Category: Futurism, Fads, and Follies

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-06-15/the-robot-takeover-is-greatly-exaggerated

That closer look was taken by Lawrence Mishel and Josh Bivens of the Economic Policy Institute, a think tank. In a long essay, they examine the Acemoglu and Restrepo paper in detail. They note that the two economists find that capital investment, and use of computers specifically, tend to increase jobs. As Acemoglu and Restrepo themselves wrote:

[Our results] suggest that other types of capital equipment and even computers tend to increase the demand for labor. This result underscores the possibility — though certainly does not prove — that industrial robots might have a very different impact on employment and wages than other types of recent technologies.

“Robots,” you see, are actually a very narrowly defined type of automation. Most automated- production technologies, from self-checkout kiosks to machine-learning algorithms to automated phone-answering machines, might be called “robots” in common parlance, but the definition of robot used by Acemoglu and Restrepo is limited to fully autonomous multipurpose machines with no human operators. If these machines are one of only a few kinds of automation that are causing job losses, and other forms of automation are complementing human beings and creating new jobs, the labor market is probably in good shape.

Mishel and Bivens also give some other reasons to be skeptical of Acemoglu and Restrepo’s findings. They note that workers haven’t been changing occupations as much as they did in past decades — if people were losing their jobs to automation at a faster rate, we’d expect them to have to retrain more frequently.

Mishel and Bivens note that productivity growth and corporate investment in information technology has fallen, which also doesn’t fit with a story of accelerating automation. And they show that according to Acemoglu and Restrepo’s own estimation, the negative impact of Chinese competition on U.S. jobs was more than three times larger than the effect of robots.

This is quite a convincing rebuttal. It seems clear that the economics press has overplayed the Acemoglu and Restrepo paper. In part, this is probably because of a general anxiety about new technology and automation, which happens in the wake of any big technological revolution. And the fact that the paper had the word “robots” in the title, which just happens to be a trendy buzzword, likely didn’t help.

As I said, this doesn’t mean automation will never be a concern. But as of today, technology remains good for human employment. Which means automation is far, far down on the list of problems to be confronted.

https://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/vaop/ncurrent/pdf/nbt.3859.pdf

We present a scalable bio-manufacturing unit, called a digital-to- biological converter (DBC), that receives digitally transmitted DNA sequence information and converts it into biopolymers, such as DNA, RNA and proteins, as well as complex entities such as viral parti- cles, without any human intervention

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/608108/forget-alphago-deepminds-has-a-more-interesting-step-towards-general-ai/

The researchers at DeepMind, which created the champion Go-playing robot AlphaGo, are working on an approach that could prove significant in the quest to make machines as intelligent as we are.

In two papers published this week and reported by New Scientist, researchers at the Alphabet subsidiary describe efforts to teach computers about relational reasoning, a cognitive capability that is foundational to human intelligence.

Simply put, relational reasoning is the ability to consider relationships between different mental representations, such as objects, words, or ideas. This kind of reasoning is both crucial to human cognitive development and vital to solving just about any problem.

Most existing machine-learning systems don’t try to understand the relationship between concepts. A vision system can identify a dog or a cat in a picture, for example, but it doesn’t know that the dog is chasing the cat.

The two systems developed at DeepMind solve that by modifying existing machine-learning methods to make them capable of learning about physical relationships between static objects, as well as the behavior of moving objects over time.

They demonstrate the first capability using CLEVR, a data set of simple objects. After training, they can ask the system whether one object is in front of another, or which object is closest. Their results are dramatically better than anything achieved before, even exceeding human performance in some cases.

 

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/06/3-surprising-facts-about-the-gaming-industry-and-why-you-should-start-paying-attention

More people watch online video game play than major cable networks and subscription entertainment services.

At 665 million strong, these consumers are cutting the cord on traditional cable packages and subscriptions in favour of DIY platforms like YouTube and Amazon’s Twitch.

SuperData, a gaming and technology research firm, estimates that ads and direct consumer spending on game video content will reach $4.6 billion in 2017.

https://www.researchgate.net/blog/post/new-paint-product-can-harvest-hydrogen-energy-from-the-air

Researchers have developed a paint-like product that can turn air into hydrogen fuel. Hydrogen is an extremely clean fuel source, emitting only water when it’s burned. However, the fossil fuels needed to create it negate its environmental benefits, and alternative production methods using liquid water aren’t cost-effective. The newly developed material addresses both problems, drawing water molecules from humid air and using solar energy captured by the paint to split them into their hydrogen and oxygen components. We spoke with Torben Daeneke, lead author of the study introducing the technology, to learn more.

