WCVB-TV’s Mike Wankum visits the Media Lab to learn more about a new wearable device that allows users to communicate with a computer without speaking by measuring tiny electrical impulses sent by the brain to the jaw and face. Graduate student Arnav Kapur explains that the device is aimed at exploring, “how do we marry AI and human intelligence in a way that’s symbiotic.”
A study co-authored by MIT researchers examines the problems associated with linking executive pay to company performance, writes Theo Francis and Vanessa Fuhrmans for The Wall Street Journal. “We have to have a better compensation committee report that tells us what exactly these measures are,” says senior lecturer Robert Pozen of the need for more clarity on how performance is measured.
Fast Company reporter Eillie Anzilotti highlights how MIT researchers have developed an AI-enabled headset device that can translate silent thoughts into speech. Anzilotti explains that one of the factors that is motivating graduate student Arnav Kapur to develop the device is “to return control and ease of verbal communication to people who struggle with it.”
MIT researchers have developed a new system to 3-D print scaffolding for biological cultures, making it possible to grow uniform cells with specific functions, reports The Economist. “This discovery could help those trying to find ways of encouraging stem cells to generate tissue and organs for transplant.”
Fast Company reporter DJ Pangburn spotlights how researchers in the Mediated Matter Group have created polymers derived from organic materials that are designed to decompose. Pangburn explains that “the group’s biopolymers are designed to decompose upon reaching the end of its product life cycle, returning to the earth instead of being destined for a dump.”
MIT researchers have identified a method to help AI systems avoid adversarial attacks, reports Matthew Hutson for Science. When the researchers “trained an algorithm on images without the subtle features, their image recognition software was fooled by adversarial attacks only 50% of the time,” Hutson explains. “That compares with a 95% rate of vulnerability when the AI was trained on images with both obvious and subtle patterns.”
Inside Higher Ed reporter Lindsay McKenzie writes that a new AI system developed by MIT researchers to summarize the findings of technical scientific papers could “be used in the near future to tackle a long-standing problem for scientists -- how to keep up with the latest research.”
New Yorker reporter Adam Gopnick visits the MIT AgeLab to explore how researchers are developing new technologies aimed at improving the quality of life for people as they age. “Now that we’re living longer, how do we plan for what we’re going to do?” says AgeLab Director Joseph Coughlin of the lab’s mission.
MIT researchers have found that tracking specific changes in the number of chromosomes inside prostate cancer cells might help determine whether tumors should be treated, reports Robert Preidt for HealthDay News. “Besides giving new insights into how prostate tumors form and spread, the chromosomal data might someday be employed clinically to inform risk stratification and treatment decisions,” Preidt explains.
A study by MIT researchers examines the historical impact of technology on the labor market in an attempt to better understand the potential effect of AI systems, reports Adi Gaskell for Forbes. “The authors propose a number of solutions for improving data on the skills required in the workforce today, and from that the potential for AI to automate or augment those skills,” Gaskell explains.
Blue Origin unveiled plans to send a spaceship to the moon, reports Seth Borenstein for the AP. Prof. Dava Newman explained that the newly designed rocket engine is what makes Blue Origin’s attempt to reach the moon unique. “It’s for real,” said Newman.
Writing for Nature, research affiliate Ashley Nunes cautions that the role of driverless cars in society must be closely investigated before they are integrated into mainstream modes of transportation. “Driverless-car technology might have the potential to improve public health and save lives,” Nunes writes, “but if those who most need it don’t have access, whose lives would we actually be saving?”
The Economist highlights a study co-authored by research affiliate Ashley Nunes that examines the economic feasibility of driverless taxis. The researchers found that riding in a driverless taxi is more expensive per mile than driving your own car.
Fast Company reporter Michael Grothaus writes that CSAIL researchers have developed a deep learning model that could predict whether a woman might develop breast cancer. The system “could accurately predict about 31% of all cancer patients in a high-risk category,” Grothaus explains, which is “significantly better than traditional ways of predicting breast cancer risks.”
A study by MIT researchers examining adversarial images finds that AI systems pick up on tiny details in images that are imperceptible to the human eye, which can lead to misidentification of objects, reports Louise Matsakis for Wired. “It’s not something that the model is doing weird, it’s just that you don’t see these things that are really predictive,” says graduate student Shibani Santurkar.