Robots & AI

A stylized digital illustration of a hand wearing a futuristic SIMA glove, manipulating a ghostly image of a game controller against a dark, gradient background.

Why AI playing video games is a big deal

Google’s SIMA can follow human instructions to play 3D video games. Researchers hopes the platform can one day help AI navigate real-world environments.

Kevin Dickinson

A high-tech setup with robotic arms and cameras digitally scanning the Herculaneum scrolls in a library.

“Bionic eye” discovers Plato’s final resting place

Plato’s final resting place has been identified thanks to a “bionic eye” built to read the Herculaneum scrolls.

Kristin Houser

Man standing in front of a vibrant, colorful mosaic wall, being photographed by silhouetted figures in a dimly lit room.

Art

“I’m not interested in reality”: AI artist Refik Anadol on creative coding, hallucinations, and the future of art

By painting with code and bits of data, AI artist Refik Anadol reveals surprisingly deep insights into what it means to create art.

Tim Brinkhof

Abstract digital art with pixelated patterns and organic textures in a black and yellow color scheme

Generative AI tech is dreaming up new antibodies

A new tool for designing antibodies relies on the same kind of tech underpinning DALL-E and other image-generating AIs.

Kristin Houser

a woman standing next to one of Apptronik's Apollo robots in a Mercedes factory

Robotics

Humanoid robots are joining the Mercedes-Benz workforce

German automaker Mercedes-Benz is deploying Apptronik’s Apollo robots at a manufacturing plant in Hungary.

Kristin Houser

Cars

Autonomous auto racing promises safer driverless cars on the road

Autonomous racing is a testbed where competition spurs innovation and AI-controlled cars chart a course toward safer autonomous vehicles.

Madhur Behl

Orange cartoon character floating against a forest backdrop.

Google’s AI can create a video game based on a napkin drawing

Named Genie, the AI can create a short video games from a single image. It could one day create a wide range of interactive environments.

Kevin Dickinson

Digital artwork of earth superimposed on a circuit board pattern, symbolizing technology's global impact and the history of AI.

The brief history of artificial intelligence: The world has changed fast – what might be next?

Despite their brief history, computers and AI have fundamentally changed what we see, what we know, and what we do.

Max Roser | Our World in Data

an abstract illustration featuring a hand, a keyboard, and lots of computer code

Startup unveils “world’s first” complete AI software engineer

Cognition Labs has unveiled Devin, an AI software engineer that can build websites from scratch, debug code, and more.

Kristin Houser

A hand is holding a globe, symbolizing the impact of climate change.

Climate Crisis

9 ways AI is helping tackle climate change

Existing AI systems include tools that predict weather, track icebergs, and identify pollution, all of which can help fight climate change.

Victoria Masterson

Elon Musk sues OpenAI and claims it has achieved AGI

Elon Musk is suing OpenAI, claiming it has breached its agreement to develop artificial general intelligence for the benefit of all humanity.

Robert Chapman-Smith

A robot designed to earn trust with the word "hola" in front of it.

Robotics

Robots who share your accent are more trusted, study shows

What makes a robot seem competent and trustworthy might be different for different people.

Sam Jarman

a gif combining text on an ancient scroll with computer code

History

How three students wrote history by winning the Vesuvius Challenge

Thanks to the Vesuvius Challenge, we may be on the verge of the biggest literary discovery of the ancient world in decades.

Tim Brinkhof

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