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/business/technology/meet-cambridge-scientist-verge-curing-13129687

“I discovered a small binary switch, controlled by a LIF, which regulates inside the immune cell itself. LIF is able to control the cell to ensure it doesn’t attack your own body but then releases the attack when needed.

“That LIF, in addition to regulating and protecting us against attack, also plays a major role in keeping the brain and spinal cord healthy. In fact it plays a major role in tissue repair generally, turning on stem cells that are naturally occurring in the body, making it a natural regenerative medicine, but also plays a big part in repairing the brain when it’s been damaged.

“So I thought, this is fantastic. We can treat auto-immune disease, and we’ve got something to treat MS, which attacks both the brain and the spinal cord. So you have a double whammy that can stop and reverse the auto-immunity, and also repair the damage caused in the brain.”

Presumably Su, who has been in Cambridge since she was an undergraduate but retains a soft accent from her native Yorkshire, was dancing a jig of delight around her lab at this point, but she soon hit a snag; the LIF could only survive outside the cell for 20 minutes before being broken down by the body, meaning there was not enough time to deploy it in a therapy. And this is where the technology, in the form of nano-particles, comes in.

“They are made from the same material as soluble stitches, so they’re compatible with the body and they slowly dissolve,” says Su.

“We load the cargo of the LIF into those particles, which become the delivery device that slowly dissolve and deliver the LIF over five days. The nano-particle itself is a protective environment, and the enzymes that break it down can’t access it. You can also decorate the surface of the particles with antibodies, so it becomes a homing device that can target specific parts of the brain, for example. So you get the right dose, in the right place, and at the right time.”

https://theconversation.com/designing-antiviral-proteins-via-computer-could-help-halt-the-next-pandemic-79258

In a just published paper in Nature Biotechnology, scientists here at the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington went a step further and demonstrated a new way to shut down the flu: They used computer modeling to build a completely new kind of antiviral protein with three sticky hands.

Why three? It turns out many deadly envelope viruses – like influenza, Ebola and HIV – build their spike proteins out of three symmetric parts.

A single antiviral drug with three properly spaced hands should be able to symmetrically grab each part of a spike protein, leading to tighter binding and overall better antiviral activity. This geometric feat is beyond what the human immune system can naturally do.

 

Left: The tips of many viral spike proteins are built out of three symmetric parts, with one part highlighted in pink. Right: A new three-handed antiflu protein (blue) bound to influenza’s HA spike. UW Institute for Protein Design, CC BY-ND
The design strategy worked. The best three-handed protein, called Tri-HSB.1C, was able to bind tightly to diverse strains of influenza. When given to mice, it also afforded complete protection against a lethal flu infection with only minimal associated weight loss – a trait commonly used to diagnose flu severity in mice. Researchers are now applying the same tools to the Ebola spike protein.

It will be many years before this new technology is approved for use in humans, for any virus. But we may not have to wait long to see some lifesaving benefits.

 

http://www.engineering.com/AdvancedManufacturing/ArticleID/15077/VIDEO-Multi-Jet-Fusion-Enables-Sophisticated-3D-Printed-Part-Production.aspx

“We were building production parts inside of four or five days once they’re set up. The idea with this technology is that you’re getting into monster-sized production capability. HP has increased speed on this equipment and reduced the cost dramatically. We’re able to look at short series runs that get into the hundreds, thousands and—with the right parts—into the tens of thousands.”

Currently, Forecast 3D is capable of working with Nylon 12 materials on HP’s MJF printers, but with material development kits available from a number of materials companies, that list is expected to grow rapidly, Weber explained.

“They’re running off a platform of low cost materials as well, so the material that you’re not using is fully recyclable. You’re putting in a maximum of 80 percent recyclability to a 20 percent version – it’s a material stream that can be refreshed and the material is low cost.

