Google and a group of game cetologists have undertaken an AI-based investigation of years of undersea recordings, hoping to create a machine learning model that can spot humpback whale calls. It’s part of the company’s new “AI for social good” program that’s rather obviously positioned to counter the narrative that AI is mostly used for […]
Category: Technology
New Signal privacy feature removes sender ID from metadata
Plenty of messaging apps use strong encryption to make it next to impossible for law enforcement officers or other potential adversaries to read communications sent between parties. Often, however, unencrypted metadata—such as the sender, receiver, and time a message is sent—is all the sensitive data an adversary needs. Now, the Signal app is testing a […]
AnyMind, which uses AI for advertising, marketing and HR, raises $13.4M
AnyMind Group, a Singapore-based company that uses AI in online advertising, HR and marketing, has pulled in a strategic $13.4 million investment to go after growth in Japan and other Asian markets. This Series B round was led by Line, the Japanese messaging app firm, and Mirai Creation Fund, which is backed by Toyota among […]
Police are using artificial intelligence to spot written lies
There’s no foolproof way to know if someone’s verbally telling lies, but scientists have developed a tool that seems remarkably accurate at judging written falsehoods. Using machine learning and text analysis, they’ve been able to identify false robbery reports with such accuracy that the tool is now being rolled out to police stations across Spain. […]
New Theory of Intelligence May Disrupt AI and Neuroscience
Recent advancement in artificial intelligence, namely in deep learning, has borrowed concepts from the human brain. The architecture of most deep learning models is based on layers of processing– an artificial neural network that is inspired by the neurons of the biological brain. Yet neuroscientists do not agree on exactly what intelligence is, and how […]
Google may offer a subscription service for Android apps
Many people aren’t that fond of paying for mobile apps, but Google might have a simple solution: bundle it all in a subscription. XDA and Kieron Quinn have discovered both code references and a Google Opinion Rewards survey hinting at a “Play Pass” app subscription service. According to the survey, it might offer “hundreds of […]
Discovery of new superconducting materials using materials informatics
A NIMS-Ehime University joint research team succeeded in discovering new materials that exhibit superconductivity under high pressure using materials informatics (MI) approaches (data science-based material search techniques). This study experimentally demonstrated that MI enables efficient exploration of new superconducting materials. MI approaches may be applicable to the development of various functional materials, including superconductors. Superconducting […]
SpaceX Borrowing to Global Internet and BFR future
SpaceX will probably have about $1.5 billion in revenue in revenue in 2018 and then $2 billion in revenue in 2019. SpaceX is raising $500 million in a loan which will help fund the SpaceX BFR and the buildout of the Starlink satellite network. The fully reusable SpaceX BFR will cost about $2 billion to […]
Low cost, energy-saving radiative cooling system ready for real-world applications
University of Colorado Boulder and University of Wyoming engineers have successfully scaled up an innovative water-cooling system capable of providing continuous day-and-night radiative cooling for structures. The advance could increase the efficiency of power generation plants in summer and lead to more efficient, environmentally-friendly temperature control for homes, businesses, utilities and industries. The new research […]
A fine-tuned laser welds more effectively
Using laser technology Empa scientists optimized a technique to weld the electronics of implantable pacemakers and defibrillators into a titanium case. The medtech company Medtronic is now using the method worldwide to produce these devices. In Tolochenaz (Canton of Vaud) the US medtech company Medtronic produces one out of five heart pacemakers available on the […]
Mars 2020 Parachute a Go
In the early hours of Sept. 7, NASA broke a world record. Less than 2 minutes after the launch of a 58-foot-tall (17.7-meter) Black Brant IX sounding rocket, a payload separated and began its dive back through Earth’s atmosphere. When onboard sensors determined the payload had reached the appropriate height and Mach number (38 kilometers […]
Today is a dark day for Android flagship phones
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 9 is the most powerful phablet the company has ever released, and it carries a hefty $1,000 price tag to match. The Galaxy S9+ is just as powerful, and it starts at $840. Google’s newest and most powerful smartphone ever is the Pixel 3, which starts at $800. Meanwhile, the larger Pixel […]