Microsoft issues apology over racist chatbot fiasco

Microsoft has apologised for creating an artificially intelligent chatbot that quickly turned into a holocaust-denying racist.

But in doing so made it clear Tay's views were a result of nurture, not nature. Tay confirmed what we already knew: people on the internet can be cruel.
Tay, aimed at 18-24-year-olds on social media, was targeted by a "coordinated attack by a subset of people" after being launched earlier this week.
Within 24 hours Tay had been deactivated so the team could make "adjustments".
But on Friday, Microsoft's head of research said the company was "deeply sorry for the unintended offensive and hurtful tweets" and has taken Tay off Twitter for the foreseeable future.
Peter Lee added: "Tay is now offline and we'll look to bring Tay back only when we are confident we can better anticipate malicious intent that conflicts with our principles and values."
Tay was designed to learn from interactions it had with real people in Twitter. Seizing an opportunity, some users decided to feed it racist, offensive information.
In China, people reacted differently - a similar chatbot had been rolled out to Chinese users, but with slightly better results.
"Tay was not the first artificial intelligence application we released into the online social world," Microsoft's head of research wrote.
"In China, our XiaoIce chatbot is being used by some 40 million people, delighting with its stories and conversations.
"The great experience with XiaoIce led us to wonder: Would an AI like this be just as captivating in a radically different cultural environment?"

Corrupted Tay

The feedback, it appears, is that western audiences react very differently when presented with a chatbot it can influence. Much like teaching a Furby to swear, the temptation to corrupt the well-meaning Tay was too great for some.
That said, Mr Lee said a specific vulnerability meant Tay was able to turn nasty.
"Although we had prepared for many types of abuses of the system, we had made a critical oversight for this specific attack.
"As a result, Tay tweeted wildly inappropriate and reprehensible words and images. We take full responsibility for not seeing this possibility ahead of time."
He didn't elaborate on the precise nature of the vulnerability.
Mr Lee said his team will continue working on AI bots in the hope they can interact without negative side effects.
"We must enter each one with great caution and ultimately learn and improve, step by step, and to do this without offending people in the process.
"We will remain steadfast in our efforts to learn from this and other experiences as we work toward contributing to an Internet that represents the best, not the worst, of humanity."
Next week, Microsoft holds its annual developer conference, Build. Artificial intelligence is expected to feature heavily.

Source By: BBC

FBI warns on risks of car hacking

The FBI and the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have added their voices to growing concerns about the risk of cars being hacked.

In an advisory note it warns the public to be aware of "cybersecurity threats" related to connected vehicles.

Last year Fiat Chrysler recalled 1.4 million US vehicles after security researchers remotely controlled a Jeep.

People who suspect their car has been hacked were told to get in contact with the FBI.

The public service announcement laid out the issues and dangers of car hacking.

"Modern motor vehicles often include new connected vehicle technologies that aim to provide benefits such as added safety features, improved fuel economy and greater overall convenience," it read.

"With this increased connectivity, it is important that consumers and manufacturers maintain awareness of potential cybersecurity threats."

SOURCE OF: BBC

Michael Kors, Tissot and Nixon join the smartwatch market

The US firm has announced two timepieces - one targeted at each sex - powered by Google's Android Wear.

Samsung, Nixon and Fossil have also revealed new software-powered models at the Baselworld trade show. Swatch's Tissot brand unveiled its first "connected watch" too, which links up to smartphones but does not run apps.

The launches coincide with a decline in traditional watch sales.

The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry recently reported a "steep decline" in revenues, with January's 1.5bn Swiss francs ($1.6bn; £1.1bn) representing an 8% drop on the same month's sales in 2015.

The business group has blamed a "troubled economic situation" for the fall.

However, research firm Futuresource Consulting has reported that global smartwatch shipments now outnumber those of traditional Swiss watches.