The MJF printing machines are well-suited to producing end-use parts, Weber continued. “The longest build you’re going to get off this machine is going to be 12 hours, not considering cooling, so you’ve got production parts within 24 hours. It’s early and these machines are just hitting the field, but we do expect big opportunities with this technology.”

http://moderndiplomacy.eu/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=2683:artificial-intelligence-to-promise-an-intelligent-future-in-asia-pacific-region&Itemid=129
A rtificial intelligence (AI) is growing faster than ever in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region owing to the rise in machine learning capabilities. The AI market in APAC has recently shifted from nascent stage to intermediate stage. The growth of AI technology in the APAC region is mainly because of the huge chunks of data base created through AI powered platforms such as software suites, wearable devices, and chatbots.AI technology can efficiently manage such huge and complex set of database. Moreover, rising focus on developing a human aware automated system is creating an opportunity across high-tech end –user industries.
Furthermore, there are specialised software frameworks to support and develop AI technology. Technology companies in APAC region deploy software framework that support AI technology as per their preference. For instance, AI companies in China prefer Tensor Flow and Caffe, whereas companies in Singapore prefer Microsoft CNTK, and Japanese companies prefer Chainer software to support AI technologies.
AI technology is a vital part of the digital future which will have biggest impact on the APAC region. Machine learning, natural language processing, big data analytics, speech recognition, voice recognition, and image processing are amongst the major AI technologies to grow at a faster rate in the APAC region.
Government investment and presence of key players such as Microsoft, IBM, Facebook, Google, and Hewlett-Packard Enterprise is driving the AI market in the APAC region especially in economies such as China, Japan, Singapore, and India. For instance, recently Singapore’s National Research Foundation has announced (AI.SG) initiative with an investment of USD 107.64 million to uplift artificial intelligence technology across Singapore’s R&D institutes.
Intelligent video analytics surveillance through AI has recently gained high importance in the APAC region. Increasing need for security especially in residential and commercial areas, mob control, and traffic control are fuelling the market for AI. For instance, human being can monitor very few commercial and residential areas at a time, and if there are more than 500 residential or commercial spaces it will be difficult for human being to monitor and track all the flats and commercial spaces at the same time. Artificial intelligence will not only help in monitoring and track suspicious activities but also send alert notification to the police thus improving security. Companies such as Cisco, Fujitsu, Huawei, and Hikvision are key players involved in the process of developing AI technology for video surveillance. Moreover, in order to increase AI applications, technology companies are planning to focus on smartphone and tablets apps to penetrate in the growing APAC region.
Artificial intelligence has several advantages over traditional computing methods which have resulted in gaining momentum in recent years. Reduction in error, ease in mining and fuel exploration, digital assistants to interact with users, perform multiple monotonous tasks within speculated time with accuracy, and detect and monitor neurological disorders are few benefits of deploying AI technology. Moreover in the APAC region AI has gained much importance because of its capacity to provide personalised experience to its customers which helps is better customer engagement and service especially in the technologically advanced economies such as China and Japan.
Risks associated with current AI technology
AI is likely to exhibit human emotions with the advent in technology. Moreover industry experts have come across certain risk associated with the advanced AI or super intelligence AI technology. AI is a constructive technology, however sometimes it develops destructive methods to achieve its goals. For instance, if a person asks an AI powered autonomous car to reach a certain destination in a stipulated time, the car will take the person to desired place but it might not care if a person is uncomfortable with the speed. Furthermore, AI powered autonomous weapons can be devastating resulting in mass causalities. For instance, if AI powered autonomous weapons falls in the hand of a wrong person it can lead to AI war, which may cause mass destruction.
Moreover, high cost of deployment, lack of improvement in technology, lack of original creativity, and unemployment caused by replacing of human beings with automated machine are some of the disadvantages of deploying AI technology.
However, with the advent of technology the AI market will continue to evolve, progress, and overcome risks associated with current AI technology. Moreover, AI is to make life easier for human being which is possible if emotional quotient is added in machine along with general intelligence.
Furthermore, ‘Sky is the limit’ for AI technology, it will not only explore new areas be it in deep ocean or space but also improve the way we live our lives or the way we think. AI will be easily adoptable through the changes it will bring in our life.

A whole new set of geopolitical players and theories are coming…

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/ai-and-the-next-revolution-in-military-defence-china-daily-columnist