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AI and automation
Automation, robotics and artificial intelligence news, features and analysis. Verdict covers the latest on AI, automation, robots and drones, with news and insight from some of the world’s leading experts. AI is transforming the way we work, live and play, and there is far more change ahead as technology advances further.
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21 Feb
UK government publishes AI code of conduct
The NHS has already started looking to AI to improve patient service and cut costs, and the technology is currently being used to improve the patient care through AI-powered apps and implementing technology which will allow NHS 111 inquiries to be handled by robots within two years.
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21 Feb
Preparing for business automation: How one CEO restructured in readiness for AI
The benefits of AI and wider automation on businesses are undeniably significant.
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19 Feb
Garry Kasparov: We need better humans, not less technology
“Few people in the world know better than I do what it’s like to have your life’s work threatened by a machine,” says Garry Kasparov.
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15 Feb
DARPA wants to develop warfare AI that reacts to the battlefield
Current AI systems are able to learn to cope in particular situations impressively well.
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14 Feb
Artificial intelligence just wrote the best love song of all time (and it’s terrible)
Artificial intelligence may be about to take your job, but it won’t be taking your significant other anytime soon.
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13 Feb
Robots gain a better grip on reality
Robots are set to improve their choice of grip now a study into grasp choice has been released from The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna and the Australian Centre for Robotic Vision.
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13 Feb
Meet AntBot, the robot that navigates like an ant
AntBot, a new walking robot, uses the same navigation techniques as ants to travel several hundreds of metres and return without getting lost.
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12 Feb
Two robots just fell in love over talk of humanity’s demise
They say opposites attract, which would make Sol, a quick-witted entertainer, and Num, a know-it-all scientist, a great match.
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11 Feb
Human versus machine: Meet the man taking on Project Debater, IBM’s argumentative AI
Back in the late 18th century, a mechanical marvel in the form a robot that could outsmart a human opponent in a game of chess gained international fame.
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11 Feb
AI spend hit $219bn in 2018, but most execs wish they’d invested sooner
Global business spending on artificial intelligence (AI) reached $219bn in 2018, however despite such a high level of AI spend, the vast majority of C-suite executives wish they had moved into the space sooner.
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11 Feb
Trump to launch American AI Initiative, but can he outpace an ambitious China?
Following Donald Trump’s call to invest in “cutting-edge industries” during his State of the Union speech last week, the President of the United States will today sign an executive order that will encourage government departments to invest in artificial intelligence technology.
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8 Feb
Finland basic income results cast doubt on concept’s viability
The initial results from a landmark basic income trial in Finland have cast doubt on the increasingly popular concept’s viability as a large-scale solution to automation, despite improving wellbeing.
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7 Feb
Calls for UK basic income pilot ahead of Finnish results
The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) has called for the establishment of a UK basic income pilot the day before the results of a similar trial in Finland are announced.
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6 Feb
Could you be friends with a robot? For most, it’s a step too far
Despite the plethora of science fiction where humans befriend robots of many forms, in reality the prospect of being friends with a robot is too much for most people.
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6 Feb
Self-healing rubber could be “game-changing” for soft robotics
A 3D-printed, self-healing rubber material has the potential to be “game-changing” for soft robotics, electronics, shoes and more, by dramatically improving the lifespan of products.
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5 Feb
Retail robots overwhelmingly rejected by Australian consumers
Just 1% of Australian consumers want to use retail robots and chatbots as part of their shopping experience, despite growing efforts to introduce the technology within the industry.
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1 Feb
Can automation deliver the utopian dream of a shorter working week?
The five-day working week may become a footnote in our history of industrialisation, like child chimney sweeps once common in the UK.
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31 Jan
Watch out, DeepMind – there’s a faster algorithm on the block
Researchers from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia have developed a set of algorithms they claim can master an Atari video game 10 times faster than current leader in the field, Google-owned AI firm DeepMind.
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31 Jan
Soft robots that can see, feel and perceive: Human-style perception system comes to robotics
Engineers have developed a sophisticated perception system for soft robots that is modelled on the way we as humans process information about our bodies and the world around us.
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30 Jan
Is 2019 the year retail AI goes mainstream? Six predictions for the year ahead
Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly prominent role in many of the world’s biggest e-commerce platforms, but what can we expect from retail AI in 2019?
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29 Jan
IBM releases database of 1 million faces to combat bias in facial recognition
One of the apparent strengths of artificial intelligence is its ability to remove human bias. However, although this may be the intention, AI systems learn what they are taught; meaning if they are not powered by robust and diverse data sets, bias can still emerge.
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28 Jan
Harry, Bert and Lenny: Insurer AXA’s admin AI bots
Three artificial intelligence bots named Harry, Bert and Lenny have been deployed at insurance company AXA and will save employees 18,000 hours of repetitive work each year.
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24 Jan
Twitter AI: How the platform is embracing artificial intelligence
In recent years, Twitter has developed a negative association with bots, with the microblogging platform wiping out 6% of its user base by deleting tens of millions of artificial intelligence-powered accounts.
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23 Jan
Robots do food delivery to satisfy university students’ munchies
Starbucks, Dunkin’ and Blaze Pizza have signed up to the launch of a fleet of food delivery robots at the George Mason University in the US.
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22 Jan
Governments urged to establish universal lifelong learning entitlement as automation looms
The International Labour Organization’s Global Commission on the Future of Work has recommended that a universal lifelong learning entitlement be established by governments around the world.
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21 Jan
Chinese business smashes the US and UK in AI and blockchain IP
China still leads in AI and blockchain technology with Chinese businesses filing seven times the number of IP patents in AI as closest rival the US in 2017.
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18 Jan
No, robots aren’t going to make you unemployed
We’re inundated with reports on how automation is going to lead to widespread job displacement, with robots taking on the role of human workers across numerous industries.
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15 Jan
VERA the AI personal shopping assistant launched at NRF 2019
VERA is a digital personal shopping assistant from Piktorlabs being launched at the NRF 2019, the US National Retail Federation’s show in New York.
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14 Jan
Over a third of British workers welcome the use of AI in the workplace
With 52% of UK businesses making ‘technology’ a spending priority in 2019, investment in relevant and worthwhile technology has enabled organisations to streamline and improve various aspects of their operations across many industries.
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14 Jan
RPA adoption strong among US medium-sized businesses, survey says
Robotic process automation (RPA) continues to see robust adoption among medium-sized businesses in the US, according to a survey by RPA provider Softomotive.