Edinburgh Uni scientists train computers to problem-solve by binge-watching CSI

Scientists at Edinburgh University are training computers to solve problems by binge-watching episodes of popular TV crime drama CSI.

The artificially intelligent machines are being taught to identify the peretrator in each case, by assimilating information from images, audio, transcribed dialogue and scene descriptions.

Such devices could play a role in developing efficient algorithms for real-world tasks that require complex reasoning, researchers say.

Scientists mapped footage, script and background sounds from five seasons of the show into a machine-readable format. The data was fed into a computer model that learned to process the plot as each episode unfolded, continually revising the criminal's identity.

The computer correctly indentified the perpetrator during the final part of an episode 60% of the time, the study found.

Dr Lea Frermann, from the University of Edinburgh's School of Informatics, said: "Pinpointing the perpetrator in a TV show is a very difficult task for computers, but our model performed encouragingly well. We hope our findings will aid the development of machines that can take on board - and make sense of - large streams of information in real time.