Brick-bot Hadrian X gets to work building homes in Australia
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The combination of AI and Machine Vision are helping robots break new ground and take over more jobs and tasks from human workers. Interested in the future and want to experience even more?! eXplore More and connect with Matthew. Recently there have been a flurry of developments in...
Fully autonomous raspberry picking robot successfully completes field trials
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Fully automated farms aren’t far off, but one of the biggest problems so far has been harvesting soft fruits, and this new robot brings automation a step closer. Interested in the future and want to experience even more?! eXplore More. Robots aren’t dexterous at all...
Microsoft drops $1 Billion on OpenAI to fund Artificial General Intelligence development
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF AGI is the point at which machines intelligence, and intellectual capabilities, match and exceed that of humans, bringing about the most significant change in human history. Interested in the future and want to experience even more?! eXplore More. Last year Google DeepMind released the world’s...
Virtual reality is helping scientists discover new drugs faster
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Discovering new drugs is a laborious and expensive process, but VR is helping make it significantly faster and cheaper. Interested in the future and want to experience even more?! eXplore More. Virtual Reality (VR), the same technology that’s revolutionising video games and cancer treatments by...
Amazon trained their delivery bot Scout in the virtual world so it could handle the real one
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Training AI software and robots in the virtual world will dramatically accelerate disruption and the world’s rate of change. Interested in the future and want to experience even more?! eXplore More. Amazon, who are already on their way to becoming a fully autonomous retailer, recently...
Bots are taking out paedophiles and keeping children safe from online sexual predators
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF There are many ways to use bots, they can spread fake news, or as in this case, be used to catch paedophiles and keep children safe from online sexual predators. Interested in the future and want to experience even more?! eXplore More. Everyone knows that...
AI gets to grips with designing cities so humans don’t have to
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF AI is taking on more and more challenges, and “grunt work,” and now it’s starting to design our cities and communities. Interested in the future and want to experience even more?! eXplore More. For the past couple of years, as I’ve watched the rise of...
World’s first book written entirely by an AI is a real thriller
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As AI gets better at creating realistic content, of any form, without human assistance it will have an immeasurable and revolutionary impact on every corner of society and business. Interested in the future and want to experience even more?! eXplore More. We all know that...
Amazon’s AI reportedly tracks, monitors and automatically fires hundreds of employees
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As we entrust machines with more decision making powers it brings both pros and cons, and being fired by an AI is definitely a con. There’s been a lot of news coverage about how Artificial Intelligence (AI), robots and Robotic Process Automation (RPA), will,...
AI and automation: The benefits for business and industry
On 4 August 1997, Skynet, a US military developed program, became self-aware and began to think for itself. Operators tried to deactivate the computer system but the now ‘intelligent’ system perceived this as a threat and in order to protect its mandate of ‘safeguarding the world’ Skynet launched a nuclear...
China’s AI anti-corruption program is getting shut down for being too good
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Corruption is endemic, and now China’s AI powered anti-corruption program is getting shut down in a record number of provinces because it’s allegedly too efficient. What would you do if you had a machine that could catch a thief, or a corrupt politician? Well,...
Perfect fit one size fits all clothing is here, thanks to robots and smart materials
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Inventory is one of retailers biggest cash sinks, but now a new technology combo means retailers can buy one size from the manufacturer and custom fit it to every body shape in house. You’re shopping for a sweater, and you spot one you love,...
Evolving robots discover new ways to walk thanks to AI advances
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF People often think of robots as static things, with fixed forms that don’t evolve, but scientists are creating robots that can evolve to suit different situations. Evolution is a trip. On the one hand, it’s a seemingly simple mechanism -those best fitted to their environment have...
China shows off its first official neurosurgery robot
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As the technologies needed to construct sophisticated robot surgeons advances, so too are the type and complexity of surgeries they can take on. Using robots in surgery isn’t new, and I’ve written about a bunch of them recently as the technology starts leaving the...
US Military puts the call out for autonomous AI’s that can defend its networks
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF After the US Pentagon announced it can no longer keep up with the variety or voracity of cyber attacks the US DOD wants to develop autonomous AI’s that can. After a damning admission from the Pentagon that warned that the US military can no...
A US start up has created the world’s first fully autonomous vertical farm
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As global population grows we need new ways to produce affordable quality food, and vertical farms are increasingly the answer. Vertical farms that can grow eight times the crops using no chemicals, herbicides or pesticides, and with 99 percent less water than traditional farms...
A new algorithm helps machines sense and respond to human trust
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As humans and machines start working closely together researchers think we need to create machines that we can trust, but simulating trust might not be the right answer. As robots and other machines become more entwined with our daily lives, the field of improving...
Woebot, the World’s first AI counsellor, manages 2 million conversations a week
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Mental health issues seem to plague modern society, but the number of people who seek out professional help is minimal, so companies are developing AI counsellors that are free and accessible anywhere 24/7 Mental health has been increasingly on people’s minds, if you’ll excuse...
Virtual reality headsets tune into users brainwaves to train people faster
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As many people worry about the rise of AI and automation, and the effect they will have on jobs, new faster and smarter ways to educate and train our children and our workforces are emerging. Before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games members of the...
Futurist Keynote, London: Investing in the Exponential Future, SRP European Conference
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Incredibly powerful, and increasingly democratised, emerging technologies are transforming every sector faster than ever, and this can have dire consequences for investors if the mechanisms behind the change are not understood. Firstly, thank you to Amelie for inviting me to be the keynote for...
