New technology makes artificial intelligence more private and portable

Technology developed at the University of Waterloo is paving the way for artificial intelligence (AI) to break free of the internet and cloud computing. New deep-learning AI software produced with that technology is compact enough to fit on mobile computer chips for use in everything from smartphones to industrial robots. That would allow devices to operate independent of the internet while using AI that performs almost as well as tethered neural networks. "We feel this has enormous potential," said Alexander Wong, a systems design engineering professor and Waterloo and co-creator of the technology. "This could be an enabler in many fields where people are struggling to get deep-learning AI in an operational form."