Google teams up with Oxford academics to bring human-like robots closer to reality

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Google has teamed up with two of Oxford’s artificial intelligence (AI) teams
The first will lead research into helping machines better understand users
The second is tasked with improving visual recognition using deep learning
Google bought AI firm Deep Mind in January, designed to help computers think like humans
Tech giant is also working on quantum chips based on the human brain

Published: 08:25 EST, 23 October 2014 | Updated: 08:27 EST, 23 October 2014

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Google has further demonstrated just how serious it is about making computers think like humans.

The California tech giant has teamed up with two of Oxford University’s artificial intelligence (AI) teams to help machines better understand users, and improve visual recognition systems using deep learning.

This partnership follows reports Google is also developing superfast ‘quantum’ chips modelled on the human brain, to make searches and software more intuitive.

Google has teamed up with two of Oxford University’s (pictured) artificial intelligence (AI) teams. The first will lead research into helping machines better understand users, while the second has been tasked to improve visual recognition systems using deep learning

‘It is a really exciting time for AI research these days, and progress is being made on many fronts including image recognition and natural language understanding,’ wrote Demis Hassabis, co-founder of DeepMind and vice president of engineering at Google in a blog post.

‘We are delighted to announce a partnership with Oxford University to accelerate Google’s research efforts in these areas.’

Google DeepMind will be working with two of Oxford’s AI research teams.

Professor Nando de Freitas, Professor Phil Blunsom, Dr Edward Grefenstette and Dr Karl Moritz Hermann, who teamed up earlier this year to co-found Dark Blue Labs, will be leading research to help machines better understand what users are saying to them.

GOOGLE'S QUEST FOR ULTIMATE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

The acquisition of DeepMind in January wasn't Google’s first foray into artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Its recent Hummingbird search update was created to make Google 'more human' - searches can now understand context, like a human brain, for example.

Its Google Now app uses ‘predictive analysis’ to predict what Android users will do next, before offering relevant help and information at each step without ever being asked.

Google also hired futurist Ray Kurzweil as Engineering Director in 2012.

Kurzweil has famously claimed that in just over 30 years, humans will be able to upload their entire minds to computers and become digitally immortal - an event called singularity.

He also claimed the biological parts of our body will be replaced with mechanical parts and this could happen as early as 2100.

Its partnership with Oxford University follows reports Google is also developing superfast ‘quantum’ chips modelled on the human brain, to make searches and software more intuitive.

Also joining the DeepMind team will be Dr Karen Simonyan, Max Jaderberg and Professor Andrew Zisserman, experts in computer vision systems.

As co-founders of Vision Factory, their aim is to improve visual recognition systems using deep learning.

Dr Simonyan and Professor Zisserman developed one of the winning systems at the recent 2014 ImageNet competition.

Google DeepMind has hired all seven founders of these startups with the three professors holding joint appointments at Oxford University where they will continue to spend part of their time.

‘These exciting partnerships underline how committed Google DeepMind is to supporting the development of UK academia and the growth of strong scientific research labs,’ continued Mr Hassabis.

As a part of the collaboration, Google DeepMind will be donating to establish a research partnership with the Computer Science Department and the Engineering Department at Oxford University.

‘We are thrilled to welcome these extremely talented machine learning researchers to the Google DeepMind team and are excited about the potential impact of the advances their research will bring,’ concluded Mr Hassabis.

Google is also reportedly working on a super-fast 'quantum' computer chip as part its vision to one day have machines think like humans.

Dr Karen Simonyan, Max Jaderberg and Professor Andrew Zisserman are among the experts partnering with Google. Dr Simonyan and Professor Zisserman developed one of the winning systems at the 2014 ImageNet competition. Google's winning entry, which helps computers distinguish between individual objects, is pictured

Google is also reportedly working on a super-fast 'quantum' computer chip as part its vision to one day have machines think like humans. The California-based group has teamed up with leading physicist John Martinis to build processors based on quantum theories, that would potentially work in a similar way to the human brain

The California-based group has teamed up with leading physicist John Martinis to build processors based on quantum theories.

Google acquired artificial intelligence firm DeepMind in January

The new hire is part of a 'hardware initiative' to design and build chips operating on sub-atomic levels in ways that makes them much faster than existing processors.

Standard computers deal with binary data expressed in zeroes and ones. However, quantum computing uses the behaviour of sub-atomic particles to encode data.

Experts believe that a quantum bit, which can have two states at the same time, may be able hugely improve the speed and power of computing.

Professor Martinis currently works at University of California, Santa Barbara, and is one of the most prolific researchers in the area of artificial intelligence.

But Google is also aware of the dangers involved with AI and machine learning.

So much so that in January it set up an ethics board to oversee its work in these fields.

The ethics board is to ensure the projects are not abused.

The DeepMind-Google ethics board is set to create a series of rules and restrictions over the use of the technology.

AI IS 'MORE DANGEROUS THAN NUKES', CLAIMS ELON MUSK

Elon Musk is one of the driving forces behind super-intelligent computers that could improve everything from space travel to electric cars.

But the Tesla-founder claims the technology could someday be more harmful than nuclear weapons.

Last month, the billionaire tweeted a recommendation for a book that looks at a robot uprising, claiming ‘We need to be super careful with AI. Potentially more dangerous than nukes.’

Musk referred to the book ‘Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies’, a work by Nick Bostrom that asks major questions about how humanity will cope with super-intelligent computers.

Mr Bostrom has also argued that the world is fake and we are living in a computer simulation.

In a later tweet, Musk wrote: ‘Hope we're not just the biological boot loader for digital superintelligence. Unfortunately, that is increasingly probable.’

Musk's tweets follows a similar comment in June in which the Tesla-founder said believes that a horrific ‘Terminator-like’ scenario could be created from research into artificial intelligence.

The 42-year-old is so worried, he is investing in AI companies, not to make money, but to keep an eye on the technology in case it gets out of hand.