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Hop on the AI train with this program for beginners

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Build a strong foundation in ML and AI with this program for beginners, now just $30.
Interested in a career in artificial intelligence and machine learning? This $30 program can help you build a strong foundation.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Just like artificial intelligence, which exploded into the mainstream recently, machine learning is the future. While most of us have heard about AI and how it’s changing how everything works with programs like ChatGTP, machine learning might not be as well-known.

Machine learning is a specific branch of AI that focuses on using data and algorithms to imitate how humans learn, with a gradual improvement in accuracy. According to an article on LinkedIn, both are rapidly growing fields. This Machine Learning for Absolute Beginners program can give you a solid foundation if you’re considering a career in either area. It’s now only $29.99 (regularly $300).

Spotify snaps up AI startup Podz which helps listeners find the perfect podcast

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Podz
Podz launched its "Audio Newsfeed" on iOS in February.
Photo: Podz

As part of the podcasting arms race between tech giant, Spotify has acquired Podz, an AI podcast discovery service for an undisclosed amount of money. Podz generates (or generated) short audio clips that populated a Instagram Stories-style timeline users could flip through to find podcasts they were likely to enjoy listening to.

iOS 14’s adult-content blocker prevents searches for the word ‘Asian’

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Apple's adult block
It's likely an example of AI run amok.
Photo: Apple

iOS 14’s built-in pornographic content blocker stymies searches that include the word “Asian,” according to a computer science student.

This means searches for “Asian food” or “Asian countries” are blocked if the adult content filters are enabled. Similar blocks aren’t in place for search terms including “black,” “white,” “Arab,” “French” and other national or racial descriptors.

Voiceitt is an iOS app that will make Alexa easier for people with atypical speech

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Voiceitt
This could be a game-changer for those who need it.
Photo: Voiceitt

CES 2021 bug For people with non-standard speech — such as those who have experienced strokes, neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, or developmental disorders — communicating with an AI assistant like Amazon’s Alexa isn’t quite as seamless as it is for many.

With that in mind, a speech recognition startup for atypical speech, called Voiceitt, has developed an accessibility app for iOS that improves Alexa. Here’s how it works.

Improve your grammar and writing with machine learning

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whitesmoke
Gain access to a suite of web-based tools for improving your writing quality, for emails, reports, and anywhere else words are involved.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Becoming a better writer requires feedback. But not everyone has room in their life for writing workshops and deep dives into literature. If you want to improve your writing quickly and easily, you need this web-based tool that uses machine learning to polish your prose.

Apple launches residency program for those interested in the future of AI

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Robot
Apple is ramping up its focus on artificial intelligence.
Photo: Scott Schaut/Mansfield Memorial Museum

Apple has launched a new artificial intelligence and machine learning residency program for people from other STEM disciplines wanting to “dip their toe” into the world of cutting edge machine learning.

Michael Rennaker, manager of Apple in Research Academia (ARIA), announced the new initiative on Twitter. The program seeks experts in fields like design, linguistics, neuroscience, and psychology whose interests may cross over with AI.

Apple could ‘lead the industry’ in AI, says Cupertino’s machine learning boss

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John Giannandrea
Apple's AI boss says machine learning is being used in more places than ever.
Photo: Apple

Apple is using machine learning technology in more and more of its features, John Giannandrea, the company’s senior vice president for machine learning and AI strategy, reveals in a new interview with Ars Technica.

Giannandrea, who joined Apple from a job at Google, said “there are increasingly fewer and fewer places in iOS where we’re not using machine learning.” This stands in strong contrast to a few years ago — and even the point at which Giannandrea landed his Apple job.

Apple keeps throwing money at making Siri smarter

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Siri Alexa in voice report
Apple’s latest acquisition aims to give Siri better data to work with.
Photo: Apple

Apple purchased Inductiv, a Canadian company that focused on using artificial intelligence to clean up data. They created HoloClean, which was designed to get useful predictions from “noisy, incomplete, and erroneous data.”

The employees of Inductiv joined the team developing Siri, Apple’s voice-driven AI assistant, according to Bloomberg.

Latest AI acquisition shows Apple isn’t sacrificing privacy for machine smarts

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Latest AI acquisition shows Apple isn’t sacrificing privacy for machine smarts
Apple is embracing machine intelligence, without losing sight of the human factor.
Photo: Universal

When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI), Apple wants to have its cake and eat it, too. That is to say that it wants cutting edge data-driven machine learning on its devices, without violating its own user privacy pledge.

And you know what? It’s managing to pull it off — as the company’s latest AI startup acquisition underlines.