(iFlytek) How a Chinese AI Giant Made Chatting—and Surveillance—Easy

Can you teach ceramics and theater on Zoom? Yes, and here’s how

Professors who reworked instructional plans to move courses online could learn lessons from professionals working in the film and television industries, said David Isaacs, professor of screen and television writing and interim chair of the John Wells Writing Division in the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

To work in the entertainment industry, “you need to adapt to survive,” he said. “You need to adapt to create.”

Isaacs, whose writing credits include Cheers and Mad Men, described the sudden shift to online classes as “a great object lesson in adaptation” for the school’s students. That especially applies to those working on USC Comedy Live, the university’s sketch comedy show. The Saturday Night Live-style program is typically broadcast live in front of a studio audience in the Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts on the University Park Campus. But the pandemic spurred students to write “Zoom sketches” and create short films at home to air during the show, Isaacs said.

Even though students now live many time zones apart, cinematic arts faculty strive to structure their online classes so they still feel familiar to students, Isaacs said. Students who feel uneasy because of the pandemic may find that focusing their creative energy on class provides an outlet, he added.

See the full story here: https://news.usc.edu/169785/usc-online-classes-ceramics-theater-architecture-arts-remote-teaching/

4 things this CEO didn’t expect about remote work life

[PhilNote: this is a good list of observations as well as some good questions about what they mean.]

As a CEO who rarely worked from home before the pandemic and still prefers the creative vibe and in-person collaboration of an office, I have found the shift interesting and sometimes surprising.

Some of what I’ve observed these last several weeks has surprised me in positive ways, while other considerations leave me dubious that an all- or largely-remote workforce is as simple as some would like to think.

In many ways, COVID-19 is a crucible for remote working. I’m sure I’m not the only business leader watching with fascination as we continue into uncharted territory.

Andy MacMillan is CEO of UserTesting, a human insights platform.

See the full story here: https://venturebeat.com/2020/05/17/4-things-this-ceo-didnt-expect-about-remote-work-life/

Virtual Reality Won. Just Not the Kind You Think.

Online spaces like ‘Fortnite’ and ‘Animal Crossing’ are replacing the physical world

You had to be there. But you didn’t have to be there:

• For years, massive multiplayer games have been evolving beyond entertainment and into gathering places. The stay-at-home orders have only accelerated that trend. This week, a Democratic political strategist suggested that Joe Biden’s campaign could take a cue from rapper Travis Scott’s virtual Fortnite concert and project a giant hologram of the candidate against the Grand Canyon as part of the Democratic convention. Scott’s April 23 takeover of the battle-royale game, which drew more than 12 million concurrent viewers and nearly 28 million in all, has quickly become a benchmark for the potential of in-game live events. The idea of Biden trying to stage anything like it is both undeniably absurd and surprisingly plausible.
• The idea came as the prospect of a virtual Democratic convention is looking more likely. On Tuesday, party leaders took a step in that direction, giving convention planners the authority to allow virtual voting if needed. Online voting more generally remains contentious, with some states launching experiments even as the federal government warns that it’s “high-risk” because the systems that support it have not been proven to be fully secure. Ready or not, coronavirus is pushing key elements of our democracy online, including Biden’s campaign, which has struggled to adapt his backslapping political style to livestreams from his home in Delaware. In a New York Times op-ed earlier this month, Barack Obama’s former top strategists said he’ll have to get more creative and interactive in his use of platforms: “Online speeches from his basement won’t cut it.”
• Even if and when the pandemic recedes to the point that we can safely cram tens of thousands into an arena or convention hall, or even hundreds into a club, the logistical infrastructure that supports those events — from venues to promoters to StubHub and Live Nation — may lie in ruins. When you think of how Netflix was chipping away at movie theaters even before Covid-19, it’s not a stretch to foresee virtual events like Scott’s Fortnite concert permanently supplanting some portion of the live events industry, including but not limited to concerts. ESPN’s Arda Ocal, a former WWE announcer, predicts Fortniteweddings, Fortnite business meetings, an in-game WWE event, and Survivor: Fortnite.

See the full story here: https://onezero.medium.com/virtual-reality-won-just-not-the-kind-you-think-c3c49ea2d412

With a haunting sculpture, the Met expands its push into augmented reality

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is hastening its push into the augmented reality (AR) arena, enabling users to commune in 3D with a wooden sculpture from its shuttered exhibition Arte del Mar: Artistic Exchange in the Caribbean while listening to a curator’s commentary.

The work of art, dating from around AD1000 and probably originating in what is today the Dominican Republic, was used in Taíno religious ceremonies as a stand on which a hallucinogenic powder or paste known as cohoba would be placed for ritual consumption.

