Artificial atom breakthrough to usher in era of secure communications
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF By 2031 Quantum computing will be able to crack most of today’s most commonly used encryption systems, Quantum Key Distribution will provide organisations and governments with a way to communicate that is immune from attacks and eavesdropping. From credit card numbers to bank account...
Jurors will soon be able to walk through crime scenes in virtual reality
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Jurors often have to rely on reconstructed scenes to help them visualise how a crime unfurled, now, using virtual reality they can see and move around the actual scene days, months or even years after the crime(s) took place A physical crime scene may...
The internet pioneer behind Apache pushes blockchain to fuel the next big internet revolution
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Everyone agrees that blockchain is a disruptive technology, and a technology that could help revolutionise not just one industry but all of them but in order for it to really change the world it first needs to be embedded into the “plumbing” of the internet,...
Report finds that global internet freedom declines for sixth straight year in a row
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Internet freedom is on the decline with over two thirds of the worlds population now subject to government and institutional censorship. Independent watchdog Freedom House has issued its 2016 report along with a chilling warning that internet privacy is becoming something of an oxymoron. Freedom...
New blockchain DNS system would put an end to DDoS attacks
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Blockchain can help organisations and governments improve the resilience of their operations without compromising security On Friday, October 21st the internet – specifically the US west coast and parts of Europe, fell victim to the worlds largest DDoS attack. At the time reports said that nearly half the...
Cornell’s new AI is cataloguing nature – starting with trees
What type of tree is that anyway? Cornell is creating a catalogue for Nature Engineers from Caltech have developed a method that uses data from satellite and street-level images, such as the ones that you can see in Google Maps, to automatically create an inventory of street trees that cities...
Brazil releases billions of genetically modified Mosquitos to combat Zika
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF There will always be questions about the viability and impact of releasing genetically modified organisms into our environment but with billions of mosquitos being released it might already be a moot point Every Saturday morning, Maria do Carmo Tunussi goes door to door asking...
Singapores self-driving buses to get their own routes in 2018
Singapore is quickly becoming the driverless vehicle test bed capital of the world Hot on the heels of their recent announcement to become the first country in the world to authorise the use of self-driving taxis on their streets Singapore has announced that it will begin trials of two self-driving...
World first as AI “Judge” succesfully predicts the outcomes of 79% of cases in the European Court
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Artificial intelligence has a problem with nuance but that didn’t stop it from correctly predicting the outcome of most of the cases. An artificial intelligence system has correctly predicted the outcomes of hundreds of cases heard at the European Court of Human Rights, researchers...
Pittsburgs AI traffic lights help commuters get there faster
In Pittsburg even the traffic lights are intelligent Idling in rushhour traffic can be mind-numbing. It also carries other costs. Traffic congestion costs the US economy $121 billion a year, mostly due to lost productivity, and produces about 25 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions, Carnegie Mellon University professor of...
Dubai to replace real police with robocops in 2017
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Street police in the UAE are going to be replaced with real life, ahem, “Robocops” Dubai’s government – who are on a tear at the moment to adopt and invest in anything futuristic – from blockchain to energy grids – via their $175 Billion ICD sovereign wealth fund and...
UN backs ID2020 blockchain consortium to give 2 billion people an identity
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The UN is backing a blockchain consortium to help them give a voice, and recognition, to over 2 billion people. According to the United Nations there are over 2 billion people who have no way of proving who they are. And while at first glance...
London boroughs new face of customer services is a bot
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The London borough of Enfield has enlisted artificial intelligence Amelia to take on customer service tasks for its residents starting late this year. Developed by IPSoft, Amelia is a cognitive agent – that’s bot to you, I and most people, capable of automating certain...
Guardian angel AUDREY keeps firefighters safe
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Our first responders put their lives on the line for us every day, now they have a new guardian angel AI. Todays firefighters only have their wits and five senses to rely on inside a burning building but research developed in part by NASA’s Jet Propulsion...
Governments mull replacing citizens wages with an Universal Basic Income
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Today it’s already a fact that more and more jobs are being automated by machines, faced with societal unrest and mass unemployment Governments around the world are now turning to the idea of providing an Universal Basic Income for everyone. What would you do...
The future of jobs and education
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As AI and other Robo automation tools and technologies become increasingly proficient it is increasingly clear that more and more jobs will suffer the same fate – automation. Life is a learning experience, or so they say. Broadly speaking educational activities can be split...
CIO Innovation Series: David Wilde, CIO of Essex County Council
It’s a hot day, one of the rare few in London when I meet David Wilde, Essex County Council’s esteemed CIO for a round of coffees and a chat to discuss how he and his team are making a difference to the people of Essex and helping the County Council...
