Bot or Not – Page 2 of 6

Reality check: Intelligent machines and the future of the automated workforce

by Kathy Gill on July 5, 2023July 5, 2023 at 8:12 am

[Editor’s Note: This guest commentary is by technology industry veteran Kathy Gill, a writer, web developer and instructor focusing on communications and user experience.] We humans have survived disruptions like… Read More

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Amazon’s Sparrow is leaving the nest: Trailblazing warehouse robot is ready for a wider rollout

by Todd Bishop on June 29, 2023June 29, 2023 at 11:26 am

SAN MARCOS, Texas — Just off Interstate 35, midway between San Antonio and Austin, the newest member of Amazon’s robotic fleet has been training for more than a year in… Read More

Soundbites on AI: Seattle music vets share concern and enthusiasm for how tech might impact art

by Kurt Schlosser on June 19, 2023June 19, 2023 at 7:56 am

During a recent appearance on Conan O’Brien’s podcast, Smashing Pumpkins lead singer Billy Corgan offered a gloomy prediction for the future of music. He said that once kids get their… Read More

AI and coding: How these tech companies are using generative AI for programming

by Taylor Soper on June 13, 2023June 14, 2023 at 7:27 am

Generative AI is already changing the way software engineers do their jobs. GitHub Copilot, Amazon CodeWhisperer, ChatGPT, Tabnine, and various other AI coding tools are quickly gaining traction, helping developers… Read More

A synthetic NPR host? AI startup WellSaid Labs makes amazing ‘Planet Money’ voice clone

by Todd Bishop on June 3, 2023June 5, 2023 at 9:34 pm

For longtime listeners of NPR’s “Planet Money,” there are few voices as recognizable and iconic as that of Robert Smith, one of the show’s former hosts. But even the most… Read More

We asked an AI chatbot to analyze the results of our AI survey

by Taylor Soper on May 31, 2023May 31, 2023 at 10:41 am

AI is the hottest topic in tech. Corporate giants and startups are racing to embed generative AI capabilities into their products and services. Regulators are trying to set rules governing… Read More

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He sang about life as ChatGPT, but this opera pro needed his human creativity to fix AI’s lyrics

by Kurt Schlosser on May 25, 2023May 25, 2023 at 7:16 am

When he took the stage last week at the GeekWire Awards as the human embodiment of ChatGPT, accomplished singer Robert “The Drunken Tenor” McPherson had combined his own songwriting intelligence… Read More

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With new Phoenix robot, Sanctuary AI looks to usher in ‘labor as a service’

by Todd Bishop on May 16, 2023May 16, 2023 at 6:33 am

Sanctuary AI says its new robot is ready for real work. The Vancouver, B.C., company unveiled what it describes as the first commercially available, general-purpose robot of its kind: a… Read More

Can AI write a better Mother’s Day card? How my mom reacted, and what she said when I came clean

by Todd Bishop on May 15, 2023May 15, 2023 at 3:19 pm

There’s nothing like a heartfelt Mother’s Day message to let your mom know how much you appreciate her and everything she does. Sitting down to write mine this weekend, some… Read More

Take our AI survey: We want your opinion on job displacement, societal impact, and stories to cover

by Taylor Soper on May 11, 2023May 11, 2023 at 7:59 am

The AI hype train is running full steam ahead. Artificial intelligence is in the mainstream spotlight with the recent proliferation of generative AI, large language models, and related technologies. Companies… Read More

Brains vs. bots in the newsroom: Can AI generate better story ideas than humans can?

by Todd Bishop on May 4, 2023May 4, 2023 at 11:59 am

Gathered around a conference room table, with one person scribbling on the whiteboard, a group of industry veterans sizzles with energy. Participants build on each other’s thoughts and bounce from… Read More

Expedia’s new ChatGPT travel planning tool is a litmus test for the future of AI and humanity

by Todd Bishop on April 4, 2023April 4, 2023 at 11:00 am

For many travelers, technology long ago supplanted travel agents for the basic booking of flights, hotels, and excursions. But how quickly will artificial intelligence replace humans for trusted travel advice?… Read More

Poet vs. chatbot: We gave the same prompt to a human, Microsoft Bing, and OpenAI’s new GPT-4

by Taylor Soper on March 18, 2023May 4, 2023 at 7:45 am

Are robots more poetic than humans? That was my question as I saw Alandra Markman seated on the sidewalk with an old typewriter on a recent brisk Sunday morning at… Read More

More news outlets get caught up in nasty conversations with Bing chatbot over facts

by Alan Boyle on February 15, 2023February 16, 2023 at 2:48 pm

It turns out we’re not the only ones getting into fact-checking fights with Bing Chat, Microsoft’s much-vaunted AI chatbot. Last week, GeekWire’s Todd Bishop recounted an argument with the ChatGPT-based… Read More

DeepMind illustration of computer coding

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AI’s next frontier: AlphaCode can match programming prowess of average coders

by Alan Boyle on December 8, 2022December 8, 2022 at 1:07 pm

Artificial intelligence software programs are becoming shockingly adept at carrying on conversations, winning board games and generating artwork — but what about creating software programs? In a newly published paper,… Read More

