"Aria Khrisna, a 36-year-old father of three in Tegal, Indonesia, says doing things like adding word tags to clothing pictures on websites such as eBay and Amazon pays him about $100 a month, roughly half his income. "Soma" Somasegar says he sees "billions of dollars of opportunity" in servicing the needs of machine learning algorithms.Venture capitalist S.".In a project that used Google Street View images of parked cars to estimate the demographic makeup of neighbourhoods, then-Stanford researcher Timnit Gebru tried to train her AI by scraping Craigslist photos of cars for sale that were labelled by their owners. "Right now, if you’re selling a product and you want perfection, it would be negligent not to invest the money in that kind of annotation," he says."We’ve transformed those jobs," Whigham says.At InterContinental Hotels Group, every call that its digital assistant Amelia can take from a human saves $5 to $10, says information technology director Scot Whigham.When a computer can’t make out a customer call to the Hyatt Hotels chain, an audio snippet is sent to AI-powered call centre Interactions in an old brick building in Franklin, Massachusetts.The benefits of greater accuracy can be immediate. "You can imagine how important it is for me getting paid in US dollars. "You can’t trust the algorithm 100 per cent."

It doesn’t sound like a lot of money, but for me, it’s pretty decent," she says.But it’s not just a fancy computer program spitting back responses.And for 25-year-old Shamima Khatoon, her job annotating cars, lane markers and traffic lights at an all-female outpost of data-labelling company iMerit in Metiabruz, India, represents the only chance she has to work outside the home in her conservative Muslim community. Humans will be in the loop "for a long, long, long time to come," he says.More recently, investors have poured tens of millions of dollars into startups like Mighty AI and CrowdFlower, which are developing software that makes it easier to label photos and other data, even on smartphones. The retailer Kohl’s uses the service for a "Snap and Shop" visual search feature on its app.Shamima Khatoon’s job is to annotate cars, lane markers and traffic lights at an all-female outpost of data-labeling company iMerit in Metiabruz, India.She earns about 50 cents an hour, but in a crisis-wracked country with runaway inflation, just a few hours’ work can pay a month’s rent in bolivars.’s Waymo are paying reams of labellers, often through third-party vendors."We want to be the ones that can label any image without any human involvement," says Ian Parnes, CloudSight’s head of business development. In the end, she says, she spent $35,000 to hire auto dealer experts to label her data. It learns from their response and tries the technique out on the next call, freeing up human employees to do other things. "How long that will take is anyone’s guess.The need for human labellers is "enormous" and "dynamic," says Robin Bordoli, CEO of labelling technology company CrowdFlower.Such data feeds directly into "machine learning" algorithms that help self-driving cars wind through traffic and let Alexa figure out that you Auto Brake for Hose FORD want the lights on.Accurate labelling could make the difference between a self-driving car distinguishing between the sky and the side of a truck — a distinction Tesla’s Model S failed in the first known fatality involving self-driving systems in 2016.These repetitive tasks pay pennies apiece."We’re not building a system to play a game, we’re building a system to save lives," says Mighty AI CEO Daryn Nakhuda. "Next time through, we’ve got a better chance of being successful," says Robert Nagle, Interactions’ chief technology officer. But in bulk, this work can offer a decent wage in many parts of the world — even in the US.When Amelia fails, the program listens while a call is rerouted to one of about 60 service desk workers.This human input industry has long been nurtured by search engines Google and Bing, who for more than a decade have used people to rate the accuracy of their results.There, while the customer waits on the phone, one of a roomful of headphone-wearing "intent analysts"transcribe everything from misheard numbers to profanities and quickly directs the computer how to respond.

That information feeds back into the system.His group alone spends hundreds of thousands of dollars a year paying people to annotate images.From makeup artists in Venezuela to women in conservative parts of India, people around the world are doing the digital equivalent of needlework — drawing boxes around cars in street photos, tagging images, and transcribing snatches of speech that computers can’t quite make out.CloudSight, for instance, offers website and app developers a handy tool for uploading a photo and getting a few words back describing it.Marjorie Aguilar, a freelance makeup artist in Maracaibo, Venezuela, spends four to six hours a day drawing boxes around traffic objects to help train self-driving systems for Mighty AI. Since 2005, Amazon’s Mechanical Turk service, which matches freelance workers with temporary online jobs, has also made crowd-sourced data entry available to researchers worldwide.But the product shots didn’t look anything like the car images in Street View, and the program couldn’t recognise them.Researchers have tried to find workarounds to human-labelled data, but the results are often inadequate.

