How do machine learning models do what they do? And are they really “thinking” or “reasoning” the way we understand those things? This is a philosophical question as much as a practical one, but a new paper making the rounds Friday suggests that the answer is, at least for now, a pretty clear “no.” A […]
Researchers develop hair-thin battery to power tiny robots
The biggest limitation of tiny robots is, naturally, their size. The smaller the robot, the more difficult it is to develop components. Among the key challenges is finding a power source. Some systems utilize clever work-arounds, like these cell-sized bots, which use a photodiode to access the minute level of electricity to do their jobs. […]
MIT researchers release a repository of AI risks
Which specific risks should a person, company or government consider when using an AI system, or crafting rules to govern its use? It’s not an easy question to answer. If it’s an AI with control over critical infrastructure, there’s the obvious risk to human safety. But what about an AI designed to score exams, sort […]
Ecovacs home robots can be hacked to spy on their owners, researchers say
Malicious hackers can take over control of vacuum and lawn mower robots made by Ecovacs to spy on their owners using the devices’ cameras and microphones, new research has found. Security researchers Dennis Giese and Braelynn are due to speak at the Def Con hacking conference on Saturday detailing their research into Ecovacs robots. When […]
Hackers could spy on cellphone users by abusing 5G baseband flaws, researchers say
A group of researchers say they have uncovered a series of security flaws in different 5G basebands — essentially processors used by cellphones to connect to mobile networks — which could have allowed hackers to stealthily hack victims and spy on them. The researchers from Pennsylvania State University presented their findings at the Black Hat […]