Daily Archives: November 21, 2021

Otter.ai is adding new limitations to the free Otter Basic plan on the subscription service, which will limit free users to 30-minute transcriptions starting December 1st, down from the current 40-minute limit.

The company says that the changes are due to increased costs and to maintain high standards of service. Otter.ai is still offering the same 600 minutes of transcription per month to free users, however.

The change isnt hugely problematic in the long run, given that Otter.ai still isnt changing the total amount of transcription that free users can do just the amount that you can have transcribed in a single recording. That means that attentive users can simple just start a new file once the 30-minute limit is reached, although youll generally have to pay attention to when youre creeping up on the time limit (and lose the benefit of having everything in a single document).

Otter.ai customers who need the capability for longer recordings can pay for Otter Pro, which costs $99.99 per year or $12.99 per month. That price gets you transcriptions up to four hours long, up to 6,000 minutes of transcription each month, and additional features including custom vocabulary lists and the ability to import prerecorded files.

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Otter.ai is limiting its free plan to 30-minute transcriptions starting December 1st - The Verge

Graphic courtesy of the Center for Statistics and Machine Learning

Ten interdisciplinary research projects have won funding fromPrinceton Universitys Schmidt DataX Fund, with the goal of spreading and deepening the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning across campus to accelerate discovery.

The 10 faculty projects, supported through a major gift from Schmidt Futures, involve 19 researchers and several departments and programs, from computer science to politics.

The projects explore a variety of subjects, including an analysis of how money and politics interact, discovering and developing new materials exhibiting quantum properties, and advancing natural language processing.

We are excited by the wide range of projects that are being funded, which shows the importance and impact of data science across disciplines, saidPeter Ramadge, Princeton's Gordon Y.S. Wu Professor of Engineering and the director of the Center for Statistics and Machine Learning (CSML).These projects are using artificial intelligence and machine learning in multifaceted ways: to unearth hidden connections or patterns, model complex systems that are difficult to predict, and develop new modes of analysis and processing.

CSML is overseeing a range of efforts made possible by the Schmidt DataX Fund to extend the reach of data science across campus. These efforts include the hiring of data scientists and overseeing the awarding of DataX grants. This is the second round of DataX seed funding, with thefirst in 2019.

Discovering developmental algorithmsBernard Chazelle, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Computer Science;Eszter Posfai, the James A. Elkins, Jr. '41 Preceptor in Molecular Biology and an assistant professor of molecular biology;Stanislav Y.Shvartsman,professor of molecular biology and the Lewis Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, and also a 1999 Ph.D. alumnus

Natural algorithms is a term used to described dynamic, biological processes built over time via evolution. This project seeks to explore and understand through data analysis one type of natural algorithm, the process of transforming a fertilized egg into a multicellular organism.

MagNet: Transforming power magnetics design with machine learningtools and SPICE simulationsMinjie Chen, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment;Niraj Jha, professor of electrical and computer engineering; Yuxin Chen,assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering

Magnetic components are typically the largest and least efficient components in power electronics. To address these issues, this project proposes the development of an open-source, machine learning-based magnetics design platform to transform the modeling and design of power magnetics.

Multi-modal knowledge base construction for commonsense reasoningJia Deng andDanqi Chen, assistant professors of computer science

To advance natural language processing, researchers have been developing large-scale, text-based commonsense knowledge bases, which help programs understand facts about the world. But these data sets are laborious to build and have issues with spatial relationships between objects. This project seeks to address these two limitations by using information from videos along with text in order to automatically build commonsense knowledge bases.

Generalized clustering algorithms to map the types of COVID-19 responseJason Fleischer, professor of electrical and computer engineering

Clustering algorithms are made to group objects but fall short when the objects have multiple labels, the groups require detailed statistics, or the data sets grow or change. This project addresses these shortcomings by developing networks that make clustering algorithms more agile and sophisticated. Improved performance on medical data, especially patient response to COVID-19, will be demonstrated.

