Artificial Intelligence
Rapid advancements in AI today have the potential to change everything about everything. But will they? We’re exploring what will change, how, and whether we’re building digital gods or stochastic parrots.
Featured
Has AI made “learn to code” obsolete?
Freethink talks to the creator of the world’s most popular AI coding assistant to find out whether learning to code is still worthwhile.
AI is already in the classroom. It’s time colleges caught up.
Rather than banning AI, schools should adapt by designing assignments that promote responsible use and keep the focus on learning.
Google AI exec: “The mistake would be thinking this is hype.”
Bestselling author and Google Labs’ Editorial Director Steven Johnson talks about the future of AI at Freethink’s Great Progression event.
A tool, a rival, or a collaborator?
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Caltech’s walking robot can also fly and skateboard
Caltech’s new bipedal walking robot can fly to get around obstacles, and it’s steady enough on its feet to skateboard or slackline.
AI is helping cars spot potholes
Researchers have developed an AI system that allows cars to spot potholes.
AI avatars bring deepfakes to the business world
A financial consulting firm has created AI avatars of its staff that can be used to quickly create deepfakes for presentations and more.
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Challengers
26-year-old builds $8,000 mind-controlled bionic arms
Bionic arms used to cost $80,000. Now, a young engineer has lowered the cost by over 90%.
DeepMind’s virtual playground suggests path to general AI
DeepMind’s virtual playground, XLand, could help create general AI by overcoming the problem of insufficient training data.
Bipedal robot completes 5K after learning to run
Agility Robotics’ Cassie just became the first bipedal robot to complete an outdoor 5K run, completing the jaunt on a single charge.
DeepMind releases massive protein structure database
DeepMind is releasing a massive database of protein structure predictions that includes all the molecules in the human proteome.
New AI “engines” can read and understand on multiple levels
Primer’s new AI tools are expert readers, capable of analyzing long bodies of text far faster — and more accurately — than humans can.
TV shows train AI to predict human behavior
Algorithms are learning to guess what you’ll do next by analyzing shows like “The Office.”
Can AI cameras predict suicide attempts at bridges?
Seoul is deploying an AI-powered camera system designed to predict suicide attempts at bridges and send rescuers to help people in distress.
Toyota’s cleaning robot shows off its new skills
Toyota’s cleaning robot has demonstrated new skills, revealing an ability to detect clear objects and snap perfect selfies.
McDonald’s is replacing human drive-thru attendants with AI
McDonald’s just rolled out a voice recognition system at 10 drive-thrus in Chicago.
Can AI negotiate? Walmart is betting on it
AI startup Pactum is trying to save big companies millions with AI negotiation.
This high schooler created a drug discovery search engine
While looking for drugs to potentially fight Alzheimer’s, a high school researcher’s AI did “comically” bad, until he thought of it as a search engine.
"Hands-free" smart farm will replace laborers with robots
At a smart farm in Australia, robots and AI will do all the manual labor, potentially foreshadowing agriculture’s “hands-free” future.
Liverpool and DeepMind are bringing AI to the beautiful game
AI in sports has taken off in recent years. Now, Liverpool and DeepMind are teaming up to see how AI may impact the world’s most popular sport.
AI dubbing can make actors appear to speak any language
A new AI dubbing tech called TrueSync matches actors’ mouths with recorded dialogue to make watching a movie in an unknown language feel less jarring.
Google unveils “magic window” for 3D video chat
Google’s Project Starline is a new 3D video chat technology designed to make online communication feel more like real life.
The world’s first fully electric, self-driving tractor
Monarch Tractor’s all-electric, self-driving tractor could save farmers money, while also benefiting the environment.
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