Here’s a useful artificial intelligence introductory lesson from an MIT course: https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-825-techniques-in-artificial-intelligence-sma-5504-fall-2002/lecture-notes/Lecture1Final.pdf
Cognitive bias article of the day: How to Convince Someone When Facts Fail A concise, timely look at how worldview-driven cognitive dissonance leads people to double down on their misbeliefs in the face of challenging evidence. It also recommends steps for having more meaningful conversations with others whose irrational positions differ from your own. 😉
This NY Times article is worth your time, if you are interested in AI–especially if you are still under the impression AI has ossified or lost its way.
“MRI scans show that running may affect the structure and function of the brain in ways similar to complex tasks like playing a musical instrument” http://neurosciencenews.com/running-neural-network-5744/
Technology (in some labs, for now) enables gamers to see their brain activity while they play.
Until now, gene editing has relied on cell division to propagate modifications made with techniques like CRISPR Cas9. Researchers at the Salk Institute have devised a new method that can modify the genes of non-dividing cells (the majority of adult cells). They demonstrated the method’s potential by inserting missing genes into the brains of young mice that were blind due to retinitis pigmentosa. After the team inserted fully functional copies of the damaged gene responsible for the condition into the…
There will be no meeting in December, due to low availability of members. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, 17 January 2017. Three spots are left. You can sign up (RSVP “Yes”) at the following page: https://www.meetup.com/abq_brain_mind_consciousness_AI/events/236014987/ Mark Harris Facilitator
Google and others are developing neural networks that learn to recognize and imitate patterns present in works of art, including music. The path to autonomous creativity is unclear. Current systems can imitate existing artworks, but cannot generate truly original works. Human prompting and configuration are required. Google’s Magenta project’s neural network learned from 4,500 pieces of music before creating the following simple tune (drum track overlaid by a human): Click Play button to listen-> Is it conceivable that AI may…
“Once the trained CNN [convolutional neural network] showed solid performance in the simulator, we loaded it onto DRIVE PX [vehicle control computer] and took it out for a road test in the car. The vehicle drove along paved and unpaved roads with and without lane markings, and handled a wide range of weather conditions. As more training data was gathered, performance continually improved. The car even flawlessly cruised the Garden State Parkway.”
“Once the trained CNN [convolutional neural network] showed solid performance in the simulator, we loaded it onto DRIVE PX [vehicle control computer] and took it out for a road test in the car. The vehicle drove along paved and unpaved roads with and without lane markings, and handled a wide range of weather conditions. As more training data was gathered, performance continually improved. The car even flawlessly cruised the Garden State Parkway.”