Infosys: On how edge computing and blockchain will be key in different ways for AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) has gone beyond the way of the buzzword, all hype and no substance. Indeed, the technology is being increasingly seen in the enterprise as important in concert with other technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing.

A report from KPMG last month explored how artificial intelligence would look to influence business. Among millennial respondents, AI came out on top as the biggest technological priority, ahead of IoT and 5G. Yet...

7 June 2019 | Blockchain

Hospitals embracing AI will receive extra cash to incentivise adoption

The chief executive of the NHS in the UK has said hospitals will receive extra cash for replacing clinicians and embracing new technologies such as AI.

Simon Stevens says the plans are part of an initiative to improve patient outcomes and deliver savings. Stevens admits some jobs are at risk, as roles such as radiographers are replaced to achieve productivity targets set in return for the NHS' £20 billion funding boost it was given last year.

“We are seeing an...

6 June 2019 | Healthcare

Robert Downey Jr. pledges to use robotics and AI to clean the Earth

Hollywood legend Robert Downey Jr. is putting down his Iron Man suit and taking up the bigger challenge of cleaning up the Earth.

Iron Man’s on-screen nemesis Thanos had a radical way of reducing humanity’s impact on the Earth, but Downey Jr. hopes to use a more humane solution.

Appearing on-stage at Amazon’s new re:MARS (Machine Learning, Automation, Robotics and Space) conference in Las Vegas, Downey Jr. launched an initiative called Footprint...

5 June 2019 | Robotics

Twitter’s latest acquisition tackles fake news using AI

Twitter has acquired Fabula AI, a UK-based startup employing artificial intelligence for tackling fake news.

Fake news is among the most difficult challenges of our time. Aside from real stories often being called it by certain politicians, actual fake news is used to coerce people into making decisions.

Governments have been putting increasing pressure on sites like Twitter and Facebook to take more responsibility for the content shared on them.

With billions...

4 June 2019 | Social Media

Putin outlines Russia’s national AI strategy priorities

Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered the best insight yet at what shape the country’s AI strategy will take.

Putin ordered his government apparatus on February 27th to formulate a national artificial intelligence strategy by June 25th. With that date quickly approaching, the world is waiting to see Russia’s AI plans.

Back in September 2017, Putin famously said the nation which leads in AI “will become the ruler of the world.” Understandably, Putin’s...

31 May 2019 | Government

IBM Watson speeds up insurance claims by 70 percent

Turkey’s oldest insurance firm is using IBM Watson's AI-powered visual recognition to speed up automotive claims by 70 percent.

Anadolu Insurance is using IBM technology for assessing its auto claims – specifically, the IBM Watson Visual Recognition service.

On average, Anadolu reviews around 1200 vehicle damage files each day. Manually checking each file was a slow and tedious process, but – with 63 percent contradicting the amount of described damage – it’s a...

30 May 2019 | IBM

AI: Seeking emotional loving human for long-term relationship

Newton's third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Given the limitless possibilities, very few would have known precisely what this would have been when artificial intelligence (AI) started to become common. Though several years down the line, we’re starting to have an idea.

As AI has become more sophisticated, and its ability to perform human tasks accelerates exponentially, we are seeing a moral wrangling of what this means for humanity...

30 May 2019 | Education

Amazon patent envisions Alexa listening to everything 24/7

A patent filed by Amazon envisions a future where Alexa listens to users 24/7 without the need for a wakeword.

Current digital assistants listen for a wakeword such as “Ok, Google” or “Alexa,” before recording speech for processing. Especially for companies such as Google and Amazon which thrive on knowing everything about users, this helps to quell privacy concerns.

There are some drawbacks from this approach, mainly context. Future AI assistants will be able to...

29 May 2019 | Amazon

Babylon Health’s GP at Hand causes £21.6m funding gap

Babylon Health's AI-powered healthcare service GP at Hand has caused a funding gap in excess of £21 million just as further cuts are being made.

Health secretary Matt Hancock has championed GP at Hand since 2017. The digital service has come into question for providing unsafe recommendations, and for taking money away from surgeries already struggling with cuts.

The service has operated through the Hammersmith and Fulham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) across London....

24 May 2019 | Healthcare

Google’s Duplex booking AI often relies on humans for backup

Google Duplex often calls on humans for backup when making reservations on behalf of users, and that should be welcomed.

Duplex caused a stir when it debuted at Google’s I/O developer conference last year. The AI was shown calling a hair salon to make a booking and did so complete with human-like “ums” and “ahs”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qCanuYrR0g

The use of such human mannerisms goes to show Google’s intention was for the human to be unaware...

23 May 2019 | Bots