Electronics

AI Learns To Outsmart Humans In Video Games – And Real Life in 2023

Published

1 year ago

2023-02-27

Driving around a French village in Gran Turismo, you might notice a Corvette trying to catch your slipstream.

Skilled players of PlayStation’s realistic racing game prefer to use the draft of an opponent’s racecar to speed up and overtake them.

But this Corvette driver isn’t being guided by a human — it’s GT Sophy, a powerful artificial intelligence agent created by Sony.

Gran Turismo players have been competing against computer-generated racecars since the franchise’s inception in the 1990s; the new AI driver released last week on Gran Turismo 7 is smarter and faster because it was trained using the most advanced AI methods.

“Gran Turismo had a built-in AI from the start, but it has a very narrow performance band and isn’t very good,” said Sony AI’s chief operating officer Michael Spranger. “It’s extremely predictable. It no longer entices you once you’ve reached a certain level.”

But now, he says, “this AI is going to fight back.”

When you visit an artificial intelligence laboratory at a university or a company like Sony, Google, Meta, Microsoft, or ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, it’s not uncommon to see AI agents like Sophy racing cars, slinging angry birds at pigs, fighting epic interstellar battles, or assisting human gamers in creating new Minecraft worlds – all part of the job description for computer systems trying to learn how to get smarter in games.

it’s not uncommon to see AI agents like Sophy racing cars

However, in some cases, they also attempt to learn how to become smarter in the real world. A University of Cambridge researcher who created an AI agent to control Pokémon characters argued in a January paper that it could “inspire all sorts of applications that require team management under conditions of extreme uncertainty, such as managing a team of doctors, robots, or employees in an ever-changing environment, such as a pandemic-stricken region or a war zone.”

While this may sound like a child arguing for three more hours of Pokémon Violet, game research has been used to advance AI research — and train computers to solve complex problems — since the mid-20th century.

Initially, AI was used to test winning strategy games such as checkers and chess. A new field of study now focuses on performing open-ended tasks in complex worlds and interacting with humans rather than just beating them.

“Reality is like a super-complicated game,” said Nicholas Sarantinos, who co-wrote the Pokémon paper and recently turned down a doctoral offer at Oxford University to launch an AI company to assist corporate workplaces in forming more collaborative teams.

Tarantino created an algorithm to analyze a team of six Pokémon in the web-based Pokémon Showdown battle simulator, predicting how they would perform based on all of the possible battle scenarios ahead of them and their comparative strengths and weaknesses.

That real humans behave very differently than fictional video game creatures,

Microsoft, which owns the popular Minecraft game franchise and the Xbox game system, has given AI agents tasks ranging from avoiding lava to chopping trees and building furnaces. Researchers hope that some of their discoveries will eventually play a role in real-world technology, such as how to program a home robot to do certain chores.

While it “goes without saying” that real humans behave very differently than fictional video game creatures, “the core ideas can still be used,” Tarantino says. “If you use psychological tests, you can use this information to determine how well they can collaborate.”

Amy Hoover, an assistant professor of informatics at the New Jersey Institute of Technology who developed algorithms for the digital card game Hearthstone, stated that “there is a reason for studying games,” but it is not always obvious.

“People don’t always get that the point is about the optimization method rather than the game,” she explained.

According to Vanessa Volz, an AI researcher at the Danish startup Modl.ai, which builds AI systems for game development, games also provide a useful testbed for AI, including some real-world robotics or healthcare applications that are safer to try in a virtual world.

“It can get overhyped,” she adds.

“It’s unlikely that there will be one big breakthrough, and everything will be shifted to the real world,” Volz predicted.

Sony launched its own AI research division in 2020

Sony launched its own AI research division in 2020 with entertainment in mind, but it has nonetheless attracted broader academic interest. Its research paper introducing Sophy was featured on the cover of the prestigious science journal Nature last year, with the journal stating that it could have implications for other applications such as drones and self-driving vehicles.

