Elon Musk announced a prototype of Tesla’s AI humanoid robot will be revealed in three months, while Amazon Alexa introduces a creepy new AI feature that will allow it to speak using the voice of your dead relatives.
Elon Musk says Tesla’s new advanced AI humanoid robot will be revealed soon
For anyone who has seen the movie I, Robot, its vision of the future is about to become real.
Tesla CEO and founder Elon Musk announced the company plans to show off its new artificially intelligent humanoid robot named Optimus at the company’s AI Day event scheduled for September 30, Unilad reported.
Musk first announced the existence of Optimus last August. The robot will stand nearly 6 feet tall, can walk five miles per hour, and is able to deadlift 150 pounds.
Musk says the robot has been designed to handle a range of “dangerous and boring” jobs in the factory such as attaching bolts to cars, as well as other tasks in other settings such as picking up groceries at stores, the Daily Mail reported.
But before you start fearing a robot rebellion, Musk assures us that Optimus will be both “friendly” and make a “very good companion,” like a pet.
The robot will have the same autopilot computer used in Tesla’s electric vehicles, which allows it to recognize objects in the real world. However, the robot will also be outfitted with its own customized sensors and actuators. At the front of the robot’s head, it will be fitted with the same autopilot cameras used by Tesla’s vehicles.
Musk said there will be “other exciting things” that will be revealed at the company’s AI Day.
Amazon Alexa can speak using the voice of your dead relatives
The world of artificial intelligence is getting stranger, as Amazon has introduced a new feature for Alexa that is creeping a lot of people out.
In a demonstration that made some people uneasy, Amazon revealed a new feature that will allow Alexa to read aloud in the voice of a deceased loved one, NPR reports.
Deepfakes are already able to create very convincing videos; similar technology for voice has been developed by Amazon and added to its Alexa virtual assistant.
Using a short recording of anyone, Alexa uses artificial intelligence to re-create a type of digital fingerprint of the voice. The AI can then reproduce the characteristics that distinguish a person’s voice, resulting in an audio impersonation.
“While AI can’t eliminate that pain of loss, it can definitely make their memories last,” said Rohit Prasad, senior vice president and head scientist for Alexa.
Amazon Alexa is a virtual assistant using speech-recognition technology. The technology is employed in Amazon devices such as Amazon’s Echo Dot, Echo Studio, and Tap Speakers, as well as on devices from third-party manufacturers.
