Human communication is complex, rich in nuances and frequently includes non-verbal signs. That’s a challenge if you want an intelligent machine to be part of the conversation.
Imagine a world in which helper robots live with us, get us through the day and become our trusted friend. Well, science fiction is becoming science fact.
Robots should be designed so that even vulnerable users know that they are machines. But how do we create something engaging that is so obviously artificial?
We need to ban lethal autonomous weapons, or “killer robots”, as we have done with biological weapons, land mines and blinding lasers, and Australia should take a leading role in making that happen.
Autonomous submarines might do for naval warfare what drones are doing for air warfare. So should Australia consider autonomous subs as a replacement for the Collins class?
The FIRST robotics competition brings school students together to build a robot to complete a challenge. And it’s an inspiring way to encourage interest in STEM.
An artificial intelligence has defeated a world champion of Go, the ancient Chinese strategy game. But what is Go, and why is it worth teaching to a computer?
Google’s artificial intelligence made a surprise move in the recent Go challenge that has some people worried about what happens when AI makes a non-human decision that we could not anticipate.
Computers are getting better and better at the jobs that previously made sense for researchers to outsource to citizen scientists. But don’t worry: there’s still a role for people in these projects.
Consciousness is one of the most mysterious phenomena we know of. But evidence is emerging that it might just be a very special kind of information processing.