Sophy’s technology is based on an algorithmic method known as reinforcement learning, which trains the system by rewarding it when it gets something right as it runs thousands of virtual races.

“The reward will tell you that you’re making progress. ‘This is good,’ or ‘You’ve gone off the rails. “Well, that’s not good,” I say. Spranger explained.

At tournaments, the world’s best Gran Turismo players continue to finish ahead of Sophy, but average players will find it difficult to beat — and can adjust difficulty settings depending on how much they want to be challenged.

PlayStation players can only race against Sophy on a limited number of circuits until March 31, so it can gather feedback and return to testing. According to Peter Wurman, director of Sony AI America and project lead on GT Sophy, training AI agents on 20 PlayStations takes about two weeks.

“It will take some more breakthroughs and time before we’re ready,” he said.

And getting it onto real-world streets or Formula One track? That could take a long time.

Autonomous vehicle companies use similar machine-learning techniques, but “they don’t hand over complete control of the car the way we can,” Wurman said. “In a simulated world, no one’s life is in danger. You know exactly what you’re going to see in the environment. There are no cars on the road or anything like that.”

SOURCE – (AP)

Business

Nintendo To Announce Switch Successor In This Fiscal Year As Profits Rise

Published

2 days ago

2024-05-07

Kiara Grace

Tech insider - VOR News Image

TOKYO — Nintendo, a Japanese video game company, announced on Tuesday that it will provide details regarding a Switch home console replacement before March 2025.

Nintendo did not provide any information regarding the announcement when releasing its financial results, including if it will only announce its plans for the replacement product or debut it during this fiscal year.

“Within this fiscal year, we plan to reveal details on the Nintendo Switch successor. Nintendo Switch was first unveiled in March 2015. Thus, it will have been more than nine years since then, according to a statement from Shuntaro Furukawa, president of the business.

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Nintendo To Announce Switch Successor In This Fiscal Year As Profits Rise

The fiscal year that concluded in March saw a 13% increase in earnings for Kyoto-based Nintendo Co. This was due to strong demand for Switch titles such as “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.”

Nintendo increased its net profit from 432.7 billion yen to 490.6 billion yen ($3 billion) during the fiscal year that ended in March 2024. Sales increased 4% annually to 1.67 trillion yen ($11 billion), with almost 80% coming from outside of Japan.

Nintendo reports that in addition to “The Legend of Zelda,” which sold 20.6 million units worldwide during the fiscal year, “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” sold 13.4 million units, and “Pikmin 4” sold about 3.5 million units.

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Nintendo To Announce Switch Successor In This Fiscal Year As Profits Rise

The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s release a year ago also helped sales.

Additionally beneficial was the yen’s depreciation versus the dollar, which increases the value of Japanese exporters’ foreign earnings in yen, such as Nintendo. Over the last fiscal year, the U.S. dollar has averaged roughly 151 Japanese yen, up from 133 yen the year before.

Nintendo was less enthusiastic about its financial results for the fiscal year through March 2025, predicting net profit to drop to 300 billion yen ($1.9 billion). Nintendo did not provide quarterly data.

Nintendo has sold over 141 million Switch units, with 15.7 million of those sales occurring in the recently ended fiscal year.

Providing a consistent flow of entertaining games is essential because these sales tend to decrease steadily over time.

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Nintendo To Announce Switch Successor In This Fiscal Year As Profits Rise

This month, “Endless Ocean Luminous,” a virtual scuba diving experience that included whales, vibrant fish, and other aquatic species, went on sale. Next month, the plumber Mario’s sibling will appear in “Luigi’s Mansion 2,” which will go on sale.

Nintendo is also preparing a new movie for a global release in April 2026. It hopes to attract more fans to its property with the later this year debuts of Donkey Kong Country at Universal Studios Japan and a Nintendo museum in Kyoto.