Why big data is not a priority anymore, and other key AI trends to watch

by Charlotte Schubert on November 3, 2022November 11, 2022 at 11:46 am

Artificial Intelligence models that generate entirely new content are creating a world of opportunities for entrepreneurs. And engineers are learning to do more with less. Those were some takeaways from… Read More

Is this robot sentient? Q&A with AI expert on debate over Google’s chatbot software

by Taylor Soper on June 14, 2022June 15, 2022 at 8:44 am

The debate over a robot’s ability to have human-like feelings reignited over the weekend following a Washington Post report about a Google engineer who claimed that one of the company’s… Read More

New AI model shows how machines can learn from vision, language and sound together

by Richard Yonck on April 16, 2022April 16, 2022 at 8:49 am

Most of us have watched television with the sound turned off at one time or another. While it’s usually possible to follow the story at least to some degree, the… Read More

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Does ‘Kimi’ deliver the goods? Thriller aims to capitalize on Alexa, Siri … and Seattle’s tech cachet

by Alan Boyle on February 11, 2022February 11, 2022 at 9:42 pm

Once again, Seattle’s tech scene provides the backdrop for a high-profile movie on HBO Max — but this time, it’s serious. Oscar-winning film director Steven Soderbergh’s tech-noir thriller, “Kimi,” echoes… Read More

Survey suggests 84% of Americans are illiterate about AI — so here’s a quiz to test your own AI IQ

by Alan Boyle on December 8, 2021December 8, 2021 at 6:06 pm

Can artificial intelligence write its own programs? Is there AI in your TV remote control? Researchers at Seattle’s Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence say that knowing the right answers to… Read More

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WellSaid and Five9 make bots sound more like humans when they take your call

by Alan Boyle on December 7, 2021December 7, 2021 at 8:08 am

Earlier this year, Seattle-based WellSaid Labs helped create an AI disk jockey with a voice that sounds like it’s coming from a flesh-and-blood DJ. Now WellSaid’s lifelike voice bots could… Read More

Teaching artificial intelligence right from wrong: New tool from AI2 aims to model ethical judgments

by Richard Yonck on November 29, 2021November 29, 2021 at 7:03 am

During the past two decades, machine ethics has gone from being a curiosity to a field of immense importance. Much of the work is based on the idea that as… Read More

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This bot plays hot tunes: Super Hi-Fi and WellSaid Labs use AI to create a lifelike DJ

by Alan Boyle on October 20, 2021October 20, 2021 at 10:03 am

As he turns from a Foo Fighters tune to the Smashing Pumpkins, Andy sounds just like your typical alternative-rock DJ — but his tag line is positively inhuman. “Ever feel… Read More

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The latest chapter in a 100-year study says AI’s promises and perils are getting real

by Alan Boyle on September 16, 2021September 16, 2021 at 5:38 am

A newly published report on the state of artificial intelligence says the field has reached a turning point where attention must be paid to the everyday applications of AI technology… Read More

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Amazon details how its warehouse robots are designed to help humans work safely

by Alan Boyle on June 13, 2021June 14, 2021 at 11:21 pm

Bert and Ernie, Scooter and Kermit may have started out as warm and fuzzy Muppet characters, but now they’re part of Amazon’s team of warehouse robots as well. Amazon showed… Read More

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ManipulaTHOR training software from AI2 gives virtual robots a hand — and an arm

by Alan Boyle on April 22, 2021April 23, 2021 at 10:42 am

You can lead a virtual robot to a refrigerator, but you can’t make it pull out a drink. This is the problem that Seattle’s Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, also… Read More

President Trump signs an executive order guiding how federal agencies use AI tech

by Alan Boyle on December 3, 2020December 4, 2020 at 7:42 pm

President Donald Trump today signed an executive order that puts the White House Office of Management and Budget in charge of drawing up a roadmap for how federal agencies use… Read More

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‘Superintelligence’ in Seattle: AI researchers do a reality check on a movie that adds romance to tech

by Alan Boyle on November 26, 2020September 15, 2021 at 8:56 pm

Seattle, Microsoft and the field of artificial intelligence come in for their share of the spotlight in “Superintelligence” — an HBO Max movie starring Melissa McCarthy as the rom-com heroine,… Read More

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Sexbot or not? Ethicist stimulates debate on the senior set’s need for companionship

by Alan Boyle on November 17, 2020November 17, 2020 at 4:31 pm

Are sex robots just what the doctor ordered for the over-65 set? In a newly published research paper, a bioethicist at the University of Washington argues that older people, particularly… Read More

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Science-fiction master Ted Chiang explores the rights and wrongs of AI

by Alan Boyle on November 8, 2020June 28, 2022 at 7:00 pm

What rights does a robot have? If our machines become intelligent in the science-fiction way, that’s likely to become a complicated question — and the humans who nurture those robots… Read More