Goto

Collaborating Authors

 Asia



Generating Large Images from Latent Vectors - Part Two

#artificialintelligence

In a previous post, we've looked at a generative algorithm that can produce images of digits at arbitrary high resolutions, while training on on a set of low resolution images, such as MNIST or CIFAR-10. This post explores several changes to the previous model to produce more interesting results. Specifically, we removed the use of pixel-by-pixel reconstruction loss in the Variation Autoencoder. The discriminator network used to detect fake images is replaced by a classifier network. The generator network used previously had been a relatively large network consisting of 4 layers of 128 fully connected nodes, and we explore replacing this network with a much deeper network of 96 layers, but only with only 6 nodes in each layer.


Montreal knowledge-sharing platform Botler aimed at helping recent immigrants - Cantech Letter

#artificialintelligence

A Montreal-based platform for sharing information aimed at incoming immigrants called Botler has been launched, developed by recent immigrants to Canada to help facilitate the process for new arrivals to help set up new lives. The platform is referred to as a "next generation" communications tool, using artificial intelligence and machine learning to facilitate group discussion in a hyper-organized and well-designed format. "This idea was born within a community of smart and highly skilled people who dream of a better life. They're willing to take big risks, give up everything and start over," said Botler's founder, Amir Moravej. "Still, so many prospective immigrants are using outdated, poorly designed messaging boards to ask and answer questions about the immigration process."


Microsoft's 'Smart Mirror' Can Read Your Emotions

Huffington Post - Tech news and opinion

Microsoft unveiled a smart mirror at a technology conference held in Singapore last month that allows users to view both their reflections and relevant information like the time, weather and traffic directions. Microsoft's Magic Mirror is a one-way mirror with a 23.6-inch LCD-lit screen behind it that displays white UI elements on a dark background. The device runs on a Raspberry Pi 3 microcomputer and uses Windows Hello technology to conduct facial recognition. The Magic Mirror's facial recognition system can recognize eight different emotions, including anger, happiness and surprise. Microsoft's Cognitive Services Face API matches a person's face to their profile, and allows the mirror to display information relevant to that person's mood.


Donald Trump gets crash course in policy to face off against Hillary Clinton

Los Angeles Times

Far from the packed arenas and showy lights of the campaign trail, the education of Donald Trump has quietly begun. The unlikely Republican presidential candidate who rose to popularity as a political outsider is now preparing for a general election battle against one of the most experienced policy professionals ever to run for president, presuming Hillary Clinton becomes the Democratic nominee. So as Trump's team begins to ready the candidate for the fall debates and drafts a series of speeches, including one on the U.S. economy, the New York businessman with no elected experience is cramming to get up to speed, consulting experts, asking questions and refining his ideas in anticipation of certain assault by Democrats. The crash courses in foreign and domestic policy are a rite of passage for virtually every presidential candidate. But they carry even greater importance for Trump, who has mocked the Washington establishment as overcomplicating problems and won over many voters with simple ideas that often lack details: build a wall to stop illegal immigration, defeat Islamic State, bring back jobs, make America great again. The campaign has tapped many of the usual sources to school the candidate.


Uber planning to bring Deliveroo competitor UberEATs food delivery service to UK

The Independent - Tech

Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae -- or dark patches -- on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" display


Microsoft Is Not Making A Self-Driving Car But Wants To Enable Others To Build Autonomous Vehicles

International Business Times

It seems like every week there are reports about another tech company working on autonomous cars or hinting they might be doing so, which is why it is so refreshing to hear Microsoft categorically ruling itself out of the race. While companies like Ford, Toyota and General Motors are all working hard to build their own driverless car technology, they are facing competition not only from the traditional car industry but from the tech industry too. Google, Tesla and Faraday Future are all looking to disrupt the car industry with Apple widely expected to join them in the coming years. Microsoft, however, won't be competing on this level. "We won't be building our own autonomous vehicle," Peggy Johnson, who heads business development for Microsoft, said at the Wall Street Journal's Convergence conference in Hong Kong on Friday -- though she added "we would like to enable autonomous vehicles and assisted driving as well." Johnson spoke about the ability to use Cortana, Microsoft's voice-activated personal assistant, which is available on its desktop and mobile software, in the car, besides leveraging products like the company's Azure cloud computing network, Office 365 suite of apps as well as Windows to improve passengers' experiences.


The Way We Interact With Technology Is About to Change Fundamentally

TIME - Tech

For as long as computers have been part of our lives, we have interacted with them through touch. We're used to pecking keys, swiping trackpads, and tapping touchscreens to tell a computer we want to open a certain app or visit a specific website. But it is quickly becoming clear we are entering a new phase of digital interaction as technology giants Amazon, Apple, and Google bet on voice-based systems. Mary Meeker, a general partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, dedicated an important portion of her annual presentation on the state of the Web to the rise of voice search. To be sure, the technology has existed for decades and been prevalent for several years.


Video Blog: Machine Learning for dummies

#artificialintelligence

Ecommerce companies have seen a slower quarter. According to Business Today, investors in India have turned cautious about placing big bets on ecommerce start-ups and the party is clearly over. The total VC money invested and the numbers of deals have dropped from a peak of 43 deals worth 831 million in March 2015 to just 24 transactions worth 112 million (Rs 730 crore) in less than a year according to Economic Times. In a similar state, brands from leading ecommerce markets like SEA and the Middle-East are looking at tighter marketing budgets and greater value for their mobile ad spends (the focus is on metrics like In-App user engagement and conversions).


Machine Learning Applied Scientist at Microsoft India (R&D) - Machine Learning

#artificialintelligence

Bing is all about data and using it to deliver the highest quality search experience -- our mission is to empower people with knowledge. Fostered by the unprecedented availability of web data and accelerated by the recent advances in deep learning, we are now at a pivotal moment in which huge amounts of both structured and unstructured data can be mined from the web to allow search engines to connect users directly with the information they need. Our ultimate goal is to fulfill any information need on the spot, whether on a desktop or mobile device. We see the web as the most comprehensive database for powering a multitude of services across all Microsoft products, from Bing to Excel to Skype, not to mention Cortana -- all of them need data. Join our team and help us to build the next generation of applications.