AI & Machine LearningModel Robustness

The Wolf Detector That Saw Snow

AI may recognize the background instead of the object

An AI tells wolves from huskies almost perfectly. Then it calls a husky in the snow a wolf. What was it really looking at?

You'll find out

  • How a program learns from photos
  • Why a perfect score can fool you
  • How researchers caught the trick

Why it matters

AI helps decide loans, scans and jobs. Knowing it can learn the wrong clue helps you question a confident answer.

About 3 min6 interactive slides · 5 questionsLesson 248 · Zone 28

Play this lesson

Free to play in your browser or on iPhone

More in this zone

  1. 244Aerial RoboticsHow Drones HoverFour motors constantly correct a machine that wants to flip
  2. 245Data MiningCheese and BedsheetsSearch enough data and you'll find impressive nonsense
  3. 246TelecommunicationsWhy Phone Calls Sound MuffledPhone lines cut off the frequencies that tell ‘f’ from ‘s’
  4. 247Software BugsThe Leap Second That Crashed WebsitesIn 2012 one extra second took down popular sites
  5. 249Visual IllusionsThe Hollow MaskYour brain refuses to see a face as hollow
  6. 250TimekeepingWhy 2100 Won't Be a Leap YearThe calendar has a rule for its rule
  7. 251Mathematical PatternsThe Golden Ratio MythNature's favorite number is real, but massively oversold
  8. 252Audio RecognitionHow Shazam Hears a SongA few seconds of noisy audio become a unique fingerprint