Artificial Intelligence Research and Applications

New “deep learning” artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms are showing promise in performing medical work which until recently was thought only capable of being done by human physicians. For example, deep learning algorithms have been able to diagnose the presence or absence of tuberculosis (TB) in chest x-ray images with astonishing accuracy.

Researchers at Google were able to train an AI to detect spread of breast cancer into lymph node tissue on microscopic specimen images with accuracy comparable to (or greater than) human pathologists. Similarly, neural networks have shown to be (slightly) better than human physicians at detecting changes of diabetes in images of patient’s retinas. In other words, these early investigations into deep learning medical AI demonstrate that the algorithms can do as well as (if not better than) expert human physicians in some fields of medical diagnosis and prognosis.

Here’s a sample of the kinds of AI research and applications that either currently exist or are in development:

Researchers at Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Yale universities have discovered that brain scans can reveal a criminal suspect’s ‘state of knowledge’ (shades of the movie Minority Report);

• Despite the common preconception that creating emotionally intelligent computers is something that won’t happen until far into the future, computers can already augment — and in some cases even replace — emotional intelligence Sony has announced plans to create customer service robots that will develop emotional bonds with customers; And apps like Cogito use AI to guide human agents in using more emotional intelligence as they work with customers;

• Al versions of therapists have accurately predicted suicidal patients, depressive behavior, and criminality;

• Scientists at the University of Oxford have developed software that can read lips correctly 93.4 per cent of the time - a level that far surpasses the best professionals;

• In a significant step forward for artificial intelligence, Alphabet’s hybrid system — called a Differential Neural Computer (DNC) or DeepMind, is now capable of teaching itself based on information it already possesses;

• The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has upgraded its approach to surveillance by focusing on a new "technology-first" strategy that sees it using deep learning, neural networks to scan big data in order to predict when and where trouble is likely to occur in the US;

• DeepMind's AlphaGo Artificial Intelligence has won the final match of the Go series against world champion Lee Sedol. The 3,000-year-old Chinese board game has proved notoriously hard to master for AI developers due to the sheer number of possible moves;

• Australian scientists have built an artificial intelligence system that can predict whether or not you will die soon by looking at images of your organs with about 69% accuracy.

Robotics

The word “Robotics” was first used by Isaac Asimov, an acclaimed science fiction writer. Asimov also devised the “Three Laws of Robotics” that define how robots should interact with humans.

We can define a robot as “any automatically operated machine that replaces human effort, though it may not resemble human beings in appearance or perform functions in a humanlike manner.” A robot designed specifically to look and act like a human, particularly if it has an external skin-like surface and facial expressions is called an Android.

China is already the world’s largest producer of industrial robots, supplying about 27% of the global market since 2015. It’s also the largest buyer of robots.

Here are some examples of the research and use of robots currently:

• Researchers are working to build humanoid robots that can sense the world and give robots human-level navigation abilities. The robots will use a combination of tactile sensors, gyroscopes, cameras, and microphones to enhance their sensing abilities and use that data to understand the world;

• Scientists created fleshy ‘bio-bots’ made of living cells which can wriggle and walk. FEDOR — short for Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research — is a humanoid robot developed by Android Technics and the Advanced Research Fund. The multi-talented bot can drive a car, use various tools (including keys), screw in light bulbs, and even do pushups. It has also proven capable of working in extreme conditions. Now, FEDOR has added shooting handguns to its skill set;

• China's new robot police officers have started patrolling streets. The E-Patrol Robot Sheriff is able to track and follow potential criminals or suspicious people via facial recognition, according to the Economic Daily. Besides fighting crime, the robot officer is also capable of monitoring air quality and temperature, and is supposed to be able to track potential criminal activity, safety hazards and potential fires. Dubai’s goverment is introducing a “new fleet of intelligent police androids” that will be patrolling streets, malls and other crowded public spaces in 2017;

• The U.S. Defense Department is designing robotic fighter jets that would fly into combat alongside manned aircraft. It has tested missiles that can decide what to attack, and it has built ships that can hunt for enemy submarines, stalking those it finds over thousands of miles, without any help from humans;

• Sometimes referred to as “cloud robotics,” networks of robots are already teaching one another about what they learn as they interact with the world. This co-evolution could occur rapidly and enable robots to quickly become even more physically and mentally capable of engaging with the world than any single human being;

• The company, Soul Machines, has created a virtual chatbot called Nadia that can not only portray human emotion, but also read human facial expressions.

• A new Tokyo hotel staffed mostly by robots and automatons, has recently opened. Nine types of robots help with check-ins, clean the lobby, and entertain guests;

• Researchers at the University of Utah have developed a surgery-assisting robot capable of performing complex brain surgeries. The machine can reduce the time of surgeries by cutting down the time it takes to cut into the skull from two hours to two and a half minutes;

• A company, PassivDom, uses a 3D printing robot that can print the walls, roof, and floor of a 380-square-foot model home in about eight hours. When complete, the homes are autonomous and mobile, meaning they don't need to connect to external electrical and plumbing systems;

• Harmony is a sexbot – a silicone robot with artificial intelligence (AI) who looks human, feels human and responds in an eerily human way.