The Social Nightmare
Scrutiny of Facebook intensified after a whistleblower leaked internal research showing the company has known that its ongoing drive to engage users has harmed individuals and society at large.
Conference Paper Choices Under Fire
A prestigious machine learning conference failed to highlight the highest-impact research, according to a new study.What’s new: In a retrospective analysis, researchers found that papers accepted to NeurIPS 2014 showed little correlation
AI Sales Closing In on $500 Billion
A new report projects a rosy future for the AI industry.What’s new: A study from market research firm IDC estimates that global revenues for AI software, hardware, and services will reach $341.8 billion in
Wake Up and Smell the AI
Coffee producers are using machine learning to grow better beans.What’s new: Beverage giant Nespresso is rolling out a system to assess the quality of hybrid coffee seedlings using technology from Israeli-Colombian
Outstanding in the Field
One of the world’s largest makers of farm equipment is doubling down on self-driving tractors.What’s new: John Deere agreed to pay $250 million for Bear Flag Robotics, a California startup that upgrades conventional tractors
Fresh Funds for U.S. Research
The U.S. plans to build nearly a dozen new civilian AI research labs.What’s new: The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) committed $220 million to fund 11 National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes,
Insurance Coverage for AI
The U.S. government’s largest national health insurance plan will pay for hospital use of a deep learning model, building momentum for AI to become an integral part of the doctor’s toolkit.
Apple Kicks AI Into High Gear
After years of trailing other tech giants in AI, Apple has a new ambition: to become the industry’s leading purveyor of products powered by machine learning.What’s new: In an interview with Ars Technica, the
Bye Bye Bots
The independent research lab OpenAI wowed technology watchers in 2019 with a robotic hand that solved Rubik’s Cube. Now it has disbanded the team that built it. What’s new: OpenAI cofounder Wojciech Zaremba revealed that OpenAI
Home Sweet AI-Appraised Home
Real estate websites helped turn automated real-estate assessment into a classic AI problem. The latest approach by a leader in the field gets a boost from deep learning.
No Cashier? No Problem
Shoppers at Amazon’s newest grocery store can skip the checkout line. What’s new: Amazon opened its first full-scale supermarket that monitors which items customers place in their cart and charges them automatically when they leave. It calls the system Just Walk Out.
Flight Paths Optimized
An AI system is helping aircraft avoid bad weather, restricted airspace, and clogged runways. What’s new: Alaska Airlines will route all its flights using a system from Airspace Intelligence called Flyways.
Irresponsible AI
Few companies that use AI understand the ethical issues it raises.What’s new: While many companies are ramping up investments in AI, few look for and correct social biases in their models, according to a report by the
Face Recognition for the Masses
Face recognition tech tends to be marketed to government agencies, but PimEyes offers a web app that lets anyone scan the internet for photos of themself — or anyone they have a picture of. The company says it aims to help
Banking on Computer Vision
AI-powered surveillance is becoming a staple in U.S. banks. What’s new: Several banks are using cameras equipped with computer vision to bolster security and boost employee productivity, according to Reuters.
