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DARPA’s efforts to teach AI “Empathy & Ethics”


The rapid pace of artificial intelligence (AI) has raised fears about whether robots could act unethically or soon choose to harm humans. Some are calling for bans on robotics research; others are calling for more research to understand how AI might be constrained. But how can robots learn ethical behavior if there is no “user manual” for being human?

Researchers Mark Riedl and Brent Harrison from the School of Interactive Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology believe the answer lies in “Quixote” — to be unveiled at the AAAI-16 Conference in Phoenix, Ariz. (Feb. 12 — 17, 2016). Quixote teaches “value alignment” to robots by training them to read stories, learn acceptable sequences of events and understand successful ways to behave in human societies.

“The collected stories of different cultures teach children how to behave in socially acceptable ways with examples of proper and improper behavior in fables, novels and other literature,” says Riedl, associate professor and director of the Entertainment Intelligence Lab. “We believe story comprehension in robots can eliminate psychotic-appearing behavior and reinforce choices that won’t harm humans and still achieve the intended purpose.”

Intel’s solid-state drives could be poised for a big jump in capacity and speed with new 3D flash chips coming from Micron.

Micron, which makes the flash in Intel’s SSDs, has started volume shipments of its 3D NAND flash chips. The chips could lead to SSDs the size of a pack of gum with more than 3.5TB of storage and standard 2.5-inch SSDs with capacities greater than 10TB.

SSDs have been advancing in capacity and durability. Fixstars last month shipped a 13TB SSD, which is priced at about $1 per gigabyte, or $13,000. This year, SanDisk plans to ship 6TB and 8TB SSDs, while Samsung is aiming to release a 4TB SSD.

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Very huge step forward for brain sensory mapping.


Data from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have provided eye-popping pictures of the way the brain is wired, and allowed neuroscientists and laypeople alike to view intricate anatomical and functional connections between regions of the brain. But what if a new tool could be applied to MRI and other data, to listen to the way the brain works and how it is forged with connections?

An emerging effort to “sonify” imaging data is taking root at UT Dallas’ Center for Vital Longevity, in the lab of Dr. Gagan Wig. The approach, now funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), allows data to be represented by sounds from which a trained listener might be able to discern patterns of brain connectivity not readily seen in available visualization strategies.

Wig, an assistant professor in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, is working with his UT Dallas colleagues Dr. Roger Malina, Arts and Technology Distinguished Chair, Scot Gresham-Lancaster, assistant professor in the sound design program in the School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication, and a mix of scientists, computer programmers and artists to translate data to sight and sound.

Not good at all.


Puts all 10nm eggs in TSMC’s basket

Fruity cargo cult Apple has turned on its partner Samsung and given the contract to produce 10-nano application processors (AP) to TSMC.

According to the Electronic Times the move has put Samsung into a state of emergency system to prevent declination of rate of operation of factories.

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More advancement in Quantum Computing — researchers in Finland have found a way to keep the processor chip cooled without causing disrupting computer operations which has been a big challenge for Quantum Chips.


AALTO, Finland, Feb. 11, 2016 — A thermal-transport method that uses photons as carriers has been demonstrated over 1-m distances. The fundamental advance in heat conduction could drive the development of quantum computers.

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The late Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart once said, “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.”

As artificial intelligence (AI) systems become more and more advanced, can the same statement apply to computers?

According to many technology moguls and policymakers, the answer is this: We’re not quite there yet.

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Quantum Entanglement “Fluffy Bunny Style”.


UVM physicist wins NSF CAREER grant to study entanglement 02-08-2016 By Joshua E. Brown Two different ways in which atoms can be quantum entangled. Left: spatial entanglement where atoms in two separated regions share quantum information. Right: particle entanglement for identical atoms (colored here for clarity) due to quantum statistics and interactions.

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Post-Human


Radically often it seems like something out of science fiction. But every day that passes we get closer to the technological singularity.

Visit: http://www.awarenessalgorithm.com/ ~ The awakening of the future …