文章大意:这是一篇新闻报道。机器人初创公司Akin的创始人Yearsley正在开发的人工智能系统,将给用户带来体贴、人性化的家庭管理服务,让“关心”和“移情”不再与技术无关。
The words “caring” and “empathetic” (共情的) aren’t ones normally associated with technology. Yearsley, an Australian enterpriser who is expert in artificial intelligence (AI), is trying to change that.
Yearsley is the founder of Akin, a robotics startup that currently uses a tablet-based system to help users manage the tasks related to homelife, whether that’s planning meals or reminding you to pay your cell phone bill. Current home devices made by Google or Amazon or Apple use predictive AI to track patterns, strengthen behaviors and manipulate (操控) buying decisions, some of which, she assumes, are questionable or just unhealthy.
In contrast, the AI that she is developing will be designed to run the human home, encouraging healthful decisions such as taking a nightly walk, refilling the fridge and supporting social interactions like lunches or birthday celebrations with friends. “It’s the hardest AI I have ever built for it’s a complex system, Yearsley says.
Yearsley began developing the Akin technology in 2017,when she realized the need to better manage the home is hugely ignored.Besides, she realized that women unequally bear the burden of household work. A United Nations report estimates that women do 2.6 times the amount of unpaid care and domestic work that men do,or close to 30 hours per week in the U.S. alone.
Meanwhile, Yearsley, who has a special-needs child and a relative with disability says it makes sense to focus on the disability field because of the extra in-home needs of users and their caregivers. “We have a lot more work load,”she says.“Are we giving time back to caregivers?I am not going to rest until I give you back 10 hours a week.”
While Yearsley pictures an army of robots someday helping with routine homemade tasks, the first display for Akin will take time and money.Akin has received some early seed from a handful of investors, and was recently selected as a finalist for tech giant LG Nova’s Mission for the Future program, an annual challenge that seeks to identify businesses having potential to improve life and lead society into the future.
12. What might the Akin’s Al system suggest?
A.Consuming more drinks to enjoy yourself. |
B.Staying up late working to make more money |
C.Spending more time staying with your family |
D.Purchasing products similar to what you bought. |
13. Which is a contributor to Yearsley’s
Al system?
A.Lots of financial support from investors |
B.The uselessness of current home devices. |
C.Akins’ becoming a finalist for a program. |
D.Heavy burden of housewives and caregivers. |
14. What can be used to describe the Akin’s AI system?
A.Successful and promising | B.Stable and practical. |
C.Thoughtful and innovative. | D.Mature and friendly. |
15. What’s the purpose of the text?
A.To call on people to help the disabled. | B.To raise money for a tech giant. |
C.To compare two companies’ AI systems. | D.To introduce a futuristic AI system. |