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Facebook Puts Deep Learning in the Palm of Your Hand (fortune.com)

Posted by msmash on from the deep-learning-quest dept.

Facebook has built a simple-looking video tool to show off a sophisticated use of artificial intelligence on cell phones. From a report on Fortune: During an event at its office in Menlo Park, Calif., last Friday afternoon, Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer showed off software that takes a live Facebook video feed from a cell phone and converts the image in real time into a selection of artistic styles, such as that of Van Gogh. It might sound like a simple filter, but usually, an algorithm of this nature would need to send that type of information back to a server in a data center to process the pixels on more powerful machines. The Facebook crew crafted a less power-hungry and computing-intensive deep learning system they call "Caffe2Go," that uses the computing power in a cell phone. Facebook's Schroepfer showed the algorithm and other applications of artificial intelligence at the Web Summit conference in Lisbon, Portugal on Tuesday. Last Friday, he called the system a "pretty big leap" and "a real neural net running on a phone in real time."

46 comments

  1. Live Facebook video feed? by sinij · · Score: 1

    Live Facebook video feed? I think NSA will be a lot more interested in such feature than any consumers.

    1. Re:Live Facebook video feed? by kelemvor4 · · Score: 1

      Live Facebook video feed? I think NSA will be a lot more interested in such feature than any consumers.

      Will be? You don't think facebook developed this on their own, do you?

    2. Re:Live Facebook video feed? by LifesABeach · · Score: 1

      It's kind of sad that the H1B Zombies spent all that time making an updated version of a Java program; then slapped an "A.I." sticker on it.

      Hay Zombies, try this A.I. problem. "Given a person's Auto Insurance Policy, is that person over insured?"

    3. Re:Live Facebook video feed? by kelemvor4 · · Score: 1

      It's kind of sad that the H1B Zombies spent all that time making an updated version of a Java program; then slapped an "A.I." sticker on it. Hay Zombies, try this A.I. problem. "Given a person's Auto Insurance Policy, is that person over insured?"

      Are you kidding? It garnered them articles in fortune and slashdot! I'm sure the publicity alone was worth the cost of the update even if they only changed the comment lines in the code.

  2. So basically... by 110010001000 · · Score: 4, Funny

    ....we are calling computer programs "Deep Learning" and "AI" now? Nice! I'll add that to my resume. Apparently I am an expert in "Deep Learning".

    1. Re:So basically... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Bullshitting about AI is all the rage. My latest effort I've called Neuro-Cognitive Hello World. It uses what I call Gradient Descent Reduction Bollocks to literally print something onto the screen but it does it by first executing a few iterations of a simple sigma function, feeding the output back to the input, discarding the output and then just printing HELLO WORLD. It's magnificent. Give me $20 billion dollars thank you.

    2. Re:So basically... by Sloppy · · Score: 1

      Maybe awk-and-sed-for-video does need a catchy new name. "Pipeline" just doesn't cut it in 2016, and you gotta admit, it is a lot more work. Don't try this on your PDP-11.

      --
      As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
    3. Re:So basically... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ....we are calling computer programs "Deep Learning" and "AI" now?

      Yes that is totally what we are doing. For a bunch of apparently smart people there are a lot of slashdotters that present as pretty damn stupid.

    4. Re:So basically... by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 3, Insightful

      ....we are calling computer programs "Deep Learning" and "AI" now?

      Not all programs. But if you give a program an objective, and it figures out on its own how to get there, then that is machine learning, which is a branch of AI. If it uses a neural net with more than one hidden layer, then it is "deep learning". That is what the term means.

      Apparently I am an expert in "Deep Learning".

      If you don't even understand the terminology, then you are not an "expert".

    5. Re:So basically... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, you're just an idiot. But, you arleady knew that.

      Specific programs are indeed "deep learning" and "AI", but that is not a new thing. Just like your shitposting.

      Don't you have friends?

    6. Re:So basically... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought it was a very insightful comment. Not yours, his.

    7. Re:So basically... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      What they're doing may be using machine learning technologies, but it isn't "deep learning", I speak as a person who's done a fair bit of work with machine learning. You can tell that their claim is bullshit right off the bat. Let me pull out the relevant bullshit quote

      "It might sound like a simple filter, but usually, an algorithm of this nature would need to send that type of information back to a server in a data center to process the pixels on more powerful machines."

      You see, this isn't true. Maybe facebook would usually send it back to more powerful machines, but those of us familiar with languages other than javascript would just write a simple C filter and do it locally in real time. I mean, my phone literally does it now. Like I can literally open up the camera app, switch it to video mode and select a filter. Machine learning involves statistical models and feeding new information into the original model to try to refine it. Machine learning is impressive with what it can do, but if you become familiar with it, you quickly learn what the limits are. Basically, if it can't be turned into a statistical model, then AI and machine learning are useless. Yes, applying a filter to an image to do what they're doing is typically done via a statistical model, which may say "AI" but it's also just saying "filter". And to reiterate, for machine learning, that statistical model has to be adaptive, as in it refines itself as more information is processed.

    8. Re:So basically... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey, this thing isn't fucking Bladerunner and you're not Zhora.

