Google Project Sunroof shows off solars huge potential in the US
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Over eighty percent of homes in the US could run solar panels and if you want to wean yourself off of fossil fuels then that could be great news It sounds like an obvious thing, but if you’re a company who’s selling solar panels,...
Google DeepMind publishes breakthrough Artificial General Intelligence architecture
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF DeepMind is trying to create a new Artificial General Intelligence architecture by creating an adaptable, massive neural network that draws on thousands of other “sub” neural networks. On January 20th Google’s DeepMind division, the division behind a myriad of artificial intelligence (AI) firsts, quietly...
Google DeepMind uses bitcoin like tech to track NHS patient data
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Plagued by critics who accuse Google DeepMind of getting too much “free” access to NHS patient data, DeepMind’s new “bitcoin like” audit platform will let people know exactly how data is being accessed and used Google’s AI powered health tech subsidiary, DeepMind Health, is planning to...
Google and HTC are developing invisible VR headsets
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The best technology is invisible, and Google and HTC hope that this counts. Google used to, I don’t know if they still do, have a saying that the best technology was the technology that was invisible to the consumer. In other words, if you...
Google let its AI loose on the internet to slaughter gamers
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Compared to the sterile environment of a lab, for an artificial intelligence the internet must seem like a playground. If you ever wondered what would happen if an artificial intelligence (AI) ever got online then you’re about to get your answer thanks to Google...
Google tests AI’s natural killer instincts, discovers society must be very, very careful
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As artificial intelligence is embedded into more of our world’s digital fabric inevitably AI’s will come into conflict with one another, but rules might help us stave off armageddon – or bring it about. If climate change, nuclear weapons or pandemics don’t kill us...
Scientists publish a breakthrough architecture for the world’s first Quantum Computer
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Building the world’s first commercial quantum computer will require international collaboration, and a plan, and it looks like we now have that plan. An international team, led by a scientist from the University of Sussex, and made up of scientists from Google, Aarhus University...
Google’s AI’s are learning how to build new AI’s
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Logically speaking getting AI’s to build AI’s makes sense, but as AI’s continue to proliferate and be woven into the digital fabric of our society it opens up a dangerous pandoras box. As many companies, large and small will tell you, creating a good artificial...
Google’s Eric Schmidt says the “Internet will disappear”
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As the number of connected devices proliferates the internet we knew and loved is going away, and being replaced by something else, but what should we call it? It’s obvious when you think about it – the end of the Internet is drawing near...
Google hits its ambitious 100% renewable energy target
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Renewable energy is rapidly becoming the energy of choice for many countries and companies, and as output increases and costs fall, more companies are making the switch from fossil fuels. By March this year all of Google’s datacentres and offices will be powered entirely...
Two Google XPRIZE teams join forces to land on the Moon
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF For the sixteen private teams racing to land a lunar rover on the moon in 2017 achieving the goal is more important than the politics. Two teams competing for the Google Lunar XPRIZE have decided to join forces and have signed a ride share...
Japan joins the race to mine the Moon
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Outer space contains an unlimited amount of resources, from Platinum and ice to Helium-3, now, as we become a space faring species our future space exploration, outposts and transportation will rely on companies who can mine and process it. The Japanese Space Exploration Agency...
Banks are using mind reading technology to interview graduates
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Every business is becoming a technology business and nowhere is that truer than in the financial services industry, now as banks try to compete with start ups and established technology companies for tech talent they could find themselves getting into warm water… Want to...
Ubers self-driving car fleet quits California and heads to Arizona
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Regulators often get in the way – sometimes rightly – of the testing and adoption of new technologies but companies often find a way round them Silicon Valley is known as the home of tech innovation so it’s no surprise Uber chose San Francisco...
Google and Facebook are building the worlds fastest trans Pacific internet cable
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Global internet use is exploding and more of the internet giants are taking it upon themselves to fund their own trans oceanic internet cables in order to secure spectrum, decrease latency and improve security The world of submarine internet cables is vast and its...
Michigan greens lights the use of autonomous vehicles on all its roads
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF While many people question if autonomous vehicles are ready for the prime time without the right regulatory and legal frameworks in place to support them they will never make it out of the showrooms The Governor of Michigan has signed into law a series of bills...
Intels Nervana chip shows the giant is serious about owning the AI market
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Many of the AI breakthroughs over recent years have only been possible because of the exponential increase in the amount of computing power available to support them, now Intel and other chip companies are in an arms race to own the future of AI ...
Google has taught its DeepMind AI to dream
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Researchers are trying to find new ways to speed up and enhance new AI’s capacity to learn, and just as dreaming plays an important role in human learning Google hopes it will do the same for its AI What happens when you sleep? Sleeping...
Audi puts its new Quattro Lunar Rover through its paces
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The cost of space travel has fallen dramatically over the past decade and now Google wants to encourage private organisations and entrepreneurs to take the next bold step in humanity’s story. In 2015 Audi, the luxury car brand, announced it would be “taking off...
Mining the Moon, Moon Express sets 2017 launch date
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The Moon contains trillions of dollars worth of minerals and rare earth metals but mining and transporting them has been technically and commercially challenging, but over the next few decades that could change. Earlier this year Moon Express, a private venture, founded by billionaire...
