"But whether [Apple] Siri becomes the model for how humans interact with computers in the future or whether it gets laughed off the stage of technical innovation like so many AI systems that have come before hinges on whether it can tell the difference between “Andrew” and “Andrea”—especially when I’m in a crowded coffee shop, speaking with a Southern drawl, with a stuffed-up nose from a bad cold."

"Look, I’m not going to go into great detail about what I’ve been doing with Siri during my testing period, but I will tell you this — Siri says some crazy stuff.

Hit the gallery below for a look at a number of bizarre items the AI-powered / voice-recognizing “intelligent assistant” lays on you on the new iPhone 4S."

"In the past year, researchers have developed new robots to tackle a variety of tasks: helping with medical rehabilitation, aiding military manoeuvres, mimicking social skills, and grasping the unknown. Here are the highlights."

"Singularity discussions seem to be splitting up into three major schools of thought: Accelerating Change, the Event Horizon, and the Intelligence Explosion."

"It's 2045 and nerds in old-folks homes are wandering around, scratching their heads, and asking plaintively, "But ... but, where's the Singularity?" Science fiction writer Vernor Vinge--who originated the concept of the technological Singularity--doesn't think that will happen, but he explores three alternate scenarios, along with our "best hope for long-term survival"--self-sufficient, off-Earth settlements."

"A population of 1,000 random pictures, created in October 2007. You allow the fittest pictures to survive. The higher your rating for a pic the more mutated offspring it produces."

"For the first time ever, a poker-playing computer program challenged two top-level poker professionals in a controlled scientific experiment with real money on the line."

"The Blind Watchmaker algorithm was conceived by Richard Dawkins and is described in his book The Blind Watchmaker. ... demonstrates very effectively how random mutation followed by non-random selection can lead to interesting, complex forms."

"There's no doubt about it. We picked up several from different parts of the planet, took them aboard our recon vessels, and probed them all the way through. They're completely meat."

Roland Piquepaille's blog on "How new technologies are modifying our way of life".

Thoughts on generative music.

"AI is not enough. You need Friendly AI. That changes everything. It alters the entire strategic picture of AI development."

A post-singularity sci-fi novel, available to read for free through Kuro5hin.

Google has five advantages that will keep all but the most determined innovators from beating it to artificial intelligence.