Last Week in AI #176: Drones beat human pilots in first fair race, better call quality with AI, how artists view AI-generated art, and more!

A year ago researchers from the University of Zurich showcased their autonomous drones that were able to beat the fastest human pilots. However, that race wasn't "fair" in the sense that the AI algorithm commanding the drones had extra information that human pilots didn't have. In particular, the algorithm had access to near-perfect location and velocity estimation of the drones using motion capture systems, high-quality maps of the race course beforehand, and stereo cameras that can give depth information. This year, the team's autonomous drones raced on even playing fields without these handicaps, and its AI was able to beat the best human-controlled time by 0.5s in a three-lap race, a significant lead in the world of drone racing. Our take: This development is representative of AI progress ins many fields, where the researchers first make a working system with additional assumptions and then slowly chip away at these assumptions for a more robust and adaptable AI system.