The 9.8-megabyte AR model works on iOS devices, ideally on an iPhone running iOS 13.4.1 or later.

See the full story here: https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/with-a-haunting-sculpture-the-met-expands-its-push-into-augmented-reality

Sony unveils first built-in AI image sensors

Sony is bringing machine intelligence to its image sensors. The electronics and entertainment giant announced this week a sensor that applies artificial intelligence while processing imagery without the need for extrema hardware or assistance.

But Sony's new IMX500 sensor is the first to improve efficiency though AI implementation.

Sony says the new 12.3 megapixel sensor bypasses the commonly used practices of sending video images to the cloud or tacking on additional hardware for processing and analysis. Instead, the sensorswill act as mini-computers capable of virtually instantaneous image recognition.

The chips will speed up analysis and eliminate reliance on cloud resources.

For purposes of comparison, the IMX500 can apply a standard image recognition algorithm to an individual video frame in 3.1 milliseconds. Google's Movidius sensors, on the other hand, require up to a few seconds to process the same data.

The sensors can handle up to 4K 60 fps video streaming.

Sony is a major supplier of image sensors for Apple iPhones and Nikon cameras.

The first sensors are being shipped to commercial establishments for evaluation. Consumer rollout is expected early next year.

See the full story here: https://techxplore.com/news/2020-05-sony-unveils-built-in-ai-image.html

Facial Recognition Company Clear Is Going From Airports to Your Office

...you might have seen biometrics company Clear’s kiosks at airports or at stadiums, where, after a face or iris scan, you could skip the line in exchange for a hefty annual fee.

Using a Health Pass app, people have their identity validated through facial recognition, then they indicate whether they’re sick by taking a “real-time health quiz” and uploading test results. That would generate a QR code, which can be scanned by some device, like a phone or a Clear kiosk, to allow entry into an office or store within a certain time period.

If Clear’s Health Pass is widely adopted, it gives a private organization immense power over the implementation of public health policy. That’s especially risky at a time when there are no nationwide public health policies for reopening the country.

Small decisions made by Clear, like whether a person’s temperature alone is enough to grant access into an office or store, could have a massive impact on spreading or containing the virus.

See the full story here: https://onezero.medium.com/facial-recognition-company-clear-is-going-from-airports-to-your-office-99e9a33fde2e

Apple Buys Virtual-Reality Streaming Upstart NextVR

The Newport Beach, Calif.,-based company broadcasts live and recorded events, such as sports games and music concerts, for virtual-reality headsets. It has a long list of high-profile partnerships that include the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, World Wrestling Entertainment,Fox Sports, and Live Nation.

The tech giant has acquired a number of smaller technology firms in the space, including Flyby Media about four years ago.

NextVR has also worked with content makers to produce its own live and recorded VR content on its platform as well as on other existing VR headsets from Sony Corp. ’s PlayStation, Facebook Inc.’s Oculus, HTC Corp. ’s Vive and Vive Pro, and more.

Over the past two months, Apple has engaged in a number of deals, scooping up the weather app Dark Sky and the Dublin-based artificial-intelligence voice startup Voysis.

See the full story here: https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-buys-virtual-reality-streaming-upstart-nextvr-11589503071

Musk has no idea what is he talking about, says Facebook head of AI

"My point is that AGI is a meaningless concept, don''t even talk about it. There are a lot of risks related to AI, he talks about the wrong ones (machines taking over) distracting us from the real issues (eg fairness)," Pesenti continued.

Pesanti said that lots of people are talking about fairness and AI.

"There is even a conference for it https://facctconference.org. It hasn''t reached broader awareness because it''s just drowned out by all the AGI/singularity nonsense," he said on Wednesday.

Multiple AI researchers from different companies told CNBC that they see Musk''s AI comments as inappropriate.

Musk has also quit the board of OpenAI, a non-profit AI research company he co-founded that aims to promote and develop friendly AI that benefits the humanity.

In a public spat with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg who is a big advocate for the AI technology, Musk said: "I''ve talked to Mark about this (AI). His understanding of the subject is limited".

See the full story here: https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/musk-has-no-idea-what-is-he-talking-about-says-facebook-head-of-ai/1833849

Mozart is the new Kanye — and other surprising book, movie and music trends during the age of coronavirus

But instead of watching comedies like “The Hangover” or “Broad City,” Americans are watching dramas like “Contagion” on Netflix NFLX, +0.84%,renting “Donnie Darko” on Amazon Prime, YouTube GOOG, +0.50% GOOGL, +0.63% and iTunes AAPL, +0.61% and “The Handmaid’s Tale” on Hulu DIS, +2.90%.