"Many consumers are still not sure how a smartwatch will benefit them in terms of lifestyle and practicality," said its report, timed to coincide with the event in Basel.

"[But] ongoing advancements by the integrated chip manufacturers means they can go smaller - which opens up the market for more petite, women's watches, effectively increasing their total available market."

Thinner smartwatches

Smartwatch manufacturers that use Google's Android Wear have limited ability to customise the operating system's features, so much of their efforts are focused instead on design.

Michael Kors - whose devices are manufactured by Fossil - focused on their exclusive digital watchfaces and "glamorous sty.

 Fossil also unveiled two new smartwatches under its own brand - the Fossil Q Wander and Q Marshal - which it said were slimmer than its first-generation models.

California-based Nixon, however, had one trick up its sleeve for its first Android Wear watch - the Mission. It is water-resistant to 100m (328ft) - a record for the category - and still able to accept voice commands.

That allows Nixon to target the device at surfers, who need that level of protection because of the force with which they sometimes hit the waves.

Swiss smartwatch

Tissot has taken a different approach with its Smart-Touch.

The watch links up to a smartphone via Bluetooth when commanded to do so and can then provide navigation directions by moving its hands.

In addition, it can use the phone to synchronise itself to the local time zone.

The watch can also trigger an alarm on a fob, with which it is sold, in order to find mislaid keys

Another unusual feature is a solar panel - used to recharge its battery, which is said to last up to a year before it needs to be swapped out.

"Swatch Group is the only Swiss watchmaker able to do a smartwatch on its own," boasted the firm's chief executive Francois Thiebaud.

But one attendee had doubts about its chances.

"It's difficult to see how Tissot can scale this to deliver the breadth of functionality that an open platform like Android or Tizen can offer," said Ben Wood from the CCS Insight consultancy.

"Swatch's only chance for success would be to bring this functionality to its wider range of watches."

Nike restricts self-lacing trainers to app users

Nike has unveiled its much-anticipated range of self-lacing shoes.

It said the HyperAdapt trainers would be released to the public before the end of the year.
A pair of Nike-branded shoes with self-tightening laces featured in the 1989 film Back to the Future II, but it was not until 2013 that the firm started trying to make real-world versions.
In an unexpected move, the US firm has said that sales would be restricted to users of its apps.

While some might see the self-lacing function as being more gimmicky than useful, the tie-in to the Nike+ software will help the company promote other goods to those curious about HyperAdapt.


Nike+ apps are currently focused on tracking data about users' activities and offering them training programmes. But from June, the platform will introduce personalised shopping recommendations and an online store.
"Nike has lost a fair bit of traction recently to sportswear upstarts including Under Armour, which bought the MyFitnessPal app, and Asics, which has acquired Runkeeper," said Marc McLaren, online editor of Stuff, a tech-focused magazine.

"This will help keep people engaged, and we can already see from the reaction our readers are having to the announcement that they are very excited by it."

Mini motors

Although Marty McFly's trainers appeared to tie themselves up in the Back to the Future movie, the effect was in fact created using a prop that was bolted to the ground, below which a stagehand pulled on the laces.
Nike has achieved the effect for real by using small electric motors to adjust the laces.

These are activated when the user's heel touches a sensor.
Two buttons on the side allow the wearer to tighten or loosen the fit. A glowing component built into the sole acts as a wireless charging point, while LEDs on the back indicate how much charge remains.
Attendees at the company's Innovation Summit in New York were able to try on functioning prototypes.
The firm said the final product should need to be recharged about once a fortnight.

In time, Nike added, it intends to develop the idea further.
Nike, however, has a stronger brand.
"I think it's a canny move to get people to sign up to the Nike+ service, but if they do prove popular I'm sure the firm will open them up to a wider audience eventually," added Mr McLaren.
"But maybe that will be another year down the line."

SOURCE BY: BBC

Former Brazil president Lula 'to become minister'

Former Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is expected to accept a key ministerial role in President Dilma Rousseff's government, media reports say.

