A neural network wrote a program, a robot was trained to collect cigarette butts, and other AI news

We aim to inform readers not only about developments in the bitcoin industry, but also about what is happening in adjacent technology fields — cybersecurity, and now the world of artificial intelligence (AI).

ForkLog has gathered the most important AI news from the past week.

Sber created AI that develops other programs

The developers at Sber trained an AI to write software code. The company also said it registered the AI-written application with Rospatent.

The algorithm has been trained on several programming languages. According to Sber representatives, the technology could spare developers from routine work.

The company is considering offering access to the tool as a commercial service.

AI to grade Russian schoolchildren’s homework

AI will be used to check the homework of Russian students. This is stated in the passport of the digital transformation of education strategy, prepared by the Ministry of Education.

According to the document, the “Teacher’s Digital Assistant” service will automate homework checking, plan work programs, create a system for identifying and fostering talents, and raise the quality of teachers’ participation in professional development courses.

By 2030, the ministry expects that AI will check 50% of homework.

Ford will launch robotaxi in the United States in 2021

Ford will create an autonomous-taxi service in Miami in 2021, and in Austin in 2022.

Over five years, the company plans to roll out 1,000 autonomous vehicles across several markets, developed in partnership with ride-hailing firm Lyft and autonomous technology developer Argo AI.

Currently, Ford and Argo AI are testing the autonomous fleet in Miami, Washington, Pittsburgh, Austin, Detroit and California.

Netherlands startup creates robot that collects cigarette butts on the beach

The Dutch startup TechTics has built BeachBot, which collects cigarette butts on a beach in The Hague. The AI system enables the device to locate and remove up to 30 cigarette butts in ten minutes.

Users can help train the robot to distinguish trash from other waste by sending photos via the Microsoft Trove app. The startup pays $0.25 per photo and aims to collect 2,000 images.

In the future, TechTics plans to develop two more robots that search only for cigarette butts, and to retrofit BeachBot with solar panels and train it to detect other trash.

The first commercial quantum processor available for sale

The Dutch startup QuantWare introduced a five-qubit quantum processor Soprano for retail sale. Each qubit is claimed to operate at an accuracy of 99.9%.

The five-qubit processor is expected to appeal to customers including research labs and universities.

The price of the Soprano quantum processor is not disclosed.

Snap acquired a company to create 3D models of products

Snap acquired the Vertebrae startup, which enables brands to create and manage 3D versions of products. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Experts say AR shopping could appear in Snapchat.

“AR commerce has a bright future, and we will continue helping our partners create, manage, and deploy AR capabilities at all customer touchpoints,” said Vertebrae CEO Vince Kakache.

IBM unveils data set to test AI intuition

Researchers from IBM, MIT, and Harvard published DARPA ‘Common Sense AI’ data set for comparative analysis of AI intuition.

They also released two machine-learning algorithms to test the intuitive psychology of AI models. According to the developers, this will accelerate the development of AI capable of reasoning.

Beeline teaches AI to detect fare evaders in public transit

Beeline taught AI to identify fare dodgers in public transport. A pilot has been launched in several Russian regions, the company said.

The algorithm can also count passengers and propose options for optimizing bus movements. It integrates with the CCTV system and onboard validators for real-time data analysis.

According to representatives, the algorithm will enable quick decisions to reallocate transport on routes, save up to 20% on fuel, and slow wear on vehicles.

“Optimizing public transport movement is a critical task with great potential, and we will expand the functionality of our solution for more effective operation of transport, passenger, and logistics businesses,” said George Held, Executive Vice President for Digital and New Business Development at Beeline.

China unveils AI-powered dictaphone with online transcription

Chinese company Mobvoi released an AI Recorder dictophone with automatic transcription. The device weighs 20 grams, includes two noise-cancelling microphones, 16 GB of built-in memory, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

The speech transcription service uses AI and operates with 94% accuracy. It automatically highlights paragraphs, keywords, and provides a short summary. The service currently supports English and Chinese.

Developers say the device will be useful for students and journalists.

The price is $100, which includes a one-year subscription to the transcription service and cloud storage. After that, the subscription will renew for $70 per year.

Journalists reveal how TikTok’s recommendation algorithms work

WSJ journalists have uncovered how TikTok’s recommendation system operates. The platform shapes its video feed not only by likes, shares and followers but also by the amount of time users spend watching videos.

Recommender-systems expert Guillaume Shazlo, a former YouTube staffer, analyzed the data and concluded that TikTok’s algorithms differ markedly from those of other social networks and rapidly exploit users’ vulnerabilities.

In his words, this does not mean that such content should please the viewer or bring them pleasure. However, it helps keep user attention on the platform, Shazlo added.

Robots collide at a major warehouse caused a fire at a British online retailer

British online retailer Ocado canceled orders for some customers after three robots collided at its warehouse and caused a fire.

Despite the fire suppression system being triggered, firefighters arrived. Company representatives said the incident affected less than 1% of the network. It will take a week to resume operations.

The warehouse is equipped with 3,000 robots, moving at a speed of 4 metres per second.

Also on ForkLog:

• OpenAI closed a division in AI robotics.
• Opinion: Japan and South Korea will help the United States compete with Chinese technologies.
• Mobileye is testing autonomous vehicles in New York.
• The controversial facial recognition tool Clearview AI attracted $30 million.
• Researchers learned to covertly insert malware into neural networks.
• DeepMind’s artificial intelligence modeled 20,000 human protein structures.

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