"It’s a good platform to increase your skills and support your family," she says."At the moment, figuring out how to get computers to learn without so-called "ground truth" data provided by humans remains an open research question.Trevor Darrell, a machine learning expert at the University of California Berkeley, says he expects it will be five to 10 years before computer algorithms can learn to perform without the need for human labelling.For the most part, even companies trying to push humans out of the loop still rely on them.Major automakers like Toyota, Nissan and Ford, ride-hailing companies like Uber and other tech giants like Alphabet Inc.There’s a dirty little secret about artificial intelligence: It’s powered by hundreds of thousands of real people. If the algorithm doesn’t have a good answer, one of its 800 employees in places like India, Southeast Asia or Africa type in the answer in real time. His firm, Madrona Venture Group, invested in Mighty AI.Several companies like Alphabet’s Waymo and game-maker Unity Technologies are developing simulated worlds to train their algorithms in controlled scenarios where every object comes pre-defined. Many such technologies wouldn’t work without massive quantities of this human-labelled data. This burgeoning but largely unseen cottage industry represents the foundation of a technology that could change humanity forever: AI that will drive us around, execute verbal commands without flaw, and, possibly, one day think on its own.

The 390 Adventure was spotted testing in Europe back in 2016. It will also draw its lineage from KTM’s rally racing history." Going by his statement, it’s likely that the bike will be offered with the option of both spoke wheels (likely a 21-inch front and a 17-inch rear, shod with knobbies) for the off-road variant and alloy wheels (possibly 17-inch units on both ends with road-biased tyres) for the touring version.com.The motorcycle was spotted again in October last year. However, the real shot of adrenaline came when KTM confirmed the launch of the much-awaited 390 Adventure, which is slated for next year. With such value for money, the bike will surely garner the attention of Auto Gas Springs for ROVER a lot of riding enthusiasts. This time, its featured a more toned down design and in line with the brand’s 790 Adventure concept (remember 2017 EICMA?). The ergonomics should be upright, with the footpegs positioned for easy stand-up riding.

This could include parts like panniers, saddle stays, headlight guard, auxiliary lamps, crash guards, sturdier bash plate, centre stand and radiator guard. Also, since it already has ride-by-wire, it does open up the possibility of having multiple ride modes like ‘Road’ and ‘Rain’.KTM’s word on the upcoming model:KTM says the new model will be placed under the Adventure range of motorcycles and will be sold alongside its existing products. Click here for a more detailed take on the possibility of two variants. Last week, BMW Motorrad announced that it has started accepting bookings for both bikes.What we think:Going by the Duke’s feature-laden proposition, we expect the 390 Adventure to be loaded with ride-enhancing goodies.Though BMW Motorrad also yearned to be in this segment, the German marque wanted to make sure it does things right, including setting up the infrastructure required to handle its upcoming entry-level twins - the G 310 R and G 310 GS.We expect the bike to be priced at a premium of Rs 60,000-Rs 70,000 over the 390 Duke, which retails for Rs 2. This could hint at bulletproof build quality and impressive touring capability. The powerplant of the 390 Duke was more than enough for Indian roads, and the chassis setup was brilliant for spirited riding.Early sightings:KTM has been silently working on the 390 Adventure ever since the 390 Duke gained popularity. So, it was only logical for the Mattighofen-based motorcycle manufacturer to develop an adventure variant for riders with a certain sense of wanderlust.Adventure segment in India:Later, the Himalayan came into the picture and manufacturers realised the huge potential in the adventure segment, particularly in the mid-capacity space. We expect the Adventure to sport a larger 17-18-litre fuel tank for enhanced range too. Kawasaki wanted to grab a portion of the pie with the Versys-X 300, but didn’t exactly succeed due to its stratospheric (but justified) pricing. This segment works exceptionally well in India as the bikes in this category are relatively lighter, less complex and easy to handle than full-fledged adventure motorcycles that come packed with all kinds of technology. With the 390 Adventure we would be making our long awaited entry into the niche premium dual-sport segment which is a very apt segment for Indian roads. Expect the multifunction colour display to have navigation capability in the Adventure. However, the ingenious lot that we Indians are, most found one way or the other to take their road-going bikes on off-road adventures. Amit Nandi - president of Probiking, Bajaj Auto Ltd., said, "KTM is a niche brand for a select few. If KTM wants to launch the bike in 2019, it is safe to say that it will unveil the 390 Adventure concept at this year’s EICMA.

The Dakar-inspired motorcycle looked crude, hinting at the need for a lot more work to be done.4 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).While the bike is likely to share the engine with the Duke, we expect it to be tuned for more bottom-end torque. Thanks to its partnership with Bajaj, the Austrian bike maker was even able to manufacture it in a cost-efficient manner and price it at the affordable end of the 300cc segment. Unlike KTM, BMW Motorrad says it isn’t focussing on outright sales numbers. The WP suspension setup will have more travel than the Duke’s. Click here to see how the 390 Adventure slots in among its rivals.Considering the propensity of the target audience to add more touring friendly features on their bikes, we expect KTM to provide a range of official accessories, either at the time of launch or at a later stage.Until the arrival of the Royal Enfield Himalayan, the adventure segment in India was pretty much occupied by machines meant solely for well-heeled enthusiasts. The Hero Impulse did enter the frame to provide some excitement to the off-road enthusiasts with a limited budget but couldn’t make a mark owing to its underpowered engine. According to the manufacturer, the upcoming model will ‘provide the motorcycle-touring community a state-of-the-art package to ride long distances and conquer any terrain’. The Indian two-wheeler segment just got a whole lot more interesting!Source: ZigWheels. Instead, it wants to provide customers with a premium riding experience.The auto major has also confirmed that the bike will be inspired by the 1290 Super Adventure.

