Field: AI
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.
“Robot rooms” could be the future of homes and offices
Integrating robots into walls, ceilings, furniture, and appliances could radically change our indoor spaces.
Cruise robotaxi service is quickly expanding
General Motors subsidiary Cruise is quickly expanding its commercial robotaxi service to more cities in the US.
AI could help cancer patients avoid a deadly recurrence
A new study found that AI can use a patient’s initial skin cancer growth to predict their risk of melanoma recurrence.
AI-discovered drug for ALS enters human trials in just four years
Verge Genomics has begun a trial of their AI-found ALS drug candidate, one of the first tests for this new method of drug discovery.
Deepfake audio has a tell – researchers use fluid dynamics to spot artificial imposter voices
Audio deepfakes potentially pose a huge threat, as people often communicate via phone calls, radio, and voice recordings.
Shutterstock will sell AI images — and compensate artists
Shutterstock will make AI-generated images available on its website, while also compensating creators for helping train the AI.
How to prevent mass extinction in the ocean using AI, robots, and 3D printers
There is currently no possibility of the world reaching the 30% target for marine protected areas with existing policies. Tech to the rescue?
Farming robot kills 200,000 weeds per hour with lasers
Carbon Robotics’ LaserWeeder is a smart farming robot that identifies weeds and then kills them using high-power lasers.
AI is able to spot diseases before symptoms appear
New AI tools are helping doctors screen healthy patients for diseases early, when treatments are most effective.
Inventions that are fighting the rise of facial recognition technology
Combating the rise of facial-recognition technology, designers have created clothing and accessories to help to conceal people's identities.
Elon Musk demos humanoid robot, which will cost less than $20K
CEO Elon Musk unveiled two prototypes of the humanoid Tesla robot, expected to cost less than $20,000, at his company’s second annual AI Day.
I used generative AI to create pictures of painting robots, but I’m not the artist — humanity is
Generative AI systems are incredible and hugely important, but they are not creative. In fact, they’re not even intelligent.
Watch a robot barista create latte art
New funding will allow Seattle-based startup Artly Coffee to bring its robot barista to more US locations.
Bruce Willis sells his likeness for a deepfake ad
Retired actor Bruce Willis had a "digital twin" made so that his likeness could be inserted into a new project using deepfake tech.
A neural network discovered Copernicus’ heliocentricity on its own
Scientists trained a neural network to predict the movements of Mars and the Sun, which placed the Sun at the center of our solar system.
This Stable Diffusion mod will turn you into a Pokémon
Stable Diffusion, an open-source text-to-image AI, has been modified to generate Pokémon-like characters from simple text prompts.
How do DALL-E, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and other forms of generative AI work?
DALL-E and other types of generative AI can produce images that look like photographs, paintings, or drawings that were created by humans.
Target is now offering the world’s first “robot manicure”
A robot that uses AI and 3D cameras to paint fingernails is now giving Target customers 10-minute manicures for just $8.
Meta can (kinda) guess what you’ve heard via your brain waves
Meta has created an AI that can tell what you’re hearing based on non-invasive brain scan measurements.
First-of-its-kind trial shows AI beat humans at analyzing heart scans
Echonet, an AI trained to assess a measure of heart function, has outperformed trained technicians in both accuracy and efficiency.
How AI could learn from Aesop’s fables
When USC researchers tried to teach an AI simple fables, they discovered that the process is a lot harder than it sounds.
On the road to autonomous cars, driver fatigue will be a problem
New research from Waymo points the way to overcoming driver fatigue in cars that are almost — but not quite — self-driving.
Stanford’s new microchip could put powerful AI on your devices
A Stanford-led team has developed a new microchip that could let us run advanced AI programs directly on our devices.
A sepsis-catching AI has proven effective in hospitals
A new AI for spotting sepsis, which accounts for ⅓ of hospital deaths, was found to be effective in a large trial.
New algorithm aces university math course questions
Researchers use machine learning to automatically solve, explain, and generate university-level math problems at a human level.
Free Lyft robotaxis are hitting Las Vegas
Motional and Lyft are now offering robotaxi rides in Las Vegas.
Text-to-image AIs are changing art forever
Text-to-image AIs that draw whatever you describe in text are making it easy for anyone to create unique art online.
The Singularity: When will we all become super-humans?
Are we really only a moment away from "The Singularity," a technological epoch that will usher in a new era in human evolution?
MIT’s new algorithm for self-driving cars is open-source
MIT scientists unveil the first open-source simulation engine capable of constructing realistic environments for autonomous vehicles.
Why don't surgeons train like fighter pilots? Now some do.
Using AI and analysis, Theator is helping surgeons improve how pilots and pro athletes do: by going to the tape.
This little robot is cleaning up beaches, one cigarette butt at a time
Robot litter picker, the BeachBot, uses artificial intelligence to detect trash like cigarette butts and help clean up beaches.
Engineers build LEGO-like artificial intelligence chip
Engineers have created an AI chip with alternating layers of sensing and processing elements that can communicate with each other.
A celebrated AI has learned a new trick: How to do chemistry
We had a challenging question for the AI AlphaFold – had its structural training set taught it some chemistry?
How artificial intelligence is boosting crop yield to feed the world
The Gene Ranking Artificial Intelligence Network (GRAIN) identifies genes that act at a fundamental level in crop metabolism.
How to be a techno-optimist
Technology will not save the world, and it is inherently neither good nor bad. But, when tech is coupled to human virtue, good will prevail.
