Forget the Turing and Lovelace tests on artificial intelligence: I want to see a robot pass the Frampton Test. Let me explain why rock legend Peter Frampton enters the debate on AI. For many centuries, much thought was given to what distinguishes humans from animals. These days thoughts turn to…
Read moreIt’s no secret tech luminaries like Elon Musk and Bill Gates worry about humanity flirting with disaster though a digital version of the Icarus myth – in our case, the power of artificial intelligence being the sun that eventually burns our wings. Even so, not every futurist or technology pioneer…
Read moreTHE SUCCESSFUL ADAPTATION OF AI REQUIRES EMPATHY ON THE PART OF BOTH PEOPLE AND COMPUTERS, SAYS ARTEFACT’S PATRICK MANKINS or many years, interacting with artificial intelligence has been the stuff of science fiction and academic projects, but as smart systems take over more and more responsibilities, replace jobs, and become…
Read moreSOMETIME NEXT SUMMER, you’ll be able to watch a horror series that is exactly as scary as you want it to be—no more, no less. You’ll pull up the show, which relies on software from the artificial intelligence startup Affectiva, and tap a button to opt in. Then, while you…
Read moreTwo patients receiving the same treatment for breast cancer may be entirely different in significant ways. One may be a marathon runner, the other a more sedate reader. One might be a smoker, while the other is considered a health nut. One may be in her 60s while the other…
Read moreEven the cloud with all its compute power cannot reproduce the complexity, randomness and creativity of the human mind. Or can it? Ever since Alan Turing suggested his test, the line between human and artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly blurred. The idea is simple; Make a person interact with…
Read moreYou could be forgiven for thinking that this past week yielded the discovery of some new type of AI, but watching Elon Musk donate US$10 million to the Future of Life Program would lead one to believe that. Musk donated these funds specifically to push for research designed to keep…
Read moreThe drive to understand and replicate the workings of the human brain is leading to unprecedented collaboration between academia and the public and private sectors, says David Cox, a participant at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2014. He outlines the groundbreaking work taking place and…
Read moreBack in July, I wrote a Deep End post entitled “there is no such thing as artificial intelligence and there never will be.” The central argument was as follows. “…it’s important to realise what’s happening here, which is a massive growth in the speed with which computers can mindlessly crunch…
Read moreAs you read this, your neurons are firing – that brain activity can now be decoded to reveal the silent words in your head TALKING to yourself used to be a strictly private pastime. That’s no longer the case – researchers have eavesdropped on our internal monologue for the first…
Read more