AI vs COVID-19: Here are the AI tools and services fighting coronavirus

AI tools and services are being used or offered by companies around the world to help fight the coronavirus pandemic.

In a best-case scenario, whereby the virus transmission is massively mitigated, researchers from Imperial College London predict “there would still be in the order of 250,000 deaths in GB, and 1.1–1.2 million in the US” resulting from the coronavirus.

Imperial College London’s analysis landed in Washington over the weekend and it’s said to be...

23 March 2020 | Adoption

US Department of Energy to invest $40m in AI and machine learning research

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has decided to provide funds up to $40 million over a three-year period for new research in data, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning to address the challenges associated with issues related to data production and management at DOE scientific user facilities.

Dr. Chris Fall, Director of DOE’s Office of Science, said: “Major scientific facilities at our DOE national laboratories are generating vast and growing amounts of data for...

23 March 2020 | Energy

Gartner: Strongest demand for AI talent coming from outside of IT

A new report from Gartner has argued that in the last four years the strongest demand for talent with AI skills has not come from the IT department, but instead from other business units in the organisation.

Data from Gartner’s Talent Neuron program shows that although the IT department’s need for AI talent has tripled between 2015 and 2019, the number of AI jobs posted by IT is still less than half of that stemming from other business units.

Peter Krensky, research...

19 March 2020 | Adoption

ACLU is suing the US gov for blocking airport facial recognition probe

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing the US government for blocking a probe into the use of facial recognition in airports.

Homeland Security announced in December that it was ditching plans to scan the faces of every person arriving at airports in favour of those who are not US or permanent residents.

Very little information has been given by Homeland Security about what they’re doing with the facial recognition data.

Human rights groups...

13 March 2020 | Face Recognition

Equality watchdog calls for facial recognition to be halted

The Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has called for the public use of facial recognition to be halted.

Concerns have been raised about facial recognition’s potential to automate racial discrimination and hinder freedom of expression.

The UK, the second most surveilled nation after China, has been at the forefront of testing facial recognition systems in the West. Police in London and South Wales have tested facial recognition in stadiums, arenas, and...

12 March 2020 | Face Recognition

Clearview AI lawyer: ‘Common law has never recognised a right to privacy for your face’

A lawyer for controversial facial recognition startup Clearview AI says your face has no right to privacy in common law.

Clearview’s facial recognition system is used by over 600 law enforcement agencies and a recent leak revealed its client list also includes the likes of Best Buy and Macy’s.

The system has been criticised due to its method of scraping the internet to gather images and storing them in a database. Privacy activists say the people in those images...

6 March 2020 | Face Recognition

Samsung launches AI research unit for semiconductor demand – reports

Samsung has launched its own AI research unit under its device solutions division aimed at conducting research and creating AI technologies designed to enhance the semiconductor manufacturing process.

The division, according to sources cited by The Korea Herald, is not yet fully operational but will be led by Shim Eun-soo, a former head of AI software research at the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology. Samsung Electronics is now in the process of scouting for AI researchers...

6 March 2020 | Samsung

FiveAI raises £32 million to commercialise its autonomous driving technology

UK-based self-driving car startup FiveAI has raised £32 million ($41m) in venture capital as it looks to turn the autonomous driving research it has conducted into commercial products and services.

The startup has also developed a cloud-based platform in order to manage some of the challenges that could not be addressed within the car.

According to FiveAI, the latest round of funding will be used to turn these cloud and in-car systems into products. The aim is to...

4 March 2020 | Cloud

CB Insights: The majority of promising AI startups are US-based

usa most promising ai artificial intelligence startups cb insights research report

A new report from CB Insights suggests the majority of promising AI startups are still based in the US.

Despite increasing AI investments around the world, 65 percent of the top 100 AI startups were located in the US. However, some of the companies also had headquarters in other countries.

It’s little surprise to see the most promising AI companies based in the world’s largest economy, but some of the others are more surprising.

The UK and Canada were in...

3 March 2020 | Research

Babylon Health lashes out at doctor who raised AI chatbot safety concerns

babylon health ai doctor safety gp at hand artificial intelligence

Controversial healthcare app maker Babylon Health has criticised the doctor who first raised concerns about the safety of their AI chatbot.

Babylon Health’s chatbot is available in the company’s GP at Hand app, a digital healthcare solution championed by health secretary Matt Hancock that was also integrated into Samsung Health since last year.

The chatbot aims to reduce the burden on GPs and A&E departments by automating the triage process to determine whether...

26 February 2020 | Bots