    9. Re:So basically... by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      Waaah, someone said something bad on the Internet!

    10. Re:So basically... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Slashvertisement.

    11. Re:So basically... by quax · · Score: 1

      Indeed, what pathetic hype.

      For my Master degree I researched random search feed-forward artificial neural network learning algorithms. That was a long time ago, crunching numbers on a Pentium 90MHz system with a Linux 0.9x kernel.

      Any smartphone has way more computing power these days.

    12. Re: So basically... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not funny. You know nothing of deep learning.

    13. Re:So basically... by megamind · · Score: 1

      So true, I have been applying for jobs. Apparently, fixing someone else's code, using Linux, cron, and version control, is called DevOps now too.

  3. Facebook's Schroepfer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    LOL. What an apt name. In German that is someone who does this (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6pfen)

  4. Looks like a facebook day on /. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    f.ck FB

  5. let's play global thermonuclear war by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    what side do you want?

    1. Re:let's play global thermonuclear war by sinij · · Score: 1

      let's play global thermonuclear war, what side do you want?

      Vault 11 was rough, lets try Vault 10.

    2. Re:let's play global thermonuclear war by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

      Please list primary targets

  6. Missing information by Kohath · · Score: 1

    Facebook puts deep learning in the palm of your hand ... in order to use that capability against you in some way -- probably just to follow you around and spam you with ads to start with.

  7. Meh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So are we calling any image filter more complex than a convolution matrix, 'deep learning artificial intelligence' now?

    Pass forwards through a neural network aren't exactly computationally intensive either, especially with GPU acceleration for matrix multiplication which is pretty much what a sum of input neurons multiplied by a synapse weighting is. Give me the network geometry and weightings and I'll write you a GLSL kernel in a day or so that'd likely run at 30fps...

  8. Figured it out in 5th grade by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

    Facebook Puts Deep Learning in the Palm of Your Hand

    Nerds have always had deep learning from the palm of their hand.

    --
    (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
  9. Not impressed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Considering how the chip in my phone has more processing power than the fastest supercomputer back in 1992 I'm not particularly impressed.

    Why would this kind of thing require a server back end to handle the processing? Its photos. Not video. I'd be impressed if this was 1080p video being processed like this by a phone.

  10. Great! by nospam007 · · Score: 1

    They should use it to replace the algorithm that puts racist conspiracy theories as 'trending' on FB.

  11. I'm sorry, how does this steal my private info? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is FB after all, right?

    1. Re:I'm sorry, how does this steal my private info? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It doesn't if you don't have a Facebook account.

    2. Re:I'm sorry, how does this steal my private info? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You don't even have to input your info. It uses deep learning to intuit who you are and then steals that information.

  12. More like... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Facebook has built a simple-looking video tool to show off a sophisticated use of glorified complex pattern matching on cell phones"
    Much better.

    Captcha: burglary

  13. Training or running an neural net? by Kludge · · Score: 1

    "a real neural net running on a phone in real time."

    Running a neural net does not take much processing power, It is a mostly just a series of adds and multiplies.

    Training a neural net takes lots of computing power. I doubt they are doing that on a cell phone.

    1. Re:Training or running an neural net? by Nadella+Onions · · Score: 1

      "a real neural net running on a phone in real time."

      Running a neural net does not take much processing power, It is a mostly just a series of adds and multiplies.

      Training a neural net takes lots of computing power. I doubt they are doing that on a cell phone.

      excuse me, but if a "real neural net" runs on a computer, then what is the network of neurons that run in your head called? a "really real neural net"? i know what you mean.....i'm just pointing out machines we build don't neurons no matter how "intelligent" they may be.

  14. well I stand right next to a mountain by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    chop it down with the edge of my hand

  15. "deep learning" is what I call my p3nis by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    and "facebook" is euphemism for masturbatory drivel

  16. non AI brains are laughing by Nadella+Onions · · Score: 1

    how can facebook and fortune not be embarrassed by putting out such drivel? they should have saved this for april 1st.

  17. Artificial, but not intelligence by mbeckman · · Score: 1

    If we keep calling simple parlor tricks "artificial intelligence", what will we call actual intelligence should we someday artificially create one? AI is so dumbed down now that the term is meaningless.

    1. Re:Artificial, but not intelligence by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If we keep calling simple parlor tricks "artificial intelligence", what will we call actual intelligence should we someday artificially create one?

      "Virtual reality"

    2. Re:Artificial, but not intelligence by H725_IT · · Score: 1

      maybe... "master" or "sir"

    3. Re: Artificial, but not intelligence by mbeckman · · Score: 1

      Touché :)

  18. So, Palm on Face? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ba ding tiss!

    1. Re:So, Palm on Face? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've written a new app that combines the old Myspace and Facebook. Why don't y'all come on Myface?

  19. no, no double entendre there... by Thud457 · · Score: 1

    Dirt Devil puts the power of an upright in the palm of your hand.

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  20. Re: Figured it out in 5th grade (+3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Meet me at the rest stop for an angry handy-j.

  21. curso NR 10 by Instituto+Santa+Cata · · Score: 1

    Curso NR 10 online curso NR 10 curso NR 10 online