One of the world’s most widely used cargo planes completed an entire flight with no one on board for the first time. Lasting approximately 12 minutes in total, the flight departed from Hollister Airport, in Northern California, and was operated by Reliable Robotics, which has been working since 2019 on a semi-automated flying system in which the aircraft is controlled remotely by a pilot. The company recently announced that the 50-mile flight took place in November. The plane was a Cessna Caravan, a robust single-engine aircraft that is a popular choice for flight training, tourism, humanitarian missions and regional cargo.…

Researchers from Google AI have unveiled Translatotron 3, an innovative AI model that revolutionizes speech-to-speech translation, promising to turn users into real-time polyglots. This breakthrough technology eliminates the need for vast amounts of parallel speech data, making it accessible for languages with limited resources. Overcoming language barriers Language barriers have long been a hindrance to effective communication, both in everyday life and across global borders. While speech-to-speech translation (S2ST) models have emerged to address this challenge, they traditionally rely on extensive parallel speech data, limiting their utility for many languages where such data is scarce or entirely unavailable. Enter Translatotron…

Drone swarms shown to talk, collaborate and split up duties using human language, making it easier for operators to understand the machines' behaviour The technology has potential for use in security patrols, rescue operations and aerial logistics and transport, research team says A team of Chinese scientists has developed drones that can engage in "group chats" to discuss and assign tasks among themselves, much like human teams. The technology could be used to improve security patrols, disaster rescueand aerial logistics, the researchers said. While communication strategies for drone swarms are typically designed to simulate bee and ant colonies, the Chinese…

Ahead of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s four days in exile, several staff researchers wrote a letter to the board of directors warning of a powerful artificial intelligence discovery that they said could threaten humanity, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The previously unreported letter and AI algorithm were key developments before the board's ouster of Altman, the poster child of generative AI, the two sources said. Prior to his triumphant return late Tuesday, more than 700 employees had threatened to quit and join backer Microsoft (MSFT.O) in solidarity with their fired leader. The sources cited the letter as…