AI with AI

In news, Andy and Dave discuss announcements from two Chinese firms that have developed AI that can identify COVID-19 infections with high accuracy. And the Francis Crick Institute makes DeepMind's AlphaFold data on COVID-19 available for free access to researchers. Scientists at the University of Southampton and the University of Padova demonstrate that artificial and biological neurons can communicate over the internet (using memristors). Researchers at the University of Miguel Hernandez develop a new brain implant that bypasses eye and optical nerves and sends visual signals straight to the brain's visual cortex. DARPA announces the winners of the second circuit of its Subterranean Challenge (with CoSTAR taking the honors). And DARPA also kicks off its ASIST (Artificial Social Intelligence for Successful Teams) program. In other news, Freeman Dyson has passed away, at the age of 96; Andy recommends Dyson's talk from 2014 on "Are Brains Analogue or Digital?" among many other works by the late physicist. In research, UC Berkeley demonstrates that deep learning reinforcement algorithms can be attacked and made to malfunction through their policies that govern overall behavior. Researchers at Northwestern University create the first decentralized algorithm with collision-free (and deadlock-free) movement for a swarm of agents (over 1,000 robots virtually, and 100 real robots in a lab). A report from Stanford Law School and the NY University School of Law examines the use of AI across all U.S. federal administrative agencies. Frontiers in Robotics and AI provides a review and discussion of the challenges in successfully developing swarms of Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs). The Army Futures Command publishes Non-simplicity: The Warrior's Way. And Georgia Tech shines the spotlight on its music playing and improvising robot, Shimon.