artificial intelligence advertising
AI/Machine Learning

The real reason retailers are replacing staff with AI bots is not because they’re cheaper, but for customer data

- May 7, 2024 4 MIN READ

You might have seen viral videos of Wendy’s drive-thru customers in the United States ordering their fast food from the firm’s generative AI bot Wendy’s FreshAI. Most show a very human-like transaction punctuated with cries of amazement at how fast, accurate and polite the system is. While the system and others like it are in… Read more »

brain
AI/Machine Learning

Will neural implants mean AI can read our minds? Here’s what two philosophers think

- April 18, 2024 4 MIN READ

Earlier this year, Neuralink implanted a chipinside the brain of 29-year-old US man Noland Arbaugh, who is paralysed from the shoulders down. The chip has enabled Arbaugh to move a mouse pointer on a screen just by imagining it moving. In May 2023, US researchers also announced a non-invasive way to “decode” the words someone… Read more »

The Jetsons, Rosey the Robot
AI/Machine Learning

If a third of people are lonely, will AI help or make things worse?

- March 29, 2024 3 MIN READ

ChatGPT has repeatedly made headlines since its release late last year, with various scholars and professionals exploring its potential applications in both work and education settings. However, one area receiving less attention is the tool’s usefulness as a conversationalist and – dare we say – as a potential friend. Some chatbots have left an unsettling… Read more »

Robot with digital screen
AI/Machine Learning

80% of Australians are worried about AI posing an ‘existential risk’, and want government to do more to make it safe

- March 11, 2024 3 MIN READ

A new nationally representative survey has revealed Australians are deeply concerned about the risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI). They want the government to take stronger action to ensure its safe development and use. We conducted the survey in early 2024 and found 80% of Australians believe preventing catastrophic risks from advanced AI systems should… Read more »

DALL-E drawing robot
AI/Machine Learning

Discriminative AI v generative AI – when does the intelligence actually kick in? A computer systems expert explains

- February 16, 2024 4 MIN READ

Sam Altman, chief executive of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, is reportedly trying to find up to US$7 trillion of investment to manufacture the enormous volumes of computer chips he believes the world needs to run artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Altman also recently said the world will need more energy in the AI-saturated future he envisions – so… Read more »