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Elon Musk's AI initiative opened an online dojo
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the artificial intelligence you coded in your garage probably doesn't have the type of resources behind it that Google used to make DeepMind a fearsome Go competitor. That's what the Elon-Musk-backed OpenAI Gym is for. It's in open beta right now, and available test environments include Go on 9x9 and 19x19 boards, a ton of classic Atari games and robot control simulations, among others, with more to come.
SoundCloud's subscription service is a mess
SoundCloud first tipped its hand for a music-streaming service in late 2014, and after wrapping up a series of licensing deals with labels, it's finally here. Called SoundCloud Go, the subscription plan costs $10 a month and includes a library of additional content as well as the usual remixes, emerging artists and podcasts. SoundCloud's variety of music and its community of creators could make Go an attractive option for listeners willing to pay for a monthly subscription. Right now, though, it's difficult to use and lacks many songs that other services offer.
Google DeepMind AI wins final Go match for 4-1 series win
By nabbing three straight wins to kick off a five match series, the Google DeepMind AI program AlphaGo established itself as a more than worthy adversary for legendary Go player Lee Sedol. Sedol rebounded, winning the fourth match Sunday after he pushed AlphaGo to make a mistake on move number 79. Even after the loss, AlphaGo has received an honorary "ninth-dan" rating (the same rating that Lee has earned as one of the game's top players) by South Korea's top Go federation, the Korea Baduk Association. Now, the two will square off for a fifth and final match at the Four Seasons hotel in Seoul. The match is scheduled to begin at midnight ET (you can watch the stream here or embedded below), and it will be interesting to see who maintains an edge after four games.
The After Math: Fun and games
Google's DeepMind AI bested a Go Grand Master, but it's not over yet -- and it doesn't mean you can't still enjoy a game or two. If black and white counters don't thrill you, Nintendo had a surprisingly bountiful Direct broadcast this week, announcing the return of several hits from those golden SNES days, while Gears of War has claimed voice actors for its next iteration. At the same time, Intel just bought a company on the strength of its 360-degree video chops. And if the robots get ideas above their station, just poke 'em with a stick.
Google AI finally loses to Go world champion
At last, humanity is on the scoreboard. After three consecutive losses, Go world champion Lee Sedol has beaten Google's DeepMind artificial intelligence program, AlphaGo, in the fourth game of their five-game series. DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis notes that the AI lost thanks to its delayed reaction to a slip-up: it slipped on the 79th turn, but didn't realize the extent of its mistake (and thus adapt its playing style) until the 87th move. The human win won't change the results of the challenge -- Google is donating the $1 million prize to charity rather than handing it to Lee. Still, it's a symbolic victory in a competition that some had expected AlphaGo to completely dominate.
Watch AlphaGo vs. Lee Sedol (update: AlphaGo won)
Human Go player Lee Sedol is currently down 0-2 in a five game series against the AlphaGo program, which is powered by Google's DeepMind AI. The third match is currently under way at the Four Seasons hotel in Seoul, and like the others, you can watch a live stream (with commentary explaining things for us you Go novices) on YouTube. If there's any chance for humanity to pull out an overall victory then Sedol will need to make a move tonight, tune in and see how close we are to facing retribution for our crimes against robots.
Google's Deepmind AI beats Go world champion for a second time
Google's Deepmind AI has done it again: it's beaten Go world champion Lee Sedol in the second of a five-match challenge. After forcing the 9-dan professional to resign in yesterday's test, today's four-and-a-half hour match went into overtime before the South Korean admitted defeat. AlphaGo now only needs one more win to become champion and claim the $1 million prize.
Google's Deepmind AI beats Go world champion in first match
Google's Deepmind artificial intelligence has done what many thought it couldn't: beat a grandmaster at the ancient Chinese strategy game Go. The "AlphaGo" program forced its opponent, 33-year-old 9-dan professional Lee Sedol, to resign three and a half hours into the first of their five-match battle. While Deepmind has defeated a Go champion before, it's the first time a machine has beaten a world champion.
Google's DeepMind AI will take on a Go champ tomorrow night
Google's DeepMind AI is already the first computerized system to best a champion Go player, and you can watch its next big game in less than 24 hours. The AlphaGo program will take on Lee Se-dol in the first match (of a planned five game series) at the Four Seasons hotel in Seoul, Korea tomorrow, at 1PM local time (10:30PM ET). The match will be broadcast live on YouTube, and you can find the stream right here.
Go's world champ expects Google AI to lose its big match
Google's DeepMind artificial intelligence might have beaten a Go champion last month, but you shouldn't expect a repeat victory... at least, not according to its next opponent. World champ Lee Sedol tells the Associated Press that he not only expects to beat Google's AlphaGo AI next month, but to clean house -- he's predicting a 5-0 win, or at worst 4-1. That's some tough talk, especially given that many hadn't anticipated any AI beating a Go expert this year. The game's reliance on complexity and intuitive action makes it much harder for computers to play than relatively straightforward games like chess.
Google's AI will take on the world Go champ live on YouTube
Google's victory over a top Go player was unprecedented, but can its artificial intelligence program DeepMind beat the world champion? We'll find out starting on March 9th, when DeepMind's "AlphaGo" program takes on South Korea's Lee Sedol in a $1 million match. It will be broadcast live on YouTube from Seoul, according to the founder & CEO of DeepMind, Demis Hassabis. "It is a real privilege and honor to be playing the greatest Go player of the past decade, and a legend of the game," he said.
