AI & RoboticsNews

Robots learn to shape letters using Play-Doh

June 22, 2022
Humans aren’t the only ones working with Play-Doh. MIT CSAIL researchers have created a system, RoboCraft, that teaches robots how to work with the kid-friendly goo. The platform first takes the image of a shape (in this case, a letter of the alphabet) and reinterprets it as a cluster of interlocking particles. The bot then uses a physics-oriented neural network to predict how its two…
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AI & RoboticsNews

Spotify buys an AI startup that turns text into 'realistic' speech

June 22, 2022
Spotify’s string of recent acquisitions now includes a potentially huge text-to-speech upgrade. The streaming music service is acquiring Sonantic, a startup that uses AI to produce “stunningly realistic” voices from text. While Spotify didn’t divulge its exact plans for the purchase, it teased multiple potential improvements. Sonantic’s tech could provide context for…
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AI & RoboticsNews

Oregon is shutting down its controversial child welfare AI in June

June 22, 2022
In 2018, Oregon’s Department of Human Services implemented its Safety at Screening Tool, an algorithm that generates a “risk score” for abuse hotline workers, recommending whether a social worker needs to further investigate the contents of a call. This AI was based on the lauded Allegheny Family Screening Tool, designed to predict the risk of a child ending up in foster care…
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AI & RoboticsNews

Koala Sampler now uses AI to automatically create song stems

June 22, 2022
It’s been possible to automatically create song stems on your computer, but now you have that option in a sampler app on your phone. Elf Audio has updated its Koala Sampler app for Android and iOS with a feature that uses AI to automatically isolate stems from samples. You can have the J Dilla-inspired app pick out the vocals, drums or bass (plus a generic “other”) so that you…
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