While those seasoned in bicycle touring would prefer calling the above, ‘lightweight touring’ or ‘supported touring’ — variations of bicycle touring — because of the presence of a support vehicle that tows most of your heavy luggage, there are those in the space who are fans of true blue bicycle touring, which means that they travel with their bag, baggage and gear, on their own over long distances. There are no deadlines or time limits.Imagine you’re in Bolzano, a quaint valley city close to the Austrian border and surrounded by mountains and vineyards. But for it to be true ‘bicycle touring’, you have to travel a considerable distance away from your place of residence, over a period of weeks or months," shares the cyclist.When asked what motivated him to explore the space, Aditya says that the idea to carry out such cycling trips across countries dawned on him when he was thrust with the responsibility of taking his father’s company to the next level. While fitness is a bonus, it’s also a great way to explore countries. "I realised that there were more people opting for offbeat holidays. Sachin says that he is determined to spread the gospel of bicycle touring to all those interested. His plan is to conduct monthly meetups, where veterans in the bicycle touring space will hold talks and his second meetup, which will be held on June 9, will focus on solo bicycle touring. Also, cycling as a hobby as well as a market is booming. It’s about enjoying every minute of every place while cycling; it’s about going to corners of the earth you never imagined going to on a cycle; that’s the ethos of bicycle touring and it really is for everyone. Talking about how he got acquainted with this form of traveling, he says, "My wife and I were looking for an active holiday, but didn’t have a large budget."Sachin has decided to create a bicycle touring community, so that people can learn more about it and reach out for help from veterans when needed.The digital marketing professional remembers taking her first solo trip from Berlin to Copenhagen in 2015, her next ones were in Australia and Taiwan in 2016, and her most recent one in 2019 was from Chiang Mai to Bangkok and then to the Cambodian border. The endeavour can be roughly defined as a self-contained trip that could last for weeks, months or even years, usually undertaken solo, for the purposes of pleasure, adventure and autonomy rather than for fitness or sport. Your path will take you through the crystal clear waters of Lake Garda, onwards to Soave— a township in the Province of Verona famous for producing Soave white wine — towards the medieval charm-exuding Verona, and finally, to the city of canals, Venice. You can explore places at leisure," shares Aditya Bhide, director of Countryside Adventure Holidays, who organised his first cycling trip in 2017, and has since organised ones in The Baltic States, France and Switzerland. Once people start looking at long distance cycling as a holiday and not as an event, you start thinking of the entire experience in a different way. Dhruv Bogra, who quit his corporate job to go on a yearlong cycling tour from Alaska to Peru, covering a distance of 15,000 kilometers, Auto Brake for Hose ALFA ROMEO is one such person. In the midst of these, she has gone on tours in India, mostly in the Himalayan region.For 35-year-old Priyanka Dalal, bicycle touring is all about being on the road, all-alone and exploring uncharted territories. You get to meet other cyclists and it’s a very immersive experience," he enthuses. So I suggested we try cycling and though initially reluctant, my wife agreed. So, there was a market for it and in today’s India, money is not a problem," he shares while adding that his purpose, as of now, is to educate people about bicycle touring. Sachin is quite sure of the space his community will exist in and says, "There’s already an existing segment of endurance cycling, where the purpose is to test your fitness and people strive to cover a high number of kilometers in short intervals. "

There are three types of cycles: road bikes, which have thin tires; mountain bikes, which have thick tires, and hybrid bikes, which have medium-sized tires. Since then, Dhruv has undertaken many more ‘micro-adventures’ throughout India on his cycle, but for him, the purpose of all these trips remains the same – to rediscover the meaning of autonomy and endurance. But, bicycle touring isn’t about the number of kilometers covered. The last variety is perfect for bicycle touring because the tires are perfect for cycling on smooth to slightly bumpy surfaces and the absence of suspension improves speed," she shares, and adds that she also always travels with panniers, which are huge bags that can be attached to the backrack on cycles and are perfect for carrying heavy gear, which includes a tent, sleeping bag, cycle spare parts, pumps and repairing equipment, and of course clothes and food. From carrying heavy gear, to camping out in the open, to cooking my food, I do it on my own. Be it wildlife or cultures, you’re exploring them at close quarters. "My job is to tell people that these trips are not ‘events’, they’re holidays. Ahead of World Bicycle Day, when cycling enthusiasts around the world will celebrate their favourite mode of transport, we speak to those among them who are going the extra mile to promote bicycle touring. "You’re free to stop and take pictures or step into a café, enjoy a coffee or wine or sample some Italian cuisine and then, get on with your journey. We both had a great time and that’s when I realised that cycling, whether solo or with someone, is a lot of fun. We travel at about 15 to 20 kilometers per hour and about 50 to 60 kilometers per day, so it’s not hectic at all. You hop onto your bicycle and cycle all the way to Venice in Italy over the next eight days.

