The Briefing on Artificial Intelligence

The latest news, trends and data in AI and automation

In Data:

AI News in Numbers

72%

The percentage of British citizens that are unaware of what a deepfake is, despite considerable high-profile coverage of the phenomenon, according to a survey by iProov. While the AI technique is currently most commonly used to create fake pornography, it has the potential to be used to spread disinformation involving political figures.

133 million

The number of jobs that artificial intelligence is set to create around the world, according to the Harnessing the Power of AI: The Demand for Future Skills report, published by global recruitment agency Robert Walters and market analysis company Vacancy Soft. The report found that while many jobs will be automated, many will also be created by the technology.

$40m

The amount raised by last-mile delivery robot maker Starship Technologies in a Series A funding round. The round brings the total raised by the company to $85m, with the overall delivery robot market expected to be worth $34bn by 2024. Starship is already operating commercially in 20 countries.

70%

The percentage of consumers that intend to replace store or bank visits with AI-enabled voice assistants, according to research by the Capgemini Research Institute. The research also found that 40% of people now using voice assistants had only begun doing so within the past year.

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£123m

The amount raised by Element AI, a developer of enterprise-targeted artificial intelligence products, in a Series B financing round. The funding will enable Element AI to advance its offerings to the enterprise world, allowing it to increase the real-world capabilities of AI, which often fall short of the potential the technology shows in lab settings.

76%

The percentage of people in the UK who want a greater say in how artificial intelligence is developed, according to research by consumer technology giant Samsung. The research also found that only 51% thought AI would have a positive impact on society, while 16% thought it would have a negative impact. Around a third were concerned about bias in AI.

Top Stories

 The Key Moments in Artificial Intelligence This Month

 Carl Zeiss backs machine learning research centre

The Carl Zeiss Foundation is funding the establishment of a new AI research centre in Mainz, Germany, that will focus on determining why modern machine learning methods are so effective. The new Emergent AI Center is being established at the Institute of Computer Science at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), and will receive €3m over the next three years from the optoelectronics company.

Source: verdict

 Huawei launches “world’s fastest” training cluster

Chinese technology giant Huawei has announced the launch of what it claims is the fastest cluster for training AI in the world. The latest in the company’s Atlas AI computing platform series, the Atlas 900 was announced today at Huawei Connect 2019 in Shanghai, China, by Huawei deputy chairman Ken Hu. According to Hu, Atlas 900 is 10 seconds faster at completing training under test scenarios than the next fastest product.

Source: Verdict

 Social robots a boon to cybercriminals

Social robots are on the rise, and with the ability to easily gain our trust, they could easily be used to perform cybercriminal activity, such as heists that involve gaining access to secure buildings, according to research. A joint research project by cybersecurity company Kaspersky and scientists at Ghent University has explored how the intersection of social engineering and robotics security could be abused by criminals – with concerning results.

Source: verdict

 Real-time interests added to facial recognition

A facial recognition service has been launched that enables governments and businesses to get real-time data on people’s online habits, preferences and social presence. Entitled VR Office Place, the product is being touted for a range of applications, including identifying security risks, preventing accidents and providing additional information to sales people to improve the chances of making a deal.

Source: VERDICT

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