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Sony May Launch an AI-powered Taxi Hailing System (engadget.com)
Sony definitely isn't the first name you think of when you're looking for a ride, but that might change soon in its native Japan. From a report: Nikkei has learned that the tech heavyweight is leading an alliance of taxi companies (Checker Cab, Daiwa Motor Transportation, Green Cab, Hinomaru Kotsu and Kokusai Motorcars) in the creation of an AI-powered hailing platform. The algorithmic system would dispatch taxis more effectively by studying a host of conditions like traffic, weather and events. It might send a horde of drivers near the end of a concert, for instance.
Sounds like a driver scheduling application, of which there are many, of varying quality.
WTF does it have to do with hailing? Just another example of quality editorial work?
AI seems to be the new buzzword today. Very often, something has the word "AI" attached to it to drum up unwarranted interest. Other commonly seen ones on /. are "blockchain", "diversity", and "russians hacked the election".
I thought this was supposed to be a technical news site, not a site that stoops to this level to attract clicks. Maybe all the old-timers complaining about how far slashdot has fallen have a point.
Well I think the point is that while most ride hailing systems are either some quasi-deterministic k-sat or integer programming algorithm or alternatively a heuristic based approach, they are going to give a AI architecture a whirl. Given that most AI are neural net powered and no one can tell you what a Neural Net might do under unusual circumstances, this could produce some really unexpected outcomes. Should be fun to watch! But you are right, it's unlikely to have better performance.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
this is exciting news!
to deliver root kits when its has a bad day.
by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
I'm about to release an AI powered version of the "ls" command. It will use sophisticated machine learning and AI algorithms to suss out the set of files I want to list. From there it will proceed to use a neural network and some cloud infrastructure to determine the best set of options to give to the "ls" command for those files.
Finally, those files will be packaged up and sent to the data center for processing in the cloud, and the results of the "ls" will be sent back to my computer for display in an infinite scrolling browser page running under webgl and javascript.
If you'll be my taxi fair
I can be your long lost pal
I can call you a cab
And rider, when you call me
You can call me Al
Call me Al
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
Or are you just glad to see me
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
Sony has been on my permanent pay-no-mind list for over a decade now. They can go straight into the sea for all I care. I will not use their products, ever.
You are welcome on my lawn.
No, that is not the point...
Because you are not talking about ride HAILING systems!
Has English comprehension really become this bad? This is a Scheduling system, not a Hailing system!
I understand that the headline monkeys think that by making it sound like some kind of AI UBER competitor people may care a little more....
But this has almost NOTHING to do with Ride Hailing!
Given that Japan's Softbank has been investing heavily into Uber, Lyft, Grab and whatever other hailing/ride-sharing apps it can get its hands on, could this just be a sign that Sony is short of cash, and looking for a handout from Softbank?
Seems Uber is already loosing the market to local competitors.
Cause you can keep your old-fashioned AI if it doesn't do Blockchain.
Drivers who don't know the area. Drivers that try to get you to pay cash. Cabs with worn out shocks and breaks and wet seats. Sounds right up Sony's alley!
it will fail; because they forgot to incorporate the flavor-of-the-month...
a blockchain
"But this has almost NOTHING to do with Ride Hailing!"
And yet it has everything to do with Uber smashing. Let's send endless taxi's to Uber's surge pricing locations.
...you wake up at your destination with a rootkit installed in your...
I'll just stop there.
To hail a cherry-red Tesla convertible.
Does it use blockchain? Please, my Bullshit Bingo card really needs this one.
Nope, I've been taken for a ride several times by Sony in the past.
Give me a million dollars for farting the alphabet. Doesn't mean they will. See? I can do it too! Journalism 101: do not base a piece on speculation and present it as fact. Op-ed is fine, but identify it as such or you are pretty much just a hack.
CSB time:
My car was in the shop last week (Alternator went bad). It was an overnight thing, so I took an Uber to work in the morning (shop shuttle dropped me off at home and picked me up at work the next day when the job was done). The Uber ride from my house to work was under $9, and the driver stopped to let me get a cup of coffee without an extra fee (I bought him a cup as well). Priced out, the same exact ride with the local taxi services are $22.75 and $25.50 (calculated on their websites). AND they charge extra if you have extra people. AND they charge extra if you aren't ready to go when they show up. Neither of those fees come with an Uber.
Taxi companies aren't losing to Uber or Lyft because they have fancy / shiny apps. They are losing to Uber and Lyft because Uber and Lyft are LITERALLY less than half the price for the same trip, without nickel-and-dime fees.
The AI book that everyone should get is available for pre-order. "Artificial Intelligence For Dummies" by John Paul Mueller and Luca Massaron.
The AI book that everyone should get is available for pre-order. "Artificial Intelligence For Dummies" by John Paul Mueller and Luca Massaron.