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Jitendra Malik, a professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at UC Berkeley, gave a lecture on March 20 called, The sensorimotor road to artificial intelligence. (Screenshot from video by Berkeley Audio Visual)

In Berkeley Talks episode 164, Jitendra Malik, a professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at UC Berkeley, gives the 2023 Martin Meyerson Berkeley Faculty Research Lecture called, The sensorimotor road to artificial intelligence.

Its my pleasure to talk on this very, very hot topic today, Malik begins. But Im going to talk about natural intelligence first because we cant talk about artificial intelligence without knowing something about the natural variety.

We could talk about intelligence as having started about 550 million years ago in the Cambrian era, when we had our first multicellular animals that could move about, he continues. So, these were the first animals that could move, and that gave them an advantage because they could find food in different places. But if you want to move and find food in different places, you need to perceive, you need to know where to go to, which means that you need to have some kind of a vision system or a perception system. And thats why we have this slogan, which is from Gibson, We see in order to move and we move in order to see.

For a robot to have the ability to navigate specific terrain, like stepping stones or stairs, Malik says, it needs some kind of vision system.

But how do we train the vision system? he asks. We wanted it to learn in the wild. So, here was our intuition: If you think of a robot on stairs, its proprioception, its senses, its joint angles can let it compute the depth of its left leg and right leg and so on. It has that geometry from its joint angles, from its internal state. So, can we use it for training? The idea was the proprioception predicts the depth of every leg and the vision system gets an image. What we asked the vision system to do is to predict what the depth will be 1.5 seconds later.

That was the idea that you just shift what signal it will know 1.5 seconds later and use that to do this advanced prediction. So, we have this robot, which is learning day by day. In the first day, its clumsy. The second day, it goes up further. And then, finally, on the third day, you will see that it makes it all the way.

Maliks lecture, which took place on March 20, was the first in a series of public lectures at Berkeley this spring by the worlds leading experts on artificial intelligence. Other speakers in the series will include Berkeley Ph.D. recipient John Schulman, a co-founder of OpenAI and the primary architect of ChatGPT; a professor emeritus at MIT and a leading expert in robotics, and four other leading Berkeley AI faculty members who will discuss recent advances in the fields of computer vision, machine learning and robotics.

Watch a video of Maliks lecture below.

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Berkeley Talks: Jitendra Malik on the sensorimotor road to artificial ... - UC Berkeley

UPDATED with WGA response.

The Writers Guild of America has proposed allowing artificial intelligence to write scripts, as long as it does not affect writers credits or residuals.

The guild had previously indicated that it would propose regulating the use of AI in the writing process, which has recently surfaced as a concern for writers who fear losing out on jobs.

But contrary to some expectations, the guild is not proposing an outright ban on the use of AI technology.

Instead, the proposal would allow a writer to use ChatGPT to help write a script without having to share writing credit or divide residuals. Or, a studio executive could hand the writer an AI-generated script to rewrite or polish and the writer would still be considered the first writer on the project.

In effect, the proposal would treat AI as a tool like Final Draft or a pencil rather than as a writer. It appears to be intended to allow writers to benefit from the technology without getting dragged into credit arbitrations with software manufacturers.

The proposal does not address the scenario in which an AI program writes a script entirely on its own, without help from a person.

The guilds proposal was discussed in the first bargaining session on Monday with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Three sources confirmed the proposal.

Its not yet clear whether the AMPTP, which represents the studios, will be receptive to the idea.

The WGA proposal states simply that AI-generated material will not be considered literary material or source material.

Those terms are key for assigning writing credits, which in turn have a big impact on residual compensation.

Literary material is a fundamental term in the WGAs minimum basic agreement it is what a writer produces (including stories, treatments, screenplays, dialogue, sketches, etc.). If an AI program cannot produce literary material, then it cannot be considered a writer on a project.

Source material refers to things like novels, plays and magazine articles, on which a screenplay may be based. If a screenplay is based on source material, then it is not considered an original screenplay. The writer may also get only a screenplay by credit, rather than a written by credit.

A written by credit entitles the writer to the full residual for the project, while a screenplay by credit gets 75%.

By declaring that ChatGPT cannot write source material, the guild would be saying that a writer could adapt an AI-written short story and still get full written by credit.

Such scenarios may seem farfetched. But technological advances can present some of the thorniest issues in bargaining, as neither side wants to concede some advantage that may become more consequential in future years.

AI could also be used to help write questions on Jeopardy! or other quiz and audience participation shows.

SAG-AFTRA has also raised concerns about the effects of AI on performers, notably around losing control of their image, voice and likeness.

The WGA is set to continue bargaining for the next two weeks before reporting back to members on next steps and a potential strike. The contract expires on May 1.

The WGA did not respond to requests for comment. On Wednesday, the guild issued a series of tweets on its AI proposal:

The first tweet sums up the intent of the proposal, which is to regulate AI in such a way to preserve writers working standards. The subsequent tweets, however, differ from the language of the proposal.

The entirety of WGA proposal reads: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES: Provide that written material produced by artificial intelligence programs and similar technologies will not be considered source material or literary material on any MBA-covered project.

