Sony has a new ‘AI robotics’ drone division called Airpeak

Sony’s latest division, Airpeak, is described as being “in the field of AI robotics” and will focus on next-generation drones.

Despite incidents of reckless flying, drones unlock huge opportunities. We regularly see beautiful photography and videography shot using drones—but, of course, they can do so much more.

Sony has built a stellar reputation in media capture. The company builds great cameras – both for itself and sensors it supplies to other manufacturers...

UK releases guidelines to help governments accelerate ‘trusted’ AI deployments

The UK has released new guidelines during the World Economic Forum (WEF) to help governments accelerate the deployment of trusted AI solutions.

AI is proving itself to be an important tool in tackling some of the biggest issues the world faces today; including coronavirus and climate change. However, some public distrust remains.

“The current pandemic has shown us more needs to be done to speed up the adoption of trusted AI around the world,” said Kay...

Japan passes bill to build AI-powered ‘super cities’ addressing societal issues

Japan has passed a bill to build “super cities” which address societal issues using emerging technologies such as AI.

The bill, passed on Wednesday, aims to accelerate the sweeping change of regulations across various fields to support the creation of such futuristic cities.

Addressing issues such as depopulation and an aging society will be the focus of the super cities. Technologies including big data and AI will be key to successfully tackling the challenging...

Apple buys edge AI experts Xnor.ai for a reported $200 million

apple xnor ai artificial intelligence edge

Apple has acquired Seattle-based edge AI experts Xnor.ai for a reported $200 million.

If you recognise Xnor.ai, it’s likely because the company’s technology once powered the person-detection feature on Wyze’s popular cameras. Xnor.ai abruptly cancelled their contract with Wyze back in November – and now we know why.

In layman’s terms, edge computing means the processing is done on-device. On-device computation has significant advantages when it comes to...

Wyze is ‘temporarily’ axing its AI-powered person detection

wyze ai artificial intelligence security camera iot person detection

Security camera maker Wyze will "temporarily" remove its AI-powered person detection feature. 

Wyze's partner for the feature, Xnor.ai, made the decision to terminate their agreement.

In a post on its forums, Wyze explained its agreement with Xnor.ai included a clause allowing the contract to be terminated “at any moment without reason.”

A reason for the abrupt contract termination has not been provided. AI News has reached out to Xnor.ai for comment but...

Messe Berlin CEO: If you woke up in five years, you’d struggle to recognise devices due to emerging tech like AI

During a keynote session at this year's IFA in Berlin, Messe Berlin CEO Dr Christian Goke shared his view of emerging technologies like AI and 5G and their impact.

Goke believes technologies such as AI will be so transformative in the next five years, if you fell asleep today – and woke up in 2025 – you'd struggle to recognise electronic devices.

"The Americans among us, you all know the fairytale story of a man in the 18th century who falls asleep under a tree and...

Google Assistant wins IQ test, but Alexa and Siri are catching up

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Google Assistant continues to lead the virtual assistant pack, but its rivals are close behind according to a new IQ study by Loup Ventures.

Loup Ventures asked each of the three main virtual assistants – Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri – a total of 800 questions. The assistants understood almost every question, even if not all of the responses were correct/sufficient.

In terms of understanding the questions, these are the results:

Google Assistant – 100...

AI enables ‘hybrid drones’ with the attributes of both planes and helicopters

Researchers have developed an AI system enabling ‘hybrid drones’ which combine the attributes of both planes and helicopters.

The propeller-forward designs of most drones are inefficient and reduce flight time. Researchers from MIT, Dartmouth, and the University of Washington have proposed a new hybrid design which aims to combine the perks of both helicopters and fixed-wing planes.

In order to support the new design, a new AI system was developed to switch between...

Apple reportedly wants to ‘acqui-hire’ self-driving car startup Drive.ai

Apple is reportedly mulling a purchase of self-driving car startup Drive.ai in an ‘acqui-hire’ deal to grab its talent.

Drive.ai is full of skilled personnel after being founded in 2016 by a pioneering team of graduates from Stanford’s AI lab. With AI talent in short supply, it seems Apple is considering purchasing a whole company to get the skills on its side.

Apple would not get any of Drive.ai’s intellectual property as part of the deal, only the minds behind...

Nvidia explains how ‘true adoption’ of AI is making an impact

Nvidia Senior Director of Enterprise David Hogan spoke at this year’s AI Expo about how the company is seeing artificial intelligence adoption making an impact.

In the keynote session, titled ‘What is the true adoption of AI’, Hogan provided real-world examples of how the technology is being used and enabled by Nvidia’s GPUs. But first, he highlighted the momentum we’re seeing in AI.

“Many governments have announced investments in AI and how they're going...