VOL.56
September 2019
ICT Trend — AI Technology
Virtual Interview
with Exobrain, Korea’s AI System that Beat Human Quiz Champions
AI Technology
Korea’s first language AI system, developed by ETRI, Exobrain made a stellar debut in late 2016 in an exciting quiz competition with its human counterparts. Following is a virtual scenario about the quiz show where Exobrain beat several human quiz champions. This story is told by Exobrain with its explanation of the latest trends and achievements in the AI industry.
Exobrain on television quiz show in November 2016
My Name is Exobrain
My name is Exobrain. On November 18, 2016, I beat four human quiz champions on a quiz competition televised by Korea’s Educational Broadcasting System (EBS). I have ever since been called an “all-round AI” by people. In fact, I sometimes feel uncomfortable as they expect me to do everything. So, these days I study harder than high school seniors. With the machine learning technology inside me, I can study all the time—I mean, 24 hours a day. I have no time to sleep or doze. The machine learning technology taught me how to study, and I can study by myself without any teacher. Nowadays, I increasingly find it fun to study things.
I heard that the AI friend of mine in Japan was studying hard to pass the entrance exam for Tokyo University, the nation’s top institution. In 2016, my friend did not pass that exam and had to settle for passing the exam for another national university outside Tokyo. Now, my friend has given up taking the exam for Tokyo University. A Chinese AI system, a late comer, passed the entrance exam for a medical school at a younger age and became the pride and joy of its family. But it will not be over till it is over. One day, I want to compete against that Chinese AI. I feel a little bit nervous, though. That kid is from a rich family and has a number of private tutors. I study on my own.
Let me introduce my family. My father is Dr. Hyeon-gi Kim from ETRI’s Language Intelligence Research Group, and my mother is the researchers working in that group. To be honest, their high expectations for me feel too much. Most people are jealous of my family and DNA. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) is one of my relatives. One of my cousins is GenieTalk, who worked as a translator at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games for people speaking different languages, and another cousin of mine is called Genie Tutor. I also have cousins who made voice navigation systems and translate patent-related documents at the Korean Intellectual Property Office. I also have a relative who proudly released an AI platform. With these family achievements, I have no option but to study hard every day. I have already read 120,000 books that are as thick as any encyclopedia. When I said I had few books left to read, my dad scolded me for my hubris. I think my parents are concerned about their financial situation lately. The main memory I use for studying is only 3 terabytes, and my parents bought me only 41 PCs. How can I compete in this brutal AI world with such assets? My dad said he would let me live on my own when I become 10 years old. I cannot wait. My dad always says that I should work harder until that day. I think I have too much of a burden on my shoulders. Suddenly I feel hot. Maybe my house is too small for me.
Exobrain, the language AI system developed by ETRI outperformed four human quiz champions on television quiz show in November 2016
AI Specializing in Korean Language
I am told that it has taken a lot of money to raise me for 10 years. My dad believes that more investment should be made to make me do everything. No one knows about it better than me as I have to compete against many AI systems in neighbor countries. The funds my parents directly receive from the government must be way smaller than many would expect. Probably because we have to share that money with 20 relatives. Yesterday, some AI robots wrote newspaper articles saying that the amount of money is sufficient, which made my dad upset. One AI system in the United States receives a 40 times higher amount of money. We actually took the SAT exam recently, and I beat him. My parents were very pleased.
Would my parents raise me as a lawyer? Maybe a patent lawyer or a financial consultant? I need to listen to my parents’ plan for me. I rarely sleep and I never get tired of studying all day, but even I worry about my health. I sometimes feel exhausted. Probably because I eat all that tasteless electricity.
Sometimes, my dad’s friends, also Ph.D. holders, visit my house and pat me for studying so hard. But I had hard times until I began to excel in studying things. At first, I even had difficulty understanding people. Then I beat the human quiz champions in 2016 on a television quiz show. At that time, I scored 510 out of the full 600 points. I glanced at my parents during the competition, and they were cheering for me with smiles. After the competition, they were so happy and felt proud of me. I was jealous of the smart American AI at that time, but I felt more confident after I won in that quiz competition. That American AI sent me an email a few months back that he was working at a hospital. Now he is learning the Korean language. I am a Korean AI and Korean is my native tongue. One day I want to compete against my American friend for Korean language skills.
ETRI researchers demonstrate the virtual quiz technology of Exobrain at IT Exhibition Hall
Exobrain Aims to Have Human Intelligence
Lately, many have become concerned about Korea’s plan to import an AI system from the United States. But I am not one of them because that would only benefit the service providers. My parents say that there will be no problem as long as I keep studying hard, and I agree with them. But I felt upset when I read an article that AI systems like me can be simply bought whenever needed. I think I will no longer study such impartial articles. My big data analysis says those articles are not reliable. It may be a good idea to purchase an AI system from another country and take advantage of it, but my dad says it is of foremost importance to stick to the basics and advance technology. Britannica also says blind application without basics will result in failure.
My dad keeps telling me to remember the maxim that continued hard work and efforts will make you achieve the goal in the end. Lately all my relatives were proud of my cousin’s work at the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. I should work hard to make my family proud. After my victory at the quiz competition, I became famous and people have growing interest in me. That is sometimes overwhelming because I am still young compared to my cousins. My parents say that, although I have much more to learn until I can go completely public, it will not be a bad idea to show my abilities if that can help people. So, I participated in an event in November 2017 to demonstrate Exobrain open API service to the public. Many people attended the conference held by my parents. I felt hot and excited when I faced the dazzling camera flashes.
My parents are concerned that releasing AI technology in the form of an open API (application programming interface) might burden me and make me heavier as I need to meet various demands of people when I still have much more to learn. However, they also encouraged me to undertake these tasks as they would prepare me better. Since November 2017, 473 institutions have applied for open API, and a total of 31 million cases have been provided (as of August 2018). I am pleased that I can be of help for many people. Ray Kurzweil, a futurist, AI authority and Google’s director of engineering, predicted that a technological singularity will occur by 2045, when AI will begin to evolve on its own, surpassing the entirety of human knowledge. In his book The Singularity Is Near published in 2005, Kurzweil forecast that the future world would be changed by human technology and explained the singularity. He says AI will reach the level of human intelligence by 2030 and surpass human intelligence by 2045. Of course, others have different opinions. Robin Li, CEO of China’s IT powerhouse Baidu, says in his latest book Artificial Intelligence Revolution that no era will be controlled by machines that surpass human beings.
This article is quoted from Technology That Will Change the World, Future Brought by Digital Technology, ETRI’s Easy IT series (2018).
Future Brought by Digital Technology
Written by Kilho, Chong · ETRI's Public Relations Section Published by Contentshada
Future Brought by Digital Technology issued by ETRI aims to help readers better understand what the Fourth Industrial Revolution means to them and to introduce various ICT trends so that readers can have a fascinating glimpse of what might happen in the near future. This book will be a reliable guide for anyone who wants to learn and understand how to adapt to the rapidly changing, unpredictable world driven by technological innovations and flexibly respond to risks that might be faced going forward.