The guilds tweets say something else, referring to how AI material is used rather than how it is considered. The tweets say that AI material cannot be used as source material and that AI cannot generate covered literary material. The proposal states only that AI material if used will not be considered as literary or source material.

Those definitions are key to determining credit and residual compensation in the guild contract. By excluding AI material from those definitions, the guild proposal would protect writers from losing a share of credit or residuals due to the use of AI software.

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WGA Would Allow Artificial Intelligence in Scriptwriting, as Long as Writers Maintain Credit - Variety

Business owners want to keep their employees safe while on the job. Despite their best efforts, they may not be able to see a workplace hazard even if its right in front of them.

Nationwide, Swiss Re Reinsurance Solutions and CompScience understand the role that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can play in helping business owners find those safety blind spots. Theyre teaming up to make CompSciences Intelligent Safety Platform available to more business owners and prevent workplace injuries.

CompSciences technology detects previously unreported workplace risks by analyzing existing workplace videos to identify and stop an accident before it happens. CompSciences computer vision models can detect more than 50 behavioral and environmental hazards. The technology has reduced their customers workers compensation claims by as much as 23%.

Nationwide looked at two years of actuarial data and saw that the technology shows promise. We found that the CompScience computer vision models, data science, and reporting tools could help potentially save lives and reduce costs, said John Lopes, SVP of Nationwide Product Expansion.This platform provides truly actionable insights into workplace risks.

We are pleased to be partnering with Nationwide and Swiss Re so that we can bring the disruptive power of computer vision and data science to help reduce losses on Workers Comp policies," explained Josh Butler, Founder and CEO, CompScience.

In this new partnership, CompScience will act as a managing general agent (MGA). Nationwide will underwrite, bind and service the workers compensation policies and Swiss Re will provide data analytics and reinsurance capacity.

"Both Nationwide and Swiss Re recognize that insurance products are ripe for innovation and we are ready to go to market now that weve proven the impact of our approach. We work tirelessly to eliminate workplace hazards and accidents so that everyone can go home safely each day, said Jacob Geyer, Chief Insurance Officer, CompScience.

"We're delighted to be part of a project that helps make workplaces safer and reduces the financial cost of insurance protection," said Sebastien Bert, Head Strategic Partnerships US,Swiss ReReinsurance Solutions. Our predictive risk models enable benchmarking against the market, monitors portfolio trends, and allows CompScience to quantify the value of its risk mitigating technology.

Link:
Artificial Intelligence Preventing Workplace Accidents Before They ... - Nationwide Newsroom

Professor Mrs. Rita Akosua Dickson Vice-Chancellor KNUST

Professor Mrs. Rita Akosua Dickson, Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) says it is imperative that Africa takes the investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology and its responsible use seriously.

AI holds much promise and is seen as a game changer in transforming the digital economy.

Therefore, institutions of higher learning in the sub-Region should focus on programmes that are directed at equipping the next generation with the requisite tools to lead the digital revolution, the Vice-Chancellor advised.

Prof. Mrs. Dickson was addressing a conference dubbed: Responsible AI and Ethics A Panacea to Digital Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa, held at the Great Hall, Kumasi.

The programme was held under the auspices of the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Lab (RAIL), KNUST, and the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Network (RAIN) Africa, which seeks to promote the responsible adaptation and use of AI in sub-Saharan Africa.

It discussed topics ranging from AI in Healthcare, AI and Human Rights, and AI Applications to the Role of Afrocentric Datasets in Promoting Responsible AI in Africa.

There were also presentations on the normative issues of AI from a business and human rights perspective, AI ethics and machine learning for identifying teenage patients at risk of gestation hypertension.

The role of Afrocentric datasets in promoting responsible AI in Africa, as well as AI ethics in finance were also looked at.

The two-day Conference comes in the wake of the varied challenges confronting the continent in developing AI such as a dearth of investment, a paucity of specialised talent and lack of access to the latest global research.

Researchers argue that these hurdles are being whittled down, albeit slowly, thanks to African ingenuity and to investments by multinational companies such as IBM Research, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, which have all opened AI labs in Africa.

Innovative forms of trans-continental collaboration such as Deep Learning Indaba (a Zulu word for gathering), which is fostering a community of AI researchers in Africa, and Zindi, a platform that challenges African data scientists to solve the continents toughest challenges, are gaining ground.

This is buoyed by the recent influx of several globally-trained African experts in AI.

Digital development tools are the key enablers to drive economic transformation, Prof. Dickson stated, stressing the need for AI solutions to be developed and deployed responsibly.

The rights and privileges of the human person must not be trampled upon in deploying AI solutions, the Vice-Chancellor cautioned, adding that datasets based on which models were trained should not be biased.

Prof. Kwabena Biritwum Nyarko, Provost of the College of Engineering, KNUST, said the theme for the conference was relevant and timely, because AI was transforming the way we live and work and we are only beginning to scratch the surface of the potential of AI.

According to the Provost, AI was making significant strides in various fields and expected to transform many industries in the coming years.