The best part about bicycle touring is that you get to experience the world in a raw format, up, close and personal. The cycling enthusiast, who says that bicycling touring helps you get ‘closer to the ground and the elements’, says that hybrid cycles are perfect for these tours.Dhruv BograBicycle touring enthusiast, Sachin Bhandary, who writes about his trips on the blog Eccentrips, took his first trip from Mumbai to Chiplun with his wife in 2018, and has since gone on cycling trips in Mexico and L. "On my trips, I’m on my own.". His trip ended in 2017 and his journey formed the basis of his book, Grit, Gravel and Gear, which was published in 2018.Aditya is one of many cycling enthusiasts, who are championing a burgeoning form of bike tourism called bicycle touring.

"A similar investigation targeting Japanese printer-maker Epson was opened in November, also following a complaint by HOP.The Epson probe, was launched by another prosecutor’s office, in Nanterre outside Paris, is related to some of its ink cartridges and printers’ spare parts. It is led by the French body in charge of fraud control, which is part of the finance ministry. and Israel.Vasseur said she hopes that the consequences globally could be to go toward more sustainable and durable products "for all manufacturers that won’t want to face the same kind of scandal.Vasseur said her group launched a survey following its complaint so that users can report problems they have faced.Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi believes Apple’s throttling of older iPhones is helping to extend the devices’ lives by enabling to take advantage of the new features in the company’s free software updates each year.Apple apologized in December for secretly slowing down older iPhones, a move it said was necessary to avoid unexpected shutdowns related to battery fatigue. 27.Laetitia Vasseur, the director of HOP, said studies have showed that peaks in speed reductions match the releases of new phones on the market. In 10 days, HOP has received more than 3,000 reports that will be handed over to the DGCCRF, the government fraud watchdog in charge of the investigation, she said.Since Epson and Apple cases are the first legal actions for planned obsolescence in France, there hasn’t been case law yet on possible penalties, fines or damages awarded by courts under this particular offense.The preliminary probe was Auto spare parts Suppliers opened last week over alleged "deception and planned obsolescence" of some Apple products, the office said.Any fine imposed on Apple would probably hurt its pride more than its pocketbook. Its statement claims Apple slowed down older smartphones in order to make clients buy the new iPhone 8, which was launched on the market around the same time. Although Apple has said that’s done to prevent iPhones from unexpectedly shutting down because of weak batteries, lawsuits filed against Apple say that its failure to disclose that right away could have led some people to wrongly conclude they needed a newer, faster phone rather than just a new battery.

The company’s choice boiled down to "let the phone just run at full speed and kill the prematurely aged batteries or slow down the phone so the battery would last longer," Milanesi wrote in a recent analysis.In the Paris prosecutor’s office, French authorities have opened an investigation into Apple over revelations it secretly slowed down older versions of its iPhones. "We have never and would never do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades," the company said on its website.S. When they’re over, prosecutors can either decide to drop the cases or to send them to investigating judges for full investigations.But Apple also has denied the slowdown of the older phones is a ploy designed to spur sales of newer models. The company has accumulated nearly $270 billion in cash from its sales of iPhones and other products. A 2015 law makes that a crime, with penalties of up to two years in prison and fines of up to 5 percent of the company’s annual turnover. In these cases, the whole process may last months or even years.In the French legal system, preliminary investigations are launched and led by prosecutors’ offices. As part of its contrition, Apple is now offering to replace the batteries on older iPhones for $29, a $50 discount from the usual price..The French consumer rights group, called HOP, filed a lawsuit on Dec.Lawsuits against the company have also been filed in the U.

It was the first legal action ever for planned obsolescence and deception in France, HOP said in a statement.In France it is illegal to intentionally shorten the lifespan of a product in order to encourage customers replace it.Benchmark tests have suggested the slowdown isn’t huge, but noticeable.It follows a legal complaint filed in December by a French consumer rights group whose aim is to stop the intentional obsolescence of goods by companies.Epson has denied any wrongdoing, saying that planned obsolescence is not part of the company’s policy. Judges, in turn, can also dismiss the cases, due to lack of evidence for instance, or send them to courts for trial. Such probes can last weeks or months.