Faster, Cheaper, Better AI

Happy Thursday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average has passed the 28,000 mark, apparently prompted by news that China and the U.S. are zeroing in on a trade deal.

And to help with translation of any future meetings between the parties, they might want to consider the Google real-time translation that works in conjunction with Google Assistant now on mobile devices.

The new feature is now available in 44 languages, and should help you more easily ask directions to the nearest metro station around the globe.

The AI juggernaut of apparently continued unabated this year, according to the AI Index Report, which reported a 300% rise in research papers.

The report generally aspires to get a handle on AI progress, yet another headline seems to be that while AI is on the march, we’re a long way from reaching “general intelligence.”

The U.S. continues to lead in terms of private investment (just under $12B, compared to China’s $6.8B, which places them in second).

Algos are coming faster, cheaper, smarter, easier to train, and self-driving cars continue to get more investment than in any other field.

I eagerly await the algo and/or SDV that can cleverly route me from north to south Austin in rush hour without raising my blood pressure!

East Bound and Down

LiveTrucking reported yesterday that a self-driving semi truck from Embark just completed its first cross-country trip.

Unlike in “Smokey and the Bandit,” the self-driving software did not have to pick up a case of beer in Texarkana along the way, and never had to stop to use the restroom.

The tractor trailer completed a 2,400 mile trip from LA to Jacksonsville, Florida in five days, and according to Embark’s CEO, Alex Rodriguez, the truck traveled for “hours at a time with no disengagements.”

The technology used in the Embark truck includes machine learning software, as well as data from five cameras, three long-range radars, and two light detecting sensors so that it may map its surroundings in real time.

But lest ye be worried about all those trucks displacing us humans, there was a real person in the truck for the entire ride, and the human took over whenever the truck got off the highway to unload or traverse local roads.

For now, the machines and humans are working together, according to Embark.

“By allowing automation to work together with local drivers to handle less desirable long haul routes, we will be able to increase productivity to address the current 50,000 driver shortage while also creating new local driving jobs that attract younger drivers for the industry,” Rodriguez said.

For me, this new technology just won’t be complete until the autonomous truck can get on a CB radio and report “There’s a bear at your back door!”