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Category Archives: Futurism
In Less Than 2 Days, Bitcoin Cash Becomes Third Biggest Cryptocurrency – Futurism
Posted: August 3, 2017 at 9:40 am
In Brief Barely 48 hours since its spin-off from the Bitcoin blockchain, Bitcoin Cash has already surged past other cryptocurrencies to become the third-biggest in terms of market capitalization. How the currency will fare over time is still up for debate, as it still lacks support from several mining pools and major exchanges. [Un]Expected Boom
Less thantwo days aftersplitting from the main Bitcoin network, Bitcoin Cash[BCC] now ranks third amongst the worlds most valuable cryptocoins. The budding cryptocurrency has reached a market cap of more $7.7 billion as of this writing, overtaking Ripples $6.7 billion market cap.
With a market cap of alittle more than $44 billion, the original Bitcoin currency is leading the market, while Ethereum comes in second at $20.9 billion. In terms of value per coin, Bitcoin Cash is even ahead of Ethereums current valuation of $223.54, with a per unit value of $470.27.
The surge in Bitcoin Cash comes despite a lack of support from several mining pools and major exchanges like Coinbase and BitMEX. Some Coinbase users are eventhreatening to sue the exchangefor not recognizing the currency.
Blockchain Globals recently re-opened Australian Cryptocurrency Exchange, on the other hand, is confirming Bitcoin Cash trades and claims to have seen a huge demand for the currency. We are receiving a lot of off-market orders for bitcoin cash theyre exploding! venture partner Sebastian Quinn-Watson told Business Insider.
The creation of Bitcoin Cash was the result of anongoing debate regarding how to scale Bitcoin blockchain transactions, and experts are currently dividedon how the split will ultimately play out.
For now, this sudden increase in value is understandable. Bitcoin Cash carries all the history of the original Bitcoin platform up until the fork on August 1, which means anyone with Bitcoin now has an equalamount of Bitcoin Cash.
Eventually, Bitcoin Cash should be able to stabilize itself for market exchanges, but right now, speculation is causing a surge in initial interest. People are selling their Bitcoin positions and buying Bitcoin Cash as a proposition that it is the new coin that has more value in the future, explainedQuinn-Watson. Its a bit speculative.
No one knows for surehow long Bitcoin Cash can sustain this upshot. As with other digital currencies, Bitcoin Cashs value depends mainly on how much value investors assign to it and how easily it can be used for real-world transactions.
Theres no infrastructure available out of the box to support BCC, Fran Strajnar, co-founder and CEO of Brave New Coin,told CNBC. The network needs further support and infrastructure needs to be as easy as Bitcoin; otherwise, its over for BCC.
Disclosure: Several members of the Futurism team, including the editors of this piece, are personal investors in a number of cryptocurrency markets. Their personal investment perspectives have no impact on editorial content.
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First US Human Embryo Gene Editing Experiment Successfully Corrects a Heart Condition – Futurism
Posted: at 9:40 am
In BriefA study published today in the journal Nature confirms earlierreports of the first-ever successful gene-editing of embryos in theU.S. Though controversial, the treatment could one day be used toaddress any of the 10,000 disorders linked to just a single geneticerror. Correcting Mutant Genes
Last week, reports circulated that doctors had successfully edited a gene in a human embryo the first time such a thing had been done in the United States. The remarkable achievement confirmed the powerful potential of CRISPR, the worlds most efficient and effective gene-editing tool. Now, details of the research have been published inNature.
The procedure involved correcting the DNA of one-cell embryos using CRISPRto remove the MYBPC3 gene. That gene is known to cause hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a heart disease that affects 1 out of 500 people. HCM has no known cure or treatment as its symptoms dont manifest until the disease causes sudden death through cardiac arrest.
The researchers started with human embryos created from 12 healthy female donors and sperm from a male volunteer who carried the MYBOC3 gene. The defective gene was cut out using CRISPR around the time the sperm was injected into the eggs.
As a result, as the embryos divided and grew, many repaired themselves using the non-edited genes from the genetic materials of the female donors, and in total, 72 percent of the cells that formed appeared to be corrected. The researchers didnt notice any off-target effects on the DNA, either.
The researchers told The Washington Postthat their workwas fairly basic. Really, we didnt edit anything, neither did we modify anything, explained Shoukhrat Mitalipov, lead author and a researcher at the Oregon Health and Science University. Our program is toward correcting mutant genes.
