On Friday, Facebook announced new AI research that could help pave the way for a significant change in how artificial intelligence — and some devices that incorporate this technology — functions in our daily lives. The company announced a real-world sound simulator that will let researchers train AI systems in virtual three-dimensional spaces with sounds that mimic those that occur indoors, opening up the possibility that an AI assistant may one day help you track down a smartphone ringing in a distant room. Facebook also unveiled an indoor mapping tool meant to help AI systems better understand and recall details about indoor spaces, such as how many chairs are in a dining room or whether a cup is on a counter.