Microsoft believes the UK can be a ‘game changer’ for AI

A new report from Microsoft claims the UK has the right mix of ingredients to be a clear ‘game changer’ for the AI industry. The UK has established itself as a leader in AI with its renowned universities generating talent and spurring internationally recognised companies such as DeepMind, which was acquired by Google for £400 million. In the report, Microsoft wrote:

“The UK’s mix of start-up culture, renowned academic research capabilities, and...

1 November 2018 | Government

AI is creating spooky tales and music this Halloween

The possibilities of AI are far-reaching but perhaps few would have expected it to be creating otherworldly tales and sounds. A pair of AIs could help to make your Halloween festivities this year spookier by auto-generating some creepy material. The first AI, created by Botnik Studios, uses stories from the ‘Give Yourself Goosebumps’ book series to create a brand new interactive story. Nicky Martin, Managing Editor at Botnik, explained:

“We took...

31 October 2018 | Entertainment

Google funding ‘good’ AI may help some forget that military fiasco

Google has launched an initiative to fund ‘good’ AI which may help some forget about the questionable military contracts it was involved with. The new initiative, called AI for Social Good, is a joint effort between the company’s philanthropic subsidiary Google.org and its own experts. Kicking off the initiative is the ‘AI Impact Challenge’ which is set to provide $25 million in funding to non-profits while providing access to Google’s vast resources. As part of the initiative,...

30 October 2018 | Google

Researchers get public to decide who to save in a driverless car crash

Researchers have conducted an experiment intending to solve the ethical conundrum of who to save if a fatal driverless car crash is unavoidable. A driverless car AI will need to be programmed with decisions such as who to prioritise if it came down to choices such as between swerving and hitting a child on the left, or an elderly person on the right. It may seem a fairly simple choice for some – children have their whole life in front of them, the elderly have fewer years ahead. However,...

25 October 2018 | Ethics

Huawei discusses AI strategy with us at the Mate 20 launch

During last week’s Mate 20 Pro launch, AI News discussed Huawei’s AI strategy with the company’s president of software engineering. Dr Chenglu Wang (left in picture) has been with Huawei for over four years and has overseen the integration of AI with the company’s products. HiAI is Huawei’s mobile AI open platform which consists of three layers: Application - Focuses on enabling AI for apps to make them more intelligent and powerful. Chip - Aims to achieve optimal...

22 October 2018 | Huawei

Baidu is the first Chinese firm to join US-led AI supergroup

Chinese search giant Baidu has become the first company from China to join a US-led AI supergroup focused on advancing industry ethics. The group is called PAI (Partnership on AI) and has been formed amid fears about the potential impacts of artificial intelligence. Such concerns include the potential effect on jobs, discrimination, and the potential loss of life when AI us used in a military capacity. PAI consists of more than 70 academic institutes along with civil groups and technology...

17 October 2018 | China

Huawei proves AI delivers ‘higher intelligence’ smartphones

Huawei used its flagship Mate 20 launch to show how the company is using AI to deliver 'higher intelligence' smartphones. We’ve come to expect great things from Huawei in AI. The company is quickly establishing itself as a leading player in the arena – just last week announcing new chipsets designed to seize the AI throne from Silicon Valley giants. In the Mate 20, Huawei is debuting its latest processor – the Kirin 980. Huawei reminded us last year’s flagship, the Mate 10,...

16 October 2018 | Hardware

Pepper the robot will testify about AI in front of UK Parliament

https://deepgeniusai.com/Softbank’s robot Pepper is set to be the first non-human to testify in front of the UK Parliament to give evidence about the fourth industrial revolution. Pepper will be attempting to explain topics such as AI and robotics to The Commons Education Select Committee. "If we've got the march of the robots, we perhaps need the march of the robots to our select committee to give evidence," Committee chair Robert Halfon told Tes. "The fourth industrial revolution is...

12 October 2018 | Government

Huawei seeks to seize the AI throne from Silicon Valley

Chinese technology giant Huawei is taking its AI strategy up a gear in a bid to seize the throne from Silicon Valley incumbents. During HUAWEI CONNECT 2018 in Shanghai, the company announced how it will take on the likes of Nvidia and Qualcomm. The first part of that strategy is new hardware. Huawei unveiled new chipsets it’s calling the Ascend 910 and Ascend 310. These chips are both designed for AI but target different use cases. The 910 is targeted at data centres; a territory...

10 October 2018 | Hardware

DARPA is pumping $2bn into AI projects – including yours, possibly

DARPA shows it’s not just about creepy robots with a $2 billion funding announcement for various AI projects over the next five years. The so-called ‘Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’ researches a range of innovative new technologies. Many of these advancements will have an impact beyond defence. As such, DARPA’s funding initiative will be open to applications beyond the defence community. That means any AI project you’re involved with could be in the running to receive...

9 October 2018 | Funding