Turning artificial intelligence research into real-world tools isn’t always straightforward, despite the remarkable progress in recent years ranging from self-driving cars to large language models. Systems that perform well in controlled lab settings often fall short when deployed in homes, in hospitals or on city streets. Vision-based systems, for example, hold promise for improving safety, […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
From lab to life: Why translating AI advances to the real world is a major challenge
Unis and schools are moving away from AI‑detection software. They should stop using it altogether
Since artificial intelligence (AI) software ChatGPT was released in 2022, teachers have been looking for ways to tell when AI has been used to generate text in assessments. AI-detection software is still sold by some tech companies, such as Pangram, as a potential solution. This month, the New South Wales Education Standards Authority updated its […] … learn more→
Can you lend me a hand? Researchers are developing wearable robotic limbs
How many times have you asked someone to hold open a door while carrying something, or fumbled with your front-door keys with your arms full of shopping? Wouldn’t it be great if you could give yourself the extra hand you need? This is one of the goals of human movement augmentation, a new and growing […] … learn more→
Why AI resembles a charismatic religious leader
People are turning to artificial intelligence for a seemingly unending variety of reasons. Many ask AI what to cook for dinner or how to develop a workout plan. Some even rely on AI to create school handouts or revise a work email. Increasingly, however, they are asking it different kinds of questions. How do I […] … learn more→
How to know if you can trust an AI’s answer to your question
I recently typed a simple question into Google search: How much screen time is too much for teenagers? Instead of presenting links, as Google had been doing for many years, it gave me an AI-generated answer. The artificial intelligence agent cited a number, then complicated that reply, noting that quality and balance of time could […] … learn more→
Decades of male‑focused medical research could bias healthcare A
Many people will learn CPR using a flat-chested manikin. A 2024 study of 20 models of CPR manikins sold worldwide found that three quarters were described as male or had no sex specified. Of the 20, only one offered a breast overlay. The manikins reflect a wider tendency in medical teaching and research to treat […] … learn more→
No, AI systems don’t have a drive to survive – a developmental psychologist explains why it only looks that way
In controlled safety tests described earlier this year, researchers asked AI models to solve a series of simple math problems. Partway through the exercise, the instructors warned the bots that if they tried to solve the next problem, the computer environment they were operating in would be shut down. In some runs, the shutdown occurred […] … learn more→
‘We really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans’: if AI labs are so worried about AI doom, why don’t they stop?
Earlier this week, researcher Jacob Coxon quit Anthropic, saying the firm and its competitors are “gambling with our lives”. “We really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans,” added current Anthropic researcher Evan Hubinger in a post on X. Coxon isn’t the first to down tools over fears of AI doom. The idea that […] … learn more→
OpenAI claims another huge mathematical result amid fights over credit, ethics and privacy
OpenAI has announced one of its unreleased artificial intelligence (AI) models has found an answer to one of the biggest open questions in mathematics, the Navier-Stokes Millennium Prize problem. The Millennium Prizes offer million-dollar rewards for solutions to seven notoriously difficult mathematical puzzles, and until now only one had been solved. Mathematical problems at this […] … learn more→
An invisible AI watermark is coming to your messages. Your relationships may pay the price
Imagine a manager sends a thoughtful message to one of her hard-working employees after a particularly exhausting week in the office. The message communicates personal warmth, but when the recipient discovers it was generated by AI, it somehow feels less genuine. In the past, the recipient would only have discovered AI use if the sender […] … learn more→
