又中又英 | Top dog | 褚简宁

　　Large high-tech companies in many countries are spending millions of dollars to take artificial intelligence, or AI, to new levels. The race is on by countries to be the top dog in AI. America is now the top dog, but China is nipping at America’s heels. The top dog describes a person, country, or organization that is the best or the number one in a particular situation. The expression “nipping at someone heels” or “snapping at someone’s heels” used this way means being very close behind. Even though high-tech companies are spending large amounts of money to take AI to new levels, there are often setbacks in developing something new.

　　That happened recently to Meta, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp, and other platforms. Meta put on a dog and pony show about its new AI-powered Ray-Ban glasses. A dog and pony show means putting on an elaborate presentation to promote a new product. Meta’s new US$800 Ray-Ban Display smart glasses use AI to power a high-resolution display directly into the lens. The glasses use cutting-edge technology that replaces the need for smartphones. The screen is in the lens and users wear a wristband to control it by simple finger movements.

　　But the dog and pony show became an embarrassment for Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg who was on stage to show how the Ray-Ban Display glasses worked. The AI of the glasses wrongly assumed ingredients of a Korean barbecue sauce. When Zuckerberg tried to answer a video call using the wristband paired with the glasses, it didn’t work. The audience laughed but Zuckerberg blamed it on faulty Wi-Fi. He chuckled and told the audience: “it’s all good.”

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　　许多国家的大型高科技企业都在花费百万千万元，去将人工智能AI提升至新的水平。各国已在竞逐要做AI的「老大」（top dog）。美国现正是领头人（top dog），但中国也在紧跟美国其后（nipping at America’s heels）。Top dog是形容一个人、国家又或机构在某一领域中是佼佼者，是最优秀、顶级的。习语“nipping at someone heels”或“snapping at someone’s heels”在这里是指紧贴其后。即使高科技公司花费大量金钱去令AI更上一层楼，但要研发任何新的事物，仍然不时遇上挫折。

　　最近，这就发生在Meta身上，就是拥有脸书、WhatsApp以及其他平台的Meta。Meta就其以AI驱动的全新Ray-Ban眼镜，上演了一场dog and pony show——a dog and pony show是指为了推广新产品，详细说明的一场演示。Meta那价值800美元的新Ray-Ban Display智能眼镜，是用AI去驱动一个高解像度的显示，直接投放于镜片上。眼镜运用了最先进的科技，取代使用智能电话的需求。萤幕就在镜片上，用家会佩戴一个手环，以简单的手指郁动就能控制画面。

　　然而，这场炫丽的演示（dog and pony show）却成了Meta老板马克．朱克伯格的难堪，他当时站在台上，要示范Ray-Ban Display怎样操作。眼镜的人工智能却错误假定了一款韩式烧烤酱的配料。当朱克伯格尝试用配对眼镜的手环接听一个视像电话时，却接听不了。观众都笑了，朱克伯格却归因于不完善的无线网络。他轻轻笑了，告诉观众：「一切都很好。」

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