Basicor not, the development is remarkable.By using this technique, its possible to reduce the burden of this heritable disease on the family and eventually the human population, Mitalipov said in an OHSU press release.
However, gene editing is a controversial area of study, and the researchers work included changes to the germ line, meaning the changes could be passed down to future generations. To be clear, though, the embryos were allowed to grow for only a few days and none were implanted into a womb (nor was that ever the researchers intention).
In fact, current legislation in the U.S. prohibits the implantation of edited embryos. Thework conducted by these researchers waswell within the guidelines set by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on the use of CRISPR to edit human genes.
University of Wisconsin-Madison bioethicist Alta Charo thinks that the benefits of this potential treatment outweigh all concerns. What this represents is a fascinating, important, and rather impressive incremental step toward learning how to edit embryos safely and precisely, she told The WashingtonPost. [N]o matter what anybody says, this is not the dawn of the era of the designer baby.
Before the technique could be truly beneficial, regulations must be developed that provide clearer guidelines, according to Mitalipov. If not, this technology will be shifted to unregulated areas, which shouldnt be happening, he explained.
More than 10,000 disorders have been linked to just a single genetic error, and as the researchers continue with their work, their next target is BRCA, a gene associated with breast cancer growth.
Mitalipov hopes that their technique could one day be used to treat a wide-range of genetic diseases and save the lives of millions of people. After all, treating a single gene at the embryonic stage is far more efficient that changing a host of them in adults.
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Buzz Aldrin: We Will Have Humans on Mars in the Next 20 Years – Futurism
Posted: at 9:40 am
The Quest For Another Earth
Humankind is eager to step out into the cosmos and wander across the deserted plains of the Red Planet. According to most reports, Elon Musk is leading the way with SpaceX; however, a number of other orginizationsNASA, Chinas Space Agency, The Mars Societyare training, deploying prototypes, and working on the plethora of questions and challenges that we will face when attempting to bring the first human beings to Mars.
But, as much as it might seem natural to get entrenched in the details of how we will actually get humans off of planet Earth (and keep them mentally and physically healthy throughout the duration), it is critical that we remember why were going in the first place.
In a recent interview, Buzz Aldrinthe renowned astronaut, engineer, and (of course) the second human to ever step foot on the Moonexplained why exploration and discovery are so important, touching upon why we should (and why we will) have humans on Mars in 20 years
Aldrin begins by stating that, from both a scientific and technological perspective, we are at the perfect juncture to push the boundaries of exploration. He asserts that, thanks to recent advancements, for the first time in human history, voyaging to other worlds is truly within our reach: Now is the time to start thinking seriously about what life on Mars might look like. We have never been closer to knowing and exploring another planet.
When asked just how close we really are to achieving this feat, Aldrin was quick to respond with his timeline, saying that we could have the first Human Martians at Mars by 2040.
Aldrin continued by segueing into a discussion of why venturing to other worlds is important, noting that, in many ways, our planet is ancient and familiar and the other bodies in our solar system are, for all intents and purposes, virgin territory: Space travel and exploration represents the final frontier weve now surveyed and scrutinized almost every inch of this planet, but there is so much we have yet to learn.
However, Aldrin states that the most notable aspects of this quest are about far more than just acquiring knowledge for the sake of knowledge or conquering new worlds. The journey to Mars will bring with it reignited excitement for science and innovation,creating a generation of young people who have ingrained within them a thirst for understanding and exploration.
When Buzz stepped onto the Moon in 1969, countless youth were captivated by the story and went on to pursue careers in STEM fields, hoping to achieve monumental feats of similar proportions.
Indeed, Aldrin is very aware of the impact that action in science has on the youth, stressing that, we can only get there [to Mars] if we start investing in future generations. Ultimately, as previously noted, he says that this investment is the key to long-term success: In 1903, man learned to fly airplanes. Only 66 years later, we walked on the Moon. In order to help the next generation to make giant leaps like these, we must educate, enable and inspire them to be passionate about subjects like science, technology, engineering, art, and math.
Aldrin notes that he has devoted himself to helping foster such a desire in young people, saying, Thats the mission of the SpaceShare Foundation, and its one I wholeheartedly support.
Aldrins Space Share Foundation is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to inspiring childrens passions for science and technology by providing educational tools to educators across the country at no cost. The goal of this work is to ensure that all young people are given the resources that they need to live up to their potential. After all, one never knows who the next Carl Sagan could be.
