Showing results for "The Other Machine" in Science

For all the hype around 3-D printing, it’s done little to transform the way things are made. Now a startup called Desktop Metal thinks it’s cracked the code on how to print metal parts practically and affordably.

Most of us can recognize an object after seeing it once or twice. But the algorithms that power computer vision and voice recognition need thousands of examples to become familiar with each new image or word.

The theoretical underpinnings of quantum computing are well established. And physicists can build the basic units, known as qubits, out of which a quantum computer would be made. They can even operate qubits together in small groups. But they have not made a fully working, practical quantum computer.

Let's face it: the pace of progress in artificial intelligence can sometimes seem unsettling. Terminator-style machines remain science fiction, but AI could have a huge impact on employment, introduce bias into algorithms, and contribute to the development of autonomous weapons. But perhaps the biggest looming threat may be making sure we understand how these increasingly complex systems work when they go awry.

From the street, through Beijing’s heavy smog, it can sometimes be hard to make out IBM’s Chinese headquarters: a towering office building with a distinctive undulating architectural flourish and a large company logo at the top. But just a short distance away, on the northeast outskirts of the capital, IBM computer scientists are using artificial intelligence to develop what they think will be a way to manage China’s notorious and chronic pollution problem more successfully.