Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

Tagrobotics

sad robot
Toy Robot looking at itself in mirror
Type
post
Author
Jay Richards
Date
February 5, 2019
Categorized
Machine Learning, Philosophy of Mind
Tagged
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That Robot Is Not Self-Aware

The way the media cover AI, you'd almost think they had invented being hopelessly naïve
Jay Richards
February 5, 2019
Machine Learning, Philosophy of Mind
If this is how The Telegraph reports on a robotic arm, can you imagine what it will sound like when we get humanoid robots who seem to carry on conversations? We had best inoculate ourselves now against AI hype from science reporters while most of us still have enough self-awareness to realize what’s going on. Read More ›
army-military-museum-9250
Type
podcast
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
January 31, 2019
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Military Technology and AI

Past, Present, and Future
Robert J. Marks
January 31, 2019

Technology, including AI, needs protection. Intellectual property of corporations needs protected from espionage. Military technology needs protection from foreign agents. Show Notes 01:10 | Introduction; Daniel M. Ogden, J.D. 02:20 | Technology in the military history 08:00 | WWII technology; Norton Gun Site 12:20 | Banning AI autonomous weapons 16:48 | Slaughterbots 18:13 | Military AI endgame 18:55 | Other…

Screencap-EPFL-School-of-Engineering
Type
post
Author
News
Date
January 25, 2019
Categorized
Natural Intelligence
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It Takes a Smart Robot to Mimic a Reptile

When researchers built a robot to sprawl like a prehistoric reptile, they were in for a surprise
News
January 25, 2019
Natural Intelligence
Orobates’ skeleton was “exquisitely preserved,” which created an excellent opportunity for researchers in paleontology to try to figure out how the lizard-like animal moved. And reverse engineering its movements can tell us a lot about how it lived. Read More ›
jacket-manikin-mannequin-1263374
Type
post
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
December 28, 2018
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Social Factors
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4: Making AI Look More Human Makes It More Human-like!

AI help, not hype, with Robert J. Marks: Technicians can do a lot these days with automated lip-syncs and smiles but what’s behind them?
Robert J. Marks
December 28, 2018
Artificial Intelligence, Social Factors
This summer, some were simply agog over “Sophia, the First Robot Citizen” (“unsettling as it is awe-inspiring”) Read More ›
Little boy playing with robot toy at home.
Type
post
Author
News
Date
December 11, 2018
Categorized
Social Factors
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Consumers Were Not Buying Robots as Friends This Year

The market for drudgery busters remains strong. For dogs and pals, not so much
News
December 11, 2018
Social Factors
Some consumer robotics will surely find a place under the Christmas tree. The robotic vacuum cleaner market is healthy and expected to grow, in a world where the demand for vacuum cleaners is growing anyway, doubtless due to more urban lifestyles. Read More ›
matt-montgomery-3790-unsplash
Potted plants from above
Type
post
Author
News
Date
December 7, 2018
Categorized
Machine Learning, Natural Intelligence
Tagged
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That Plant Is Not a Cyborg

Or a robot. The MIT researcher's underlying idea is a good one but let’s not “plant” mistaken ideas
News
December 7, 2018
Machine Learning, Natural Intelligence
If plants could move around freely, they would move into the most beneficial lighting arrangement. They compensate for their rootedness by growing in the optimum direction and constantly repositioning their leaves. An MIT researcher has helped out a plant by fitting it with electronic sensors attached to robotic wheels. Read More ›
TV presenter preparing to live streaming video
Type
post
Author
Mind Matters
Date
November 14, 2018
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Social Factors
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If a Robot Read the News, Would You Notice a Difference?

The Chinese government thinks not. Is this the way of the future?
Mind Matters
November 14, 2018
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Social Factors
The robotic news readers of China serve a quite different purpose from the independent news outlets and commentators of the West; the robots help disseminate controlled information rather than finding and developing information. Read More ›
franck-v-795970-unsplash
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 8, 2018
Categorized
Machine Learning, Social Factors
Tagged

I, Robot, am gathering dust in the sales room …

Why do robotics experts think that customers will warm to robots because they look like people?
Denyse O'Leary
October 8, 2018
Machine Learning, Social Factors
The underlying assumption is surely incorrect. Robots like the Roomba succeed in part because they don’t look or act like people, let alone threaten people. They just do jobs people would prefer not to do or maybe can’t. Read More ›
kevin-364843-unsplash
Type
post
Author
Mind Matters
Date
October 5, 2018
Categorized
Machine Learning, Social Factors
Tagged
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People-friendly robots company shuts down

The “cobots,” robots that can work with people, got the pink slip—for now
Mind Matters
October 5, 2018
Machine Learning, Social Factors
Robotics is a business like any other. The individual good idea requires a business plan that can survive savage years in the wilderness before the buyout. That said, we certainly haven’t heard the last of the cobot, which may be one of the ideas that make robotics practical for everyday business. Read More ›
masaaki-komori-627104-unsplash
Type
post
Author
Mind Matters
Date
September 20, 2018
Categorized
Natural Intelligence
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Is the octopus a “second genesis of intelligence”?

Can its strange powers provide insights for robotics or the human mind?
Mind Matters
September 20, 2018
Natural Intelligence
What’s really interesting about these stories is that, while we are learning that there is much intelligence in the animal (and plant) world, including some that can be applied to robotics, very little sheds light on explicitly human intelligence. Read More ›