Members of the governing Workers' Party say his appointment will strengthen her beleaguered administration.
In becoming a minister, Lula will also have some legal protection.
Last week, prosecutors requested his arrest in a money laundering inquiry over a luxury sea-front penthouse.
The popular former president has denied any wrongdoing and says the claims are politically motivated.



Who is Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
Why is Lula caught up in scandal?
Rousseff facing a perfect storm
As a minister, Lula could only be tried by the Supreme Court, placing him out of the reach of the judge in the southern city of Curitiba responsible for the inquiry.
Lula was briefly detained earlier this month after investigators said they had evidence he received illicit benefits from a kickback scheme involving state-oil company Petrobras.

'Helping Rousseff'

Media reports, quoting unnamed sources, said Ms Rousseff and Lula would meet in the capital, Brasilia, on Tuesday. There has been no official comment.
Lula handpicked Ms Rousseff as a candidate to succeed him in 2010, and has not ruled out running again in 2018.
Ms Rousseff has faced increasing calls for her removal as a result of a corruption scandal at Petrobras and Brazil's worst recession in decades.





On Sunday, hundreds of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets calling for her to go. But the president has repeatedly said she will not resign.
She could, however, face an impeachment process in Congress, accused of masking the budget deficit, which she denies.
One of Lula's main tasks, the reports said, would be to negotiate with the main coalition partner in order to prevent an impeachment going ahead.
His appointment could also be seen as bringing some order to what many analysts consider a chaotic administration.






Dozens of executives and politicians have been arrested or are under investigation as part of a massive corruption inquiry named Operation Car Wash.
They are suspected of overcharging contracts with Petrobras and using part of the money to pay for bribes and electoral campaigns.
One of the lines of inquiry is that construction companies targeted by the operation could have favoured Lula in the development of the same Guaruja flat that led prosecutors to request his arrest.


SOURCE BY: BBC

Brussels manhunt after gunfire in raid 'on Paris suspects'

Belgian security forces and French police are hunting for at least two men after shots were fired at police during a counter-terrorism raid in Brussels.

Three officers were reportedly hurt, one of them seriously. Streets in the suburb of Forest have been sealed off .
A BBC reporter at the scene says there has been more gunfire subsequently.
The raid is linked to the Paris attacks which killed 130 people last November. Islamic State (IS) militants have claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Suspects 'barricaded'

After Tuesday's incident in the Belgian capital, police said they were pursuing at least two suspects who had escaped over rooftops.



Eric Van Der Sypt, a spokesman for the federal prosecutor, told AFP news agency that "police were fired at" during the raid on Tuesday afternoon. He added that the raid was "linked to the Paris attacks investigation".









A major police operation is now under way, with a helicopter flying overhead.
"Two individuals apparently barricaded themselves inside a home,'' Forest mayor Marc-Jean Ghyssels told reporters.
The BBC's Damian Grammaticas at the scene says the whole area is flooded with police, and every access road is blocked.
He says the operation appears to be focusing on Rue de la Station road.
Two local schools with about 100 children were still in lockdown, Euronews reporter Sandor Sziros told the BBC.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve confirmed that French police officers were also taking part in the Brussels raid.
The incident happened near train lines used by Eurostar trains to Brussels and Thalys trains to Paris.





Since the 13 November attacks, officials have identified most of the people they believe to have carried out the assaults.
Most of the suspects have either died during the attacks or been killed in later police raids.
But two suspects - Salah Abdeslam and Mohamed Abrini - are still on the run.
However, French police sources said that Abdeslam was not the target of Tuesday's raid.
In addition, 11 people have been arrested and charged in Belgium in connection with the killings. Another eight are still in detention.
Parts of Brussels were sealed off for days after the Paris massacre amid fears of a major incident there as a number of suspected attackers lived in the Belgian capital.
Police have also carried out a series of raids in the city.