As Former President Barack Obama noted in a speech at the Frontiers Conference, America is about Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothersbut were also the place you can grow up to be a Grace Hopper, or George Washington Carver, or a Katherine Johnson, or an Ida B. Wells. We dont want somebody with a brilliant idea not in the room because theyre a woman. We dont want some budding genius unavailable to cure cancer or come up with a new energy source because they were languishing in a sub-standard school as a child. Because were going to be a better team if we got the whole team.
Aldrin echoes these ideas, noting that, while reaching Mars in the next 20 years is extremely likely, it will only happen if we ensure that young people are given every opportunity to be the best that they can be: Sometimes I cant believe this lucky kid from New Jersey got to land and walk on the Moonwork hard and keep reaching for the stars.
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Hyperloop One Passes Second Full System Test Faster Than Ever Before – Futurism
Posted: at 9:40 am
In Brief Hyperloop One has just put its tech through another test, which it passed with flying colors by going 308 km/h (192 mph) faster than ever before. So, how long until we see the technology implemented, and what challenges will it have to overcome to get to this stage? Hyperloop One tests are growing ever more impressive, reaching faster speeds and, in the process, showing us what the technology is really capable of. During thelatest evaluation, on Saturday, the pod reached speeds of 308 km/h (192 mph) down the companys 500-meter (1,640-foot) test track in Nevada, before gliding to a graceful halt.
This is a remarkable improvement on the companys first full system test earlier this summer. During this outing, it traveled farther by a factor of 4.5 times, reached speeds 2.7 times faster, and achieved 3.5 times the horsepower.
Shervin Pishevar, Hyperloop One co-founder, told CNBC, Weve got the Hyperloop working. Its the dawn now [] of the commercialization of the hyperloops. Weve got conversations and dialogues with governments around the world.
Pishevar was referring to the worldwide travel he has been undertaking recently. The company is currently looking at various cities in the U.S. to build a loopand is also planning on installing the system in Europe. In fact, Hyperloop One is alreadyundertaking feasibility studies in Finland, Moscow, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and the U.K.
Despite these successes, there are still hurdles that need to be overcome before we see the transportation system of the future. Most prominently, it will need to achieve the right-of-way allowances, land acquisitions, and regulatory approvals that other means of transportation like the railway enjoy.
However, this announcement gives us a reassuring reminder that the future of transport isnt far away.
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New Research Suggests We Can Stop Human Cells From Aging – Futurism
Posted: at 9:40 am
In Brief A study by a team from the Houston Methodist Research Institute showed the potential of a treatment that targets telomeres in chromosomes to reverse cellular aging. Lab tests using cells from patients with genetic disease causing accelerated aging proved to be promising. The Mechanisms of Aging
For a phenomenon that affects all living beings, theres nothing simple about aging. Experimentsthat focus on understanding aging are as numerous and varied as the aspects of the subject itself. Some look at the roles that the brain or the mitochondria have on aging, while others examine some protein or another. A study from the Houston Methodist Research Institute(HMRI) is focusing on chromosomes.
Specifically, the team led by cardiovascular sciences department chair John Cooke, looked at telomeres the region located at the tip of every chromosome, thelength of which supposedly corresponds to age. Cookes team studied the cells of children with a fatalgenetic disease called progeria that causes rapid aging.
In their study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the researchers discovered that extending the shortened telomeres effectively halted aging in the isolated sample cells taken from the patients with progeria. What weve shown is that when we reverse the process of the telomere shortening in the cells from these children and lengthen them, it can reverse a lot of the problems associated with aging, Cooke said in an HMRI press release.
Cookes team isnt the first to associate telomeres with aging. The field, however, isnt considered that precise yet. Medical genetics professor Peter Lansdorp at the University of British Columbia told Motherboardthat theres still a lot to learn in this area. It is not hard to find a 70-year-old with longer telomeres than a teenager, he said, noting that the decline in telomeres works as a tumor suppression mechanism for the body.
Furthermore, since the study was limited to cell samples taken from just 17 patients on a lab dish, the researchers still need to see if it could work in cells functioning inside the body. The next step is to deliver the same treatment directly into patients, beginning with children suffering from progeria.
Still, Cooke is hopeful. We can at least stall or slow down accelerated aging, and thats what were working toward, he said in the press release. I want to develop a therapy for these children. Its an unmet need.
