Machine learning may already be expanding out of control, beyond the ability of humans to stop it, warn computer scientists

08/09/2018 / By Rhonda Johansson

When Alice fell down the rabbit hole, she got everything she asked for and more; cute little rabbits with gloves on their hands, caterpillars that could talk, and mean, nasty flowers that thought she was a weed. It’s a comical story, but one that could become reality in the future. The expression of “going down the rabbit hole,” is sometimes used to describe just how far we are willing to push the limits. On a basic literary level, it speaks of the beginning of a fanciful adventure that we cannot understand — but one that will change our lives forever. It is with this in mind that computer scientists warn of a potential danger we may not even be aware of: Our tinkering with artificial intelligence could lead to an external brain or A.I. system that we will no longer have the ability to control.

A recent editorial published on TechnologyReview.com — MIT’s resource for exploring new technologies — warned of the pace in which we are advancing technology. Recent algorithms are being designed at such a remarkable speed that even its creators are astounded.

“This could be problem,” Will Knight, the author of the report writes. Knight describes 2016’s milestone of a self-driving car which was quietly released in New Jersey. Chip maker Nvidia differentiated its model from other companies such as Google, Tesla, or General Motors by having the car rely entirely on an algorithm that taught itself how to drive after “watching” a human do it. Nvidia’s car successfully taught itself how to drive, much to the delight of the company’s scientists.

Nevertheless, Nvidia’s programmers were unsettled by how much (and how fast) the algorithm learned the skill. Clearly, the system was able to gather information and translate it into tangible results, yet exactly how it did this was not known. The system was designed so that information from the vehicle’s sensors was transmitted into a huge network of artificial neurons which would then process the data and deliver an appropriate command to the steering wheel, brakes, or other systems. These are responses that match a human driver. Though what would happen if the car did something totally unexpected — say, smash into a tree or run a red light? There are complex behaviors and actions that could potentially happen, and the very scientists who made the system struggle to come up with an answer.

AI is learning…and it’s learning pretty darn fast

READ MORE: https:// www.science.news/2018-08-09-machine-learning-may-already-be-expanding-out-of-control-beyond-the-ability-of-humans-to-stop-it-warn-computer-scientists.html

99% of modern scientific papers are nothing more than politically-motivated pseudoscience, warns science pioneer

08/09/2018 / By Rhonda Johansson

“People just don’t do it,” Wharton School professor and forecasting expert J. Scott Armstrong told Brietbart.com after making the shocking claim that less that one percent of papers published in scientific journals follow the scientific method. “I used to think that maybe 10 percent of papers in my field…were maybe useful. Now it looks like maybe, one tenth of one percent follow the scientific method.” In particular, Armstrong talked about the proactive “alarmism” some scientists encourage regarding man-made climate change. He argued that scientists are more politically motivated or perhaps too focused on their own career advancement to want to publish accurate data.

Armstrong built on criteria he initially set in his 1982 paper called, “Research on Scientific Journals: Implications for Editors and Authors.” According to him, there are eight criteria that qualify a good scientific paper:

Objective

Useful findings

Full disclosure of methods

Comprehensive review of prior knowledge

Valid and reliable data

Valid and simple methods

Experimental evidence provided

Conclusions that are consistent with evidence

According to Armstrong, “the goal of objectivity is one that is sought but seldom achieved because the bias of the researcher is always present. [One researcher, Mitroff] concluded that scientists [become] famous not by being objective, but by being advocates. This appears to be true. Advocacy is a good strategy for career advancement. However, I believe that it is bad advice for making scientific contributions.” Armstrong stated that the forecasts from the world-recognized Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) violated all eight criteria.

“What’s happening now is, government research, universities — they’re asking for what I call advocacy research. They have something, they want you to prove it, make sure you prove it, [and when] you do, you keep getting paid,” he said in a separate article on Breitbart.com. “Advocacy research is the bulk of these 99 percent of non-scientific studies and they’re not done for scientific development, they’re done to support a political idea. If you want to make money in universities these days, you publish papers that support global warming and you live handsomely.”

On why no one has called out the IPCC on their alleged blatant disregard for scientific research, Armstrong replied with: “Why is this all happening? Nobody asks them! You send something to a journal and they don’t tell you what you have to do. They don’t say ‘here’s what science is, here’s how to do it.’”

“Truth” has a price tag

READ MORE:

https://www.science.news/2018-08-09-99-of-modern-scientific-papers-are-nothing-more-than-politically-motivated-pseudoscience-warns-science-pioneer.html

>>2527659

The Astounding Growth of Chinese VC—and the Tech It’s Flowing Into

By Peter H. Diamandis, MD - Aug 09, 20180

In the next four weeks, we’ll be covering everything from China’s surging tech investments and the drivers behind China’s growing dominance in AI, to an early look at Kai-Fu Lee’s soon-to-be-released AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley and the New World Order.