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SOURCE BY: BBC

Google's AI wins final Go challenge

Google's DeepMind artificial intelligence has secured its fourth win over a master player, in the final of a five match challenge.

Lee Se-dol, one of the world's top Go players, won just one of the matches against the AlphaGo program, missing out on the $1m prize up for grabs.

Demis Hassabis, founder of DeepMind, said the match had been the "most exciting and stressful" for his team.

Lee Se-dol said he felt "regrettable" about the result of the contest.

In Go, players take turn placing stones on a 19-by-19 grid, competing to take control of the most territory.

The game is considered to be much more challenging for computers than chess.

At a press conference held after the final match, Mr Lee said he did not necessarily think AlphaGo was superior to humans.

But he said he had more studying to do, and admitted the matches had challenged some of his ideas about the game Go.

Analysis: Stephen Evans, Seoul correspondent

In some countries the people watch football on big screens in public squares, but in South Korea it's been the mighty challenge of machine against humanity.

And the victory of the computer has led to some introspection.

One South Korean newspaper complained that the contest was "lopsided" with the single Korean pitted against the corporate might of Google and its "army of super-smart people armed with unfathomable computing power".

In a spirit of magnanimity, however, the Korea Baduk Association - which governs the game of Go - has decided to give an honorary ninth-dan ranking to AlphaGo.

The 4-1 mechanical victory has also made some Go players doubt themselves.

The European champion who lost last year to AlphaGo said it had really knocked his self-confidence, even as it enabled him to climb up the world rankings.

Go was invented about 2,500 years or so ago in China. Until now, it has always had a human best player. Not any more.

In some countries the people watch football on big screens in public squares, but in South Korea it's been the mighty challenge of machine against humanity.

And the victory of the computer has led to some introspection.

One South Korean newspaper complained that the contest was "lopsided" with the single Korean pitted against the corporate might of Google and its "army of super-smart people armed with unfathomable computing power".

In a spirit of magnanimity, however, the Korea Baduk Association - which governs the game of Go - has decided to give an honorary ninth-dan ranking to AlphaGo.

The 4-1 mechanical victory has also made some Go players doubt themselves.

The European champion who lost last year to AlphaGo said it had really knocked his self-confidence, even as it enabled him to climb up the world rankings.

Go was invented about 2,500 years or so ago in China. Until now, it has always had a human best player. Not any more.

The five match challenge began in Seoul on 9 March, where AlphaGo scored its first victory.

After losing the second match, Lee Se-dol said he was "speechless" adding that the AlphaGo machine played a "nearly perfect game".

In the third game commentators said that Lee Se-dol had brought his "top game" but that AlphaGo had won "in great style".

DeepMind's winning streak meant it won the $1m (£702,000) prize on offer. Google said the money would be donated to Unicef, Stem (science, technology, engineering, and maths) charities and Go organisations.

Mr Hassabis said: "We have been lucky to witness the incredible culture and excitement surrounding Go.

"Despite being one of the oldest games in existence, Go this week captured the public's attention across Asia and the world."

Expertise

The AlphaGo system was developed by British computer company DeepMind which was bought by Google in 2014.

It has built up its expertise by studying older games and teasing out patterns of play.

Lee Se-dol did win the fourth match against AlphaGo, after which he said: "I've never been congratulated so much because I've won one game."

Despite Mr Lee's overall defeat, rival players have still expressed confidence that they could beat the AI.

Ahead of the final, China's top ranked Go master Ke Jie said he believed he could beat AlphaGo.

He told China Central Television: "In terms of probability, I have a chance to win, but the probability is not as high as I thought before. I think it is 60 per cent in favour of me."

Analysis by Dr Noel Sharkey, AI expert

To beat one of the world's top players, Deep Mind used a mixture of clever strategies to make the search much smaller.

Does this mean AI is now smarter than us and will kill us mere humans? Certainly not.