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Tim Cook Hints That Apple Is Working on Autonomous Systems But Not Just for Cars – Futurism
Posted: at 9:40 am
In Brief Apple CEO Tim Cook just confirmed that the company has a "large project" involving autonomous systems, but it's not limited to self-driving cars. Cook declined to elaborate any further on what other applications he had in mind during the company's earnings call on Tuesday,
The rumors that Apple may be building an autonomous systemreceived an update yesterday. During a conference call with investors on Tuesday afternoon, CEO Tim Cook hinted at the work Apple is doing with such systems as well as with artificial intelligence (AI).
[Autonomous] systems can be used in a variety of ways, Cook said. A vehicle is only one, but there are many different areas of it. And I dont want to go any further with that.
There you have it, folks. While it seems thatApple may be building a vehicle and even receivedapproval to test one in Californian roads whats clear is that its developing an autonomous system that could be used in more than just cars. This shouldnt come as a surprise, especially now that Apple has been actively pursuing AI development.
We are very focused on autonomous systems, Cook added. We do have a large project going, and are making a big investment in this. From our point of view, autonomy is sort of the mother of all AI projects.
Much of the focus to this point has been the application of autonomous systems in cars, and for good reason. Autonomous vehicles are heralded as the future of safer driving. By eliminating the cause of most major accidents human error self-driving cars could save some 40,000 lives each year in the U.S.
But what is the potentialof such systems beyond the automotive example? If anyone could think of exciting new ways to use AI and autonomous systems, its the creative minds at Apple. Hopefully they wont keep us waiting too long to learn what new tech they are cooking up.
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New Theory for Life Suggests It Was Not an Accident of Biology. It Was Physics. – Futurism
Posted: at 9:40 am
In BriefBiophysicist Jeremy England has published support for histheory of adaptation driven by dissipation, and its relationship toabiogenesis. If his idea is right, thermodynamics infar-from-equilibrium systems dictate the creation of life. Rocks Rolling Downhill
How did life first originate from nothing? This has been the focus of biologists, specifically astrobiologists, and popular theories have included everything from meteorites to seemingly random chemicals to luck. In 1859, Charles Darwin posited that All organic beings that have lived on Earth could be descended from some primordial form, in The Origin of Species. His basic idea was that chemical components and energy sources somehow spontaneously generated life in the primordial soup.
However, in 2013, MIT biophysicist Jeremy England proposed a new theory that substituted thermodynamics in place of luck. He derived a mathematical formula to explain how atoms, driven by external energy (such as that found in primordial soup) and heat (like youd find in an atmosphere), will gradually restructure themselves to dissipate more and more energy. In other words, under the right conditions, matter naturally acquires the basic physical quality the tendency to capture energy from the environment and dissipate it as heat associated with life, based on the law of increasing entropy or the second law of thermodynamics, also called the arrow of time.
England has since been testing his formula and his idea more generally using computer simulations. He published two studies in July, and both experiments appear to support his basic theory about adaptation driven by dissipation. However, what these results ultimately mean for the origins of life remain unclear.
In the simulation, a soup of 25 chemicals reacted together in multiple ways as environmental sources of energy force certain chemical reactions, just like ATP provides the chemical fuel for cellular metabolism. In some cases, the system reaches an equilibrium state, the most familiar outcome produced by the second law of thermodynamics. However, in other cases, the chemical reaction network evolves as reactions harvest as much energy from the environment as possible, ending at fixed points far away from equilibrium.
These rare states of extremal thermodynamic forcing are similar to the extreme forcing that living creatures engage in as we burn up chemical energy. England believes that atoms acquire the very specific form and function designed for optimal chemical energy consumption and become a bacterium because thermodynamics dictates this natural outcome in far-from-equilibrium systems. Many biophysicists agree with England, but since there is still disagreement about what the essence of life is, its difficult to nail down how explanatory this theory is in terms of lifes origins.
So,whats next? Perhaps physically simulating primordial soup outside of a computer environment is the next step, but this does involve some guesswork. And, while England sees his theory as underlying Darwinian evolution, some disagree that this dissipation-driven adaptation theory could distinguish between things that are simply structured in a certain way and things that are alive. For example, the ability to perceive, process, and pass on information in the form of reproduction may not be fully explained by Englands theory. In any case, this work provides fascinating insights into one possible explanation of how our planet made something out of nothing.
