AI network finds Messi successor; Xiaomi unveils budget robo-dog and other AI news

We aim to inform readers not only about events in the Bitcoin industry, but also to report on developments in related tech sectors — cybersecurity, and now the world of artificial intelligence (AI).

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

New York Police Department buys mass-surveillance technologies without local authorities’ approval

Since 2007, the New York Police Department spent $159 million on the acquisition of facial-recognition, event-prediction technologies, as well as surveillance equipment.

Law enforcement agencies purchased the systems through a dedicated fund whose resources can be spent without approval from city authorities.

The relevant documents were released by two civil-rights groups. They said the practice amounted to a \”surveillance slush fund\”.

In response to the criticism, a NYPD spokesperson said:

\”No police department or federal agency has achieved such transparency regarding the tools used by law enforcement in this space as the New York Police Department has.\”

In Nizhny Novgorod, AI deployed to detect vehicles with daytime running lights off

The traffic police in Nizhny Novgorod began using AI-powered cameras to identify vehicles with daytime running lights off.

The neural network reads license plates on passing vehicles and detects contrast zones on the right and left of it. As a result, authorities issued 7,300 fines in July.

According to the camera manufacturers, the technology can be used in any region with permission from local traffic police. However, they noted that the system requires refinements and is not ready for widespread use.

Czechia develops system for detecting anomalies in crowds

The Czech police, together with developers from Brno University of Technology, created a system to detect anomalous crowd behavior using drones and artificial intelligence.

The algorithms process the image data, divide it into parts, analyse, and build a picture of what is happening. The system then constructs a model of typical human activity in given conditions and informs the operator if it detects non-standard behaviour in a crowd.

The developers noted that the system can be customized further. Anomalous behavior does not always indicate a threat to public safety.

Microsoft protests NSA-Amazon cloud contract

Microsoft filed a protest and urged the reevaluation of the contract under which Amazon will supply cloud technologies to the NSA for $10 billion.

According to company representatives, the agency did not conduct a proper evaluation of the vendor. The NSA said it would respond to the protest in accordance with federal procurement regulations.

Earlier, the U.S. Department of Defense was forced to withdraw the JEDI contract with Microsoft to supply cloud and AI technologies for $10 billion amid litigation with Amazon.

Major Ukrainian retailer begins testing automatic AI-powered checkout

Ukrainian retailer Fozzy Group announced the start of testing of the AI system Kissa AI for serving customers without staff assistance.

The system comprises three cameras, scales, lighting indicators, displays and a payment terminal. The AI scans products, recognises them and generates a receipt.

\”The process from scanning to billing takes four seconds, nearly ten times faster than a traditional checkout,\” is stated in the press release.

The platform was launched at Kyiv cafe ‘Kantin’, located in the Silver Breeze business center. It can be used by any holder of the loyalty card ‘Vlasnyi Rakhunok’.

Xiaomi unveils CyberDog quadruped robo-dog

Xiaomi unveiled its own CyberDog quadruped robot, built on an Nvidia Jetson Xavier platform.

The robot dog analyses its surroundings, recognises vocal commands and plans routes. It also tracks movement and identifies faces, follows its owner at 3.2 metres per second, and overcomes obstacles.

The software platform for the robot is open source, enabling developers and enthusiasts to tailor it to their needs.

The company will release 1,000 units for \”Xiaomi fans, engineers and robotics enthusiasts\” at a price of 9,999 yuan ($1,540). For comparison: Boston Dynamics’ Spot starts at $74,500.

Researchers train AI to determine race from X-ray

An international team of researchers trained artificial intelligence to determine a person’s race from X-ray images with 99% accuracy.

The authors trained five models on medical images of internal body structures. They annotated each image according to the patient’s race and tested the system’s ability to predict ethnic background.

According to the researchers, the AI can identify race even from distorted, cropped and noisy X-ray images.

In the United States, AI used to analyse inmates’ telephone calls

The U.S. Department of Justice will continue studying the possibility of using AI to analyse inmates’ telephone conversations.

The technology is already used in prisons in Alabama, Georgia and New York. It transcribes conversations, analyses voice tone and detects certain words or phrases.

Proponents say the AI could protect inmates and help police investigations. Critics fear misinterpretation and racial bias.

NASA to teach Spot to explore Martian caves

NASA plans to use Boston Dynamics’ Spot to explore rock formations and caves on Mars.

The agency has equipped Spot with the NeBula AI system, which can perform scouting, study the surroundings and track movements.

To date, test robots are studying lava tubes in Northern California, as they resemble caves near the Martian Pavonis Mons. Scientists say that is where signs of life might be found, as the caverns can shield from cosmic radiation and extreme temperature fluctuations.

AI network finds Messi successor at Barcelona

Developers at Olosip created an AI network to find Lionel Messi’s successor among Barcelona players.

The AI analysed all of the club’s players and determined that the most promising candidate is Memphis Depay.

According to the system, last season the player could have scored 14–15 goals, excluding penalties, if he had been on the field consistently.

The runner-up was Sergio Agüero with the same goal-scoring probability.

Also on ForkLog:

• AI writes phishing emails more effectively than humans.
• Apple promised not to turn the illegal-content-detection algorithm into a surveillance tool.
• Twitter algorithms \”prefer\” young and slender women.
• OpenAI unveiled Codex for automatic code generation.
• An Israeli startup developed an affordable alternative to GPT-3.
• In Russia AI will be used to monitor \”death groups\” on social networks.

Subscribe to ForkLog’s Telegram news: ForkLog AI — all the AI news!