Dive into the world’s first underwater garden
An underwater garden off the coast of Italy is introducing the world to a new type of sustainable agriculture.
Google has not created sentient AI — yet
Google can make AI seem sentient, but the AI has no understanding of what it is saying. But humans are easily fooled by conversational AI.
Hyundai’s autonomous ship is the first to make a transoceanic journey
Autonomous ships like the Prism Courage could make the seas safer, while also making shipping cleaner and more efficient.
Is our world ready for mind-controllable robotic body parts?
Advanced neuroprosthetics are here, and they could hook our brains into the Internet of Things.
How facial recognition is identifying human trafficking victims
In partnership with Clearview AI
The technology is enabling law enforcement to shine a light on the darkest corners of the open internet.
Ancient creatures inspire record-breaking new technology
Inspired by the ancient compound eyes of the trilobite, researchers have created a record-breaking camera with a depth of field of just over a mile.
DeepMind’s pricey robot simulator is now available for free
AI research lab DeepMind, a sister company of Google, has purchased and open-sourced the powerful robot simulator MuJoCo.
Google Maps’ “Immersive View” shows cities in a whole new way
Combining satellite and Street View images, Google Maps’ “immersive view” will let you explore select neighborhoods soon.
Watch John McEnroe take on past versions of himself on the court
Thanks to AI, digital avatars, and robotic cannons, John McEnroe is taking on his toughest opponent: himself.
Kendrick Lamar deepfakes made by South Park creators’ studio
Rapper Kendrick Lamar harnesses the artistic power of deepfake technology in the new music video for his song “The Heart Part 5.”
This company wants you to live forever in their metaverse
Metaverse company Somnium Space wants to create digital versions of you to live on after you pass, the newest example of digitized death-defying.
AI can now understand animal behavior
Animal behavior researchers can now turn the task of analyzing footage over to an open-source algorithm that can spot even subtle actions.
How to tell if you can trust an AI
MIT has developed a new method for quickly and easily evaluating machine learning decisions, which could help us build trustworthy AI.
People trust AI fake faces more than real ones, research suggests
Fake faces created by artificial intelligence (AI) are considered more trustworthy than images of real people, a study finds.
Here’s what full-color night vision looks like now
Researchers at UC Irvine have created a proof-of-concept AI that can take night vision images and accurately turn them into full color.
Does this artificial intelligence think like a human?
A new technique compares the reasoning of a machine-learning model to that of a human, so the user can see patterns in the model’s behavior.
The age of the autonomous forklift is here
Facing a skilled labor crunch, companies are turning to autonomous forklift fleets for a safer, faster, more efficient work environment.
Could you sniff out counterfeit whiskey?
An “electronic nose” that can accurately identify a whiskey’s brand, region, and style could help combat the sale of counterfeit whiskey.
The subtle art of language: why artificial general intelligence might be impossible
Until robots understand jokes and sarcasm, artificial general intelligence will remain in the realm of science fiction.
From drugs to chemical weapons with a flip of an AI switch
AI drug discovery models can be repurposed to darker ends — instead of discovering new treatments, they could create thousands of brand new chemical weapons.
Giant cyborg cockroach could be the best search-and-rescue bot
The cyborg cockroaches are outfitted with sensors that can identify heat, carbon dioxide, and body movements.
This bird-like drone can perch on branches, catch objects
Inspired by birds' perching abilities, researchers developed a drone with a bird-like structure that can land on a wide array of objects.
How AI is shaping the cybersecurity arms race
Defending against cyberattacks increasingly means looking for patterns in large amounts of data – a task AI was made for.
Steering wheels now optional for driverless cars in US
Driverless cars no longer need to have manual controls, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s safety standards.
Oculus exec bets $10,000 we'll have fully autonomous cars by 2030
An Oculus exec has publicly bet $10,000 that vehicles with Level 5 autonomy will arrive on city streets by 2030.
Self-driving cars could transform the world in unexpected ways
Self-driving cars could impact the future of economics, equity, privacy, and city planning.
First AI controls plasma inside fusion reactor
DeepMind has co-developed an AI capable of controlling the super-hot plasma inside a tokamak fusion reactor.
GM asks to deploy self-driving car with no steering wheel
GM and Cruise have asked the NHTSA for permission to build and deploy their Cruise Origin, a self-driving car with no steering wheel.
Huge cargo drones could soon move goods across the globe
Natilus is developing huge autonomous cargo drones that could cut the cost of air freight by 60% and reduce its carbon emissions by 50%.
Robot kid successfully conveys six emotions on its face
An android child capable of expressing six emotions puts us one step closer to a future in which we share our homes with companion robots.
Autonomous Black Hawk helicopter flies without a crew
The U.S. Army has given a Black Hawk helicopter the ability to complete an autonomous flight without any humans on board.
Robot dogs are hiking the Alps and preparing for space
A robot dog reached the summit of an Alps trail more quickly than the average human — and the mechanical K9s are just getting started.
Boston Dynamics’ warehouse robots are taking over
DHL Supply Chain is paying Boston Dynamics $15 million for a fleet of its autonomous warehouse robots, which can each move 800 boxes/hour.
Former SpaceX engineers to turn freight trains into autonomous EVs
Three former SpaceX engineers have launched a startup to replace traditional freight trains with autonomous, battery-powered railcars.
Delivery robots get airbags to protect you in case of collision
Autonomous vehicle maker Nuro has added external airbags to its autonomous delivery robots to protect pedestrians.