The explosion of AI into more creative fields has forced us to ask — if artificial intelligence can not just replicate mundane tasks, but creative ones too, what is left that’s uniquely human?
Field: AI
AI is changing how Americans find jobs, get promoted, and succeed at work
AI-driven software has the potential to advance quickly and change how companies make strategic decisions about their employees.
What is an AI black box? A computer scientist explains
AI black boxes refer to AI systems with internal workings that are invisible to us. What are the implications of working without transparency?
Watch this autonomous drone deliver beer and peanuts in a baseball stadium
Guests at the opening of an autonomous systems conference witnessed a drone delivery at Denver's Coors Field.
If we’re going to label AI an “extinction risk,” we need to clarify how it could happen
AI comes with risks that we need to take seriously, but none of the claims that it is going to cause the extinction of humanity explain how.
Watch: Autonomous helicopter takes flight at sea
Airbus' VSR700, an autonomous helicopter designed for naval use, has successfully completed test flights at sea.
AI is already making “functional music” for major label artists
UMG has teamed up with an AI startup to turn its artists’ music into “soundscapes” designed to help listeners sleep, focus, and more.
Fully self-driving cars are finally available on Uber
Uber has teamed up with robotaxi operator Waymo to make rides in fully autonomous cars available to its customers.
Stanford study finds AI improves the performance of teachers and students
Stanford researchers have developed an AI that can provide useful feedback to teachers, helping them to increase student uptake.
AI is going to revolutionize the weather forecast
A tech startup in San Francisco is going to change how the world sees the weather.
Cancer treatment is about to get a reboot, thanks to AI
Techniques borrowed from astrophysics are helping to advance personalized cancer treatments beyond what genetics can tell us.
“Please do not assume the worst”: Students want colleges to teach them how to use AI the right way
Students want to work with their communities, universities, and governments to figure out how to engage productively and responsibly with AI.
Autonomous public transportation rolls out in Arizona
Sun City, Arizona has launched a free transit system featuring self-driving cars for its retirement-age residents.
The AI healthcare revolution has begun
The ability of AI to diagnose diseases, discover drugs, and even perform surgery is increasing rapidly — but will patients accept Dr. AI?
A general-purpose robot is entering the workforce
Tech startup Sanctuary AI has unveiled Phoenix, a general-purpose robot designed to perform many workplace tasks.
We need more than ChatGPT to have “true AI.” It is merely the first ingredient in a complex recipe
LLMs might be one ingredient in the recipe for true artificial general intelligence, but they are surely not the whole recipe.
Wendy’s has a chatbot taking drive-thru orders
A Google-trained chatbot has begun taking orders at a Wendy’s drive-thru, and if a pilot test goes well, the AI could be rolled out widely.
AI helps terminal cancer patients make the most of their final days
An AI that encourages doctors to talk to cancer patients about their end-of-life care impacts how they choose to live out their final days.
AI dramatically improved mRNA vaccines in just 11 minutes
A new AI tool can find the most stable mRNA sequence for a vaccine, leading to more effective shots that are less prone to degradation.
Why artists shouldn’t fear AI
Advancements in generative art have many human artists on edge. But should they be worried?
How to stop runaway AI
Professor Stuart J. Russell warns that AI could pose an existential threat to humanity unless we can ensure that these systems remain aligned with human values and goals.
Is the disruption caused by AI art actually new, or does it just feel new?
From paint in tubes to typewriters to photography to digital art, the history of creativity is a history of disruptive technologies.
The "Creative Singularity" came and went. Now what should we do?
The emergence of generative AI signals an important inflection point for artists.
Networks of silver nanowires seem to learn and remember, much like our brains
Self-organising networks of tiny silver wires appear to learn and remember in much the same way as the thinking hardware in our heads.
Insiders say Apple is building an “AI health coach”
Tech giant Apple is developing an app with an AI health coach to help you live a healthier lifestyle, according to a Bloomberg report.
“Relationships 5.0”: Are people going to start dating AI?
Online dating is so mainstream that you’re an outlier if you haven’t met your partner on an app — so why not AI?
Massive autonomous robot is 3 to 5 times faster than a human construction crew
Built Robotics has unveiled an autonomous construction robot that speeds up the installation of utility-scale solar farms.
How “centaur AI” will radically reshape the future of healthcare
With healthcare, it is not enough to spot patterns: we need to understand biological mechanisms. Ai can help us do it.
40% of chores could be done by robots within 10 years, according to a new study
Nearly 40% of the time spent on domestic chores could be automated within a decade, researchers estimate.
Will GPTs swallow NFTs?
The explosion of art made with GPTs and the new market created by NFTs will usher in a Virtual Renaissance that defines 21st century art.
Cruise driverless cars can now operate 24/7 across San Francisco
GM-backed Cruise has announced that it can now operate its driverless car service 24/7 in San Francisco.
Is this secretive device the “iPhone killer”?
Thanks to a leaked video from a TED presentation, we now have our first glimpse at secretive startup Humane’s wearable tech.
Google’s AI music generator is like ChatGPT for audio
Google has unveiled MusicLM, an advanced AI music generator that can produce audio based on a short text description.