ICYMI: Smart sweat detector, AI for gaming and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-261450{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-261450, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-261450{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-261450").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Berkeley researchers developed a wearable sensor that can track the chemicals inside your sweat. The idea is that it can help identify dehydration, muscle fatigue and stress, though it could also help spot disease flare-ups for the diabetic.
Recommended Reading: The story of 'The Father of Video Games'
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read.How a WWII Refugee Became the Father of Video GamesArthur Molella, SlateIf you've read up on video game history, you know that Ralph Baer widely regarded as "The Father of Video Games." What you may not know is Baer was a World War II refugee who came to the US in 1938. He fled persecution with his family before bringing games to our television screens decades later.
Iridium's satellite hotspot will get you online nearly anywhere on Earth
Globalstar's Sat-Fi won't be the only game in town for satellite hotspots. Iridium has unveiled the Iridium Go, a hotspot that lets up to five WiFi-equipped devices hop on the internet, send texts and make phone calls from just about anywhere on the planet. It's built for outdoor adventurers with both a rugged design and an SOS mode that gets in touch with emergency services. However, software may be the Go's real ace in the hole; while it will ship with official Android and iOS apps, there's already a developer kit that lets third-party software take advantage of the satellite link on any platform. Iridium plans to ship the hotspot in the first half of the year. The firm isn't discussing exact pricing at this point, but it promises that Go will represent its "lowest cost" offering to date at below $800 -- for some people, it will be cheap enough to come along on that big summer hiking trip.
TomTom refreshes GO sat nav, offers 3D maps and lifetime traffic information
In addition to some redesigned sports watches, TomTom has just launched a refreshed version of its GO GPS unit for drivers who still prefer a dedicated sat nav. The hardware comes with interactive 3D maps, a lifetime's supply of real-time traffic information and up to four free map downloads a year. It'll be available in 4.3-, 5- or 6-inch models, and purchasers will also get a free three-month trial of the Dutch firm's speed camera warning system. There's no word on pricing or availability yet -- everything we have is in the press release below.
We go hands-on with the waterproof Sony Xperia go (video)
The spiritual successor to last year's Xperia Active has been given a performance boost. Now packing a dual-core 1GHz processor, Sony hopes it'll manage to keep up with your surf-heavy lifestyle. At least, that's the explanation we reckon underpins the Xperia go's (or Xperia advance) certified dust and waterproofing. The phone is notch above the Xperia miro and Xperia tipo hardware wise, although the software remains less so, leaning on the increasingly creaky Android Gingerbread. (Sony says it's coming -- but it wont be available on launch.) Those curved corners and design lines bring it close to the aesthetic of the Xperia S, P and U -- although it does lack that pervasive see-through bar. The increased processing power made web browsing a pretty painless affair, while wet finger tracking means you'll still be able to use the 3.5-inch touchscreen in the British Summer surf. The device will be priced around £250 (around $390) in the UK and is pegged to arrive over the next few months in white, black and yellow -- the latter has swiftly become our favorite. Take a visual tour of the yellow option in our gallery and hands-on video right after the break.%Gallery-160088%
Google gives Go 1 the green light, maintains 'experimental status'
Ready to get your Go on? Google Programming Language, or Go for short, just added a number 1 to its moniker, representing the first official release. Go 1 includes some bug fixes, but it's not a major redesign, though added support for the Windows opens the language up to a broader group of programmers -- you'll also find distributions for Linux, FreeBSD and OS X. Google gives you its word that Go 1 programs "will continue to compile and run without change... on a time scale of years," so you can rest assured that your efforts will not be in vain. There's also a new version of the Google App Engine SDK, which utilizes none other than Go. It's time to start coding! You'll find everything you need by clicking through to the source link below.
Nuance launches Dragon Go! for Android, available today for free
As if its acquisition of Swype wasn't enough indication, Nuance has been working on its goal of dominating the Android speech recognition market, one step at a time. Today the company's pressing forward once again by introducing its Dragon Go! app for Google's mobile OS. The app focuses on verbal commands, giving you the ability to ask it to perform internet searches, make dinner reservations, buy movie tickets, play music on services like Pandora and Spotify and the list goes on. If you crave the specific details, make your way beneath the break and have a gander at the press release below.
Google Programming Language is Go for 2012 launch
Compared to the gamut of conversational languages, the programming variety shifts at lighting-fast speed. And next year, a new language will get the official nod from Google, which first introduced Go in 2009. With its new language, Mountain View set out to create a programming environment that's easier and faster to use, without sacrificing efficiency. Programmers may need to wait until early 2012 for Go to launch out of experimental status, but you can buy that cute Gopher mascot (in furry plush form) over at the Google Store today.
Google set to introduce Dart, a new structured programming language
It's a bird, it's a plane -- it's Dart, Google's soon-to-be-released computer language for structured web programming. Having hoarded dart-related URLs for the past couple of months, Google's confirmed the (previously) secret project on the Goto International Software Development conference website. A couple of Mountain View's finest will make the announcement official in the keynote at the event on October 10th, when presumably we'll find out what it can do. Dart makes a nice addition to Go, JavaScript and Python in Google's coding bag-o-tricks, but there's room for one more -- we're looking at you, Spot.
