Lifeboat Foundation

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) has serious implications for our future. The issues and their oversight are not just the domain of computer engineers, technologists and AI experts. Policymakers, Smart Nation experts and security officials too should come together with them to ponder implications and set out the parameters, if needed, for future research and development.

By Shashi Jayakumar(

In March this year, AlphaGo, a machine created by Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) arm, DeepMind, trounced Lee Sedol, a grandmaster at Go, the ancient Chinese game. AlphaGo used cutting-edge AI to beat a player acknowledged to be one of the greatest ever.

Continue reading “Our Skynet Moment: Debating Morality Of AI – Analysis” »

China has been on a shopping tour of Germany, splurging on a string of key industrial companies in the past few weeks as Beijing moves to acquire the country’s fabled technological know-how and turn its own products into global brands.

But resistance to the offensive is growing following a 5 billion euro ($7.7 billion) bid last month by Chinese home appliance group Midea for leading German industrial robot maker Kuka.

The size of the play set alarm bells ringing across the business and political establishment of Europe’s biggest economy.

Continue reading “China embarks on tech shopping spree for German robots and pianos” »

A new twist on AI.

On Tuesday, June 7, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s Lynn Overmann, who also leads the White House Police Data Initiative, stressed the severity of the nation’s incarceration crisis while asking a crowd of data scientists and artificial intelligence specialists for aid.

More news on Google’s AI kill switch — I am glad that it exist.

Developers are pondering on methods to prevent catastrophe in case an Artificial Intelligence, or AI, got ahead of its designated programming.

Theoretical scientist Stephen Hawking, entrepreneur for Tesla Motors Elon Musk, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates mentioned that AIs have a high learning curve regarding self-awareness, and anytime soon, AIs might surpass human knowledge and become sentient. In a 2014 interview, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking stated that the evolution of humans is slower compared to the rapid improvement of robots.

Continue reading “Google Proposes ‘Kill Switch’ For Rouge AIs” »

Nice.

CODE’s main objective is to develop and demonstrate the value of collaborative autonomy, in which UASs could perform sophisticated tasks both individually and in teams under the supervision of a single human mission commander. CODE-equipped UASs would perform their mission by sharing data, negotiating assignments, and synchronizing actions and communications among team members and with the commander. CODE’s modular open software architecture on board the UASs would enable multiple CODE-equipped unmanned aircraft to navigate to their destinations and find, track, identify, and engage targets under established rules of engagement. The UASs could also recruit other CODE-equipped UASs from nearby friendly forces to augment their own capabilities and adapt to dynamic situations such as attrition of friendly forces or the emergence of unanticipated threats.

“During Phase 1, we successfully demonstrated, in simulation, the potential value of collaborative autonomy among UASs at the tactical edge, and worked with our performers to draft transition plans for possible future operational systems,” said Jean-Charles Ledé, DARPA program manager. “Between the two teams, we have selected about 20 autonomous behaviors that would greatly increase the mission capabilities of our legacy UASs and enable them to perform complex missions in denied or contested environments in which communications, navigation, and other critical elements of the targeting chain are compromised. We have also made excellent progress in the human-system interface and open-architecture framework.”

Continue reading “CODE Takes Next Steps toward More Sophisticated, Resilient, and Collaborative Unmanned Air Systems” »

Hmmmm.

Bengaluru: Wipro Ltd will use its artificial intelligence platform Holmes to automate several aspects of its so-called fixed-price projects, saving up to $46.5 million and freeing around 3,000 engineers from mundane software maintenance activities.

The move is part of Wipro’s larger plan to generate $60-$70 million in revenue by selling the platform to new and existing clients in the current financial year.

Continue reading “Wipro to deploy AI platform Holmes to do the job of 3,000 engineers” »

Here’s a short video and story from CCTV America (China’s Public TV in America) from my interview at the Augmented World Expo. I discuss robots, the Immortality Bus, and a Universal Basic Income:

CCTV America’s Mark Niu interviewed Zoltan Istvan, the founder of the Transhumanist Party and a 2016 candidate for the U.S. presidency. He asked Istvan one more question about his “immortality bus” and whether robots will take over our jobs.

SRI is developing wearable “exosuits” that can augment the musculoskeletal system for performance and strength enhancement and assistance to overcome or prevent damage from injury or disease. SRI’s exosuit differs from exoskeletons by using new muscle-like actuation, comfortable and soft skin attachment, and electronically releasable spring elements to minimize mass, bulk, and noise as well as eliminate constraints on natural joint motions. As part of DARPA’s Warrior Web Program, the technology is being applied to prevent and reduce musculoskeletal injuries caused by dynamic events typically found in the warfighter’s environment. They are exploring other military applications and beginning to use the technologies to assist individuals with musculoskeletal diseases.

The wearable exosuit, Superflex, uses motion sensors, accelerometers and gyroscopes to read the speed and angles of the owner’s legs and adjust its movements accordingly.

On April 21, 2016 – SRI International announced the launch of Superflex, Inc., its newest spin-off venture. Superflex will develop cutting-edge wearable robotics to enhance the human musculoskeletal system for a wide range of applications.

Too funny; 2 days ago the article was that Musk feared the future of Singularity and Cyborgs; now he believes that we should become cyborgs. Musk needs to make his mind up; however, I am beginning to wonder about him.

Related: Elon Musk thinks we’re basically living in the Matrix, and we should be glad about it

This week, in a conversation at Recode’s annual Code Conference, Musk shared a tentative idea for something called “neural laces,” which he imagines could mitigate the risk of humanity becoming something of a pet to superintelligence.

Continue reading “Elon Musk thinks we should insert ‘neural laces’ into our brains so we can become cyborgs” »