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Reviewers of Tesla’s Newest Vehicle Are Unanimous: The Model 3 Has No Competition – Futurism
Posted: August 2, 2017 at 8:45 am
In BriefThe first reviews of Tesla's Model 3 are in and they areresoundingly positive beyond expectations, even for thoseanticipating the world from the new model. Yes, the reviews arefilled with hyperbole and they're absolutely heartfelt, with thedetail to back them up. A Peerless Ride
As the Tesla Model 3 launch was imminent, Jack Stewart of Wired wrote, The arrival of Teslas Model 3 signals a new chapter in automotive history, one that erases 100-plus years of the gas engine and replaces it with technology, design, and performance hot enough to make electric vehicles more than aspirational to make [electric vehicles (EVs)] inspirational. But would it live up to its promise?
If youre still feeling skeptical about Teslas Model 3, the reviewers definitely arent. Heres what they have to say now that theyve driven it.
In a piece prefaced with, The Tesla Model 3 is here, and it is the most important vehicle of the century. Yes, the hyperbole is necessary, Kim Reynolds of Motor Trend raved: If anybody was expecting a typical boring electric sedan here, nope.
Magic, Im telling you. Magic. And this is the single-motor, rear-wheel-drive starting point. The already boggled mind boggles further at the mention of Dual Motor and Ludicrous, Reynolds continued. Have I ever driven a more startling small sedan? I havent. At speed, it gains a laser-alertness I havent encountered before [] [The] 2.0-liter Alfa Romeo Giulia [] feels like a wet sponge by comparison.
Ive driven all Teslas vehicles, Matthew Debord ofBusiness Insider wrote,But the Model 3 is something else [] [its] going to blow many, many minds. This is easily the most attractive entry-level luxury, all-electric car on the market[] I can safely say that the Model 3 has no competition.
[T]here isnt anybody whos going to sit in the drivers seat of this car and not want it, Debord continued. The Model 3 stokes immediate desire, and the lust lingers. That truly changes everything.
Peter Holley of The Washington Post gave a sense of the Model 3 as the car of the future, writing thatfrom the moment you sit inside the Model 3, you do sense that you have entered uncharted territory[] I attribute that feeling to the intuitive nature of the Model 3s minimalist design [and] the way the car seamlessly incorporates technology that is already second nature in many peoples everyday lives.
Its not so much that Tesla is ushering in the future, Holley argued. After riding in the Model 3, Im more inclined to think that Tesla is single-handedly pulling the automotive industry into the present the way anyone born before the Internet thought 2017 would look like decades earlier.
Charlie Turner of Top Gear explained the Autopilot experience: Our brief excursion also allowed us to test the Autopilot, a system that still feels like witchcraft. The levels at which the car is capable of processing information are staggering and if were honest its clearly concentrating a lot harder than most of us after a hard day at the office.
And both Engadget and Wired see the Model 3 and a sign of a new era in transportation. Engadgets Andrew Taratola wrote, While the Roadster put Tesla on the map, the Model 3 really feels like the car that will bring electric vehicles as a whole into the mainstream. And for Stewart, This car feels like an automotive tipping point, a sign that electric vehicles and hopefully, the infrastructure that supports themhave finallycome into their own.
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Hypothalamic Stem Cells Could Provide New Insights Into Aging – Futurism
Posted: at 8:45 am
Hypothalamic Stem Cells
The hypothalamus is the region of the brain that helps to regulate internal conditions like body temperature and blood concentration, but new research shows that it may fail us as we age. The research indicates that as the hypothalamuss stem cells die off, the region actually starts to promote aging, causing mental and physical faculties to decline at a more rapid pace.
In the past, researchers have observed that the hypothalamus becomes inflamed over time. This lead them to posit that the area is connected to aging. Recent research on mice proved that reversing the inflammation in the hypothalamus increases the animals life span and slows physical deterioration. In this latest study, scientists focusedon the stem cells of the hypothalamus. In younger animals, these stem cells divide and replace damaged and dead cells. However, as this research shows, over time the number of stem cells present in the hypothalamus drops. Inold age, they are essentially gone.
The team believed they were on to something, but undertook some practical experiments to see if their ideas were borne out by the evidence. First, they altered mice genetically to ensure theyd be out of stem cells(at a point earlier than would occur naturally). Reducing the stem cells in the mice by around 70 percent meant a life span that was about 8 percent shorter. This accelerated loss of stem cells also caused a loss of coordination, endurance, and memory, as well as behavior that was less youthful, curious, and social. When the team injected stem cells into the hypothalami of middle-aged mice, those mice gained about about 10 percent more mental and physical capabilities compared to mice injected with regular brain cells.
