Google’s Duplex booking AI often relies on humans for backup

Google Duplex often calls on humans for backup when making reservations on behalf of users, and that should be welcomed.

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”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qCanuYrR0g

The use of such human mannerisms goes to show Google’s intention was for the human to be unaware...

23 May 2019 | Bots

Lack of STEM diversity is causing AI to have a ‘white male’ bias

A report from New York University's AI Now Institute has found a predominantly white male coding workforce is causing bias in algorithms.

The report highlights that – while gradually narrowing – the lack of diverse representation at major technology companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Facebook is causing AIs to cater more towards white males.

For example, at Facebook just 15 percent of the company's AI staff are women. The problem is even more substantial at...

18 April 2019 | Ethics

Google axes its AI ethics board after less than a week

Google has axed its troubled AI ethics board less than a week after it had been created.

The board appeared fairly representative of society from the outset, although perhaps too much so. Some views shouldn't be represented.

In a statement, Google wrote:

"It's become clear that in the current environment, ATEAC can't function as we wanted. So we're ending the council and going back to the drawing board.

We'll continue to be responsible in our work on the...

5 April 2019 | Ethics

Google’s AI ethics panel is already receiving backlash

Google is already facing criticism of its AI ethics panel over featuring a conservative figure with some controversial views.

Kay Editor is the president of conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation. The foundation has a history of opposing LGBTQ and immigrant rights which many Googlers feel should not be promoted.

A group of Google employees which calls itself ‘Googlers Against Transphobia’ wrote a post criticising Mountain View’s appointment of the Heritage...

2 April 2019 | Ethics

Don’t be evil: Google is creating a dedicated AI ethics panel

Google is aiming to prevent societal disasters caused by its AI technology with the creation of a dedicated ethics panel.

The panel is called the Advanced Technology External Advisory Council (ATEAC) and features a range of academics and experts from around the world.

Eight people are currently on the panel, with some from as far as Hong Kong and South Africa. Among the roster is former US deputy secretary of state William Joseph Burns and University of Bath associate...

27 March 2019 | Ethics

Become a modern-day Bach with Google’s AI-powered doodle

Google is honouring the 334th birthday of famous German composer Johann Sebastian Bach with an AI-powered ‘doodle’ that mimics his musical style.

Users can input their own melody and the AI will create a harmony in the Baroque style of Bach.

“Bach was a humble man who attributed his success to divine inspiration and a strict work ethic,” wrote Google in a post. “He lived to see only a handful of his works published, but more than 1,000 that survived in...

21 March 2019 | Google

Google is using AI to predict wind farm power output

Google is using AI to solve the problem of predicting the power output of a wind farm ahead of time.

Wind farms are a fantastic source of renewable energy but their output can be hard to predict due to the nature of wind.

By improving the accuracy of predictions and providing more data, wind farm operators are better prepared to meet upcoming power demands.

In a blog post, Google wrote:

“Based on these predictions, our model recommends how to make...

27 February 2019 | Google

NHS report suggests AI will give docs more patient time

A report from the NHS suggests the impending technological ‘revolution’ in healthcare will increase the amount of time doctors can spend with patients.

NHS doctors are overburdened; a problem only getting worse from a growing and ageing population, and not enough funding.

The report was led by US academic Eric Topol and calls for a reskilling of NHS staff to harness new digital skills. AI and robotics can reduce the burden on healthcare professionals, but only if...

11 February 2019 | Healthcare

Microsoft warns its AI offerings ‘may result in reputational harm’

Microsoft has warned investors that its AI offerings could damage the company’s reputation in a bid to prepare them for the worst.

AI can be unpredictable, and Microsoft already has experience. Back in 2016, a Microsoft chatbot named Tay became a racist, sexist, generally-rather-unsavoury character after internet users took advantage of its machine learning capabilities

The chatbot was covered in media around the world and itself was bound to have caused Microsoft some...

6 February 2019 | Ethics

DeepMind thrashed pro StarCraft 2 players in latest demo

DeepMind’s AI demonstrated last night how its prowess in StarCraft 2 battles against professional human players has grown in recent months.

The live stream of the showdowns was viewed by more than 55,000 people.

“This is, of course, an exciting moment for us,” said David Silver, a researcher at DeepMind. “For the first time, we saw an AI that was able to defeat a professional player.”

DeepMind created five versions of their ‘AlphaStar’ AI. Each AI...

25 January 2019 | Gaming