AI
AI Can Now Read Your Mind (Sort Of)
Neuroscientists are teaching computers to read words straight out of people’s brains. Kelly Servick, writing for Science, reported this week on three papers posted to the preprint server bioRxiv in which three different teams of researchers demonstrated that they could decode speech from recordings of neurons firing. In each study, electrodes placed directly on the brain recorded neural activity while brain-surgery patients listened to speech or read words out loud. Then, researchers tried to figure out what the patients were hearing or saying. In each case, researchers were able to convert the brain’s electrical activity into at least somewhat-intelligible sound … Read more
TECH: How Close Are We to 2001’s AI Future?
“I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.” Movie audiences first heard these calmly intoned and ominous words in 1968, spoken by a spaceship’s intelligent computer in the science-fiction masterpiece “2001: A Space Odyssey.” With that one phrase, the computer named HAL 9000 confirmed that it could think for itself, and that it was prepared to terminate the astronauts who were planning to deactivate it. Fifty years after director Stanley Kubrick released his visionary masterpiece of space colonization, how close are humans to the future that he imagined, in which we partner with artificial intelligence (A.I.) that we ultimately … Read more
SCIENCE: AI is Crossing the Uncanny Valley
The tech world’s latest virtual assistant looks so realistic, you might mistake her for an actual human. Apple has Siri, and Amazon has Alexa. But the lifelikeness of both are dwarfed by Mica: a prototype that Magic Leap, a highly regarded augmented-reality startup, unveiled at its conference Wednesday. Mica isn’t just a voice assistant. She’s something you can actually see if you wear the company’s augmented-reality glasses, called Magic Leap One. Mica looks and acts like a human — she makes eye contact and offers a warm smile, along with other human-like expressions. Experts say Mica is a breakthrough in … Read more
ANNOUNCEMENT/GIVEAWAY: Red Between the Lines, by Parker Foye
QSFer Parker Foye has a new MM sci fi book out: Red Between the Lines. Wynfield, a washed-up former Corpsman with optical bioware and a healthy chip on his shoulder, is reluctantly drawn into a conspiracy to take down Nutrindustry, the company responsible for both his “upgrade” from human and the city’s food shortage. Playing clinic doctor for the day, Yeven doesn’t expect the mouthy former pilot and their begrudging attraction—nor the fresh twist of shame for his part in Nutrindustry’s past. He needs Wynfield, though, and for more than his smart mouth. Feelings would just get in the way. … Read more
ANNOUNCEMENT: Robots and Artificial Intelligence
QSFer Dr. Sara L. Uckelman has a queer short story – Being Human – in a new sci fi anthology: Robots and Artificial Intelligence. The promise and the threat of technology, of humankind replaced by its own mechanical creation has long enticed the SF and fantasy imagination. This fabulous mix of new and established writing brings together the top talents of today with the likes of Jerome K. Jerome, E.T.A. Hoffman, L. Frank Baum and Ambrose Bierce. Includes contributions by Roan Clay, George Cotronis, Deborah Davitt, Jeff Deck, Christopher Geeson, Bruce Golden, Rob Hartzell, Nathaniel Hosford, Rachael K. Jones, Rich Larson, … Read more
SCIENCE: Meet the AI Artists
One of the behaviors considered to be uniquely human is our creativity. While many animal species create visually stunning displays or constructions — think of a spider’s delicate web or the colorful, intricate structures built by bowerbirds — they are typically created with a practical purpose in mind, such as snagging prey or seducing a mate. Humans, however, make art for its own sake, as a form of personal expression. And as computer engineers attempt to imbue artificial intelligence (AI) with humanlike capabilities and behaviors, a question arises: Can AI create art? The AMC series “Humans,” which returns June 5 … Read more
FOR WRITERS: AI and Romance
FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Tam Ames: Virtual intelligence? AI? Have we discussed this? But could you have a romance between a human and software? Using virtual technology to have sex or communicate, but no physical body? Would we want to in the future? Could a good author really make readers believe it’s “real” romance? Join the chat
TECH: Is a South Korean Company Making Killer Robots?
The artificial intelligence (AI) community has a clear message for researchers in South Korea: Don’t make killer robots. Nearly 60 AI and robotics experts from almost 30 countries have signed an open letter calling for a boycott against KAIST, a public university in Daejeon, South Korea, that has been reported to be “develop[ing] artificial intelligence technologies to be applied to military weapons, joining the global competition to develop autonomous arms,” the open letter said. In other words, KAIST might be researching how to make military-grade AI weapons. By Laura Geggel – Full Story at Live Science