the report, it’s worth keeping in mind that it’s not entirely unbiased.

Watson Assistant has gone from strength-to-strength and appears to have been among the few things which benefited from the pandemic. Between February and August, Watson Assistant usage increased by 65 percent.

You can download a full copy of IBM’s report here.

(Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash)

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Duplex, for a quick primer, is Google’s AI-powered voice bot which can call businesses on a person’s behalf for things such as booking hair appointments. It’s so realistic that everyone has decided that bots must declare themselves as such before chatting with a human.

A company known as PolyAI – which specialises in “enterprise-ready voice assistants” – has posted an account of what happened when Duplex called one of its restaurant assistants.

Duplex was calling businesses over the summer to update opening hours on Google Maps. This is how the conversation went:

Nikola Mrkšić, Co-Founder and CEO of PolyAI, wrote in a blog post:

“As far as we’re aware, this is the first naturally-occurring conversation between AI voice assistants in the wild.

I have never seen anything like this before, and I’m incredibly proud that PolyAI is sharing this moment in computing history with our friends from Google.”

Mrkšić humbly admits that Duplex sounds far more human-like than PolyAI’s assistant. However, he also makes a valid reference to the “uncanny valley” theory.

The uncanny valley theory suggests that people are more positive towards something which sounds like a human, up until a point. When it sounds too much like a human then it becomes creepy—a sentiment which many have certainly shared about Duplex.

(Photo by Jeffery Ho on Unsplash)

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Even as a Brit, it can often feel like a translation app is needed between Bristolian, Geordie, Mancunian, Brummie, Scottish, Irish, or any of the other regional dialects in the country. For a geographically small country, we’re a diverse bunch – and US-made voice assistants often struggle with even the slightest accent.

The BBC thinks it can do a better job than the incumbents and first announced its plans to build a voice assistant called ‘Beeb’ in August last year.

Beeb is being trained using the BBC’s staff from around the country. As a public service, the institution aims to offer as wide representation as possible which is reflected in its employees.

The broadcaster also believes that Beeb addresses public concerns about voice assistants; primarily that they collect vast amounts of data for commercial purposes. As a taxpayer-funded service, the BBC does not rely on things like advertising.

“People know and trust the BBC,” a spokesperson told The Guardian last year, “so it will use its role as public service innovator in technology to ensure everyone – not just the tech-elite – can benefit from accessing content and new experiences in this new way.”

An early version of Beeb is now available for testing by UK participants of the Windows Insider program. Microsoft is heavily involved in the Beeb assistant as the company’s Azure AI services are being used by the BBC.

The first version of Beeb allows users to do virtual assistant norms like getting weather updates and the news, access radio and podcasts, and even grab a few jokes from BBC Comedy writers and facts from QI host Sandi Toksvig.

According to the broadcaster, Beeb won’t launch on dedicated hardware but instead will be designed to eventually be implemented in smart speakers, TVs, and mobiles.

While it still has a long way to go to take on the capabilities of Google, Alexa, Siri, and others, Beeb may offer a compelling alternative for accent-heavy Brits that struggle with American voice assistants.

Grab the Beeb app from the Microsoft Store here.

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Duplex probably needs little introduction as it caused a bit of a stir when it debuted at I/O in late 2018 (when conferences were things you could still physically attend.)

The human-sounding AI could perform actions like calling a business on a person’s behalf and booking in things such as hair appointments or table reservations.

Duplex is undeniably impressive, but it prompted a debate over whether AIs should have to state they’re not human before imitating one. Google has since decided to add disclosures at the beginning of calls and give businesses the option to opt-out of being called by an AI.

Humans haven’t been completely replaced by Duplex. Google says around a quarter of Duplex calls are started by humans, and 15 percent start with an AI but are later intervened by a human if issues arise or the person receiving the call opts not to speak with an AI.

In terms of devices, the rollout of Duplex started on Pixel phones (obviously) before making the slightly odd decision to launch on iOS devices. More Android phones then began joining the party.

(Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash)

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Due to US trade restrictions, Huawei is losing access to Google’s services. The new Mate 30 smartphones announced in Munich today will launch with the open-source Android, but it will not feature the Play Store, Gmail, YouTube, Google Pay, or the many other services which Western consumers are used to.

