Tech & Society
A new algorithm can triage programming bugs, highlighting dangerous flaws. Microsoft researchers developed a machine learning model that reads the titles of bug reports and recognizes those describing flaws that compromise security.
Machine Learning Research
Wait a minute — we added training data, and our model’s performance got worse?! New research offers a way to avoid so-called double descent.
Business
As working from home becomes the new normal, AI may protect you from the sound of coworkers munching while they chat. No more smacking lips and rustling chip bags! Microsoft’s online collaboration platform Teams announced a feature that removes extraneous sounds from videoconferences.
Tech & Society
No more sloppy workouts: AI can correct your form. A home exercise system uses neural nets to analyze your motions and tell you when you perform a move properly, reports The Verge.
Tech & Society
An icon of idealism in AI stands accused of letting its ambition eclipse its principles. Founded in 2015 to develop artificial general intelligence for the good of humankind, OpenAI swapped its ideals for cash.
Machine Learning Research
AI’s ability to transfer a person’s face from a source photo onto someone in a target photo doesn’t work so well when the target face is partially obscured by, say, eyeglasses, a veil, or a hand. A new technique handles such occlusions.
Machine Learning Research
A new system marks a step forward in converting text to speech: It’s fast at inference, reduces word errors, and provides some control over the speed and inflection of generated speech.What’s new: Yi Ren, Yangjun Ruan, and their co-authors at Zhejiang
Tech & Society
A new tool connects novice programmers with projects that match their experience and interests. Github’s Good First Issues tool uses deep learning to find easy-to-fix issues among the collaborative software development platform’s multitude of open source projects.
Tech & Society
Will AI fakery erode public trust in the key social institutions? Generative models will flood media outlets with convincing but false photos, videos, ads, and news stories. The ensuing crisis of authority will lead to widespread distrust in everything from the financial system to democracy itself.
Business
AI startups are being scooped up at an accelerating pace, many by companies outside the tech sphere. A report by CB Insights shows that, as of August, 2019 was on track to surpass last year’s record number of AI startup acquisitions.
Tech & Society
Deepfakes threaten to undermine law and order, perhaps democracy itself. A coalition of tech companies, nonprofits, and academics joined forces to counter potential adverse impacts.
Tech & Society
Unlike bats, humans can’t see with their ears. Now an app is giving sightless pedestrians the ability to navigate by ear. Microsoft’s Artificial Intelligence and Research Laboratory offers a free iPhone app called Soundscape.