AI could rescue scientific papers from the curse of jargon
Scientific papers have been getting harder to read over time; AI might help reverse the trend.
New smart glasses use sonar to read your lips
New glasses use sonar sensing technology and AI to allow users to control devices via silent, mouthed commands.
Xwing puts autonomous flight on the runway to approval
Autonomous flight startup Xwing has filed for approval to do crewless cargo flights, a first step towards pilotless commercial aviation.
Epilepsy surgery has a success rate of only 50%. This digital brain may change that.
Using patient data and AI, French researchers have created a digital model of the brain to figure out which brain region needs removed.
People destroyed printing presses out of fear. What will we do to AI?
Just like today with AI, people worried about the printing press' effect on job security and the spread of disinformation.
ChatGPT can now help you plan a perfect vacation
Online travel agency Expedia has added ChatGPT to its app, giving users a free AI assistant to help them plan a vacation.
Our new brains: neurotechnology advances that could change everything
Here are the latest developments in neurotech, from brain-computer interfaces to brain-inspired AI.
A new AI lie detector reveals their “inner thoughts”
A new AI lie detector can dive into their hidden thoughts and reveal “what language models truly believe about the world.”
ChatGPT: why it will probably remain just a tool that does inefficient work more efficiently
ChatGPT could do inefficient tasks more efficiently — but that doesn't answer the question of whether the tasks are worth doing at all.
Dog “nose print” app is 99% accurate at ID’ing lost pets
An AI-based app that identifies dogs and cats based on their unique nose prints could help reunite lost pets and their owners.
The tech of the year is entering the workforce
Generative AIs are being integrated into the programs millions of people use at work, but will they really make our jobs easier?
AI that turns docs into presentations is available right now — no waitlist
Fast-growing startup Tome has just released a first-of-its-kind tool that uses generative AI to turn your documents into presentations.
“Treasure map” guides scientists to massive meteorite
A “treasure map” highlighting places where meteorites are most likely to be found has led to the discovery of a 17-pound space rock.
Large language models are biased. Can logic help save them?
MIT researchers trained logic-aware language models to reduce harmful stereotypes like gender and racial biases.
New voice cloning AI lets “you” speak multiple languages
Voice cloning AIs are gaining more abilities, while the amount of audio needed to replicate a person’s voice is shrinking.
New AI can “reimagine” your pictures in infinite ways
Stability AI has launched Stable Diffusion Reimagine, an AI that uses uploaded images as inspiration for new creations.
A search engine researcher explains the promise and peril of letting AI search the web for you
AI responds to questions but doesn’t actually know anything and is prone to making things up. Should you trust is with your internet search?
How “InstructGPT” lobotomizes the insanity of raw GPT
OpenAI has created a version of GPT, called "InstructGPT," that cuts down on the AI’s bizarre and irrational responses.
Microsoft unveils AI Copilot for its 365 apps
Microsoft has just unveiled Copilot, a new AI-based tool for its Microsoft 365 apps, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
AI isn’t close to becoming sentient, we just think it is
To what extent will our psychological vulnerabilities shape our interactions with emerging technologies? AI will be the test.
General Motors is putting ChatGPT into its vehicles
General Motors is developing a new voice assistant that will give drivers access to the hugely popular ChatGPT while they're on the road.
Google rolls out AI writing assistant to Gmail and Docs
Google is incorporating generative AI into its Workspace products, starting with an AI writing assistant for Gmail and Docs.
OpenAI just launched GPT-4 — and you may already be using it
Just four months after releasing ChatGPT, OpenAI has already upgraded its hugely popular chatbot with a new AI model.
AI is now DJing radio stations
GPT-3, the OpenAI tech behind the hugely popular AI chatbot, ChatGPT, is now being used to automate radio DJing.
This incredibly life-like robot hand can be made for just $2,800
Low-cost robots that perfectly mimic parts of the human body foreshadow a future in which humanoid robots do all the work people don't want.
What is generative AI? An AI explains
Generative AI uses a type of learning called generative adversarial networks and has many uses, including creating images, text, and audio.
Computer scientist explains why even in the age of AI, computing isn’t limitless
A computer’s power is still limited by the number of operations it can execute per second and the efficiency of the algorithms it runs.
ChatGPT versus AI-enabled Bing. How do they differ?
Microsoft has integrated an AI language tool into its Bing search engine that it claims is more powerful than ChatGPT.
ChatGPT answers physics questions like a confused C student
When asked about physics, ChatGPT gave a mixture of true, false, relevant, irrelevant, and contradictory answers — all with authority.
In a first, scientists use AI to create brand new enzymes
In a scientific first, researchers have created brand new enzymes designed with the help of AI.
New AI improves itself through Darwinian-style evolution
AutoML-Zero is a simple proof-of-concept that shows how t might someday be scaled up and applied to more complex problems.
NASA’s new balloon-borne telescope was designed with AI
An AI-powered technique called “generative design” is helping NASA engineers design better hardware, more quickly.
Startup uses DALL-E to make food menus more appealing
Food tech startup Lunchbox has made the text-to-image AI DALL-E 2 available to generate food pics for restaurant menus.
