Spencer Buell of Boston Magazine speaks with graduate student Joy Buolamwini, whose research shows that many AI programs are unable to recognize non-white faces. “‘We have blind faith in these systems,’ she says. ‘We risk perpetuating inequality in the guise of machine neutrality if we’re not paying attention.’”
Danny Crichton of TechCrunch highlights Media Lab researchers Kent Larson and John Clippinger, who are sorting socio-economic factors into datasets in order to create a model that can guide a community towards success. “Wouldn’t it be great to create an alternative where instead of optimizing for financial benefits, we could optimize for social benefits, and cultural benefits, and environmental benefits,” said Larson.
Researchers in CSAIL are developing a steering program for drones that allows them to process uncertainty and avoid hitting objects while flying autonomously. Called Nanomap, the drone uses depth measurements to determine the safest path. “This technique creates an on the fly map that lets the drone handle uncertainty as opposed to being ready in every situation,” writes John Biggs for TechCrunch.
CSAIL researchers have developed a new navigation method that allows drones to process less data, have faster reaction times, and dodge obstacles without creating a map of the environment they’re in, writes James Vincent of The Verge. “Because we’re not taking hundreds of measurements and fusing them together, it’s really fast,” said graduate student Peter Florence.
A drone navigation system developed by CSAIL researchers doesn’t rely on intricate maps that show the location of obstacles, but adjusts for uncertainties, reports Martin Finucane of The Boston Globe. The system could be used in “in fields from search-and-rescue and defense to package delivery,” notes Finucane.
CSAIL researchers have developed a mapping system for autonomous drones, writes Andrew Tarantola of Endgadet. Using depth-sensing technology to measure their immediate surroundings, the drone can “understand generally where it is in relation to obstacles and anticipate how it will need to change course to avoid them,” Tarantola explains.
Steve Lohr writes for the New York Times about graduate student Joy Buolamwini’s findings on the biases of artificial intelligence in facial recognition. “You can’t have ethical A.I. that’s not inclusive,” Buolamwini said. “And whoever is creating the technology is setting the standards.”
Profs. James DiCarlo and Daniela Rus talk to the BBC’s Click about MIT Intelligence Quest. As they explain, the program aims to encourage discoveries in the areas of natural and artificial intelligence.
In an article for Wired, Prof. James J. DiCarlo explains how artificial intelligence can transcend algorithm-based decision making by reverse-engineering the brain. “Armed with an engineering description of the brain, scientists will see new ways to repair, educate, and augment our own minds,” writes DiCarlo.
As Steve Rosenbush notes in the Wall Street Journal, MIT Intelligence Quest hopes to answer two questions: “How does human intelligence work, in engineering terms? And how can we use that deep grasp of human intelligence to build wiser and more useful machines?” explains President Reif.
Dean Anantha Chandrakasan speaks with Kristin Toussaint of Metro about MIT Intelligence Quest. “When you bring together researchers from different disciplines, they end up collaborating and creating something very new that they individually couldn't have created,” said Chandrakasan.
Brian Heater writes for TechCrunch about the new Institute-wide initiative, MIT Intelligence Quest. “Many of the products are moonshoots. They involve teams of scientists and engineers working together. It’s essentially a new model and we need folks and resources behind that,” said Prof. James DiCarlo.
“Intriguing is that [MIT IQ] brings together researchers who study both human intelligence and artificial intelligence. The hope is that better understanding both of them will help develop new algorithms and techniques that can be used broadly,” writes Sean Captain for Fast Company.
MIT is launching a new initiative known as MIT Intelligence Quest, “in an effort to combine multiple disciplines to reverse engineer human intelligence, create new algorithms for machine learning and artificial intelligence and foster collaboration,” writes Larry Dignan for ZDNet.
MIT Intelligence Quest, a new Institute-wide initiative that will advance human and machine intelligence research, “will help connect researchers across disciplines and support projects in which they work together, as well as seek collaborations with industry,” writes Andy Rosen for The Boston Globe.