In this work, we attempt to answer a critical question: whether there exists some input sequence that will cause a well-trained discrete-space neural network sequence-to-sequence (seq2seq) model to generate egregious outputs (aggressive, malicious, attacking, etc.). And if such inputs exist, how to find them efficiently. We adopt an empirical methodology, in which we first create lists of egregious output sequences, and then design a discrete optimization algorithm to find input sequences that will cause the model to generate them. Moreover, the optimization algorithm is enhanced for large vocabulary search and constrained to search for input sequences that are likely to be input by real-world users. In our experiments, we apply this approach to dialogue response generation models trained on three real-world dialogue data-sets: Ubuntu, Switchboard and OpenSubtitles, testing whether the model can generate malicious responses. We demonstrate that given the trigger inputs our algorithm finds, a significant number of malicious sentences are assigned large probability by the model, which reveals an undesirable consequence of standard seq2seq training. Recently, research on adversarial attacks (Goodfellow et al., 2014; Szegedy et al., 2013) has been gaining increasing attention: it has been found that for trained deep neural networks (DNNs), when an imperceptible perturbation is applied to the input, the output of the model can change significantly (from correct to incorrect). This line of research has serious implications for our understanding of deep learning models and how we can apply them securely in real-world applications. It has also motivated researchers to design new models or training procedures (Madry et al., 2017), to make the model more robust to those attacks.

Kai-Fu Lee, a prominent investor and entrepreneur based in Beijing, has been talking up China's artificial intelligence potential for a while. Now he's got a message for the United States. The real threat to American preeminence in AI isn't China's rise, he says--it's the US government's complacency. Lee is well placed to understand the issue, even if he isn't altogether unbiased. He worked on machine learning at Carnegie Mellon University during the 1980s, led Microsoft's research lab in China in the 1990s, and then spearheaded Google's venture into China in the 2000s.

A Japanese robot that can pick up and drill in a drywall all by itself could provide a glimpse into the future of construction. The smart robot, HRP-5P, uses object detection and motion planning to perform its construction tasks – albeit very slowly. It can use small hooks to grab the board, carry it across the room and then drill it in the desired spot. Robotics are common in manufacturing sites, such as auto plants, but those machines are stationery and carrying out the same task over and over, often in sterile and enclosed environments. Robots used in construction sites have to move around.

A Qatar-based sports TV network is seeking $1 billion in damages from Saudi Arabia for the kingdom's alleged involvement in the "most widespread piracy of sports broadcasting that the world has ever seen." BeIN Corporation claims that the pirate network beoutQ has received State support in order to grow into an advanced piracy operation that serves content to potentially millions of viewers through illegal set-top boxes. Global sporting events have been broadcast through the beoutQ network – including the 2018 Fifa World Cup, the Formula One World Championship and the Premier League – after the pirate nework hijacked the feeds of legitimate broadcasters. "Piracy is a major problem facing the sports and broadcasting industries. By supporting beoutQ's widespread and notorious infringement of the intellectual property rights of beIN and its partners, Saudi Arabia is setting a dangerous new precedent," said David Roney, a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP who is leading the arbitration on behalf of beIN.

The tech industry has a diversity problem, that's nothing new. However, this diversity problem has damaging implications for the future of artificial intelligence development, argues World Economic Forum AI and machine learning head Kay Firth-Butterfield. Speaking at an event in Tianjin, China, Firth-Butterfield flagged the issue of bias within AI algorithms, calling on the need to make the industry "much more diverse" in the West. "There have been some obvious problems with AI algorithms," she told CNBC, mentioning a case that occurred in 2015, when Google's image-recognition software labelled a black man and his friend as'gorillas'. According to a report published earlier this year by Wired, Google has yet to properly fix this issue – opting instead to simply block search terms for primates.

The intersection of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to transform advanced manufacturing, so it's not surprising that robotics was a major theme of GTC Japan 2018. NVIDIA's 10th annual GPU technology conference in the country focused on addressing the rapidly growing AI needs of Japan's manufacturing leaders. Where GTC 2018 Silicon Valley focused on training performance, this conference also emphasized technologies to deliver the inferencing performance necessary for autonomous robots and vehicles. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang announced a range of new products including NVIDIA AGX embedded AI computers for autonomous machines and the NVIDIA Tensor T4 GPU and TensorRT software for inferencing. Attendance and interest in the show has grown steadily every year.

Repairs on a high-voltage, electrical substation require years of experience and a steady hand. Could VR make the entire process much safer and easier? Using artificial intelligence in healthcare may seem counterintuitive if you have access to good human doctors. But even then, perhaps AI can help. The Chinese government believes that it can become the top tech nation in the world sooner rather than later. Some milestones have already been met with more in sight as China looks to surpass the US, Japan and Korea.

Asia-based accelerator program Zeroth is getting a major infusion of capital after digital media company Animoca Brands agreed to invest over $3 million into its businesses. Animoca is listed on the ASX with a market cap of around $40 million. It is best known for its range of mobile games which include the Doraemon and Garfield brands but it has been pushing to broaden its focus into artificial intelligence, blockchain and more. The relationship is not new. Animoca previously invested US$1 million (A$1.39 million) in Hong Kong-based Zeroth last December, and now it is following up to take a majority stake in Zeroth's operational business and also joining its fund as an LP. According to an announcement, Animoca is paying up to US$1.08 million (A$1.5 million) for a 67 percent share of Venture Classic Limited -- Zeroth's operational business -- in addition to a $2 million commitment to Zeroth's fund, which it will join as an LP.

A senior Google research scientist has quit the company in protest over its plan to launch a censored version of its search engine in China. Jack Poulson worked for Google's research and machine intelligence department, where he was focused on improving the accuracy of the company's search systems. In early August, Poulson raised concerns with his managers at Google after The Intercept revealed that the internet giant was secretly developing a Chinese search app for Android devices. The search system, code-named Dragonfly, was designed to remove content that China's authoritarian government views as sensitive, such as information about political dissidents, free speech, democracy, human rights, and peaceful protest. After entering into discussions with his bosses, Poulson decided in mid-August that he could no longer work for Google.

OSAKA – Sharp Corp. has completed its acquisition of Toshiba Corp.'s personal computer business, marking a return to the PC business after pulling out eight years ago. Aiming to nurture the PC operation as a new revenue source, Sharp will take over Toshiba's high-profile Dynabook brand and adopt the business reconstruction methods of its Taiwanese parent, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Based on an agreement in June, Sharp acquired an 80.1 percent stake in Toshiba Client Solutions Co., a fully owned PC unit of Toshiba, for about ¥4 billion. Yoshihisa Ishida, executive vice president of Sharp, took up the post as chairman of Toshiba Client on Monday, the day the acquisition was completed. Until 2000, Toshiba held the largest share of the laptop market.