http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/30/technology/daily-report-when-artificial-intelligence-goes-to-the-dark-side.html 2016-09-29 19:38:02 Daily Report: When Artificial Intelligence Goes to the Dark Side Criminals are beginning to take advantage of the kind of smart technology that imitates voices and helps people plot the fastest route home. === Computers really are becoming like people: Just because they are smart doesn’t mean they won’t do awful things. As The man who developed Blackshades The way A.I. can now recognize text and images, even imitate voices, lends itself to malicious uses in defeating online security, spotting victims, even eventually fooling people into thinking that a machine they’re talking to is a person. It happened to me yesterday. Working from home, I received a robocall to see if I wanted to buy solar panels (a common enough When I asked if this was a computer, there was a pause, then a stilted “Yes, I’m a real person,” followed by a too-fast pitch that didn’t stop when it was interrupted. Then Amanda hung up on me. I have a feeling she’ll be back, with a faster processor and a better grasp of informal speech. They say one of the best ways to check, for now, is to ask the suspected bot to recite a limerick or sing “Happy Birthday.” It may not be dignified, but it beats being ripped off.