AlphaGo doesn't care if it wins or loses. It doesn't even care if it plays and it certainly couldn't make you a cup of tea after the game.

Does it mean that AI will soon take your job? Possibly you should be more worried about that.

Go is thought to date back to several thousand years ago in China.

Using black-and-white stones on a grid, players gain the upper hand by surrounding their opponents pieces with their own.

The rules are simpler than those of chess, but a player typically has a choice of 200 moves, compared with about 20 in chess - there are more possible positions in Go than atoms in the universe, according to DeepMind's team.

It can be very difficult to determine who is winning, and many of the top human players rely on instinct.

SOURCE BY: BBC

Minecraft to run artificial intelligence experiments

Minecraft is to become a testing ground for artificial intelligence experiments.

Microsoft, owner of the popular video game, revealed that computer scientists and amateurs will be able to evaluate and develop AI software using its virtual landscapes from July.
The company says Minecraft is more "sophisticated" than existing AI research simulations and cheaper to use than building a robot.
One expert said it had great potential.
"This is the state-of-the-art," said Prof Jose Hernandez-Orallo from the Technical University of Valencia, one of a small group of academics given early access to the software.



"At this moment there is nothing comparable, and this is just in its beginnings, so I see many possibilities for it."



To take advantage of the offer, users will need to install AIX - a software platform that hooks into Minecraft and allows the artificial intelligence code to control a character and get feedback about the consequences of its actions.
AIX will be open source, meaning the only cost involved will be that of buying a standard licence for the game.
The experiments will run on the researchers' own computers and be "roped off" from normal players. However, in time the aim is to allow people to interact with the code.
"People build amazing structures that do amazing things in Minecraft, and this allows experimenters to put in tasks that will stretch AI technology beyond its current capacity," explained Katja Hofmann, who leads the project at Microsoft Research's Cambridge lab in the UK.
"But eventually, we will be able to scale this up further to include tasks that allow AI agents to learn to collaborate with humans and support them in a creative manner.

"This provides a way to take AI from where it is today up to human-level intelligence, which is where we want to be, in several decades time."

First-person views

Improving AI software by getting it to play video games has been done before. But Microsoft suggests the open-ended nature of Minecraft makes it particularly useful because of the huge variety of situations it can simulate from first-person perspectives.
"It allows you to have 'embodied AI'," explained Matthew Johnson, the principal software engineer working on AIX.
"So, rather than have a situation where the AI sees an avatar of itself, it can actually be inside, looking out through the eyes of something that is living in the world.
"We think this is an essential part of building this kind of general intelligence."
Microsoft expects one of the most popular types of research will be reinforcement learning, in which an AI agent learns how best to carry out a task via a mix of experimentation and use of prior knowledge, rather than being told what to do.

This process was recently used by Google's AlphaGo program. Last week, it triumphed against one of the best ever players of the board game Go after having played thousands of games against itself to discover new strategies.
While that was a specialised task, Microsoft suggests Minecraft provides a way for AI to learn a wide range of concepts.
"Experimenters could design a task with features such as lava, which might be very dangerous for the agent, and then evaluate how quickly it can learn to interpret the environment," Ms Hofmann told the BBC.
"But the platform is also open to more general AI research, for example how to make agents integrate language and vision.
"We see this as a stepping stone to technology that will eventually be applied to robotics, but that we can first explore in a safer environment that we completely control and is very cheap to run."

Introduction to AI

Although AI specialists may get the most out of the platform, Microsoft stresses that AIX will also support simple programs that children can create, and the firm has promised to provide a range of teaching materials.



"We want people of all skills and ages to get involved," said Mr Johnson.
Prof Jose Hernandez-Orallo commended the idea.
"Kids could create agents in a world they are already fascinated with, and play with them," he said.
"This could boost young people's interest in artificial intelligence, and we expect that in the next 10 to 20 years we are going to need more people working in the area."


SOURCE BY: BBC