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Computers started to be able to recognize human faces in images decades ago, but now artificial intelligence systems are rivaling people's ability to classify objects in photos and videos. That's sparking increased interest from government agencies and businesses, which are eager to bestow vision skills on all sorts of machines. Among them: self-driving cars, drones, personal robots, in-store cameras and medical scanners that can search for skin cancer. There are also our own phones, some of which can now be unlocked with a glance. HOW DOES IT...
BOSTON (AP) — When a CIA-backed venture capital fund took an interest in Rana el Kaliouby's face-scanning technology for detecting emotions, the computer scientist and her colleagues did some soul-searching — and then turned down the money. "We're not interested in applications where you're spying on people," said el Kaliouby, the CEO and co-founder of the Boston startup Affectiva. The company has trained its artificial intelligence systems to recognize if individuals are happy or sad, tired or angry, using a photographic repository of mor...
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — An argumentative computer proved formidable against two human debaters as IBM gave its first public demonstration of new artificial intelligence technology it's been working on for more than five years. The new skills show that computers are getting better at mastering human language and speech. The computer made its case for government-subsidized space research by pulling in evidence from its huge internal repository of newspapers, journals and other sources. After delivering opening arguments, the computer listened to a...
BOSTON (AP) — If you've ever watched a YouTube video of a Boston Dynamics robot , you probably remember it. But you may not know what the videos leave out. Millions of people have watched the humanoid Atlas jogging through a field , or the intimidating, 6.5-foot-tall Handle zip back and forth swiftly (and ominously) on wheeled legs. Then there's the dog-like SpotMini dexterously opening a door — a machine so unsettling it inspired a nightmarish episode of the TV show "Black Mirror" last year. All of these robots are real, but the videos can...
President Donald Trump hasn't said much, if anything, about artificial intelligence, but his administration is warming up to the idea of investing more in the technology and finding ways to build new skills for the U.S. workers it replaces. "The Trump administration will ensure our great nation remains the global leader in AI," the president's technology adviser, Michael Kratsios, said to a gathering of corporate leaders Thursday. Kratsios was hosting the Trump White House's first summit on artificial intelligence, convening tech giants such...
Artificial intelligence has a new challenge: Whether and how to alert people who may not know they're talking to a robot. On Tuesday, Google showed off a computer assistant that makes convincingly human-sounding phone calls , at least in its prerecorded demonstration. But the real people in those calls didn't seem to be aware they were talking to a machine. That could present thorny issues for the future use of AI. Among them: Is it fair — or even legal — to trick people into talking to an AI system that effectively records all of its con...
BOSTON (AP) — Robots can't yet bake a souffle or fold a burrito, but they can cook up vegetables and grains and spout them into a bowl — and are doing just that at a new fast casual restaurant in Boston. Seven autonomously swirling cooking pots — what the restaurant calls a "never-before-seen robotic kitchen" — hum behind the counter at Spyce, which opened Thursday in the city's downtown. Push a touch-screen menu to purchase a $7.50 meal called "Hearth." A blend of Brussels sprouts, quinoa, kale and sweet potatoes tumbles from hoppers and int...
For Microsoft, Windows is no longer a core business so much as a complement to the company's other offerings. The company still makes money from Windows, the computer operating system that helped catapult the Microsoft brand to success more than three decades ago. But Windows' share of the business has shrunk. The company on Thursday reported third-quarter revenue of $26.8 billion, an increase of 16 percent over the previous year. By contrast, Windows licensing revenue grew by just 4 percent. The slow growth of Windows sales is not too much of...
Technology companies whose devices and constantly scrolling online services have driven us to distraction are beginning to acknowledge that their products can be a waste of time. Some of them now say they're trying to help. Microsoft is rolling out a free update to its Windows 10 computer operating system Monday with new features to keep people in a distraction-free zone. The "Focus Assist" feature enables workers to temporarily switch off email and social media notifications during times when they need to keep their heads down. They can allow...
YouTube is overhauling its kid-focused video app to give parents the option of letting humans, not computer algorithms, select what shows their children can watch. The updates that begin rolling out Thursday are a response to complaints that the YouTube Kids app has repeatedly failed to filter out disturbing content. Google-owned YouTube launched the toddler-oriented app in 2015. It has described it as a "safer" experience than the regular YouTube video-sharing service for finding "Peppa Pig" episodes or watching user-generated videos of...
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The flash of the CES technology show in Las Vegas is all about robots, drones and smart gadgets. But its subtext is all about Google versus Amazon. Both companies usually shun conventions like CES, preferring to debut gadgets at their own press events. But these tech giants have built an imposing presence here this year as they work to weave their voice-operated digital assistants more deeply into our personal lives. Google has plastered digital billboards and the Las Vegas Monorail with the "Hey Google" wake-up command. I...
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Today's vision of a smart home has more to do with what's technologically possible than what people really need. Thus the endless parade of internet-connected wine openers, water bottles, meat thermometers and refrigerators, and a dearth of automation that would clean and fold our laundry, pick up things around the house or assist aging people as their physical strength wanes. Not that some tinkerers aren't trying to come up with life-changing tools, often while trying to persuade consumers to share their routines and shopping...
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Intel has big plans to steer toward new business in self-driving cars, virtual reality and other cutting-edge technologies. But first it has to pull out of a skid caused by a serious security flaw in its processor chips, which undergird many of the world's smartphones and personal computers. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich opened his keynote talk Monday night at the annual CES gadget show in Las Vegas by addressing the hard-to-fix flaws disclosed by security researchers last week. At an event known for its technological optimism, i...
