Geek News

The US military's Project Maven is getting some help using AI to interpret drone footage from a not-entirely-unexpected source: Google. The company has confirmed a Gizmodo report that it's offering TensorFlow programming kits to the Defense Department as part of a pilot that helps Project Maven process the glut of drone footage quickly. Google stresses that the machine learning technology is involved in "non-offensive uses only," and that it's flagging material for "human review." This isn't helping with drone strikes, then, but it has still raised concerns inside Google's ranks. According to Gizmodo sources, some Google staffers were "outraged" that the company would contribute AI tech for drone operations. Others, meanwhile, said it prompted ethical questions about the subjects machine learning should cover. This doesn't involve killer robots , but it may be uncomfortably close for some. A tipster for The Verge added tha...

It's now easier to keep up with your Xbox gaming pals when you've ventured beyond the living room. After several weeks of public testing , Microsoft has launched party chat in its Xbox apps for Android and iOS . If you use Xbox Live, you can use this to your fellow party members through voice or text wherever you happen to be. That can be helpful if you want to keep up with an in-game raid while you're rushing home, or if you just want to leave a party channel open as a semi-permanent group chat. This gives Microsoft a slight edge over Sony: you can certainly message fellow PlayStation owners through official apps, but live voice chat isn't an option unless you turn to a third-party service. While this probably won't make or break your choice of console, it's something to consider if you frequently play online with a close-knit group. Via: The Verge Source: App Store , Google Play via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2Bt4utw"