Educating robots to navigate new environments is hard. You may prepare them on bodily, real-world information taken from recordings made by people, however that’s scarce, and costly to gather. Digital simulations are a speedy, scalable option to train them to do new issues, however the robots typically fail once they’re pulled out of digital worlds and requested to do the identical duties in the actual one.Â
Now, there’s doubtlessly a greater possibility: a brand new system that makes use of generative AI fashions at the side of a physics simulator to develop digital coaching grounds that extra precisely mirror the bodily world. Robots educated utilizing this technique labored with the next success fee than these educated utilizing extra conventional methods throughout real-world assessments.
Researchers used the system, referred to as LucidSim, to coach a robotic canine in parkour, getting it to scramble over a field and climb stairs, regardless of by no means seeing any actual world information. The strategy demonstrates how useful generative AI might be relating to educating robots to do difficult duties. It additionally raises the likelihood that we might finally prepare them in solely digital worlds. Learn the complete story.
—Rhiannon Williams
Africa’s AI researchers are prepared for takeoff
Once we speak in regards to the world race for AI dominance, the dialog typically focuses on tensions between the US and China, and European efforts at regulating the expertise. Nevertheless it’s excessive time we speak about one other participant: Africa.
African AI researchers are forging their very own path, creating instruments that reply the wants of Africans, in their very own languages. Their story isn’t solely considered one of persistence and innovation, however of preserving cultures and preventing to form how AI applied sciences are used on their very own continent. Nonetheless, they face many limitations. Learn the complete story.
—Melissa Heikkilä