Microsoft is ramping up its stake in the artificial intelligence market by buying the AI and machine learning startup Bonsai.
AI
Twitter Insanity, Apple's AI Showdown, FBI Exaggeration, Apple's HQ Hunt - ACM 463
Twitter has lost its corporate mind, Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet argue in this episode of ACM. They also weigh the importance of WWDC 2018 in terms of Siri, and discuss whether or not Apple has to announce significant improvements to remain competitive in AI. Then there’s the revelation that the FBI exaggerated the number of locked iPhones it couldn’t get into, and they squeeze in a fourth topic, too: Apple’s hunt for a new campus, and how it contrasts with Amazon.
Google Duplex, Voice Assistants, and AI - TMO Daily Observations 2018-05-10
Kelly Guimont, John Martellaro, and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on Google Duplex and what human-like voice assistants will have on our conversations.
The Voice Assistant War: Alexa and Google Assistant Versus Siri
We’re still in the early stages of voice assistant technology so we can’t declare a winner yet, regardless of which you prefer. Based on what we’re seeing, however, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant are putting Apple’s Siri in a serious catch up position.
When Artificial Intelligence Becomes Human Intelligence, Look Out
Every tech giant is working on what’s labelled Artificial Intelligence (AI). But just what is AI, really? Simple Machine Learning? Or the duplication of human intellectual capabilities and beyond? John has the story. Plus more news debris.
Apple's 2019 Mac Pro Will Be Fundamentally Different
There is every indication that Apple’s 2019 Mac Pro will be fundamentally different than its predecessors. John explains.
Apple Hires Google's AI Chief, Tim Cook Touts His Commitment to Privacy
In a letter to employees, Tim Cook said that John Giannandrea shared Apple’s commitment to privacy and “our thoughtful approach” to machine learning.
There Are Ways of Talking to Your AI That Are Dangerous
The subject of how tempted we are to treat artificial intelligent entities as real human beings has some up once again.
Apple Hires Michael Abbot, former Twitter VP of Engineering
Apple has reportedly hired Michael Abbott, former vice president of engineering for Twitter and venture capitalist.
CES 2018 Trends and Unveiled Cool Products - TMO Daily Observations 2018-01-08
Dave Hamilton and John F. Braun join Jeff Gamet CES 2018 in Las Vegas to talk about technology trends and share some of the interesting products they saw at CES Unveiled.
Shhh...Apple is Patenting a Way for Siri to Whisper
Siri may be a little more private in the future thanks to an Apple patent filing that describes how the artificial intelligence voice assistant could whisper.
Former Swift Lead Developer Chris Lattner Joins Google's AI Program
You can thank Chris Lattner for Apple’s Swift programming language and soon you may be able to thank him for Google’s artificial intelligence efforts, too, because now that’s where he works.
Apple Could Own Device-Centric AI with Custom Chip
Such a chip could give Apple a significant leg up deploying artificial intelligence, and if it succeeds, few of its competitors could respond.
Trusting Siri, Apple's Diabetes Wristband - TMO Daily Observations 2017-05-19
In machines we trust, or maybe not. John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to talk about how people may perceive the information artificial intelligence systems like Siri will give us as they get smarter. They also have some thoughts on Apple’s potential impact on the medical industry.
Siri the Cyber Security Guard - TMO Daily Observations 2017-05-17
As artificial intelligence systems improve, voice assistants like Siri make take a more active role in protecting our computers and our online activity. John Martellaro and Kelly Guimont join Jeff Gamet to look at how Siri may play a bigger part in our personal cyber security, and whether or not that’s something we want.
The Thinking Behind a Female Voice for Siri
Siri started out with a female voice exclusively, but now it can be changed to male. Alexa uses only a female voice. Cortana’s voice, for now, is strictly female. Why is that? Is it sexism? Is it for better intelligibility? John looks into the matter.
Apple's Clean Energy Efforts, Partnership on AI - TMO Daily Observations 2017-01-27
Apple is expanding its solar farms, and that’s a good sign for clean energy in the United States, according to John Martellaro. He joins Jeff Gamet to explain how Apple is setting an example for other companies, plus they look at Apple’s just announced involvement in the Partnership on AI.
Apple Joins Partnership on AI as a Founding Member
Apple’s commitment to the artificial intelligence community is even stronger now that it’s officially a founding member of the Partnership for AI. The organization was created to help shape the future of artificial intelligence technology in an open way.
This Adorable Home Robot Totally Won't Murder Your Entire Family
Our homes have voice-controlled assistants like the Amazon Echo, self-navigating devices like the Roomba, and networked monitoring devices like the Nest Cam. Why not combine all of this tech into an adorable home robot companion? Mayfield Robotics has announced Kuri, the home robot that will navigate around your house, respond with voice and body language, answer your questions, manage your home via IFTTT support, and monitor your children or pets with a built-in 1080p camera. Kuri isn’t the first home robot design, but at just $699, it’s the first to be priced within the reach of many consumers. What could possibly go wrong?
Bryan Gets Paranoid About the IoT - ACM 391
Bryan is totally paranoid about the Internet of Things, and he isn’t at all happy about the idea of having an Amazon Echo or Google Home listening in on everything in his house. Jeff laughs at him. Once the guffaws die down, they talk about how and why Apple is getting crushed by these good enough devices.
Apple Opens Up to AI Community with Research White Paper
Apple’s artificial intelligence efforts are starting to come to light thanks to a just published white paper. The document describes a way to use artificial images to train computers to recognize real world objects, and is also a bit of a good faith gesture towards the open research philosophy in the AI community.
Apple's AirTunes Trademark, AI White Paper - TMO Daily Observations 2016-12-27
Apple is reviving its AirTunes trademark, which has some thinking there’s a new product in the works. Bryan Chaffin and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to share what they think is in store for the AirTunes name, plus they look at Apple’s first artificial intelligence white paper.
The First AI-Written Christmas Song Is More Soul-Crushing than Fruitcake
Gather ye around the yule log, so festive, warm, and bright! Listen to this song of Christmas cheer written and composed by an AI. And hold on to your loved ones as said tune sucks the soul from your very bones and leaves you quivering in the naked fear not that the morrow will not come, but that it will come and you will be forced to endure another day contemplating the futility and hopelessness of life! “I’ve always been there for the rest of our lives. A hundred and a half hours ago. I’m glad to meet you. I can hear the music coming from the hall.” Now that, dear friends, is the Christmas stuff of nightmares, as HowStuffWorks put it. And yes, I am dying, both from laughter and abject fear. This “song,” such as it is, was the result of a neural network project from The University of Toronto. They fed in 100 hours of holiday music, a bunch of holiday photographs with captions, and said, “Now you do it.” The song below was the result. Put another way, score ones for the humans.
Apple's TV App Reveals its Plight with Television Industry
From time to time, we’ve seem articles that explain Apple’s plight with its TV business. But John has found a splendidly complete diagnosis at The Verge for this week’s focus. It examines the deepest motivations of Apple, it’s clash with the entertainment industry, its successes and failures, and how that has, in turn, affected Apple TV software design and customer perceptions.