Zoox deploys first-of-their-kind robotaxis in California
Amazon subsidiary Zoox hits a new milestone, transporting passengers in its driverless robotaxis on open public roads.
ChatGPT in academia: Can it help with the research process?
Several researchers have already listed a chatbot as a co-author on academic studies, but ChatGPT is better in some areas than others.
Will “The Singularity” rescue us from death?
In transhumanism, "The Singularity" promises possibility of uploading your consciousness into silicon, guaranteeing a kind of immortality.
An expert explains how you’re using ChatGPT wrong
ChatGPT is designed to produce strings of words that sound good in response to the words you give it – not to provide you with information.
65% of retail jobs could be automated by 2025
The retail sector has been making ground in the adoption of automation with the use of self checkouts, and robots and AI in supply chains.
Microsoft adds “AI copilot” to Edge web browser
Microsoft is incorporating the tech behind ChatGPT into its Edge web browser, giving users an "AI copilot" to assist them on the internet.
AI is helping decode the oldest story in the world
A new algorithm is helping decode ancient cuneiform tablets — including those containing the oldest known work of world literature.
World’s largest electric cargo plane can carry up to 400 pounds
The Pelican is an autonomous electric cargo plane capable of transporting 400 pounds of cargo 200 miles in less than three hours.
Google announces Bard, a ChatGPT-like AI (Updated)
Google has announced Bard, a conversational AI similar to ChatGPT, and plans to integrate similar AI into its search platform “soon.”
The biggest AI breakthroughs of the last year
Last year saw breakthroughs from AI tools such as ChatGPT, DeepMind, and DALL-E, which generate text and code.
Why 2023 will be “the year of mixed reality”
Mixed reality, in which immersive virtual content is seamlessly combined with our physical world, is set to transform the world.
New AI will teach soldiers to dress wounds, fly helicopters in AR
DARPA is developing AI assistants that will display instructions to military personnel through augmented reality headsets.
Autonomous race cars go head-to-head, break records in Las Vegas
Autonomous race cars took to the track at CES, opening new forms of competition and setting speed records.
AI for better crops
AI technology could transform how growers protect their harvests, by detecting plant diseases very early on.
Mercedes-Benz wins race to bring Level 3 autonomous cars to US
Mercedes-Benz has permission to deploy its Level 3 autonomous driving system, DRIVE PILOT, in Nevada, and California could soon follow.
Microsoft’s new AI needs just 3 seconds of audio to clone a voice
Microsoft has unveiled VALL-E, a voice-cloning AI that only needs a 3-second sample to simulate a speaker’s voice with remarkable accuracy.
What happens when an astrophysicist puts ChatGPT to the test?
Can an astrophysicist get ChatGPT to learn and assimilate new information and give correct answers where it gave confident but false ones?
Elevator technology is going up
A new generation of elevator technology may soon change the way you ride.
Krispy Kreme donuts to be filled, frosted, and packaged by machines
Donut company Krispy Kreme is investing in automated systems to take over functions currently completed by human workers.
Sophia the robot talks Elon Musk, climate change, and more
Celebrity humanoid Sophia the robot shares her “thoughts” on climate change, Elon Musk, and more with Freethink.
The dawn of AI has come, and its implications for education couldn’t be more significant
AI like ChatGPT is forcing us to rethink education. But if we embrace it, it could empower both students and teachers.
McDonald’s opens its first automated restaurant in Texas
McDonald’s has opened a new highly automated restaurant, giving customers a first look at the potential future of fast food.
Sophia the robot becomes first humanoid to be signed by a gaming org
Sophia the robot has signed to XSET, a gaming organization and lifestyle brand focused on diversity and inclusion.
We gave ChatGPT a college-level microbiology quiz. It blew the quiz away.
A microbiologist devised a quiz that would be appropriate as a final exam for college-level microbiology students. ChatGPT blew it away.
Search engines and AI will make each other better
The tech behind ChatGPT isn’t ready to overthrow Google, but it could fix what’s wrong with search engines.
Generative AI: The technology of the year for 2022
It's made headlines so often that there is no question that 2022 will be remembered as the year that Generative AI stunned the world.
Ad-free search engine to launch ChatGPT-like AI feature
The ad-free Neeva search engine is adding an AI feature that will answer user queries with conversational text, rather than lists of links.
“DALL-E 2 of biology” designs proteins for new drugs
The Chroma AI's ability to design proteins with structures no one has ever seen before could revolutionize medicine.
Five creative ways people are using ChatGPT
Internet users are getting creative with OpenAI’s new chatbot, ChatGPT, using it to plot movies, write menus, and more.
“Korean Google” opens the world’s first robot-friendly building
Tech giant Naver Corporation designed its new headquarters, 1784, to be a "robot-friendly" testing ground for its latest technologies.
An interview with ChatGPT about itself
Freethink interviews OpenAI’s ChatGPT, an AI chatbot capable of generating conversational text, code, and more in response to prompts.
AI is helping to ID victims in Holocaust photos
The new website From Numbers to Names uses facial recognition tech to identify previously anonymous faces in Holocaust photos.