Last Week in AI #12

AI System Manages to Pass an 8th-Grade Science Test

Although it may sound trivial, an AI system managed to get over 90 percent of the answers right on an 8th-Grade Science test. The same task was attempted four years ago with more than 700 researchers participating and the best system only managed to get 60 percent of the answers right. This shows the significant progress made in terms of how machines are able to understand language and make decisions similarly to humans.

Read more at: The New York Times

Facebook is Using Minecraft to Build a Generalist AI Assistant

Facebook wants to create an AI assistant that will be able to help people with their daily tasks and is using the Microsoft-owned Minecraft game to train it. The rationale behind using Minecraft for this is that the game allows for uncapped creativity with relatively few, simple to understand tools.

Read more at: Engadget

It Took AI Only 46 Days to Identify Potential New Drug

An AI system co-developed by researchers at the University of Toronto and AI startup Insilico Medicine was able to identify molecules that could be synthesized in order to target a protein linked with fibrosis. The process is similar to how a human chemist works, just exponentially faster. Although only a proof of concept for now, it shows promise for the future of drug development.

Read more at: MIT Tech Review