Uncovering the mechanisms of learning via synaptic plasticity is a critical step towards understanding how our brains function and building truly intelligent, adaptive machines. Researchers from the University of Bern propose a new approach in which algorithms mimic biological evolution and learn efficiently through creative evolution.
Our brains are incredibly adaptive. Every day, we form new memories, acquire new knowledge, or refine existing skills. This stands in marked contrast to our current computers, which typically only perform pre-programmed actions. At the core of our adaptability lies synaptic plasticity. Synapses are the connection points between neurons, which can change in different ways depending on how they are used. This synaptic plasticity is an important research topic in neuroscience, as it is central to learning processes and memory. To better understand these brain processes and build adaptive machines, researchers in the fields of neuroscience and artificial intelligence (AI) are creating models for the mechanisms underlying these processes. Such models for learning and plasticity help to understand biological information processing and should also enable machines to learn faster.
Nvidia’sOmniverse, billed as a “metaverse for engineers,” has grown to more than 700 companies and 70,000 individual creators that are working on projects to simulate digital twins that replicate real-world environments in a virtual space.
The Omniverse is Nvidia’s simulation and collaboration platform delivering the foundation of the metaverse, the universe of virtual worlds that are all interconnected, like in novels such as Snow Crash and Ready Player One. Omniverse is now moving from beta to general availability, and it has been extended to software ecosystems that put it within reach of 40 million 3D designers.
And today during Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote at the Nvidia GTC online conference, Nvidia said it has added features such as Omniverse Replicator, which makes it easier to train AI deep learning neural networks, and Omniverse avatar, which makes it simple to create virtual characters that can be used in the Omniverse or other worlds.
High level partnerships and a focus on using artificial intelligence and big data to find solutions to complex problems are backing VXV’s quiet climb to new all-time highs.
Scientists created an intelligent material that acts as a brain by physically changing when it learns. This is an important step toward a new generation of computers that could dramatically increase computing power while using less energy.
Artificial intelligence imitates human intelligence by recognizing patterns and learning new things. Currently, it is run on machine learning software. But the “smarter” computers get, the more computing power they require. This can lead to a sizable energy footprint, which could destabilize the computer.
In the last seven years, computer usage has increased by 300,000-fold. Since 2012 the amount of computing power used to train the largest AI models has doubled every 3.4 months, the MIT Technology Review reports. And, the escalating costs of deep learning, can have environmental costs too. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, found that a common large AI model emits more than 626,000 pounds of carbon dioxide in its lifetime, nearly five times that of the average American car.
The nutrient content of our vegetables is down 40% over the last two decades and our soil health is suffering due to increasingly harsh herbicide use, according to Carbon Robotics founder Paul Mikesell. And farmers are increasingly concerned about the long-term health impacts of continually spraying chemicals on their fields.
But not weeding will cost half your crop, killing profitability.
Einride estimates its autonomous pods will save GE around 970 tons of carbon dioxide emissions in the first year, with that number increasing over time.
Up next ►► Vertical farms could take over the world https://youtu.be/J4SaSfnHK3I Instead of shipping food all around the world, imagine your own food coming from your farm in a shipping container, just outside your backdoor. That’s the vision of FarmPod, a St. Croix-based startup looking to completely redefine our relationship with food with a fully automated vertical aquaponic system. This self-contained, solar powered farming method uses a fraction of the water and space of a traditional farm, and even uses zero pesticides. The closed loop system essentially mimics nature’s ecosystems, like a pond. Lettuce, strawberries, kale, collard greens and more can grow in the pod. And, since the produce doesn’t need to be picked early to be shipped to a grocery store, the owner can enjoy their harvest at its peak nutritional value and taste. Produce isn’t all — FarmPod can provide an aquaponic home for tilapia, catfish, crayfish, koi, and freshwater prawns. FarmPod uses automated software and hardware to make their pod’s aquaponics system as easy to run as possible. Mike Straight, the creator and CEO of FarmPod, wants to provide a healthy, hyper-localized source of food with a minimal carbon footprint. “We’re trying to feed the world one pod at a time by hyper-localizing farming, and taking the farm and putting it right in front of the place that needs to use it,” says Straight. Read the full story here ►► https://www.freethink.com/series/challengers/aquaponics ◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠Read more of our stories on aquaponics and sustainable farming: Vertical farms could take over the world. ►► https://www.freethink.com/series/hard-reset?media_id=avWfzm8Q How vertical farming can save the planet and feed the world. ►► https://www.freethink.com/series/make-it-count?media_id=bEIXKavd. New startup takes vertical farming underground — literally. ►► https://www.freethink.com/environment/underground-farm ◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠About Freethink. No politics, no gossip, no cynics. At Freethink, we believe the daily news should inspire people to build a better world. While most media is fueled by toxic politics and negativity, we focus on solutions: the smartest people, the biggest ideas, and the most ground breaking technology shaping our future.◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡Watch our original series: ► Hard Reset: https://freeth.ink/youtube-hard-reset. ► Just Might Work: https://freeth.ink/youtube-just-might-work. ► Challengers: https://freeth.ink/youtube-challengers Enjoy Freethink on your favorite platforms: ► Daily editorial features: http://www.freethink.com ► Solutions-based stories, straight to your inbox: https://www.freethink.com/subscribe. ► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freethinkmedia ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freethink ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/freethinkmedia ► Join the Freethink form: http://www.facebook.com/groups/freethinkforum
Am I talking to a software robot or a human? It’s a question that many of us will have posed at some point when we are online interacting with a web interface chatbot with its chirpy ‘Hi! Can I help?’ message flags and discussion box.
Some of us deliberately try and second guess these bots in order to be able to work out whether we are talking to a machine or a person. We do this because we somehow hope that this knowledge will enable us to assess more accurately how much help we are likely to get — and so, perhaps, get an idea of how much effort we should put into explaining our customer issues or requests.
Right now, it is not necessarily that difficult to know if you are speaking to an Artificial Intelligence (AI) engine. The Turing test was of course established to rate the point at which people can’t tell the difference between a human and a machine. The AI software robot ‘bots’ that have passed the Turing test so far have been given quirky personality traits to mask the challenges that even the best AI engines have when dealing with human conversational challenges.
With the proliferation of AI programs into the strategy gaming spaces, should human players bother competing at all? In a world where artificial intelligence (AI) learns from its mistakes and progresses with every match, it’s hard to tell. A computer can learn from its mistakes in an instant and play millions of hands in seconds.
While it might take a human a lifetime to master the game of poker, an AI could become unbeatable overnight. This reality has raised a lot of questions in the world of strategy games.
AI is an ever-evolving field that can be difficult to understand. One of the most common ways for non-techies to get introduced to AI is through online poker, where humans are pitted against artificial intelligence in a game of cards. Which raises the question: when does one become indistinguishable from the other?