Among the features that will be missing from the Mate 30 onwards is Google Assistant. Huawei is quickly working to fill the gaps left without access to Google’s services with its own and is launching the Huawei Assistant as a replacement for Mountain View’s virtual assistant.

Walter Ji, Director of Business, HUAWEI Consumer Business Group Western Europe, said:

“With our focus on user experience, we bring AI into mobile services so we can proactively identify user needs and thus improve their smartphone experience.

Huawei Assistant is a product that intelligently fulfils user needs at the same time as offering partners an opportunity to provide their services to users through a globally-available distribution platform.”

Huawei Assistant will launch with basic functionality compared to Google’s version, but the company is promising to expand it.

By swiping to the right of the homescreen, much like accessing Google Assistant today, users can begin interacting with Huawei Assistant. The service is powered by Huawei Ability Gallery, a service distribution platform.

There are four key features of the Huawei Assistant:

• Newsfeed – Today’s Google Assistant provides some personalised articles when you swipe to it on an Android device. The newsfeed feature is Huawei Assistant’s alternative but users can decide whether to receive custom recommendations or to select from news agencies to fill their feed with “up-to-the-minute” articles.
• Search – Users can search for information on their smartphone using Huawei Assistant. The assistant will surface things such as installed apps, memos, emails, and calendar entries, while also providing an online search feature using the default browser.
• Instant Access – Four shortcuts to a user’s choice of applications can be selected for quick access. In the future, Huawei says this can make use of AI so the shortcuts are intelligently-selected based on what the user may want at that moment.
• SmarterCare – Real-time information will be provided using AI. At launch, this will mean things such as the weather forecast, missed calls, and schedule reminders. Future planned functionality will enable more powerful abilities like booking restaurants, flights, taxis, and hotels.

The new assistant from Huawei will be pre-installed on Mate 30 series devices but it will also be downloadable from the company’s App Gallery.

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Current digital assistants listen for a wakeword such as “Ok, Google” or “Alexa,” before recording speech for processing. Especially for companies such as Google and Amazon which thrive on knowing everything about users, this helps to quell privacy concerns.

There are some drawbacks from this approach, mainly context. Future AI assistants will be able to provide more help when armed with information leading up to the request.

For example, say you were discussing booking a seat at your favourite restaurant next Tuesday. After asking, “Alexa, do I have anything on my schedule next Tuesday?” it could respond: “No, would you like me to book a seat at the restaurant you were discussing and add it to your calendar?”

Today, such a task would require three separate requests.

Amazon’s patent isn’t quite as complex just yet. The example provided in the filing envisions allowing the user to say things such as “Play ‘And Your Bird Can Sing’ Alexa, by the Beatles,” (Note the wakeword after the play song command.)

David Emm, Principal Security Researcher at Kaspersky Lab, said:

“Many Amazon Alexa users will likely be alarmed by today’s news that the company’s latest patent would allow the devices – commonplace in homes across the UK – to record everything a person says before even being given a command. Whilst the patent doesn’t suggest it will be installed in future Alexa-enabled devices, this still signals an alarming development in the further surrender of our personal privacy.

Given the amount of sensitive information exchanged in the comfort of people’s homes, Amazon would be able to access a huge volume of personal information – information that would be of great value to cybercriminals and threat actors. If the data isn’t secured effectively, a successful breach of Amazon’s systems could have a severe knock-on effect on the data security and privacy of huge numbers of people.

If this patent comes into effect, consumers need to be made very aware of the ramifications of this – and to be fully briefed on what data is being collected, how it is being used, and how they can opt out of this collection. Amazon may argue that analysing stored data will make their devices smarter for Alexa owners – but in today’s digital era, such information could be used nefariously, even by trusted parties. For instance, as we saw with Cambridge Analytica, public sector bodies could target election campaigns at those discussing politics.

There’s a world of difference between temporary local storage of sentences, to determine if the command word has been used, and bulk retention of data for long periods, or permanently – even if the listening process is legitimate and consumers have opted in. There have already been criticisms of Amazon for not making it clear what is being recorded and stored – and we are concerned that this latest development shows the company moving in the wrong direction – away from data visibility, privacy, and consent.”