SOURCE – (AP)

Business

US Seeks Information From Tesla On How It Developed And Verified Whether Autopilot Recall Worked

Published

2 days ago

2024-05-07

Kiara Grace

AP - VOR News Image

DETROIT — The company’s Autopilot semi-automatic driving technology is present in more than 2 million vehicles, and federal highway safety investigators want Tesla to explain how and why it developed the repair.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the United States has 20 crash reports after the recall remedy was distributed as an online software update in December, raising doubts about the recall’s effectiveness.

The question of whether Autopilot should be permitted to run on roadways other than limited access highways was also addressed by the recall update. Increased warnings to drivers on roads with intersections served as a remedy.

AP – VOR News

US Seeks Information From Tesla On How It Developed And Verified Whether Autopilot Recall Worked

However, investigators said they were unable to distinguish between alerts to drivers to pay attention sent before the recall and following the installation of the revised software in a letter to Tesla that was published on the agency’s website on Tuesday. The agency stated that it would assess the effectiveness of driver warnings, particularly in cases where a driver-monitoring camera is obscured.

The government focused on how Tesla employed human behavior to test the efficacy of the recall after receiving voluminous information on the company’s development of the patch.

The letter, according to Phil Koopman, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who specializes in automated driving safety, indicates that the recall was largely ineffective in resolving Autopilot issues and was instead an attempt to appease the NHTSA, which had requested the recall following more than two years of research.

Everyone watching can tell that Tesla attempted to take the least amount of action to see what they could get away with, according to Koopman. “And NHTSA needs to act quickly to prevent other automakers from releasing subpar solutions.”

Safety advocates have long feared that Autopilot was not intended for use on roads other than limited-access highways, despite the fact that it can keep a vehicle in its lane and at a safe distance from objects in front of it.

The NHTSA is reacting to lawmakers’ criticism for what they see as a lack of action on autonomous vehicles, according to Missy Cummings, a professor of engineering and computing at George Mason University and expert on automated vehicles.

“The feedback loop is functioning, despite how clumsy our government is,” Cummings stated. “I believe the leadership of the NHTSA is now persuaded that this is an issue.”

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US Seeks Information From Tesla On How It Developed And Verified Whether Autopilot Recall Worked

In an 18-page letter, the NHTSA questions Tesla on how it applied human behavior science to Autopilot’s development and how important it is to include human factors.

Additionally, it requests that Tesla list all positions involving the assessment of human behavior along with the credentials of the employees. Additionally, it queries Tesla on the status of the positions.

The Associated Press contacted Tesla early on Tuesday to inquire about the letter.

Tesla is firing about 14,000 employees, or 10% of the company, as part of a cost-cutting measure to address declining worldwide sales.

Cummings expressed her suspicion that Elon Musk, the CEO, would have fired anyone who possessed knowledge of human behavior, a critical ability required to implement partially automated systems like Autopilot, which are incapable of operating on their own and necessitate human intervention at all times.

“You better have someone on your team that knows what they are doing in that sector if you’re going to have a technology that depends upon human interaction,” she stated.

According to Cummings, her research indicates that the human brain is left with limited functions once a driving system takes over human steering. Many drivers tend to check out and rely too much on the system.

She stated, “You can be a million miles away in your head, you can have your eyes on the road, and you can have your head fixed in one position.” “You won’t be made to pay attention by all the driver monitoring technologies in the world.”

The NHTSA also requests information from Tesla in its letter regarding how the recall remedy resolves driver misunderstanding regarding whether Autopilot has been turned off if they apply force to the steering wheel. In the past, drivers might not have realized immediately that they needed to take control of the vehicle if Autopilot had been disabled.

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US Seeks Information From Tesla On How It Developed And Verified Whether Autopilot Recall Worked

A feature that provides a “more pronounced slowdown” to notify drivers when Autopilot has been turned off was added to the recall. However, drivers must manually activate the function; it is not done automatically by the recall remedy. Investigators questioned how many motorists have made that move.

