U.S. Government Eyeing Involvement in AI

A student at Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, NJ, Adam Porcher is studying computer science. Outside of his schooling, New Jersey resident Adam Porcher maintains a personal interest in many computer and technology-related subjects, including artificial intelligence (AI).

In May, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis requested that President Trump create and implement a national strategy for artificial intelligence. According to the memo, the United States is falling behind other countries, such as China, when it comes to matters relating to AI. Already, China has fostered a military-civil fusion that tasks commercial and academic organizations in the country with being open about their involvement in AI projects alongside the military. If this avenue is ignored by President Trump, the United States may be left out of the next technological advance in warfare, which many planners and consultants believe will be AI.

While there’s been no report about how the memo was received by the White House, the administration did state that it would create a panel of government officials to study AI issues. The government is reportedly seeking new ties with AI researchers in Silicon Valley as part of its own efforts to boost national security and address upcoming defense strategies. Further, the Pentagon created the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) in June and the Defense Department announced that it wants to shift $1.7 billion of its budget over the next five years into a new office.

Tips for English Speakers Learning Japanese

Now several years into his studies, Adam Porcher is enrolled as a computer science major at Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, NJ. Adam Porcher, who has lived in New Jersey and North Carolina, engages in a range of interests, including learning Japanese.

To learn Japanese, English speakers must learn three different character systems and different sentence structures. Here are a few tips to master this native language of over 128 million people.

Tie Your Learning to Real Life - While language classes can be helpful, it is important to practice Japanese in everyday situations to gain useful vocabulary and improve fluency. Learners can try to make recipes from a Japanese cookbook or read comic books written in Hiragana.

Find a Language Partner - Learners often focus more on reading and writing and have little practice listening and speaking. There are a number of free online language exchange groups where people can find a conversation partner.

Take Your Time - While grammar basics may not be the most interesting part of learning a new language, it is impossible to achieve fluency without having a strong foundation of basic language rules. Since there are very few grammar rules that apply to both languages, it is crucial for English speakers to learn basic Japanese sentence structures before moving on to more complex language concepts.