On Sun, Apr 01, 2001 at 06:09:08PM -0400, Declan McCullagh wrote:
II.2, which would not be mandated until April 1, 2003, is far more high-tech. Some observers believe it will spur development of this kind of advanced artificial intelligence, giving U.S. tech firms a badly-needed boost given the recent stock market downturn.
I have used one of these. Now that the NDC conditions have run out, I can talk about it. The coolest feature, which the article doesn't mention, is its offer of counseling to those about to take a "forbidden" photograph. The AI technology involved in spotting the photo is sufficiently sophisticated that the manufacturers thought they might as well add voice capabilities. Don't get me wrong: it's not HAL9000. More like Eliza. But before notifying the feds (at least in the model I saw), you can be engaged in a Jungian-style discussion about early family troubles in the hopes that you will repent. The major fight, which could keep this functionality out of the final production models, is whether the cameras could explore miscreant's feelings about breast feeding. Despite affadavits from the American Psychological Association (APA) and other well-known groups, various members of congress found the topic unsavory. -- Greg