Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL)

An AI model developed at MIT and Qatar Computing Research Institute that uses only satellite imagery to automatically tag road features in digital maps could improve GPS navigation, especially in countries with limited map data.

Using artificial intelligence to enrich digital maps

Model tags road features based on satellite images, to improve GPS navigation in places with limited map data.

January 23, 2020

A variety of new diagnostic models can analyze patient data and real-time symptoms to predict if a given patient has a particular disease.

How well can computers connect symptoms to diseases?

Models that map these relationships based on patient data require fine-tuning for certain conditions, study shows.

January 9, 2020

Left to right: Hari Balakrishnan, Richard Lippmann, and Daniel Rabideau have been named 2020 IEEE Fellows.

Three from MIT are named 2020 fellows of the IEEE

Two staff members from Lincoln Laboratory and a professor in the School of Engineering are recognized for their influential research.

January 8, 2020

Finding the true potential of algorithms

Using mathematical theory, Virginia Williams coaxes algorithms to run faster or proves they’ve hit their maximum speed.

January 7, 2020

MIT researchers have built a new benchmark tool that can accurately predict how long it takes given code to execute on a computer chip, which can help programmers tweak the code for better performance.

Tool predicts how fast code will run on a chip

Machine-learning system should enable developers to improve computing efficiency in a range of applications.

January 6, 2020

In a new study, researchers at MIT and IBM combine three popular text-analysis tools — topic modeling, word embeddings, and optimal transport — to compare thousands of documents per second. Here, they show that their method (left) clusters newsgroup posts by category more tightly than a competing method.

Finding a good read among billions of choices

As natural language processing techniques improve, suggestions are getting speedier and more relevant.

December 20, 2019

Designed by an MIT team using artificial intelligence, “The [R]evolution of Hip Hop Breakbeat Narratives” is an immersive art installation designed for the forthcoming Universal Hip Hop Museum in New York City.

Exploring hip hop history with art and technology

With its centerpiece exhibit for the forthcoming Universal Hip Hop Museum, an MIT team uses artificial intelligence to explore the rich history of hip hop music.

December 20, 2019

ObjectNet, a dataset of photos created by MIT and IBM researchers, shows objects from odd angles, in multiple orientations, and against varied backgrounds to better represent the complexity of 3D objects. The researchers hope the dataset will lead to new computer vision techniques that perform better in real life.

This object-recognition dataset stumped the world’s best computer vision models

Objects are posed in varied positions and shot at odd angles to spur new AI techniques.

December 10, 2019

Based on shadows that an out-of-view video casts on nearby objects, MIT researchers can estimate the contents of the unseen video. In the top row, researchers used this method to recreate visual elements in an out-of-view video; the original elements are shown in the bottom row.

Using computers to view the unseen

A new computational imaging method could change how we view hidden information in scenes.

December 6, 2019

An MIT-invented model demonstrates an understanding of some basic “intuitive physics” by registering “surprise” when objects in simulations move in unexpected ways, such as
rolling behind a wall and not reappearing on the other side.

Helping machines perceive some laws of physics

Model registers “surprise” when objects in a scene do something unexpected, which could be used to build smarter AI.

December 2, 2019

Dean Dan Huttenlocher has been working on developing the organizational structure of the new MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing. He answers three questions about building the college and offers a glimpse into the new college headquarters.

3 Questions: Dan Huttenlocher on the formation of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing

The inaugural dean shares an update on the process of building a college.

November 26, 2019

With their model, researchers were able to generate on-demand brain scan templates of various ages (pictured) that can be used in medical-image analysis to guide disease diagnosis.

Producing better guides for medical-image analysis

Model quickly generates brain scan templates that represent a given patient population.

November 26, 2019

"In Event of Moon Disaster" reimagines the story of the first moon landing as if the Apollo 11 astronauts had not been able to return to Earth. It was created to highlight the concern about computer-based misinformation, or "deepfakes."

MIT art installation aims to empower a more discerning public

With “In Event of Moon Disaster,” the MIT Center for Advanced Virtuality aims to educate the public on deepfakes with an alternative history of the moon landing.

November 25, 2019

Daniela Rus (far right), director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), moderated a panel on dispelling the myths of AI technologies in the workplace. The AI and the Work of the Future Congress was co-organized by CSAIL, the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy, and the MIT Work of the Future Task Force.

MIT conference focuses on preparing workers for the era of artificial intelligence

As automation rises in the workplace, speakers explore ways to train students and reskill workers.

November 22, 2019

An MIT-invented model efficiently and simultaneously optimizes control and design of soft robots for target tasks, which has traditionally been a monumental undertaking in computation. The model, for instance, was significantly faster and more accurate than state-of-the-art methods at simulating how quadrupedal robots (pictured) should move to reach target destinations.

How to design and control robots with stretchy, flexible bodies

Optimizing soft robots to perform specific tasks is a huge computational problem, but a new model can help.