New framework for data in semiconductor device modeling, characterization and optimization suitable for machine learning toolsClaire Gmachl, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Electrical Engineering

This project is focused on developing a new, machine learning-driven framework to model, characterize and optimize semiconductor devices.

Individual political contributionsMatias Iaryczower, professor of politics

To answer questions on the interplay of money and politics, this project proposes to use micro-level data on the individual characteristics of potential political contributors, characteristics and choices of political candidates, and political contributions made.

Building a browser-based data science platformJonathan Mayer,assistant professor of computer science and public affairs, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs

Many research problems at the intersection of technology and public policy involve personalized content, social media activity and other individualized online experiences. This project, which is a collaboration with Mozilla, is building a browser-based data science platform that will enable researchers to study how users interact with online services. The initial study on the platform will analyze how users are exposed to, consume, share, and act on political and COVID-19 information and misinformation.

Adaptive depth neural networks and physics hidden layers: Applications to multiphase flowsMichael Mueller,associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering; Sankaran Sundaresan, the Norman John Sollenberger Professor in Engineering and a professor of chemical and biological engineering

This project proposes to develop data-based models for complex multi-physics fluids flows using neural networks in which physics constraints are explicitly enforced.

Seeking to greatly accelerate the achievement of quantum many-body optimal control utilizing artificial neural networksHerschel Rabitz, the Charles Phelps Smyth '16 *17 Professor of Chemistry; Tak-San Ho, research chemist

This project seeks to harness artificial neural networks to design, model, understand and control quantum dynamics phenomena between different particles, such as atoms and molecules.(Note: This project also received DataX funding in 2019.)

Discovery and design of the next generation of topological materials using machine learningLeslie Schoop,assistant professor of chemistry; Bogdan Bernevig, professor of physics; Nicolas Regnault, visiting research scholar in physics

This project aims to use machine learning techniques to uncover and develop topological matter, a type of matter that exhibits quantum properties, whose future applications can impact energy efficiency and the rise of super quantum computers. Current topological matters applications are severely limited because its desired properties only appear at extremely low temperatures or high magnetic fields.

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DataX is funding new AI research projects at Princeton, across disciplines - Princeton University

This year, three animated movies aim to talk to children and adults about the progress (and perils) exhibited by AI, social media and the internet and the filmmakers all agree that animation is an ideal medium with which to translate these ideas into something visual.

You get to invent everything, says Michael Rianda, writer-director of The Mitchells vs. the Machines. And because you have so much control, you can really caricature things in a way that you cant in real life.

Netflixs Mitchells produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and Sony Pictures Animation features a robot apocalypse led by a maniacal virtual assistant, PAL (voiced by Olivia Colman), who is enraged that her owner has upgraded to newer technology.

In depicting PAL, Rianda wanted to contrast imperfect humans with more symmetrical robots by looking at James Turrell installations and Stanley Kubrick movies anything that felt perfect and symmetrical, says Rianda. The visuals were matching the themes of the movie, which is that these machines are maybe a little too perfect.

Rianda adds that one animator even kept a 1999 Microsoft news conference queued up for inspiration, as the goal was to be observational about what tech companies do, because some of the stuff they do is scary, and they want to put a clean, cute face on it. We wanted to do the same thing with PALs face. But Rianda says that ultimately Mitchells is as much about family as it is a reflection on tech. I think there is this innate fear of technology, but also on the other hand during COVID, we couldnt communicate with each other without technology. It was imperative to be even-handed. This technology is here in many ways. Its already part of the family, its at your dinner table.

Writer-director Mamoru Hosodas Beauty and the Beast-inspired Belle (which gets a theatrical release Jan. 14 from GKIDS) follows Suzu, a shy 17-year-old from a rural village who becomes an international singing sensation when she enters a virtual world known as U, depicted as a vast metropolis. Speaking through a translator, Hosoda notes that earlier depictions of the internet (including his own) tended to be full of white backdrops, a little more fun. In 2021, I think that imagery has shifted, and you can see that in Belle. Its becoming another reality. This is an issue a lot of our younger generations are facing today where the internet has already grown into this second reality.