There’s a joke about Uber that society used to tell you not to get into cars with strangers, and now you’re encouraged to order one from your phone. Lyft has been able to ride in Uber’s wake relatively negative PR free.

Getting the balance right between innovation and safety can be a difficult task. Pioneers often do things first and face the backlash before it actually becomes somewhat normal. That’s not advocating Amazon’s possible approach, but we’ve got to be careful outrage doesn’t halt progress while remaining vigilant of actual dangers.

deepgeniusai.com/">AI & Big Data Expo events with upcoming shows in Silicon Valley, London, and Amsterdam to learn more. Co-located with the IoT Tech Expo, , & .

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Duplex caused a stir when it debuted at Google’s I/O developer conference last year. The AI was shown calling a hair salon to make a booking and did so complete with human-like “ums” and “ahs”.

The use of such human mannerisms goes to show Google’s intention was for the human to be unaware they’re in conversation with an AI. Following some outcry, Google and other tech giants have pledged to make it clear to humans if they’re not speaking to another person.

Duplex is slowly rolling out and is available for Pixel smartphone owners in the US. Currently, it turns out Duplex bookings are often being carried out by humans in call centres.

Google confirmed to the New York Times that about 25 percent of the Assistant-based calls start with a human in a call centre, while 15 percent require human intervention. Times reporters Brian Chen and Cade Metz made four sample reservations and just one was completed start to finish by the AI.

The practice of using humans as a backup should always be praised. Making this standard practice helps increase trust, reduces concerns about human workers being replaced, and provides some accountability when things go awry.

Only so much can go wrong when booking a hair appointment, but setting expectations now will help to guide developments further down the line.

AI is being increasingly used in a military capacity, and most will sleep better at night knowing a human is behind any final decision rather than complete automation. Just imagine if Soviet officer Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov decided to launch retaliatory nuclear missiles after his early warning system falsely reported the launch of missiles from the US back in 1983.

According to the Times, Google isn’t in a rush to replace the human callers, and that should be welcomed.

Related: Watch our interview with UNICRI AI and Robotics Centre head Irakli Beridze discussing issues like weaponisation and the impact on jobs:

deepgeniusai.com/">AI & Big Data Expo events with upcoming shows in Silicon Valley, London, and Amsterdam to learn more. Co-located with the IoT Tech Expo, , & .

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The chatbot will butt into your conversations if it feels it can be of assistance. For example, when discussing making plans it could find you nearby places, create a poll about where to go, and find time in participants’ diaries.

When you arrive you could follow up with a question like “Where are you?” and the chatbot will prompt the other person to send their real-time location. Hopefully, Facebook has reminded them about the arrangement and you’ll see them on their way. If they’re not, remember a certain nostalgic video game has just come out…

The nostalgia! #SonicMania pic.twitter.com/LpZ847TJ0n

— (@Gadget_Ry) August 15, 2017

Facebook was hyping up chatbots as the next big thing last year but they’re yet to find much traction. In its latest Hype Cycle report, Gartner has ‘Conversational User Interfaces’ as being in the ‘Innovation Trigger’ and still 5-10 years from mainstream adoption. Some even believe they hold “the future of conversational commerce”.

With its fairly unobtrusive assistance, M will help consumers ease into the realm of chatbots while capitalising on the popularity of Messenger. Google has a similar feature in its Allo chat app which taps into the power of the search engine, but the app has far fewer users.

Can I start using Facebook’s chatbot?

Facebook’s chatbot in the UK appears to still be rolling out. We’ve been able to confirm its existence through other users but we’re yet to see it live in our Messenger apps to fully test.

The chatbot responded to a query of “Where are you?” with an option to send a live location. Asking “Shall we grab some coffee somewhere?” did not prompt any help to create plans. This indicates it hasn’t fully rolled out yet, its functionality in the UK is limited, and/or M needs to improve its contextual awareness.

You can find more of our coverage on bots here.

Have you tried Facebook’s AI-based M chatbot yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

To learn more about Bot & Virtual Assistant Development attend the AI Conference in Silicon Valley this fall (29-30th November 2017).

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