New computer programme “teaches itself” to play video games from scratch

For years we've worried about artificial intelligence rising up and taking over the world, but what if it just wants to play Mario Kart for hours on end?

YouTube user SethBling has created a programme known as MarI/O, which teaches itself to play video games from a position of complete lack of knowledge. It has already mastered Super Mario World, despite beginning by "not even knowing that pressing right moved you through the level" and has now begun learning' Nintendo's most famous kart-racing game. Its progress is being live-streamed on Twitch.tv. According to Seth, MarI/O uses a process called 'neuro-evolution' to help it master the games, essentially as close as possible to a computerised version of a human brain, picking up new things as it goes along. So maybe, just maybe, the way to stave off the robot apocalypse we have all been fearing is to hook our foes up to the toughest and most addictive games around. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le-gY4wVIhE H/T Wired UK