Computing
- Artificial Intelligence
AI can learn real-world skills from playing StarCraft and Minecraft
By playing StarCraft and Minecraft, artificial intelligence is learning how to collaborate and adapt.
- Science & Society
Facebook data show how many people left Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria
Conventional surveys can’t track migration after natural disasters in real time. But Facebook data may provide a crude estimate of those who flee.
By Sujata Gupta - Math
Mathematicians may have found the fastest way to multiply huge numbers
A new theoretical method for multiplying enormous figures appears to achieve a speed first predicted decades ago.
- Earth
A new algorithm could help protect planes from damaging volcanic ash
A computer program that tracks the temperature and height of clouds in the atmosphere could keep planes away from volcanic ash.
- Computing
Virtual avatars learned cartwheels and other stunts from videos of people
A new computer system that lets animated characters learn acrobatic skills from videos could be a cheaper alternative to traditional motion capture.
- Computing
A new computer program generates eerily realistic fake videos
It’s getting harder to tell fact from fiction — even on camera.
- Computing
Solving problems by computer just got a lot faster
A new computer program sifts through all possible solutions to find the best answer to a given problem far faster than other algorithms.
- Math
‘Weird Math’ aims to connect numbers and equations to the real world
The book Weird Math attempts to make chaos theory, higher dimensions and other concepts more relatable.
By Diana Steele - Computing
Are computers better than people at predicting who will commit another crime?
If crime-predicting computer programs aren’t any more accurate than human guesswork, do they still have a place in the criminal justice system?
- Artificial Intelligence
‘Machines That Think’ predicts the future of artificial intelligence
In a new book, an artificial intelligence expert explores AI’s past, present and future.
- Computing
Your phone is like a spy in your pocket
Smartphones’ powers of perception make them more user-friendly and efficient. But they also open new opportunities for privacy invasions.
- Artificial Intelligence
Ask AI: How not to kill online conversations
Tips on not being a conversation-killer, courtesy of an AI that studied over 60,000 Reddit threads.