This week, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released a year-one report card on its American Artificial Intelligence Initiative. Earlier this month, the European Commission (EC) published a major set of proposals for its strategy on AI. Both of these follow AI principles and regulations proposed in May 2019 by the multi-nation Organization for Economic Co-operation and…
Apple blocks Clearview AI's iPhone app
February 28, 2020
Won’t someone just let Clearview AI invade our privacy in peace? After having its full client list stolen and leaked on the internet, the controversial facial recognition startup is now in hot water with Apple. The iPhone maker has blocked Clearview’s iPhone…
If you’re like me, you were probably in the mode to play some classic Sonic the Hedgehog games after checking out his recent movie. It’s convenient that Sega Ages as just released a fantastic version of one the best games in the series.
Sega Ages is the name of the…
IBM and Microsoft support the Vatican’s guidelines for ethical AI
February 28, 2020
IBM and Microsoft have signed the Vatican’s “Rome Call for AI Ethics,” a pledge to develop artificial intelligence in a way that protects all people and the planet, Financial Times reports. Microsoft President Brad Smith and John Kelly, IBM’s executive vice-president, are among the first global tech leaders to sign the document.
The pledge, presented to Pope…
The cameras in our smartphones have gotten incredibly good, but most of them are designed to just press a button and capture without any manual controls. Alongside its physical lenses, Moment has been working on its Pro Camera app for over two years now, but the company has…
ProBeat: Clearview AI’s short slippery slope
February 28, 2020
Facial recognition startup Clearview AI is best known for two things: its facial recognition algorithm that lets you upload a photo to compare with its database of potential matches and that the company created said database by scraping over 3 billion images from user…
It’s been six months since Xiaomi unveiled the Mi Mix Alpha, with its intriguing “surround screen” that wraps almost entirely around the phone. Now, tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee (also known as MKBHD) has a more in-depth look at the prototype hardware running prototype software. And while it seems very polished for an unfinished product, a closer look reveals a few areas where its…
Vergecast: Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra’s camera issues and Bob Iger steps down as Disney CEO
February 28, 2020
Two things that grabbed our attention this week at The Verge was Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Ultra and Bob Iger stepping down as Disney CEO. So that’s what took up a lot of discussion on The Verge’s flagship podcast The Vergecast.
Executive editor of The Verge and co-host of…
Pope Francis joins IBM and Microsoft in call for AI regulation
February 28, 2020
(Reuters) — The Vatican joined forces with tech giants Microsoft and IBM on Friday to promote the ethical development of artificial intelligence (AI) and call for regulation of intrusive technologies such as facial recognition.
The three said AI should respect privacy…
You have until March 6th to try and nab a working Nintendo PlayStation prototype — one of the rarest relics of lost gaming history — and it’ll only cost you a few hundred thousand dollars. The current high bid for this retro prototype at auction is $300,000 (plus a buyer’s premium of $60,000), which, yeah, doesn’t exactly sound like a steal. At one point, though…