Personal Assistant Systems
AI classroom activity: Facial recognition
Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere in our daily lives โ search engines, social media, intelligent personal assistants such as Siri โ and today's schoolchildren are a generation who will grow up with these AI technologies. I have a one year old daughter; it is distinctly possible that she does not need to learn how to drive when she grows up because self-driving vehicles will be the norm. As a computer scientist who works in a medical research institute, I witness firsthand how AI is transforming the way we screen our three-billion-character genome to discover disease-causing mutations, and detect cardiovascular risks by analysing data from wearable fitness trackers. Like it or not, AI will be an integral part of our children's future. The term AI may sound scary, possibly due to association with killer robots in science fiction.
Facebook Gets Into The Online Dating Business
Equally interesting will be how Match Group responds to Facebook's move. The owner of a slew of dating apps including Match, Tinder and OkCupid, among others, Match Group is a leader when it comes to dating communities. But with more than 2 billion monthly users, Facebook could quickly become the leader in the dating market.
Facebook's smart speakers with 'M' assistant may launch overseas first amid US privacy concerns
Facebook's smart speakers may be hitting the shelves soon after all. The social media giant was set to release a pair of voice-activated smart speakers at its F8 developers conference this week, but ultimately delayed the launch in the wake of its massive privacy scandal. Now, Facebook is considering rolling out the devices internationally, before possibly bringing them stateside to the US, CNBC reported, citing sources familiar with the situation. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was expected to unveil a pair of smart speakers at the firm's 2018 F8 developers conference, but the firm put those plans on hold after its privacy scandal The devices would come with a smart assistant built in that's connected to Facebook's artificial intelligence technology called'M'. However, it seems that the firm ended its role as a text-based virtual assistant, and now may have plans for M to serve as the technology powering its voice-activated digital assistant.
Facebook Takes On Tinder, OkCupid With New Dating Service
Facebook has been in the midst of a massive privacy scandal following the revelation that user data was shared with Cambridge Analytica for several weeks now. Mark Zuckerberg's massive social network took a handful of steps to alleviate concerns since then, but during its F8 conference presentation Tuesday the company revealed a brand new way to infiltrate users' lives. Later this year, Facebook will roll out an entirely optional, opt-in dating service that will live within the main Facebook app, rather than making users download a separate tool. This will allow Facebook to compete with Tinder and OkCupid owner Match Group, whose stock fell after the announcement, according to The Verge. Product chief Chris Cox gave a brief, somewhat vague overview of how the dating features will work during the F8 show.
CNBC: Facebook's smart speaker could debut outside the US
According to rumors, Facebook decided that since it's mired in privacy controversies this year's F8 event might not be the best time to introduce an always-listening connected home device. Amazon has Alexa and Echo, Apple has Siri and HomePod, Microsoft pushes Cortana and Google has Assistant/Home. Now, with the opening keynote of F8 over and no smart speaker or video chat-ready "Portal" device mentioned, CNBC reports that the device is still in the works. It's apparently connected to remnants of the dearly-departed "M" chatbot technology but when it does appear there's a possibility it will launch first in international markets. An "M" powered AI assistant could even get a new name, like...Marvin, and use the translation features announced for Messenger today.
8 big changes coming to Facebook: Dating, Clear History, Instagram AR, and more
Facebook returned to its roots at the F8 developer conference on Monday, announcing several new features designed to connect its user base, rather than worry them about how much data it was slurping up. Several new features were announced, including Watch Party, Instagram video chat, and even a Facebook Dating app. Here's what you need to know. Note: On the hardware front, the Oculus Go standalone mobile VR headset is now available worldwide for $199 on Amazon. Facebook wants to establish a platform for "long-term relationships" by letting you find your next ex on its platform, Facebook execs told developers at F8.
Inside TickTock's Consumer Robot Product Explorations
This is a guest post. The views expressed here are solely those of the authors and do not represent positions of IEEE Spectrum or the IEEE. We started TickTock in March 2017, knowing that robotics was about to have a breakthrough, and it was going to start with mobility. Soohyun Bae and I both met at Google years earlier, and had worked on augmented reality products. Soohyun went on to Magic Leap, and I helped launch Project Tango, now called AR Core. We both knew that AR's push for mobile 3D mapping and scene understanding was causing a dramatic tech shift that would also benefit robotics.
Voice Technology and AI: Powering Patient Experience & Expectations
Understanding changes in patient experiences is an important facet towards enhancing patient engagement and centricity. It's clear that new digital devices and AI are changing the way that patients search for medical information on the internet, based on discussions at the recent PanAgora's Pharma Customer Experience Summit in New Jersey. Voice is the new digital experience. With the rise of novel Voice User Interface (VUI) household products, such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home and VUI integration in smart devices, Murray Izenwasser, VP of Digital Transformation and CMO of AAJ Technologies, discussed the big opportunity such devices offer to better connect patients with the biopharmaceutical industry. Izenwasser demonstrated that VUI device adoption has seen a faster market penetration rate compared to smart phones, TV, radio, and the Internet.
It's A Date: Facebook Enters Online Matchmaking
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivers the keynote address at F8, Facebook's developer conference Tuesday in San Jose, Calif. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivers the keynote address at F8, Facebook's developer conference Tuesday in San Jose, Calif. The world of online dating is about to get more crowded: Facebook announced on Tuesday plans to roll out its own matchmaking feature. The news sent shares of Match Group tumbling. Match is an online dating conglomerate, with ownership in Tinder, match.com
Facebook's New 'Dating' Feature Could Crush Apps Like Tinder
At F8, Facebook's annual developer conference, Mark Zuckerberg announced a new dating service, simply called "Dating," that will exist right within the social network's own app. It will allow Facebook users to create separate profiles from their main Facebook accounts to pursue romantic connections. The two profiles won't interact, meaning your Facebook friends won't be able to see what your Dating profile says. And it should make dating app incumbents like Tinder and Bumble anxious. To help keep the two versions of your Facebook self separate, your Dating profile will only use your first name, and your existing Facebook friends won't appear as potential matches. Dating will also have a dedicated inbox that, unlike Messenger, does not allow you to send photos or links.