Due to that, the challenges of AI in data privacy, bias and ethical concerns must be addressed, he said.

He said the College of Engineering was committed to ensuring the success of the RAIN and RAIL activities, noting that that was clearly demonstrated by the KNUST College of Engineering hosting the first RAIL and RAIN Conference.

Prof. Jerry John Kponyo, Principal Investigator and Scientific Director, RAIL and RAIN Cofounder, RAIN Africa, said the RAIL and RAIN Conference was the fruit of five years of collaboration between the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering KNUST, and the Institute of Ethics in Artificial Intelligence (IEAI), Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany.

Like the biblical mustard seed, what began as a collaboration between two institutions to serve as a voice of advocacy for the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence has grown to become a robust network of at least thirteen universities and organizations in the sub-Region, he said.

Through the experience drawn from working in RAIN, the KNUST team, through funding from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), set up a Responsible Artificial Intelligence Lab (RAIL) to serve as a vehicle for building capacity in the responsible use of AI in the sub-Region, Prof. Kponyo said.

According to him, RAIL had satellite labs in Senegal and Cape Verde and supporting labs in Germany.

Source: GNA

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Artificial Intelligence vital in transforming Africas digital economy ... - Ghana Business News

Andrea Jalandoni knows all too well the challenges of archaeological work. As a senior research fellow at the Center for Social and Cultural Research at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, Jalandoni has dodged crocodiles, scaled limestone cliffs and sailed traditional canoes in shark-infested waters, all to study significant sites in the Pacific, Southeast Asia and Australia. One of her biggest challenges is a modern one: analysing the exponential amounts of raw data, such as photos and tracings, collected at the sites.

Manual identification takes too much time, money and specialist knowledge, Jalandoni says. She set her trowel down years ago in favour of more advanced technologies. Her toolkit now includes multiple drones and advanced imaging techniques to record sites and discover things not apparent to the naked eye. But to make sense of all the data, she needed to make use of one more cutting-edge tool: artificial intelligence (AI).

Jalandoni teamed up with Nayyar Zaidi, senior lecturer in computer science at Deakin University in Victoria, Australia. Together they tested machine learning, a subset of AI, to automate image detection to aid in rock art research. Jalandoni used a dataset of photos from the Kakadu National Park in Australias Northern Territory and worked closely with the regions First Nations elders. Some findings from this research were published last August by the Journal of Archaeological Science.

Kakadu National Park, a Unesco world heritage site, contains some of the most well-known examples of painted rock art. The works are created from pigments made of iron-stained clays and iron-rich ores that were mixed with water and applied using tools made of human hair, reeds, feathers and chewed sticks. Some of the paintings in this region date back 20,000 years, making them among the oldest art in recorded history. Despite its world-renowned status for rock art, only a fraction of the works in the park have been studied.

For First Nations people, rock art is an essential aspect of contemporary Indigenous cultures that connects them directly to ancestors and ancestral beings, cultural stories and landscapes, Jalandoni says. Rock art is not just data, it is part of Indigenous heritage and contributes to Indigenous wellbeing.

An example of artificial intelligence extracting a figure from a rock art photo Courtesy Andrea Jalandoni

For the AI study, the researchers tested a machine learning model to detect rock art from hundreds of photos, some of which showed painted rock art images and others with bare rock surfaces. The system found the art with a high degree of accuracy of 89%, suggesting it may be invaluable for assessing large collections of images from heritage sites around the world.

Image detection is just the beginning. The potential to automate many steps in rock art research, coupled with more sophisticated analysis, will speed up the pace of discovery, Jalandoni says. Trained systems are expected to be able to classify images, extract motifs and find relationships among the different elements. All this will lead to deeper knowledge and understanding of the images, stories and traditions of the past.

Eventually, AI systems may be able to be trained on more complex tasks such as identifying the works of individual artists or virtually restoring lost or degraded works.

This is important because time is of the essence for many ancient forms of art and storytelling. In areas where numerous rock art sites exist, much of it is often unidentified, unrecorded and unresearched, Jalandoni says. And with climate change, extreme weather events, natural disasters, encroaching development and human mismanagement, this inherently finite form of art and culture will continue to become more vulnerable and more rare.

Jannie Loubser, a rock art specialist and a cultural resource management archaeologist from conservation group Stratum Unlimited, sees another important use for AI in conservation and preservation. Trained systems will help monitor imperceptible changes to surfaces or conditions at rock art sites. But, he adds, ground truthingstanding face-to-face with the workwill always be important for understanding a site.

Jalandoni concurs that there is nothing like the in-person study of works created by artists thousands or tens of thousands of years ago and trying to understand and acknowledge the story being told. But she sees great potential in combining her new and old tools to explore and document difficult-to-reach sites.

Martin Puchner, author of Culture: The Story of Us, From Cave Art to K-Pop (2023), sees a poetic resonance in the use of AI, the most contemporary of tools, to reveal the past.

Even as we are moving into the future we are also discovering more about the past, sometimes through accidents when someone discovers the cave, but also, of course, through new technologies, Puchner says.

Link:
Artificial intelligence is helping researchers identify and analyse ... - Art Newspaper