Read the websites for IBM, Google or other companies working on artificial intelligence, and you’ll see glowing reports of all sorts of things electronic brains can do, ranging from diagnosing X-Rays to composing music, to tutoring students, to driving a car. Google, Alexa and Siri already handle many daily tasks for us, operated by vocal […]
Artificial Intelligence for Dummies (it’s easier to understand t...
To many a casual listener, the term “Artificial Intelligence” invokes science fiction and the future we were promised by visionaries writing decades ago. It may also bring to mind the technology that we call upon to assist us in our daily lives. It may even raise more questions than answers. The term “artificial intelligence”, or […]
Cambridge Analytica, Virtual Reality, and Social Media
In this jam-packed edition of the Perpetual Notion Machine, we look into the science of Cambridge Analytica and the likelihood of more data breaches involving social media like Facebook and Twitter. Cambridge Analytica has been in the news lately for their connection in obtaining data and private personal information of over 50 million Facebook users. […]
Big Data and the Wisconsin Science Festival
In this episode of the Perpetual Notion Machine, PNM reporter Will Cushman previews the Wisconsin Science Festival, which runs Thursday, Nov. 2 to Sunday, Nov. 5 at various venues around the state. Some events include the Robot Zoo, Plasma Physics, the Birds of Wisconsin, the Science of Brewing, and Science Policy, to name but a […]
Hardwiring the Brain
The promise, or specter — depending on your philosophical bent — of artificial intelligence has spellbound science fiction readers for generations. A machine that thinks like a human is both a thrilling and terrifying concept. Today, forms of mechanical intelligence surround us daily, from vending machines to smartphones to supercomputers. Computers now routinely beat humans […]
Algorithms to Live By; An interview with Dr. Tom Griffiths
How many of us have ever shouted with joy or screamed in agony while watching our favorite sports team in a tournament? And how many of us, when faced with a complex situation, have opted to simplify things and take the least complicated course of action? These scenarios seem common enough, but what I bet […]