Hosoda suggests that the earlier hopefulness has waned a little bit. Its become more of a toxic culture. In spite of this, he says, I still think the newer generations should approach it with some amount of hopefulness. Thats what I wanted to say in Belle.

Also set in the social media age, 20th Century Studios and Locksmith Animations Rons Gone Wrong follows Barney (Jack Dylan Grazer), a socially awkward middle schooler, and Ron (Zach Galifianakis), his new digitally connected best friend, who causes chaos when he malfunctions. It feels really important that were talking to our kids and helping them reflect upon the experiences that theyre having in the virtual and the online world, says Sarah Smith, a writer and director on the film, noting that these can be both good and bad the extraordinary explosion of creativity, connection and friendship but also the loneliness and isolation and dangers of it as well.

Smith admits there are no easy answers, but she does hope to convey through the movie that you need the uncurated friendship, you need relationships between people who no algorithm would put together. That is an essential part of life.

This story first appeared in the Nov. 17 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.

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How Mitchell vs. Machines, Belle and Rons Gone Wrong Filmmakers Tackled Tech, AI in Their Films - Hollywood Reporter

Pony.ai also announces partnership with ONTIME, GACs ride-hailing app

GAC is one of Chinas largest automakers and a longtime Pony.ai partner

SHENZHEN, China, November 20, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pony.ai, a global leading autonomous driving technology company, announced that it has established a research and development center in Shenzhen, its fifth R&D site globally.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211119005785/en/

Pony.ai - ONTIME show car at the Guangzhou Auto Show, November 19, 2021 (Photo: Business Wire)

It marks the official commencement of a strategic layout and R&D network in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area to promote the large-scale development of autonomous driving. Located in the Qianhai Cooperation Zone, the establishment of Pony.ais Shenzhen R&D center enables the company to fully cover all four Tier-1 cities in China - Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, while linking the two key cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area.

"The Greater Bay Area offers tremendous opportunity and with this office, Pony.ai links the twin cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen, strengthening road testing and commercialization of our two core businesses - autonomous driving passenger cars and trucks - to accelerate the deployment of autonomous driving software and hardware systems," said James Peng, co-founder and CEO of Pony.ai.

Today Pony.ai also announced a collaboration with ONTIME (Ruqi Chuxing), the leading Chinese mobility technology platform launched by GAC Group, one of Chinas largest automakers. GAC has been a longtime strategic partner for Pony.ai. As part of the announced collaboration, Pony.ai and ONTIME will jointly accelerate commercial deployment of autonomous driving technologies to a larger scale in China. As mass commercial deployment gets close, Pony.ai and ONTIME will be able to test various forms of collaboration to rapidly deploy the Pony.ai Robotaxi along the ONTIME platform.

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ONTIME is one of Chinas leading ride-hailing providers, it offers a wide range of app-based services across core cities in Chinas Greater Bay Area, such as Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Dongguan. Pony.ai was the first company to offer Robotaxi services in China and is a leader in autonomous driving technology. The close collaboration will allow the two companies to leverage their own unique advantages and facilitate commercial deployment of autonomous driving technologies.

About Pony.ai

Silicon Valley-based Pony.ai, Inc. ("Pony.ai") is pursuing an ambitious vision for autonomous mobility. We aim to bring safe, sustainable, and accessible mobility to the entire world. We believe that autonomous technology can make our roads exponentially safer for travelers. Founded in late 2016, Pony.ai has been a pioneer in autonomous mobility technologies and services across the U.S. and China, spearheading public-facing Robotaxi pilots in both markets. Pony.ai has formed partnerships with leading OEMs including Toyota, Hyundai, GAC Group, FAW Group, etc.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211119005785/en/

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Adam Steinbergmedia@pony.ai

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Pony.ai opens R&D Center in Shenzhen, Broadening the Reach of its Global R&D Sites to Cover all of Chinas Tier-1 Cities - Yahoo Finance

Smart AI fashion boutiques will use scanners to create individual made-to-measure clothes, reducing the need for retailers to house expensive stock as well as ensuring the perfect fit. Haptics - wearable tech allowing you to feel heat and touch - were cited as the future of gaming and education industries. These are the predictions of four of Britains leading futurists and consumer business experts behind the NatWest Future Businesses Report, which offers a vision of how British industry could look by the year 2036.

