Could treating social robots kindly make us kinder people? And could cruelty towards them make us more callous?
Tech
Internet access is today necessary for leading a minimally decent life, which doesn’t just mean survival but rather includes political rights.
Futurecasting | Virtual Assistants
Pursuing natural conversations with machines that sound like us can become an unnecessary and burdensome objective.
The reality of robot dogs isn’t as cute some MIT engineers think.
China’s use of technology for social control of its citizens is extensive – but it could affect users elsewhere too.
Adults on the autism spectrum often have difficulty finding employment. Entrepreneurs and advocates are working to fix that by pairing companies with a pool of candidates.
Companies are firing up fleets of unmanned aircraft in a race to deliver everything from electronics to food.
Boston Dynamics shows exactly ‘how’ robots will beat down humans in the near future.
Deep fakes + expert impressionists mean we may never have to lose our favorite actors.
Robot exoskeletons are helping paralysed people walk again thanks to Dublin City University.
Tomorrow’s wars will be faster, more high-tech, and less human than ever before. Welcome to a new era of machine-driven warfare.
As the promise of autonomous machines lags the underlying technology, the growing need for human robot-minders could juice the remote workforce.
Wall Street Journal | Artificial Intelligence
As a new generation grows up surrounded by artificial intelligence, researchers find education as early as preschool can help avoid confusion about robots’ role.
Autonomous Vehicles | Futurecasting
What does a future full of autonomous vehicles mean for all the spaces reserved for downtown parking?
Science Fiction | Futurecasting
If it were possible to download the neural networks of a human brain, could we preserve a computer simulation of that person?
Why we should worry about the use of facial recognition technology in public spaces.
While prosthetics and implants for medical purposes have been around for years, a whole new range of elective body augmentations are becoming possible.
Transportation | Futurecasting
Aviation emissions have risen by 70% since 2005 and as demand increases in rich and poorer countries, they’re forecast to increase by between 300% and 700% by 2050.
EU project creates robotic hands that can sense and fix damage without human intervention.
Witness the beginning of the end of Hollywood as you’ve known it.
The high-altitude balloons promise a cheap monitoring platform that could follow multiple cars and boats for extended periods.
Wall Street Journal | Deep Fake
Startups and government agencies are researching ways to combat doctored images ahead of the 2020 election.
Let’s look to technologies like blockchain and other innovations to keep our data private.
More than a decade since blockchain technology emerged, we’re still only beginning to scratch the surface of its potential.
In film and video games, we’ve already seen what’s possible with ‘digital humans’. Are we on the brink of the world’s first totally virtual acting star?
In the near future, we’ll be using machines to read research papers and make connections humans have not yet made.
VR | Psychology
Studies have shown that experiencing new perspectives in the virtual world can alter your behaviour in real life.
New text effective today adds “falsely created images” to state law.
In two recent research papers, we described ways to detect deep fakes with flaws that can’t be fixed easily by the fakers.
Furhat Robotics and psychologist Robert Johansson have partnered to create a robot which simulates a depressed patient.
The “HP RoboCop” was recently previewed at Huntington Park’s 5K event and has been diligently patrolling the park for several weeks.
Deep-learning techniques have made it easier and easier for anyone to forge convincing misinformation.