Telsa is requesting NHTSA. “What do you mean that even though you have a cure, it never turns on?” stated Koopman.

According to him, the letter indicates that the NHTSA is investigating whether Tesla conducted tests to ensure the changes were effective. “After examining the solution, I found it difficult to accept that numerous analyses have demonstrated that these will enhance safety,” Koopman stated.

According to the agency, Tesla also released safety improvements following the recall patch to lessen hydroplaning-related crashes and collisions in high-speed turn lanes. The NHTSA declared that it would investigate Tesla’s decision to omit the changes from the initial recall.

According to safety experts, NHTSA may pursue additional recall remedies, impose restrictions on the Autopilot operating range, or even order Tesla to disable the technology until it is corrected.

In 2021, the NHTSA launched its Autopilot investigation in response to 11 instances of Teslas hitting parked emergency vehicles while operating on Autopilot. The NHTSA stated in documents outlining the reasons for the investigation’s termination owing to the recall that it eventually discovered 467 Autopilot-related collisions that resulted in 54 injuries and 14 fatalities.

SOURCE – (AP)

Business

Microsoft Will Invest $2.2 Billion In Cloud And AI Services In Malaysia

Published

1 week ago

2024-05-02

Kiara Grace

The Hill - VOR News Image

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced Thursday that the company will invest $2.2 billion over the next four years in Malaysia’s new cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure, as well as cooperate with the government to develop a national AI center.

It is Microsoft’s single greatest investment in Malaysia as the tech giant looks to increase support for AI development in the region and worldwide.

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Microsoft Will Invest $2.2 Billion In Cloud And AI Services In Malaysia

“We are committed to supporting Malaysia’s AI transformation and ensuring it benefits all Malaysians,” the prime minister added. Our investments in digital infrastructure and skilling will help Malaysian businesses, communities, and developers apply the latest technology to drive inclusive economic growth and innovation across the country.”

During a visit to Indonesia on Tuesday as part of his Southeast Asia tour, Nadella announced a $1.7 billion investment in cloud and AI services. On Wednesday, he announced that Microsoft would establish its first regional data center in Thailand.

In April, the IT behemoth announced a $2.9 billion investment in Japan and a $1.5 billion investment in Abu Dhabi-based AI business G42.

Microsoft promised to deliver AI training to 2.5 million people in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam by 2025.

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Microsoft Will Invest $2.2 Billion In Cloud And AI Services In Malaysia

Nadella previously met with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who stated that the investment will be a critical support pillar for the government’s goal of increasing AI capabilities in Malaysia.

Anwar announced on Facebook that the new investment will involve:

AI training for another 300,000 individuals.
The construction of a national AI center of excellence.
The dancing the nation’s cybersecurity capabilities and ass.

Assistance with with Malaysia’s developer community.

Microsoft operates one of the world’s largest cloud computing operations and has ventured into artificial intelligence through its cooperation with OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT.Since then, Microsoft has added an AI assistant called Copilot to its Microsoft Edge browser, which helped it increase revenues by 20% in the first quarter.

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Microsoft Will Invest $2.2 Billion In Cloud And AI Services In Malaysia

Microsoft sees Southeast Asia, a population of over 600 million people, as a developing market and a possible place for further AI product development. According to a study by multinational consulting firm Kearney, artificial intelligence might add over $1 trillion to Southeast Asia’s GDP by 2030. Indonesia is anticipated to receive $366 billion, followed by Malaysia with $115 billion.

Microsoft stated that the investment in Malaysia will supplement its 2021 agenda to promote equitable economic growth. It stated that the proposed national AI center will accelerate AI deployment in major businesses and the public sector while assuring AI governance and regulatory compliance.

“Together with Microsoft, we look forward to creating more opportunities for our (small and medium-sized enterprises) and better paying jobs for our people as we ride the AI revolution to fast-track Malaysia’s digitally empowered growth journey,” Zafrul Aziz, trade minister of Malaysia

SOURCE – (AP)