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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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13 Mar
AI, in you we trust. Could artificial intelligence create world peace?
The UN met to discuss killer robots and AI in warfare last year, and Elon Musk and Google’s DeepMind were among signatories promising to never develop the mercenary bots.
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13 Mar
Self-learning robotic limb brings DARPA’s hope of lifelong machine learning closer
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has announced the development of an AI-controlled robotic limb that can learn over time as part of a wider project targeting the development of true lifelong machine learning.
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11 Mar
NHS goes RPA with digital robot trial at Chelsea and Westminster Trust
An NHS trust is to trial software robots to automate administrative parts of its corporate services arm.
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8 Mar
The robots of the future could be frilly — thanks to sea slugs
Frills and robotics are not two words that traditionally go together, but new research suggests that the robots of the future could have frilly surfaces to help them move.
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7 Mar
Best books on AI in business for World Book Day
Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the world of business at an incredible pace, but there are some fantastic resources available to those that don’t want to get left behind.
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5 Mar
Artificial intelligence is just “one tool in the toolbox”, experts say — businesses should stop using AI for the sake of it
Spending on artificial intelligence technology surpassed $200bn in 2018 and is tipped to double by 2025.
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5 Mar
MIT’s backflipping Mini Cheetah turns robot design on its head
With the ability to run, climb stairs and jump over hurdles, the advanced capabilities of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s four-legged Cheetah robots have been impressing and alarming audiences in equal measures.
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4 Mar
FedEx delivery robot sees courier giant join the last-mile automation race
An autonomous delivery robot has been announced by leading delivery provider FedEx.
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27 Feb
Finding the right AI for your business
In 2015, Google used an Artificial Intelligence (AI) program called AlphaGo to defeat three-time European Champion Fan Hui in the 2,500-year-old game of Go, a game described as exponentially more complex than chess.
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26 Feb
94% of CIOs believe 2025 workforce will be human and bot-led
By now, the presence of AI in the workplace is already making itself felt.
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26 Feb
AI investors are spending big money on startups — but fewer want to share
Despite attracting more investment in 2018 than any other emerging technology, artificial intelligence (AI) startups are seeing fewer AI investors each than any other segment.
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25 Feb
AI in the movie industry has a way to go to produce the next set of Oscar-winners
The usual host of awards including best screenplay and best visual effects came up at the 2019 Oscars last night.
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25 Feb
Agriculture 4.0: Australia invests in future of farming
With precision farming, smart tractors, drones, and plants animals monitored by sensors, the agricultural industry of the 21st century looks very different from the past.
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22 Feb
Trump can’t stop China from becoming an “AI superpower”, experts warn
Despite Donald Trump’s best efforts, China will continue to chip away at the United States’ lead in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) throughout 2019 according to a new report published by GlobalData exploring the trends and developments expected in the technology industry over the coming year.
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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.
