Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY

Friday 15 december 2017 TECHNOLOGY
A24

Microsoft updates Bing search to highlight reputable results

By MATT O’BRIEN is a good idea. “We are not at 800 yet,
AP Technology Writer On more complicated but we bypassed President
BOSTON (AP) — Microsoft questions — is there a Bush a long time ago,”
on Wednesday rolled out god? — Bing doesn’t have Shum jokes.
new features on its Bing enough confidence to The demand for more so-
search engine powered provide a pro-con per- phisticated searches has
by artificial intelligence, in- spective. But on questions also grown as people have
cluding one that summariz- that involve numbers, it moved from typing ques-
es the two opposing sides boils information down into tions to voicing them on
of contentious questions, digestible doses. Iraq, for the road or in their kitchen.
and another that mea- instance, is described as “If you use Bing or Google
sures how many reputable “about equal to the size of nowadays you recognize
sources are behind a given California.” that more and more often
answer. you’ll see direct answers
Tired of delivering mislead- Search engines have on the top of search result
ing information when their Kristina Behr, partner program manager for AI product design, evolved since Google took pages,” Shum said.
algorithms are gamed by gives a demonstration of new intelligence search features in the lead at the turn of the “We’re getting to the point
trolls and purveyors of fake Bing at a Microsoft event in San Francisco, Wednesday, Dec. 21st century, when rank- that for probably about 10
news, Microsoft and its 13, 2017. ings were based on “link percent of those queries
tech-company rivals have Associated Press analysis” that assigned we’ll see answers.”
been going out of their credibility to sites based Shum is hesitant to over-
way to show they can be have a responsibility to coffee good for you?’ We on how many other sites promise Bing’s new fea-
purveyors of good infor- provide answers that are know that there are no linked to them. tures as an antidote to the
mation — either by using comprehensive and ob- good answers for that,” As machines get better at misinformation flooding the
better algorithms or hiring jective,” said Jordi Ribas, Ribas said. But the new reading and summarizing internet.
more human moderators. Microsoft’s corporate vice search features side-by- paragraphs, users expect “At the end of the day,
Microsoft is also trying to president for AI products. side opposing perspec- not just a list of links but a people have their own
distinguish its 2nd-place Bing’s new capabilities tives. quick and authoritative judgments,” he said.
search engine from long- are designed to give users One source emphasizes answer, said Harry Shum,
dominant Google and more confidence that an coffee’s ability to increase who leads Microsoft’s The search engine features
position itself as an inno- answer is correct and save metabolism and another 8,000-person research and were announced along
vator in finding real-world them time so they don’t shows it can raise blood AI division. To test its tech- with updates to Microsoft’s
applications for the latest have to click through multi- pressure. Similar questions nology, the company has voice assistant Cortana
advances in artificial intel- ple links to validate it them- can also be asked on more compared its machine- and a new search partner-
ligence. selves. sensitive topics, such as reading skills to the verbal ship with the popular on-
“As a search engine we “You could be asking, ‘Is whether the death penalty score on the SAT. line forum Reddit.q

Justice Department confirms criminal probe in Uber case

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE but U.S. District Judge Wil- over Jacobs’ letter during
AP Technology Writer liam Alsup postponed it the evidence-gathering
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A after the U.S. Attorney’s of- phase of the Waymo case,
recent letter from the U.S. fice took the unusual step infuriating Alsup. The judge
Attorney’s office confirms of sending him the letter had already seen enough
that the Justice Depart- to alert him about infor- troubling evidence in the
ment has opened a crimi- mation that hadn’t been case to reach out to the
nal investigation connect- revealed in the civil case U.S. Attorney’s office in
ed to allegations that a for- against Uber. May and recommend it
mer Uber executive stole The letter revealed that a consider opening a crimi-
self-driving car technology former Uber security spe- nal case. Although Uber
from a Google spin-off to cialist had informed Justice has brushed off Jacobs’
help the ride-hailing ser- Department investigators allegations as the fabrica-
vice build robotic vehicles. that the company had tion of a disgruntled former
The letter unsealed routinely used secret com- employee, the company
Wednesday by a federal In this photo taken Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016, file photo, Anthony munications channels and reached a $7.5 million set-
judge marks the Justice Levandowski, then-head of Uber’s self-driving program, speaks devices that could help tlement with him and the
about their driverless car in San Francisco.
Department’s first ac- Associated Press conceal the existence attorney who wrote the
knowledgement of the of any technology stolen 37-page letter. As part of
probe. The criminal inves- identify the targets of the Levandowski has exercised from a rival. that deal, Jacobs is be-
tigation was mentioned in investigation or the na- his right against self-incrim- The Justice Department ing paid $1 million to be
court hearings two weeks ture of the possible crimes. ination while being ques- also disclosed that the an Uber consultant. Alsup
ago, but the Justice De- Google spin-off Waymo tioned under oath in the former security specialist, plans to unseal Jacobs’ let-
partment had declined to has alleged that one of case. Uber fired him in May Richard Jacobs, had sent ter Friday unless efforts to
comment. its top self-driving car en- for refusing to abandon a 37-page letter to one of conceal it are successful in
The U.S. Attorney’s office in gineers, Anthony Levan- that constitutional right Uber’s top lawyers alleging an appeals court. Jacobs
San Francisco unsuccess- dowski, stole its trade se- and declining to cooper- other misconduct, includ- contends unsealing his let-
fully tried to keep its letter crets before founding a ate with the company’s ing the employment of an ter could jeopardize the
disclosing the investigation startup that he sold to Uber defense against Waymo. espionage team that tried safety of some Uber em-
under seal to protect the for $680 million last year. A jury trial over Waymo’s al- to steal trade secrets from ployees overseas as well
inquiry’s integrity. Uber has adamantly de- legations had been sched- other companies, primarily some as some current and
The Nov. 22 letter didn’t nied the allegations. uled to begin last week, overseas. Uber didn’t turn former CIA agents. q