The report was commissioned by the bank to inspire the next generation of start-ups and SMEs and authored by leading futurist Dr Ian Pearson, consumer business guru Kate Hardcastle, Shivvy Jervis, founder of FutureScape248 - the award-winning human-centred innovation lab and futurist and author Tom Cheesewright. The panel revealed that in the near future, travel agents could let holidaymakers"try-before-you-fly"through virtual reality experiences and the daily commute could take place in high-speed personal travel pods to beat city congestion.

Protein-rich insects served by bug burger bars are predicted to become the fast foods of choice with fried locust or a worm burger replacing the late-night kebab. While AI fashion boutiques could use technology to design perfectly made-to-measure clothes.

Futurist Dr Ian Pearson, one of the authors of the NatWest Future Businesses Report, said: The NatWest Future Business Report helps to paint a picture of what changes we may see in the business environment over the next 15 years. What was clear to all of us was how a greater interaction with technology is going to revolutionise businesses and transform almost all industries.

One thing the panel all agreed on is this is not the end of our high streets, which will thrive if businesses can offer good enough reasons to go there. Long term, more than 50 per cent of retail will still be in high street shops with predictions like AI tailoring and insect food outlets showing how businesses could adapt in future.

The report stated robot farmers or drones, like those seen in 2014 film Interstellar, will help to meet humanitys soaring food demands estimated to spike by up to 98 percent by 2050. Human health monitoring will get a boost from smart toilets with the power to analyse urine and faeces for killer diseases such as diabetes and cancer.

Despite fears of robots robbing humans of jobs, only four percent of respondents thought their work would become completely obsolete by 2036. Almost two thirds (64 percent) admitted their skill sets would need to adapt in the next 15 years to keep up with technology and 52 percent claimed they wanted to work with robots by 2036.

Andrew Harrison, managing director for business banking at NatWest, added: As this landscape evolves, NatWest continues to be the biggest supporter of UK small business at all stages of development.

From our Dream Bigger programme in schools encouraging young people to explore entrepreneurial mindset; our fully funded Business Builder initiative for early-stage entrepreneurs; and our Entrepreneur Accelerator hubs for high growth, green and diverse businesses, our vision is to help more companies start, scale and succeed.

The NatWest Future Businesses Report is availablehere. To see how NatWest is backing businesses across the UK you can also Watch Alison Hammond spend a day as an intern with a selection of businesses from across the UK as part of NatWests Backing Businesses partnership with ITV.

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Haptics, AI, and robots-to-rent will make up business of the future - Daily Express

Scientists are using a high-tech call recognition tool to map and save the bushfire-ravaged eastern bristlebird, a melodic but shy ground-dwelling species.

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) pattern recognition tool is one of eight recovery projects getting taxpayer funding through a dedicated federal national species co-ordinator.

"One of the key learnings from the Black Summer bushfires was a need for co-ordinated on-ground action, monitoring and research, across the entire range of a species, to support its recovery," Environment Minister Sussan Ley said on Monday.

The endangered eastern bristlebird can be easily recognised by its song and alarm-call.

By creating a tool that automatically and accurately detects the bird's calls from remote field recordings, and using updated radio transmission methods, the remaining populations can be tracked.

"We will also be using highly skilled volunteer scientists to collect data that will inform the future recovery actions we need to take to support the recovery of the bristlebird across its entire range," she said.

Other projects for the eastern bristlebird include habitat restoration, health and disease research, and support for the establishment of a new genetically viable population in Victoria as a safety net in case of extreme weather events or the spread of disease.

The $10 million funding initiative for the long-term recovery of more than 70 species will target the most fire-affected regions across New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria and Queensland.

Australian Associated Press

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Scientists call on AI to save bristlebird | The Times | Victor Harbor, SA - Victor Harbor Times