First of a kind attack as criminals clone a CEO’s voice and con UK energy firm out of $243,000
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As AI’s get better at creating fake content, or synthetic content, this type of attack will be the start of a new worrying trend. Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. After Google’s Duplex demonstration last year it’s clear...
Baltimore becomes the first US city to be watched from the air 24/7
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As airborne platforms, from aircraft to drones, and as machine vision and optic technologies improve, our ability to monitor cities and people from the air in real time will improve dramatically. Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. A...
Scientists have managed to clone photons using quantum dots
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Being able to clone photons opens up new possibilities when it comes to quantum computing and quantum internet, but could also help hackers hack these systems. Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. In the global quest to develop...
An AI built to generate “Fake News” is now helping detect it
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF In the future we won’t be able to believe everything we see or read, irrespective what the content is, so we need new ways to separate truth from fiction. Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. In February OpenAI,...
Lightweight metal foam stops armour piercing .50 calibre bullets as well as steel
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Armour plating is heavy and cumbersome, but this new technology reduces the weight of armour by over 50 percent. Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. Researchers have demonstrated that vehicle armor using Composite Metal Foam (CMF) can stop...
World first after researchers create an AI made of glass
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As our knowledge of neural networks improves it turns out we can give almost everything “intelligence.” Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. Recently, I talked about a team of researchers in the US that had managed to 3D...
Researchers tap transistors unique quantum fingerprints to ID systems and stop cyber criminals
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As the rise in the number of connected devices and systems is out paced only by the rise in #cyber attacks, researchers have found a new way to identify individual systems at the quantum level. Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch...
Facebook’s AI clone of Bill Gates sounds like the real deal
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As companies get better at creating AI’s that can synthesise people’s voices it created new opportunities, and new problems. Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. As we see more and more Synthetic Content created, including DeepFakes and DeepFake...
Pinsized sensor brings chemical identification to your smartphone
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF There are plenty of situations when you want to know what something’s made from, such as food or goods, and soon that power will be in your smartphone. Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. Imagine pointing your smartphone...
Chinese scientists unveil electronics that dissolve to protect classified data
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As we store more sensitive information in a wider array of devices we need ways to protect it and electronics that dissolve are one way. Interested in the future and want to experience even more!? Watch a keynote, grab a free book, read thousands of articles,...
Future quantum computers could crack 2048 bit RSA encryption in 8 hours
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF All of our vital communications and data are encrypted, and powerful quantum computers will be able to crack almost all of it. Interested in the future and want to experience even more?! eXplore More. Many people, quite rightly, worry that quantum computers will be able...
Insane AI listened to peoples voices then created accurate photofits
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As AI’s use becomes ubiquitous, from surveillance to crime fighting, innovations like this are a double edged sword. Interested in the future and want to experience even more?! eXplore More. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now becoming the foundational technology that’s helping create a host of...
Shooting laser beams from your eyes a reality after scientific breakthrough
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Ocular lasers have many applications, but frankly I’m not sure what most of those could be (yet). Death rays anyone? Interested in the future and want to experience even more?! eXplore More. Recently I talked about a new set of Mission Impossible style smart contact...
You can now try the “world’s most dangerous” fake news AI for yourself
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF A basic version of the “world’s most advanced, and dangerous, fake news generator” is now online for you to try for yourself. Interested in the future and want to experience even more?! eXplore More. This spring, the Elon Musk founded AI research lab OpenAI made a splash...
MIT’s crazy laser can beam adverts directly into your ears
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF We now have the technology to beam sound directly into people’s ears, and future admen can’t wait to get hold of the tech. Interested in the future and want to experience even more?! eXplore More. In the future, if we futurists are to believed, which...
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...
Mission Impossible style smart contact lens gets US military’s attention
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As technology gets smaller the world’s first true Smart Contact Lenses get closer than ever, and there are plenty of companies hungrily watching the space. Interested in the future and want to experience even more?! eXplore More. The bleeding edge US military research organisation Defense...
New “unclonable computer chip” stops botnets in their tracks
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As the number of connected devices increases we need new ways to prevent them from being hijacked by cyber criminals. Interested in the future and want to experience even more?! eXplore More. While we embrace the way the Internet of Things (IoT) already is making...
Researchers hacked a Tesla’s autopilot using three stickers on the road
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Neural networks see the world differently to humans, which is why they can be corrupted using relatively simple trickery. Interested in the future and want to experience even more?! eXplore More. A prolific cyber security research firm has announced that it’s managed to make Tesla’s self-driving car...
Russia announces plans to temporarily disconnect itself from the global internet
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF People think of the internet as one, global network, but it’s being nationalised and splintering. Many people think that the internet is one thing, one “amorphous system” that crosses borders, and is, in essence, the digital fabric that unites the world. But, as China...
