AI BRIEFS: May 2019

Hollywood is quietly using AI to help decide which movies to make
THE VERGE | May 28, 2019 | by James Vincent |‘…software lets customers play fantasy football with their movie, inputting a script and a cast, then swapping one actor for another to see how this affects a film’s projected box office.’

Saving AI from catastrophic forgetting
AXIOS | May 18, 2019 | by Kaven Waddell | ‘…it’s a crucial building block toward common sense, long a holy grail for AI researchers.’

Why is AI reporting so bad?
ZDNET | May 16, 2019 | by Tiernan Ray |‘Reporters are partly to blame for the bad quality of AI coverage, but so are the companies that refuse to talk in concrete terms about what they’re actually doing.’

Google announces Translatotron tool for translating speech in the speaker’s original voice
SILICON ANGLE | May 15, 2019 | by Mike Wheatley | ‘Google LLC today introduced what it says is an experimental new system for speech translation that removes many of the steps involved in its earlier models.’

UNESCO analyses directions of AI to strengthen journalism
UNESCO | May 15, 2019 | ‘UNESCO’s Member States will consider a standard-setting instrument on the ethics of AI at their General Conference in November, and this could be relevant to the future of freedom of expression and the threat of disinformation.’

Artificial Artist: Can Artificial Intelligence create art? The challenges of developing an AI with artistic capabilities
MEDIUM | May 13, 2019 | by Felp Roza | ‘A system able to develop artistic sense would represent a big step into more complex artificial intelligences and to give a better understanding about the human brain operation.’

AI has automated everything including this headline curly bracket semicolon
THE REGISTER | May 10, 2019 | by Alistair Dabbs |‘The day will eventually come when creative writing can be fully replaced by an autonomous system (i.e. independent of a human handler) but we’re a while off yet and hopefully there’s still time for me to send in my invoice.’

Word’s new AI editor will improve your writing
TECHCRUNCH | May 6, 2019 | by Frederic Lardinois | ‘If you write in Microsoft Word Online, you’ll soon have an AI-powered editor at your side.’

The comedian is in the machine. AI is now learning puns
WIRED | May 3, 2019 | by Gregory Barber | ‘…the approach is a promising step toward building AI with a bit more personality.’

Briefs for 2019 – Jan – Feb – Mar – Apr
Briefs for 2018 | Briefs for 2017 | Briefs for 2014-2016
Briefs for computer science/algorithms 2014 -2018

Blue headlines are direct links | Human-selected for relevance