A new AI training program helps robots own their ignorance
More self-aware machines could avoid making dangerous mistakes
HONOLULU — A new training scheme could remind artificial intelligence programs that they aren’t know-it-alls.
AI programs that run robots, self-driving cars and other autonomous machines often train in simulated environments before making real-world debuts (SN: 12/8/18, p. 14). But situations that an AI doesn’t encounter in virtual reality can become blind spots in its real-life decision making. For instance, a delivery bot trained in a virtual cityscape with no emergency vehicles may not know that it should pause before entering a crosswalk if it hears sirens.