Bits: The Limits of A.I.

View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Friday, June 16, 2017 [For the latest updates, go to nytimes.com/bits »]( [Facebook says the first use of its new artificial intelligence program will be to prevent the posting of gruesome content such as images from terrorist attacks.]( Facebook says the first use of its new artificial intelligence program will be to prevent the posting of gruesome content such as images from terrorist attacks. Patricia De Melo Moreira/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images [The Limits of A.I.]( Facebook, under pressure in a number of countries because of criticism that it is not doing enough to curtail extremist content on its site, says it is going to lean on artificial-intelligence technology in its response to the problem, [Sheera Frenkel writes](. It is an interesting start. But Facebook is likely to deal with the same issue other companies have faced when trying to apply A.I. to the real world: How do you teach a computer context and intuition? Google, for example, is under similar pressure from advertisers on its YouTube video service that do not want to inadvertently lend support to objectionable content. Google is also using A.I. — to a point. But Google, like Facebook, is also deploying large groups of humans on the task. For both companies, the better question might be: How do you [teach a computer to be offended?]( An image of Bruce Willis holding a machine gun in the movie “Die Hard,” for example, would not be offensive to most people. Now put a machine gun in the hands of a man readily identified as a terrorist, and the reaction is different. It is not easy to teach a computer to think like a human. [As John Markoff recently wrote]( one of the biggest challenges still facing engineers working on self-driving cars is teaching a machine the intuition a human takes for granted. A robotic car cannot make eye contact with another driver. Nor can it understand the body language of an agitated traffic control officer trying to get it to make an emergency stop. Until it can do both, it seems fanciful that an autonomous car could navigate the real world without help from humans. — Jim Kerstetter ADVERTISEMENT Read More [Facebook Will Use Artificial Intelligence to Find Extremist Posts]( By SHEERA FRENKEL Under pressure from governments to counter inappropriate content, the social media company will pair new technology with human moderators. [Google Training Ad Placement Computers to Be Offended]( By DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI It’s about context. Google engineers are trying to teach machines to recognize what can be offensive or inoffensive depending on the situation. More From The Times [Amazon to Buy Whole Foods in $13.4 Billion Deal]( By MICHAEL J. DE LA MERCED AND NICK WINGFIELD The deal is the online giant’s latest push into food retailing. [Walmart to Buy Bonobos, Men’s Wear Company, for $310 Million]( By MICHAEL J. DE LA MERCED Acquiring the clothing brand born on the internet is intended to energize Walmart’s e-commerce strategy as it races to catch up with Amazon. Economic Trends [The Amazon-Walmart Showdown That Explains the Modern Economy]( By NEIL IRWIN The battle to sell men’s shirts and food, and just about everything else, is a competition that will define the future of retail. Inside Wealth [At Last, Jeff Bezos Offers a Hint of His Philanthropic Plans]( By ROBERT FRANK People have wondered if the Amazon chief was waiting until retirement to make a big charitable splash. In a tweet, he solicited ideas from the public. [Google Said to Be Facing Record E.U. Fine by End of August]( By MARK SCOTT Regulators are set to impose a penalty of more than $1 billion and force the company to alter how it operates, according to people familiar with the case. [Apple, Moving In on Prestige TV, Poaches Two Sony Executives]( By BROOKS BARNES The company’s hiring of two respected leaders, who cultivated shows like “Breaking Bad” at Sony, signaled to Hollywood that Apple is serious about original programming. [Slack Is Said to Be in Talks to Raise $500 Million]( By KATIE BENNER The office messaging company is not yet profitable, but new funding could raise its valuation to $5 billion as it faces rivals like Microsoft’s Teams. Wheels [Envisioning the Car of the Future as a Living Room on Wheels]( By ERIC A. TAUB As driverless cars develop, how we sit, inform and entertain ourselves are all up for grabs — and companies, designers and researchers are dreaming big. [Spotify Is Growing, but So Are Its Losses]( By BEN SISARIO Revenue was up 52 percent for the streaming company in 2016, but its revenue growth has slowed and its losses are mounting ahead of an expected move to go public. Tech Tip [Claiming Your Own Little Corner of the Web]( By J. D. BIERSDORFER You don’t need a lot of technical expertise to make a personal site or a blog to share your thoughts with the world. HOW ARE WE DOING? We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to [bits_newsletter@nytimes.com](mailto:bits_newsletter@nytimes.com?subject=Bits%20Newsletter%20Feedback%20223). ADVERTISEMENT LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up [here](. FOLLOW BITS [Twitter] [@nytimesbits]( Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »]( | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Bits newsletter. 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