Originally, scientists believed that the stem cell loss could besignificant because it meant the host was unable to repair and replace damaged and dead cells. However, when the hypothalami of middle-aged mice were injected with stem cells, they improved too rapidly for this to be thecorrect mechanism. Instead, the team suspected microRNAs might be at work.
The RNA molecules, called microRNAs, are manufactured and released by stem cells to carry messages to other cells. Practically, based on the messages they carry, microRNAs mayalter the proteins cells produce. The researchers discovered that the stem cells in the hypothalamus produce massive amounts of microRNAs contained in tiny exosomes. In fact, when they injected mice with exosomes packed with microRNA from young hypothalamus stem cells, the effects were almost as effective in slowing signs of mental and physical aging as injections of stem cells were.
Recent research has focused on the role of mitochondria in aging and on the use of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells in combatting aging in hematopoietic stem cells. Research from this year has also shown that cannabis-based treatment appears to reverse aging in the brains of mice. Concerning thisresearch, protecting or replacing the stem cells of the hypothalamus or somehow reinforcing or replacing the microRNA effects could slow aging in humans. This could mean testing current drugs such as acarbose (presently used to treat diabetes) to see if they can suppress the hypothalamic inflammation that causes the stem cells to die.
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Facebook’s Language-Creating AI Bots Are Now Required to Negotiate in English – Futurism
Posted: at 8:45 am
In BriefAfter Facebook researchers discovered their artificiallyintelligent chatbots created a new language to more efficientlynegotiate, they decided to tweak the systems to require that theyuse English. This raises the question of whether the "new language"should be allowed it it means the systems would be better equippedto meet their goals. A Secret Language
While developing negotiating chatbot agents, researchers at theFacebook Artificial Intelligence Research (FAIR)lab noticedback in Junethat the artificially intelligent (AI) bots had spontaneously developed their own non-human language.
In a reportexplaining their research, they noted that this development spawned from the systems goal of improving their negotiation strategies the system of code words they started to use were clearly designed to maximize the efficiency of their communication.
Although the bots started out speaking English, the researchers realized they failed to provide a reward for speaking English. In other words, the systems had no reason to stick to English as it didnt contribute to their end goal of becoming more efficient negotiators.In fact, the systems had multiple incentives to veer away from the language, the same way communities of humans with expertise or niche knowledge create and use shorthand to discuss complex ideas more quickly or efficiently.
In that sense, the behavior should have been predictable. It was, in some sense, a very human adaptation as it was designed to enhance performance and minimize effort something the human brain excels at.
As they explained in their June post, the researchers could decode the new language with fairly little trouble as it was still English-based, but they could never be certain that their translations were 100 percent correct.Its important to remember, there arent bilingual speakers of AI and human languages, FAIRs Dhruv Batra told Fast Code Design.This new language also didnt serve the purpose of the research. Our interest was having bots who could talk to people, explained Mike Lewis, a research scientist at FAIR.
In the end, the researchers decided to tweak the agentsto avoid this drifting away from English.
The initial spontaneous development of the independent language highlights how much we still dont understandabout AIs, which is a huge part of the debate regarding AI research. AI could undoubtedly help us, and very few dispute that the technology is here to stay. However, the way we prepare for a world shared with AI, and whether or not that world will be safe for humans, is hotly debated.
To be sure, much AI-related fear is based more in science-fiction than fact. According Nigel Shadbolt, Oxford professor of artificial intelligence and chairman of the Open Data Institute, We most certainly need to consider the restraints and safeguards that we need to engineer into the hardware, software, and deployment policies of our current AI systems. But the next self-aware computer you encounter will only be appearing at a cinema near you.
The language issue cropping up at FAIR and elsewhere appears to fall squarely within the realm of restraints and safeguards. Should we allow AIs to develop task-specific dialectsif they improve performance, knowing it would mean we couldnt truly understand what they were saying?
Many experts urge that we err on the side of caution. Georgia Tech AI researcher Mark Riedl told Future of Life that AIs trained to optimize rewards could eventually come to see humans as a threat to their optimization plans.
Perhaps the most vocal warnings about AI advancing too quickly have come from Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking. One of the most salient points in their arguments is that by the time we perceive a risk, it may be too late. That may be the best argument of all for shutting down the chatter in a project like this.
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Facebook's Language-Creating AI Bots Are Now Required to Negotiate in English - Futurism
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