Facebook's Yann LeCun: robots won't seek world domination
- Updated on: 2017-04-24
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What does the Facebook AI Lab do?
The mission is to push the science of artificial intelligence forward, as well as coming up with useful and cool applications along the way.
What's an example of how Facebook uses artificial intelligence?
If you are visually impaired, and you're on Facebook on your smartphone, not only will the text be read to you, but every image you encounter, the system will vocally describe the image to you.
Also, what pieces of information all Facebook users are shown is being determined by your taste, and that includes being able to tell what the post talks about and what angle or attitude the post is taking.
What are your thoughts on effects of artificial intelligence on the economy and jobs?
There's no question that there's going to be a lot of beneficial effects of wide deployment of AI on the economy. You'll have safer cars, more personalized medicine—medical imaging will be revolutionized. It will save lives and increase overall wealth. The next question is: how is that wealth going to be distributed? When you have a rapid technological advance, you tend to see an increase in a concentration of wealth. AI is no different, it's just one contribution to accelerating technology, and so that question needs to be asked. A lot of politicians are refusing to recognize that this is a question to be addressed.
People don't want just a check from the government, they want a job and a sense of purpose. Do you worry that the median worker fifty years from now will have the aptitude to do jobs that need doing?
[AI and automation] will change the value we attribute to things. There will be more value attributed to create activities and intrapersonal relationships, and much less value attributed to material goods, because they will be created by machines.
Does that mean that we have to change the way the way we educate humans? A lot of people aren't really good at soft skills and intrapersonal communication, and it's not something we've had a ton of success teaching in school.
We're not asking people to go against their nature. It will actually be asking them to be more human. If you leverage people's intrapersonal skills and creativity, that's actually what really is human.
In the immediate future, what are the most exciting applications of artificial intelligence?
Healthcare will be one of the most important. It will begin in radiology and dermatology—there are prototype systems we have right now that work pretty well that can diagnose skin ailments, for example. The quality of healthcare will increase—we just have to figure out how make it widely accessible.
You said during your talk that we shouldn't worry about machines taking over the world, because that assumes that computers will have human failings, like greed or the tendency to become violent when threatened. But what about a scenario in which a hedge fund bot is programed to maximize returns, and it turns out the best way to do that is to buy a bunch of food before destroying the rest of the world's food supply. Such a machine would be fulfilling its purpose, but through evil, even if the person who programmed the machine didn't anticipate this reaction.
We have a lot of checks and balances built into society to prevent evil from having infinite power. Most companies are not either working for good or evil—they're just maximizing profits. But we have all sorts of rules and laws to prevent our economy from going haywire. It will be the same thing for AI. Learning to build AI systems that are safe—not because they're going to take over the world, but because you want them to work reliably—is going to take some time, similar to how long it took people to figure out how to build airplanes that don't crash.
There is a group that I helped found called Partnership for AI that's a forum for companies like Google and Facebook, and other groups like the ACLU, to discuss the best way to deploy AI systems in such a way that they are safe and unbiased. These are issues are so broadly important that they must be discussed in public.
Trump crams for 100 Days test
Alex Brandon / AP
President Trump, in a bit of sly counter-programming, yesterday announced a massive rally in Harrisburg, Pa., at 7:30 p.m. next weekend — smack in the middle of the White House Correspondents' Association dinner that he and his staff are boycotting.
Saturday is also Trump's 100-day mark. And although he dismissed it on Twitter as "the ridiculous standard of the first 100 days," the White House says it's "launching a web page dedicated to the first 100 days," and "will also be producing graphics, videos, and other digital content for the President's massive online following to share."
Sneak peek: Trump's staff has also planned a packed week designed to compete with all the media nattering. Depending on your perspective, it either looks like a victory lap or cramming for exams:
Bill O'Reilly will host podcast Monday
Richard Drew / AP
Bill O'Reilly announced on his personal website that "The No Spin News" podcast he's been hosting for years will return Monday at 7 p.m. ET.
This is the first time O'Reilly will speak to audiences after being publicly ousted amid sexual harassment claims at Fox News. The podcast episodes typically last less than 5 minutes and feature O'Reilly's analysis of news of the day.
Why it matters: Returning so quickly to the limelight means that O'Reilly isn't ready to throw in the towel. He denies doing anything wrong, and his podcast and website provide an avenue to reach his loyal fans .
North Korea detains US citizen
Wong Maye-E / AP
North Korea detained a Korean-American citizen on Saturday, making him the third US citizen currently being held.
Per AP: Tony Kim, who also goes by his Korean name Kim Sang-duk, taught accounting at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology for about a month. The university's chancellor said he was detained by officials as he was trying to leave the country from Pyongyang's international airport.
The big question: No reason has yet been given for Kim's detention, but it comes as Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump have been exchanging threats over Pyongyang's nuclear program. So how will Trump react to this move?
All the President's phone friends
John Minchilo / AP
The N.Y. Times' Maggie Haberman and Glenn Thrush, setting the pace on Trump-Insider coverage, today have a front-page splash on "The Outer Circle" — the 20 family, friends and acquaintances President Trump frequently consults in addition to his White House advisers. The list includes names like Murdoch, Gingrich, Stone and Christie.
@GlennThrush : "While the insiders brawl and bawl these 20 outsiders are quietly steering the USS Donald J. Trump."
@MaggieNYT : "Of people Trump talks to, Murdoch and Hannity are high on the list ... Trump does not speak to these folks in equal amounts, and some far less than others ...
Snap snaps up crucial patent
Snapchat.com via screenshot
The patent is called "Methods and Systems of providing visual content editing functions." It powers what Snapchat users call a "geofilter" — an artistic overlay you add after a Snap is taken, offered at specific times and places, and available or advertisers to sponsor and customize.
Snap has tried to secure the future of geofilters by buying that crucial patent. TechCrunch's Mike Butcher picks up the story:
The target: "Mobli, an Instagram competitor launched six years ago that failed to get ahead of its competitor, actually patented the idea of Geo-photo filters in 2012."
The transaction: "[S]erial entrepreneur and investor Moshe Hogeg, who co-founded Mobli, sold Mobli's Geofilters patent to Snap this month for $7.7 million. This is believed to be the highest amount paid for a patent from the Israeli tech industry."
Why it matters: "Snap wanted the patent to protect itself from future litigation."
Just 2% of Trump voters have regrets
Andrew Harnik / AP
President Trump has a record disapproval rating as he nears the 100 day mark, but his voters are standing firm according to a new Washington Post / ABC News poll . The key findings:
Job Performance: 42% approve, 53% disapprove.
Among Trump voters: 2% regret vote, 96% say it was the right thing to do.
Has he accomplished much? 42% yes, 56% no.
Can he be trusted in a crisis? 43% yes, 52% no.
Do you approve of Jared and Ivanka getting WH roles? 34% yes, 61% no.
Between the lines: Trump's approval rating is still at 84% among Republicans, and almost no one who voted for him now wishes it was President Clinton in the White House. He hasn't gained support since taking office, as most presidents do early on, but these results show he hasn't lost the base.
