The information: A brand new AI agent from Google DeepMind can play completely different video games, together with ones it has by no means seen earlier than reminiscent of Goat Simulator 3, a enjoyable motion recreation with exaggerated physics. Unlike earlier game-playing AI methods, which mastered just one recreation or might solely observe single targets or instructions, this new agent is ready to play a wide range of completely different video games, together with Valheim and No Man’s Sky.
How they did it: Researchers have been capable of get it to observe textual content instructions to play seven completely different video games and transfer round in three completely different 3D analysis environments. They educated it on plenty of examples of people enjoying video video games, alongside keyboard and mouse enter and annotations of what the gamers did. Then they used an AI approach referred to as imitation studying to show the agent to play video games as people would.
Why it’s an enormous deal: It’s a step towards extra generalized AI that may switch abilities throughout a number of environments—and this form of information switch between video games represents a major milestone for AI analysis. Read the complete story.
—Melissa Heikkilä
Methane leaks within the US are worse than we thought
What’s taking place: Methane emissions within the US are worse than scientists beforehand estimated, a brand new examine has discovered. The analysis represents one of the vital complete surveys but of methane emissions from US oil- and gas-producing areas, and located that emissions have been considerably increased than beforehand estimated.
The huge image: The examine highlights the pressing want for brand new and higher methods of monitoring the highly effective greenhouse fuel. The downside is, it’s mainly not possible to make use of only one instrument to measure all of the completely different methane sources. Read the complete story.
—Casey Crownhart
To study extra about why methane emissions are nonetheless such a thriller, take a look at the most recent version of The Spark, our weekly local weather publication. Sign up to obtain it in your inbox each Wednesday.