DARPA STARTS $2 BILLION CAMPAIGN TO DEVELOP NEXT WAVE OF AI TECHNOLOGIES
To address the limitations of the first and second wave AI technologies, DARPA seeks to explore new theories and applications that could make it possible for machines to adapt to changing situations. DARPA sees this next generation of AI as a third wave of technological advance, one of contextual adaptation. To better define a path forward, DARPA is announcing today a multi-year investment of more than $2 billion in new and existing programs called the “AI Next” campaign.
Read moreAI HEDGE FUND SENTIENT IS SAID TO SHUT AFTER LESS THAN TWO YEARS
The fledgling world of AI hedge funds is claiming one of its first casualties. Sentient Investment Management is notifying investors of plans to liquidate the hedge fund it started in late 2016, according to people with knowledge of the situation. The fund managed less than $100 million and hasn’t made money this year after gaining 4 percent in 2017, one of the people said.
Read moreWATCH LIGHT BE USED TO SEE AND STIMULATE THE INSIDE OF THE HUMAN BODY AND BRAIN
Watch the founder of a new technology that uses red light to illuminate the inside of a human body safely and comfortably explain the workings of her incredible system. Medical technology is constantly evolving in astonishing ways. From organ chips that can be used tostudy our brainsto robots capable of completing tumor removals, it seems the field is only limited by its engineers’ imagination.
Read moreAI SYSTEM APPROVED FOR DIABETIC RETINOPATHY DIAGNOSIS
A system designed by a University of Iowa ophthalmologist that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect diabetic retinopathy without a person interpreting the results earned Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorization in April, following a clinical trial in primary care offices. Results of that study were published Aug. 28 online in Nature Digital Medicine, offering the first look at data that led to FDA clearance for IDx-DR, the first medical device that uses AI for the autonomous detection of diabetic retinopathy. The clinical trial, which also was the first study to prospectively assess the safety of an autonomous AI system in patient care, compared the performance of IDx-DR to the gold standard diagnostic for diabetic retinopathy, which is the leading cause of vision loss in adults and one of the most severe complications for the 30.3 million Americans living with diabetes.
Read moreINDIA PUSHES BACK AGAINST TECH ‘COLONIZATION’ BY INTERNET GIANTS
With Facebook, Google and Amazon dominating India’s internet, lawmakers have declared their intention to impose tough new rules on the tech industry. India is trying to establish strong data protections for its citizens, as Europe did, while giving the government the right to obtain private information as it sees fit. For some Indian political leaders, it is as if their nation — which was ruled by Britain for a century until 1947 — is being conquered by colonial powers all over again.
Read moreDEEP ANGEL: AI THAT ERASES OBJECTS FROM IMAGES
Deep Angel is an artificial intelligence that erases objects from photographs. Part art, part technology, and part philosophy, Deep Angel shares Angelus Novus’ gaze into the future. With this platform, you can explore the future of automated media manipulation by either uploading your own photos or submitting a public Instagram account to the AI. Beyond manipulation, Deep Angel enables you to uncover the aesthetics of absence. What happens when we can remove things from the world around us?
Read moreJAPAN TO CONDUCT FIRST TEST AS PART OF SPACE ELEVATOR PROJECT
Elon Musk may not believe in space elevators yet, but Japan is taking a step forward to realise the dream of travelling to space by elevators instead of the traditional rocket. A team of researchers from Japan’s Shizuoka University and other institutions will conduct the first test in space this month as part of a project to build a space elevator, Japan’s The Mainichi reported last week. The space elevator essentially ferries people and cargo shipments in an elevator car travelling on a cable connecting Earth to a space station.
Read moreCHINA IS BUILDING A FLEET OF AUTONOMOUS AI
A fleet of autonomous, AI-powered submarines is headed into hotly-contested Asian waterways. The vehicles will belong to the Chinese armed forces, and their mission capabilities are likely to raise concerned eyebrows in surrounding countries. If all goes to plan, the first submarines will launch in 2020. The onboard AI systems will be tasked with making decisions on course and depth to avoid detection as well as identifying any craft they come across. One area that has caused some concern is whether the submarines’ AI systems are being designed to not seek input during the course of a mission. In other words, if they will be left to make decisions such as whom to attack.
Read moreTHE TITAN UNDERWATER DRONE PROMISES TO GO DEEPER THAN ITS RIVALS
Think that all drones are destined to be in the sky? Titan is a new underwater drone which can dive to depths of up to 150 meters below the waves. It can document this stunning deep underwater world courtesy of a 4K camera, while maneuvering about with six thrusters. Here’s how you can get one. The majority of drones are designed for the sky, hence the phrase UAV (read: “unmanned aerial vehicle”) being used as a synonym. However, there are also a growing number of drones created for exploring underwater locations, too.
Read moreNEWLY FOUND ENZYMES CAN HELP TURN TYPE A AND B BLOOD INTO UNIVERSAL TYPE O
A team of researchers headed by University of British Columbia scientist Stephen Withers reports on enzymes — from the human gut — that remove A or B antigens from red blood cells 30 times more efficiently than previously reported enzymes. To assess potential enzyme candidates more quickly, Dr. Withers and colleagues used a technique called metagenomics. The team considered sampling DNA from mosquitoes and leeches, the types of organisms that degrade blood, but ultimately found successful candidate enzymes in the human gut microbiome.
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