如果你的保安攝像機不僅能看到誰在你門口，還能判斷出他們是否是你在等的人，從而通知你并讓他們進來，會怎么樣？如果你的揚聲器系統(tǒng)能在你的孩子醒來時自動播放音樂呢？

這就是Facebook的首席執(zhí)行官馬克·扎克伯格試圖在他的虛擬管家Jarvis上植入的功能類型。作為新年決心的一部分，他今年一直在開發(fā)這個管家。

隨著2016年鄰近尾聲，扎克伯格發(fā)布了一篇長博文，詳細講述了Jarvis可以實現(xiàn)的工作類別。他也提到了開發(fā)人工智能軟件時遭遇的最大挑戰(zhàn)，預測了人工智能的發(fā)展方向。他最重要的發(fā)現(xiàn)之一是：盡管人工智能正在飛速發(fā)展，卻仍然需要人類給出足夠的引導。

扎克伯格表示：“我們知道怎樣讓計算機學習關于某事物的大量案例，從而讓它準確地做出識別。但是我們還不知道怎樣獲取某個領域的意圖，再把它應用到另一個完全不同的領域去。”

扎克伯格還寫道：“找到這個問題的解決方案并將其應用到全世界”會很有趣，但目前Jarvis的代碼與他的住宅和個人信息捆綁得過于緊密，無法開源。不過，他并未排除以后為公眾開發(fā)人工智能助手的想法。他表示：“這可能會為打造新產(chǎn)品奠定很好的基礎。”

以下是這位Facebook首席執(zhí)行官對于人工智能的現(xiàn)狀、虛擬助手以及它們在未來的潛力的其他看法。

家庭人工智能助手需要把一切設備連接起來

扎克伯格指出，開發(fā)Jarvis時遭遇的一個難題是如何搭造系統(tǒng)，把家里所有類型電器和設備——如Sonos揚聲器、三星（Samsung）電視和Nest相機——連接起來。

他寫道：“想要讓Jarvis這類助手幫助更多人控制家里的一切事情，我們就得讓更多設備連接起來。整個行業(yè)需要建立通用的應用程序接口和標準，讓設備能夠互相通信。”

一些科技公司已經(jīng)開始打造自己的智能家居平臺，希望借此解決上述問題，例如蘋果（Apple）的HomeKit和谷歌（Alphabet）的“Works With Nest”項目和Weave語言。但我們距離讓家里的每個電器都能與任意其他電器通信，還有很長的路要走。例如，HomeKit目前只能兼容鬧鐘、供熱和制冷設備、恒溫控制器、燈管和開關，無法控制洗衣機或烹飪設備。而在眾多智能家居平臺中，消費者往往只能選用一個，這也限制了它們的功能。

手機是人工智能助手的完美載體

類似蘋果Siri和亞馬遜Alexa這樣的數(shù)字助手已經(jīng)出現(xiàn)在筆記本電腦、智能手機、家庭揚聲器等各種產(chǎn)品里。然而，扎克伯格認為移動設備才是人工智能助手的合適載體，因為它的使用范圍不局限于家里。

他寫道：“我希望自己不在家的時候也能聯(lián)系到Jarvis，所以要讓手機成為主要接口，而不是家庭設備，這點很關鍵?！?

文本輸入和語音輸入同樣重要

亞馬遜的Echo取得成功后，科技界的許多人都翹首期盼以語音為主的接口的發(fā)展，但扎克伯格認為，文本輸入仍將在我們與人工智能的互動中扮演重要角色。成功的助手需要同時支持文本和語音輸入，類似于微軟（Microsoft）的Cortana。

他寫道：“與Jarvis的交流中，有一點讓我驚訝：在我既可以語音又可以打字的時候，我選擇文本交流的次數(shù)超出了我的預料?！?（財富中文網(wǎng)）

作者：Lisa Eadicicco

譯者：嚴匡正

What if your security camera could not only see who’s at your door, but also identify whether it’s a guest you’re expecting, alert you when they arrive, and let them in? Or how about a speaker system that automatically plays music as your child wakes up?

That’s the type of functionality Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is trying to build into his virtual butler, Jarvis, which he’s been developing throughout the year as part of his New Year’s resolution.

With 2016 coming to a close, Zuckerberg published a lengthy blog post detailing the types of tasks Jarvis can accomplish. He also wrote about the biggest challenges that he faced when developing his artificial intelligence (AI) software, and where he believes AI is heading. One of his most significant takeaways was that, although AI is advancing quickly, it still requires a decent amount of human guidance.

“We know how to show a computer many examples of something so it can recognize it accurately, but we still do not know how to take an idea from one domain and apply it to something completely different,” wrote Zuckerberg.

Zuckerberg also wrote that it would be “interesting to find ways to make this available to the world,” but the current code is too tightly tied to his own home and personal information to open-source it. But he didn’t rule out the idea of eventually developing an AI assistant for the public. “That could be a great foundation to build a new product,” he wrote.

Here’s a look at what else the Facebook CEO now believes about the state of AI, virtual assistants, and the potential they have for the future.

Home AI Has to Be Able to Connect Everything

Zuckerberg noted that one of the struggles he encountered while building Jarvis was creating a system that could connect all of the types of appliances and devices in his home, from Sonos speakers to a Samsung TV and Nest camera.

“For assistants like Jarvis to be able to control everything in homes for more people, we need more devices to be connected and the industry needs to develop common APIs and standards for the devices to talk to each other,” he wrote.

Some tech companies are trying to address this problem by building their own smart home platforms, like Apple with HomeKit AAPL 0.58% and Alphabet GOOGL 0.33% through its “Works With Nest” program and its Weave language. But we’re still far from a reality in which every single appliance in the home can communicate with one another. HomeKit, for instance, is currently only compatible with devices like alarms, heating and cooling devices, thermostats, lights, and switches, not laundry or cooking appliances. And with multiple smart home platforms available, buyers usually must commit to one, limiting their functionality.

The Phone Is the Perfect Home for an AI Assistant

Digital helpers like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa have made their way to all types of gadgets, from laptops to smartwatches, and home speakers. Zuckerberg, however, feels that mobile devices are the right vessel for AI assistants because you’re not restricted to only engaging with them when you’re home.

“I want to communicate with Jarvis when I’m not home, so having the phone be the primary interface rather than a home device seems critical,” he wrote.

Text Input Is Just as Important as Voice

While much of the tech industry has been fixated on the rise of the voice-centric interface following the success of Amazon’s Echo AMZN 1.09% , Zuckerberg believes text input will still play a large role in how we interact with AI. A helpful assistant should support both text and voice input, similar to Microsoft’s Cortana MSFT 2.12% .

“One thing that surprised me about my communication with Jarvis is that when I have the choice of either speaking or texting, I text much more than I would have expected,” he wrote.