A new machine learning strategy was able to differentiate tremor specific to multiple sclerosis (MS) from tremor related to other diseases, with more than 90% accuracy, according to a new study. "The proposed method, with high classification accuracy and strong correlations of [tremor] features to clinical outcomes, has clearly demonstrated the potential to complement the existing tremor-diagnostic approach in MS patients," the researchers wrote. The study, "Machine learning aided classification of tremor in multiple sclerosis," was published in eBioMedicine. Tremor, or uncontrolled shaking, can occur as a symptom of MS, usually associated with damage to part of the brain called the cerebellum. In fact, according to the researchers, about half of MS patients experience this symptom.

Robotaxi safety operator is an occupation that only exists in our time, the result of an evolving technology that's advanced enough to get rid of a driver--most of the time, and in controlled environments-- but not good enough to convince authorities that they can do away with human intervention altogether. Today, self-driving companies from the US, Europe, and China are racing to bring the technology to commercial application. Most of them, including Apollo, the self-driving arm of Baidu, have started on-demand robotaxi trials on public roads yet still need to operate with various constraints. With an associate degree in human resources, Liu has no academic training related to this job, But he has always loved driving, and he acted as the driver for his boss in a previous role. When he heard about the self-driving technologies, his curiosity pushed him to look up related jobs online and apply.

Google has fired a senior software engineer who says the company's artificial intelligence chatbot system has feelings. Blake Lemoine, a software engineer and AI researcher, went public last month with his claim that Google's language technology was sentient and should consequently have its "wants" respected. Google has denied Mr Lemoine's suggestion. It has now confirmed he had been dismissed. The tech giant said Mr Lemoine's claims about The Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA) being sentient were "wholly unfounded", and the company had "worked to clarify that with him for many months".

Summary: Using datasets of fetal ultrasounds, a new AI algorithm is able to detect cystic hygroma, a rare embryonic developmental disorder, within the first trimester of pregnancy. In a new proof-of-concept study led by Dr. Mark Walker at the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine, researchers are pioneering the use of a unique AI-based deep learning model as an assistive tool for the rapid and accurate reading of ultrasound images. It's trailblazing work because although deep learning models have become increasingly popular in interpreting medical images and detecting disorders, figuring out how its application can work in obstetric ultrasonography is in its nascent stages. Few AI-enabled studies have been published in this field. The goal of the team's study was to demonstrate the potential for deep-learning architecture to support early and reliable identification of cystic hygroma from first trimester ultrasound scans.

The UK government will reveal its plans for regulating artificial intelligence (AI) today, and says it wants to hand more powers to existing regulators to deal with algorithms and automated systems, rather than setting up a dedicated body to look at issues around AI. Plans outlined in a new AI paper, being published this morning, would involve regulators such as the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and the Competition and Markets Authority being asked to monitor the impact of AI on their sectors, based on a set of guiding principles. The government says the regulators will be encouraged to take a "light touch" approach to enforcing these principles. The paper will be published this morning when the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, previously referred to as the Data Reform Bill, which sets the UK's post-Brexit data regime, is introduced in parliament. Full details of the UK AI regulations have yet to be revealed, but the government says its plans will "allow different regulators to take a tailored approach to the use of AI in a range of settings." It claims this "better reflects the growing use of AI in a range of sectors".

The team's algorithm, called Dreamer, uses past experiences to build up a model of the surrounding world. Dreamer also allows the robot to conduct trial-and-error calculations in a computer program as opposed to the real world, by predicting potential future outcomes of its potential actions. This allows it to learn faster than it could purely by doing. Once the robot had learned to walk, it kept learning to adapt to unexpected situations, such as resisting being toppled by a stick. "Teaching robots through trial and error is a difficult problem, made even harder by the long training times such teaching requires," says Lerrel Pinto, an assistant professor of computer science at New York University, who specializes in robotics and machine learning.

Researchers in the Oregon State University College of Engineering have harnessed the power of artificial intelligence to help protect bees from pesticides.  Cory Simon, assistant professor of chemical engineering, and Xiaoli Fern, associate professor of computer science, led the project, which involved training a machine learning model to predict whether any proposed new herbicide, fungicide or insecticide would be toxic to honey bees based on the compound’s molecular structure.  The findings, featured on the cover of The Journal of Chemical Physics in a […]

Companies have been pouring billions of dollars into developing more robots to help replace humans for tasks such as stocking shelves, delivering goods or even caring for hospital patients. Heightened by the pandemic and a resulting labor shortage, experts describe the current atmosphere for robotics as something of a gold rush. But tech ethicists and researchers are warning that the quick adoption of the new technology could result in unforeseen consequences down the road as the technology becomes more advanced and ubiquitous.

Robots made from sticky tape and dust can morph into various shapes under the direction of a magnetic field. They may one day be able to crawl into computers to fix broken circuits or even inside the human stomach to apply therapeutic patches to gastric ulcers. Soft robots that have no batteries, motors or electronics and that are powered and controlled from a distance by light or magnets are a popular field of research. But there are barriers to overcome before they can be used in practical applications, including the need for a cheap manufacturing process. Zhang Li at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and his colleagues discovered that a magnet-controlled robot can be created easily and at low cost using sticky tape onto which non-sticky wax has been printed in a specific pattern.

Thank you for joining us on "The cloud hub: From cloud chaos to clarity." As organizations across the globe realize the value of artificial intelligence, there is also a growing need to acknowledge the roadblocks and make efforts to remedy them to maximize the impact of the technology. AI experts share their thoughts.