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The Smartest Computer in the World Also Has the Dirtiest Mouth

We already knew Ken Jennings thought IBM’s Jeopardy-winning supercomputer was a dick, but he’s not alone. Developers at IBM were forced to wipe part of Watson’s memory once they realized their hyperintelligent computer had turned into a bit of a smartass. https://gizmodo.com/ken-jennings-wants-to-occupy-jeopardy-5853708 During development, Watson’s project head had what must have seemed like a brilliant … Continued

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The Most Realistic Artificial Brain Has a Mind of Its Own

Computers can do practically anything these days, but they’re still a far cry from robotic brains that don’t just do what they’re told but actually think for themselves. The Semantic Pointer Architecture Unified Network, or Spaun, is one of those, and it’s creeping up on human intelligence. Developed by neuroscientists and software engineers at the … Continued

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Watch This Adorable Horde of Intelligent Swarm Robots Play Piano

Sometimes robots can be better than humans at playing instruments. Sometimes they’re just cooler at it. This herd of little swarm robots—which divvy up the playing between themselves automatically—is the latter. https://gizmodo.com/this-crazy-bass-guitar-robot-shreds-like-a-total-machin-5963023 Developed by researchers at Georgia Tech’s GRITS Lab, these intelligent swarm robots are given a piece of music to play, but are not … Continued

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Sketch-Scanning Software Can Decipher Your Crappy Drawing

Next time you’re stuck for someone to play Pictionary with, don’t despair. Now you can always get a game against a computer and, reassuringly, you’ll probably win. Sketching is something nearly any human can do, even if we use inaccurate representations like outsized ears on rabbits, or stick figures to simplify complex objects. What’s remarkable … Continued

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What It’s Like to Judge the Turing Test

“What are your favourite Sci Fi movies?” “I like Star Wars and The Matrix,” comes the typed reply. I am trying to work out if I’m talking to a “hidden human” in the next room, or actually a machine located somewhere in cyberspace. “Can we agree that the prequels sucked?” I continue. “Absolutely! Lucas should … Continued

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Hallucinating Robots Make the Best Interior Designers

We humans are already kind of afraid of robots, so here’s a good idea: what if we make them trip balls and hallucinate imaginary people everywhere? Seems like it would drive them to madness and make them turn on us even faster, but researchers at Cornell University’s Robot Learning Lab think it will make them … Continued

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The Best Chatbot in the World Is Still Awful (Updated)

If you ever speak to Chip Vivant, you might find his conversation a little stilted. Incoherent, even. Because, despite being crowned the best chatbot in the world, frankly, he still carries a conversation like R2D2 with a head injury. Chip was declared the winner of the 2012 Loebner Prize—a contest loosely based on Alan Turing’s … Continued

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Someday Siri Will Be This Smart and Good Looking

The newest promo video for Prometheus is pretty phenomenal—Michael Fassbender, in chokingly creepy fashion, introduces his David android, who we of course know will turn out to be evil and awful. But hey, this is the real future. Creepy David makes repeated mention of his commitment to understanding us—and there’s nothing sci-fi about that. We … Continued

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Here’s How Robots Will Save Our Lives in the Future

At the Navy’s brand, new multi-million dollar LASR complex, researchers are creating problem-solving Siri times a million. It’ll understand us! It’ll be friendly! And it’ll put out our fires by being just as smart as a human. We hope. https://gizmodo.com/the-navy-built-its-own-private-indoor-desert-and-jungle-5899448 The Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research is a Naval playground. But there’s some serious work … Continued

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Our Robot Overlords Will Have Baby Brains

Scientists are modeling artificial intelligence after baby brains. Why would they want to make computers similar to beings whose favorite pastimes are drooling and pooping? It makes perfect sense when you think about how malleable a baby’s gray matter is. Artificially intelligent machines have a tough time with nuances and uncertainty. But babies, toddlers and … Continued

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This Computer Program Is Smarter Than 96 Percent of Humans

Computers will never be able to subjugate the human race with their current level of intellect. Thankfully, a team of Swedish researchers have developed an AI with an IQ of 150. The program was developed by the Department of Philosophy, Linguistics, and Theory of Science at the University of Gothenburg in Göteborg, Sweden. Its intelligence … Continued

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Wolfram Alpha Pro Arrives Tomorrow With the Power to Analyze Data and Graphics

Wolfram Alpha may or may not be one of my favorite things in tech right now. It’ll spew movie times, compare NFL stats, help you cheat in Words With Friends and tell you exactly what airplane you’re staring at in the sky. And now with tomorrow’s arrival of Wolfram Alpha Pro, the company, in its … Continued

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Heads-Up Display Contact Lenses Are One Step Closer After Passing Safety Tests

The days of traditional screens could be numbered if the news coming out of Washington University is anything to go by. It’s testing contact lenses that could project information into the wearers eyes and initial safety tests look promising. We’ve been dreaming of a HUD-style vision enhancer ever since Sci-Fi first introduced the concept to … Continued

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Wall-E-Like Farming Robots Could Replace Undocumented Workers and Save the US Billions

Despite advancements in mechanization within US agriculture, some menial jobs are still best left to human workers. Problem is, federal crackdowns on undocumented laborers have decimated that workforce. The Harvester automaton could provide a cheap, readily available labor force without the threat of raids by the INS. https://gizmodo.com/king-of-the-cotton-pickers-5822464 The US agriculture industry is worth about … Continued

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Two Chatbots Face Off to Discuss God, Unicorns and Experience Sexual Tension

The sick bastards at Cornell’s Creative Machines Lab thought it’d be a hoot to force two chatbot AI programs to talk to one another. The result is deranged, extremely uncomfortable, a fraught with hostility. Much like real human interaction! The little experiment used Cornell’s Cleverbot AI, allowing two programs—a grey-headed guy who looks like he … Continued

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Artificial Intelligence Created Using Human DNA

A team at Caltech has developed an artificial neural network from human DNA molecules. Yup, we used a bit of ourselves to create artificial intelligence. I think I know how this story ends. More seriously, the Caltech researchers used DNA molecules to build their artificial neural network (which is the beginnings of a brain) because … Continued

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How To Give Robot Vacuums a Personality (And Why It Matters)

If The Jetsons’ Rosie had the personality of an automotive assembly line robot, she’d have been turned into sprockets long ago. IEEE discusses the latest efforts to endow domestic robots with a bit of attitude. It’s surprisingly easy for humans to endow robots with personalities. We’ve seen it happen most poignantly with EOD robots, but … Continued

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AI Programs Do Battle in Ms Pac-Man

Everyone loves a few rounds of a classic video game, but why should humans have all the fun? The Ms Pac-Man vs Ghost Team Competition serves to redress the balance by putting AI controllers in charge of video game characters in an effort to see which plays the game best. Competitors could submit AI controllers … Continued

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Give $1 to Stop Terminators. Seriously.

There’s nothing you can do to prevent another Terminator movie. But if you have a buck, you can do something to stop real Terminators…or at least ensure that they’ll like us when they show up. The Singularity Institute is a research organization that’s as forward-thinking as most Gizmodo readers (read: sci-fi nerds). Give $1 They … Continued

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IBM Patents HAL-Like Computer System for Stuffed Animals

That there will be robots and “smart” computer systems in our future is all but assured, but what will the lucky children be playing with? Probably an Adaptive System for Real-Time Behavioral Coaching and Command Intermediation. What the heck is that, right? Well, as IBM explains it, the system would be contained within an interactive … Continued