Software Development Team Looks To Build Functioning 'Samantha' AI Assistant

Artificial Intelligence  

Hutoma, a new London based start up specialized in machine learning, has launched a new crowd funding project with the aim to create a real-life Samantha digital assistant, like the one that was featured in the movie, Her.

Virtual Assistants, like Apple' Siri and Microsoft's Cortana, exist today to perform a small set of tasks, each saving users a few steps along the way. If users want to know the weather or the results of a sporting event they can ask Siri, and be met with a rapid reply. Siri exemplifies the rise of virtual-assistant software that mimics some of the skills of human secretaries: creating reminders for appointments, looking up information and completing other tasks.

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Hutoma, a new London based start up specialised in artificial intelligence, is arguing this is not the way it’s always going to be. They believe virtual assistants can be more than just finding an ATM, conducting a web search, or deleting a calendar entry. "What about having a colleague instead of a secretary? A mentor instead of a student? What about an assistant that guides users down paths less traveled? What about an assistant that aspires to help users be a better version of themselves? What about a digital companion instead of a virtual secretary?" asks founder Maurizio Cibelli.

"Virtual assistants can be more than just finding an ATM, conducting a web search, or deleting a calendar entry."

Inspired by the famous Spike Jonze's movie, Hutoma just launched “Project HER”, a new Kickstarter campaign for the world first AI Digital Companion. Project HER is powered by a deep learning neural network programmed to be social and proactive with users. The underlying tech learns new concepts at every interaction and can be reprogrammed by end users with a simple text file.

"With this project we argue that we need a corollary to the notion of an assistant. We like having an assistant. But we want a companion too. A companion is more intimate. That’s the allure. It’s more personal, more…me. It’s additive, bringing new data and new considerations, looking around corners and recognising patterns I can’t yet see," the Hutoma team explain.

What Hutoma is trying to evoke here is a notion of advanced, personal software that aspires well beyond the apps and services that catch our eye today. We’re seeing little hints and signals of the future and that is very exciting!

SOURCE  Hutoma Press Release

By 33rd Square

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