Today, let’s dive into Chinese venture capital abroad.

Of the $154 billion worth of VC invested in 2017, 40 percent came from Asian (primarily Chinese) VCs. America’s share? Only 4 percentage points higher at 44 percent.

In a great push to access intellectual property and drive growth in key tech sectors, China’s VC scene is booming.

Despite a looming trade war and Chinese government restrictions on capital outflow, China-based VC funds and corporate investments continue to pump vast new sums into everything from global biotech startups to AI-equipped robotics.

Now the second-largest VC market in the world, China’s VC fundraising nearly doubled between 2015 and 2017, in large part driven by the fruition of China’s internet universe and mounting government efforts.

This astounding growth is part of China’s explosion in private equity. But while many of these funds used to be poured into thousands of Chinese copycat companies and local tech startups, we’re seeing a dramatic outward shift in China’s biggest investments.

Let’s take a look at the increasingly international nature of startups backed by Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent (BAT), for instance. As Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent take on global leadership in AI, autonomous vehicles, and personalized medicine, China’s corporate VC targets are getting an even split between China and the rest of the world.

And as I’ll discuss in a future post, China’s government aims to be the global leader in AI by 2030, a task which requires mass absorption of foreign expertise and foreign data.

Leveraging tremendous government-backed guiding funds and state-corporate collaborations, Beijing can now help bring the world’s top tech talent and intellectual property back to the mainland.

With a heavy focus on AI, Chinese VC firms are targeting three major arenas:

Robotics

Driverless vehicles

Biotech

Back on the mainland, China’s ultra-high-powered startup ecosystem pioneers the world’s greatest supply of high-tech hardware and newly deployable algorithms. And now sharing the wealth, Chinese VC abroad plays a critical role in picking out the most promising collaborators to learn from at home and work with abroad.

Robotics READ MORE:

https:// singularityhub.com/2018/08/09/the-astounding-growth-of-chinese-vc-flowing-into-emerging-tech/?utm_source=Singularity+Hub+Newsletter&utm_campaign=de314cf21f-Hub_Daily_Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f0cf60cdae-de314cf21f-58264949#sm.0001o55gnwyp6ehxvnz16i4be8m7d

>>2527837

If we had more local theater groups this kind of shit wouldn't happen.

>>2527892

I don't know …gee … the whole WV Supreme Court being impeached and tried. First time in history an entire Supreme Court Bench was put on trial for crimes.

Pretty heavy hitters I'd say.

Lets see Bronfmans on trial for NXIVM 100 mil dollar bond.

Bronfmans who have bought and paid for most of our politicians and they do their bidding.

Gee only Soros or Rothchilds would be considered bigger.

But nothing is happening. Get a grip.

Here Come the Virtual Humans

How close are we to silicon-based actors on our screens? We asked USC assistant professor Dr. Hao Li, who's working on that very task.

Default Person Icon

By

S.C. Stuart

August 8, 2018 4:12PM EST

Though Hollywood would prefer otherwise, actors do age. Performances have been preserved on celluloid and through digital means, and in the future, perhaps we'll interact with them inside immersive environments. But we can't keep them alive forever. Or can we?

Dr. Hao Li, a pioneer in virtual human development, thinks we can. His work is used by Apple, which acquired his Kinect-based facial performance capture tool Faceshift, and Oculus/Facebook, which created a prototype for the first facial performance-sensing VR headset to enable social interactions in cyberspace.

Dr. Li earned his doctorate in computer science at ETH Zurich, and became a research lead at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) before joining the University of Southern California (USC). Today, he's an assistant professor of computer science, director of the Vision and Graphics Lab, and CEO of an AR startup, Pinscreen.

PCMag called him at his lab in Playa Vista, California, not far from the Google campus, to learn about his virtual humans and see how he brings them to life.

Dr. Li, give us some background. When did you first get interested in computer graphics, tech, and creating virtual humans?

When I was a kid, I had a Commodore 64, and learned BASIC to enable me to put pixels on the screen. When PCs became available, I started to play with more sophisticated graphics programming and used professional 3D modeling software to create my own CG renderings and animation. That was the early days of visual effect in the 90s, I remember how people were blown away by visual effects done by companies such as Industrial Light & Magic, where I later worked, on movies like Terminator 2, Jurassic Park, and so on.

Is it real or is it memorex?

Can we start running for office virtually?

https:// www.pcmag.com/news/361931/here-come-the-virtual-humans

>>2528138

>>2528105

Seem's you have a bug up your ass. Please do feel free to take your propagandized agenda elsewhere. We can't be played moran.

>>2528194

Hey delusional one. When you come off the ceiling try to land somewhere else.