They are also confident their system of AI trainers will encourage people to start working out even if they were previously put off gyms. The idea is to offer a more personalized approach to fitness that cuts out interactions with expert human trainers who could leave them feeling intimidated or unmotivated. The darkened studio space can accommodate up to 14 people at once, either completing a solo workout program or participating in a high-intensity functional training class where a group performs movements such as squats, dumbbell presses, and sit-ups. Each member works out within a designated station facing wall-to-wall LED screens. These tall screens mask sensors that track both the motions of the exerciser and the gym's specially built equipment, including dumbbells, medicine balls, and skipping ropes, using a combination of algorithms and machine-learning models.

Autonomous farm robots guided by GPS can plant and harvest multiple crops in close proximity, enabling beneficial interactions between different plants and potentially boosting biodiversity. Strip cropping, which involves partitioning fields into narrow bands containing different plants, is a common farming practice. Now, robotic technology is making it possible to space crops closer together than ever before. Kit Franklin at Harper Adams University, UK, who is working on trials of this method, says one can think of it as taking the diverse planting approach that an allotment gardener might and scaling it up massively with autonomous machinery. This could enable commercial farms to stop planting vast, non-biodiverse fields and reap the benefits of mingling plants with different needs and mutually beneficial habits, he says.

Google recently rolled out multiple updates to Bard, its AI chatbot. The new features include extensions that connect Bard to more aspects of Google's portfolio, like Gmail, Docs, and YouTube. The company is continuing to experiment with artificial intelligence as part of the next wave of information retrieval. Although my initial impressions of Bard's extensions are underwhelming, anyone with masses of unread Gmail messages or a collection of ancient Google Docs to sift through may find the update somewhat interesting. "If you choose to use the Workspace extensions, your content from Gmail, Docs and Drive is not seen by human reviewers, used by Bard to show you ads, or used to train the Bard model," reads Google's announcement.

Snapchat could face a fine of millions of pounds after the UK data watchdog issued it with a preliminary enforcement notice over the alleged failure to assess privacy risks its artificial intelligence chatbot may pose to users and particularly children. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said it had provisionally found that the social media app's owner failed to "adequately identify and assess the risks" to several million UK users of My AI, including among 13- to 17-year-olds. Snapchat has 21 million monthly active users in the UK and has proved to be particularly popular among younger demographics, with the market research company Insider Intelligence estimating that 48% of users are aged 24 or under. About 18% of UK users are aged 12 to 17. "The provisional findings of our investigation suggest a worrying failure by Snap [the parent of Snapchat] to adequately identify and assess the privacy risks to children and other users before launching My AI," said John Edwards, the information commissioner. The ICO said the findings of its investigation were provisional and that Snap has until 27 October to make representations before a final decision is made about taking action. "No conclusion should be drawn at this stage that there has, in fact, been any breach of data protection law or that an enforcement notice will ultimately be issued," the ICO said.

Replika is one of a number of AI-powered apps currently on the market - they let users create their own chatbot, or "virtual friend", to talk to - unlike regular AI assistants like ChatGPT.Users can choose the gender and appearance of the 3D avatar they create.

South Wales Police has been criticised over its live facial recognition use at events including Harry Styles and Beyoncé concerts in Cardiff. The Metropolitan Police has used it several times this year, including at the King's Coronation in May.

A 110-year-old patent has inspired a new robotic hand that can securely grip objects of any shape without the need for complex motorised joints. The inspiration for the device dates back to 1913, when a now-expired US patent was granted on an invention for "obtaining intimate contact with, engaging, or clamping bodies of any shape". The original design consists of a nested arrangement of pivoting semi-circles in diminishing sizes, each of which could individually rotate to form a contour that securely grasps any shape.

Big Tech companies have been rushing to design and produce new "generative" AI products since OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT last November. But the question of how the companies would get people to use -- and pay for -- the expensive new technology has swirled around the industry for months. Google, Amazon and Apple all have millions of customers already speaking to the companies' existing voice assistants to set alarms, check the weather and make notes for them, representing a ready-made group of consumers to test out the new AI chatbots on.

An "urgent issue" of gender imbalance in artificial intelligence investment must be addressed according to a government-backed body which has found that female-founded companies accounted for just 2% of AI startup deals over the past decade. The report by the Alan Turing Institute found that when female-founded companies have secured funding, they raise on average £1.3m a deal compared with £8.6m raised by all-male founder teams. In the last year, investment in AI software has grown considerably. A report by Goldman Sachs predicts that AI investment will approach $200bn (£166bn) globally by 2025, while a recent report from Bloomberg found that generative AI could become a $1.3tn market by 2032. "The recent explosion in interest and investment in AI, especially generative AI, means that there is an urgent need for women and minorities to have equal access in the tech and venture space," said Dr Erin Young, a research fellow at the Alan Turing Institute.

A woman was hospitalized after being hit by two cars, one of them self-driving, on Monday night in San Francisco, according to authorities. The woman was hit at about 9:31 p.m. at the intersection of 5th and Market Streets, according to a San Francisco Fire Department news release. First responders arrived to find a woman pinned underneath a self-driving car with "multiple traumatic injuries." Firefighters and members of the San Francisco Police Department communicated remotely with the operator of the vehicle to make sure the car was stopped, according to the San Francisco Fire Department. The woman was treated at the scene and taken to San Francisco General Hospital.