MIT's AI streaming software aims to stop those video stutters

MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) wants to ensure your streaming video experience stays smooth. A research team led by MIT professor Mohammad Alizadeh has developed an artificial intelligence (dubbed'Pensieve') that can select the best algorithms for ensuring video streams both without interruption, and at the best possible playback quality. The method improves upon existing tech, including the adaptive bitrate (ABR) method used by YouTube that throttles back quality to keep videos playing, albeit with pixelation and other artifacts. The AI can select different algorithms depending on what kind of network conditions a device is experiencing, cutting down on the downsides associated with any one method. During experimentation, the CSAIL research team behind this method found that video streamed with between 10 and 30 percent less rebuffing, with 10 to 25 percent improved quality.