We aim to inform readers not only about events in the Bitcoin industry, but also about developments in related tech sectors — cybersecurity, and now the world of artificial intelligence (AI).
ForkLog AI has gathered the most important AI news of the past week.
- The Russian Federation’s Federation Council has introduced a bill regulating human–robot relations.
- A gunshot detection system will be deployed in Israeli cities.
- A Philadelphia woman gave birth in a driverless Tesla en route to the hospital.
- Researchers have developed an AI system that enables controlling robots by thought.
- In 2022, Moscow street patrols will be entrusted to a Russian-made robotic dog.
- AI helped scientists discover between 70 and 170 rogue planets not bound to a host star.
- Yandex has trained Balaboba to generate New Year cards.
- The week’s most important AI deals.
The Federation Council of Russia to regulate human–robot relations
Russian senators have drafted a bill to regulate human–robot relations. It includes definitions and classifications of devices, and sets their level of danger.
Under the proposal, a “robot” is defined as a product of digital-technology advancements, consisting of two or more parts and controlled by an integrated computer program. It may imitate actions commanded by a human or perform tasks autonomously.
The proposal suggests dividing robots into two classes. “Civil” devices are intended to fulfil private needs, including industrial, service, medical, educational and scientific tasks. “Service” devices are needed for government and public interests. They are subdivided into military and law-enforcement robots.
The document also specifies four classes of devices by hazard level:
- high;
- medium;
- low;
- not dangerous.
The Russian government will lay out a roadmap for deploying AI systems
The authorities will develop a phased roadmap for the creation and deployment of AI systems.
According to Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, the plan is needed for productive and systematic development of AI regulation. He added that the roadmap envisages a phased rollout of an additional pool of legislative initiatives.
Chernyshenko also said that the Analytical Center under the government conducted a large social survey, showing that 64% of citizens are satisfied with working conditions in AI. The survey involved more than 8,000 people.
In Israel, an AI gunshot identification system will be launched
ShotSpotter has trained the gunshot-detection system to immediately dispatch a drone for reconnaissance. It will be deployed in all Israeli cities.
The developer, together with drone maker Airobotics, added to the sound-recognition program a function of instant dispatch of UAVs toward the noise source. It will film the scene and transmit material with potential evidence to law enforcement before officers arrive.
Each drone will be based on its own closed docking station, equipped with a robotic arm for battery replacement.
American woman gives birth in a driverless Tesla en route to the hospital
In Philadelphia, a woman gave birth in the front seat of a Tesla, switching the car to autopilot.
According to media reports, on September 9, 2021, the couple YiRan and Keating Sherry were headed to a local maternity hospital and got stuck in traffic. When the wife’s contractions began, the husband activated the driverless function and helped deliver the baby. Doctors waiting near the hospital cut the umbilical cord in the car.
The birth proceeded without complications and the child is healthy. The couple had hoped to name their daughter Tess after Tesla, but settled on the name Maeve Lily.
Researchers have created an AI system to control robots by thought
Researchers from the EPFL (EPFL) developed an AI-based system to control robots by thought. It can help patients with tetraplegia perform most routine tasks independently.
A specialized headband with an integrated algorithm reads and analyzes brain signals. The user only needs to look at the robot to activate it.
If, during solving a task, the device makes a ‘wrong move’, the brain will emit an ‘error signal’ via a clearly identifiable cue. According to the researchers, the robot requires three to five attempts to ‘understand, remember and perform’ the action correctly.
In the future, the researchers plan to apply the algorithm to controlling wheelchairs. They also plan to teach the AI to read and transmit multiple types of signals and align brain data with visuomotor function data.
Russian robotic dog to monitor violations on Moscow’s streets
The device is equipped with a GPS sensor, LiDAR and a camera for live streaming. It is made of environmentally safe materials, and its design allows speeds of up to 11 km/h.
The robotic dog is planned to be used by the capital’s State Real Estate Inspection to photograph and video the terrain along a fixed route to measure objects and identify lawbreakers. The agency says the device will undergo real-city testing in 2022.
AI helped scientists discover 170 rogue planets
An international group of astronomers using AI has discovered around 170 exoplanets not bound to any star.
Researchers used data collected over the past two decades, including observations from the European Southern Observatory, the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope, Subaru, and the ESA Gaia satellite. They also drew on information from NOIRLab’s extensive astronomical data archive.
According to the scientists, they collected more than 80,000 images totalling about 100 TB, covering a vast region of the sky — roughly 170 square degrees.
Then, with the help of AI, they analysed the region the OB association Sco-Cen and identified 3,455 candidates, of which between 70 and 170 Jupiter-sized objects were real rogue exoplanets.
AI weed-killer system presented
Israeli company Greeneye Technology has developed an AI-based system for weed elimination in fields.
The device consists of several ground-facing cameras attached to a spray-bar that can be mounted on agricultural machinery or towed by a tractor at speeds of up to 25 km/h.
The algorithm analyzes plants and identifies weeds among crops. Upon detection, the system activates the sprayer and precisely directs the spray at the weeds.
According to the developers, the AI has been trained to identify individual weed species, detect diseases in crops, and build a field map highlighting problematic areas.
Yandex trained a neural network to create New Year cards
The company Yandex introduced a new Balaboba feature for generating New Year greeting cards.
Users must enter a text prompt with the recipient’s name, the theme and additional information. The YaLM-family language model will generate the greeting and an accompanying animation.
Anyone can use the service. We tried generating text from the prompt “ForkLog AI, subscribers, artificial intelligence” and here is what we got.
The week’s most important AI deals
From 19 to 25 December 2021, AI startups attracted more than $390 million. Here are the most notable deals.
- Ocurate raised $3.5m to scale technology for predicting customer lifetime value for B2C companies.
- Calibrate Ventures raised $97m to back AI startups.
- Veho raised $125m for next-day package delivery.
- Kneron raised $25m to expand the use of chips to accelerate machine learning.
- Turing raised $87m to scale its platform for remote search, hiring and management of employees.
- Avoma, an AI assistant for creating meeting notes raised $12m.
- Overjet raised $42.5m to support smart dental software.
Also on ForkLog:
- In the UN called off negotiations on regulating autonomous weapons.
- The Federation Council of Russia proposed to codify the provisions of the AI Ethics Code.
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