Scientists teach computers fear--to make them better drivers

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA--Computers can master some tasks--like playing a game of Go--through trial and error. But what works for a game doesn't work for risky real-world tasks like driving a car, where "losing" might involve a high-speed collision. To drive safely, humans have an exquisite feedback system: our fight-or-flight response, in which physiological reactions like a rapid heart rate and sweaty palms signal "fear," and so keep us vigilant and, theoretically, out of trouble. Now, researchers at Microsoft are giving artificial intelligence (AI) programs a rough analog of anxiety to help them sense when they're pushing their luck. The scientists placed sensors on people's fingers to record pulse amplitude while they were in a driving simulator, as a measure of arousal.