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Facebook Is Working To Save You From Yourself

Facebook is reportedly working on some kind of virtual assistant that would ask users if they’re sure they want to post a picture if its algorithms find something they think the user might find ...
Facebook Is Working To Save You From Yourself
Written by Chris Crum
  • Facebook is reportedly working on some kind of virtual assistant that would ask users if they’re sure they want to post a picture if its algorithms find something they think the user might find embarrassing. That’s how focused on image recognition this company is. It wants to recognize when you’re drunk, and keep you from making a fool of yourself.

    This is actually something the company has researchers working on, as reported by Wired:

    It’s a common thing to do. But Yann LeCun aims to stop such unbridled behavior—or at least warn people when they’re about to do something they might regret. He wants to build a kind of Facebook digital assistant that will, say, recognize when you’re uploading an embarrassingly candid photo of your late-night antics. In a virtual way, he explains, this assistant would tap you on the shoulder and say: “Uh, this is being posted publicly. Are you sure you want your boss and your mother to see this?”

    The idea is more than just an idle suggestion. LeCun is the New York University researcher and machine-learning guru who now oversees the Facebook Artificial Intelligence Research lab, a team of AI researchers inside the internet giant that spans offices in both California and New York, and this rapidly expanding operation is now laying the basic groundwork for his digital assistant.

    It goes on to say that this is largely about image recognition distinguishing between when people are drunk and sober. If it works, and it’s widely implemented, hopefully it will save us from some of the “idiots on Facebook” stories we see all too often.

    Image via San Antonio Police, Facebook

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