The artificial intelligence applied research startup Abzu identifies false news with its proprietary QLattice. In the latest Reuters Institute Digital News Report, less than four in ten people said that they trust most news most of the time (that's 38% surveyed in January 2020, a fall of four percentage points from 2019)¹. Today's global crises make it all too obvious the necessity for dependable and factual journalism, yet we are exposed to a continuum of information authored by innumerable sources with debatable credentials. Slaves to our most basic emotions -- fear, disgust, and surprise² -- we are inflamed by an addictive negative feedback loop of our own creation. We crave the truth, but data shows we force-feed ourselves lies.

In another step towards autonomous driving, Skoda Auto has partnered with VSB - Technical University of Ostrava, Czech Republic, to develop new technologies for driving assistance systems. The collaboration between the two parties involve a'Follow the Vehicle' project that aims to have autonomous cars follow a manned lead vehicle. The technology, currently being tested on two correspondingly configured Skoda Superb iVs, has potential for car-sharing service providers, car rental companies or fleet operators. The'Follow the Vehicle' project follows the principle of'two cars, one driver' where the lead vehicle is driven by a human, determining route, speed, lane and other parameters. The autonomous car follows the lead vehicle at a distance of up to ten metres.

Marty was introduced by Ahold Delhaize, Stop & Shop's Netherlands-based parent company. They put these robots, which cost a whopping $35,000 each, in hundreds of Stop & Shops and other stores throughout the U.S. in 2019. The robots have been a source of problems since their arrival, but as the pandemic has reshaped the shopping experience complaints that Marty prevents proper social distancing have started to pop up. When states began issuing stay-at-home orders in March, panicked shoppers flooded stores to stock up on supplies. The robots were initially pulled off the floors to prioritize customer safety, but then gradually reintroduced over the next two months.

As the 21st century rages on, success and failure of nations depends not only on their citizenry and governmental leadership, but heavily on the technological visions that countries embrace. If a nation takes the approach of sitting back or standing still as automation and Artificial Intelligence advance at ever increasing rates, that nation is destined to be left behind. However, if a country embraces AI and dedicates significant resources and top minds to ethical implementation, that country is destined to be a leader for decades to come. Recently Steve Mills, Chief AI Ethics Officer & Leader for Artificial Intelligence in the Public Sector, and Partner at Boston Consulting Group said quite eloquently "AI has become table stages for global national economic and technological competitiveness. This goes beyond nations capturing a piece of the large and rapidly growing AI market. AI is poised to transform nearly every industry. There is an imperative for nations to position themselves to integrate AI into these sectors. Particularly those sectors that are economically important to them. Failing to do so could erode their competitive position, creating opportunities for other, more technologically advanced nations to fill the void. This is not just a matter of missed upside potential from the new AI market. It's also about downside risk for every other sector that is economically important to a nation."

European investors have said artificial intelligence (AI) is the most compelling long-term thematic opportunity, according to a survey conducted by CoreData Research. The survey, which was commissioned by WisdomTree and interviewed 440 European investors with approximately €240bn AUM, found 71.4% of respondents highlighted AI as the best thematic opportunity while 59.8% said biotech and 46.6% pointed to cyber security. There are four AI ETFs available on the European market with the largest being the $187m WisdomTree Artificial Intelligence UCITS ETF (WTAI). The $168m Amundi STOXX Global Artificial Intelligence UCITS ETF (GOAI) tracks an index from Stoxx while the $158m L&G Artificial Intelligence UCITS ETF (AIAI) offers exposure to a ROBO Global index and the final strategy offers exposure to big data as well as AI, the $104m Xtrackers Artificial Intelligence & Big Data UCITS ETF (XAIX). AI is in its early stages of adoption and application with investors highlighting the technology to transform industries, services, labour and consumption.

Philosophers have long debated the nature of consciousness. This probing study takes an evolutionary approach, examining "experience in general" not only in humans but in much of the animal kingdom. Animals, it argues, developed consciousness gradually, through such biological innovations as centralized nervous systems and the ability to distinguish one's actions from external forces, which have given rise to "varieties of subjectivity." The author is crisp on a subject notorious for abstraction, dissecting fuzzy philosophical metaphors and weaving in lively descriptions of the octopuses, whale sharks, and banded shrimp he observes on scuba dives off the coasts of Australia. Born in 1797 in Düsseldorf, then under Napoleonic occupation, Heine remained a committed liberal even as Germany turned inward after the Congress of Vienna.

It is one of several efforts in the industry to improve the usefulness of robots in warehouses, where they are increasingly common. The platform is currently online at one location near Madrid, where it has already reduced integration time for new robot systems by 60%, said Markus Voss, DHL Supply Chain's global chief information officer and chief operating officer. "We're at the beginning of the journey," Mr. Voss said. "We are implementing it as we speak at two additional sites, and we think it has applicability across all of our sites." The Morning Download delivers daily insights and news on business technology from the CIO Journal team.

Like so much of our lives, the future of healthcare is digital. Technological advances have given rise to tools that would usually be found in science fiction novels. Now they are helping to diagnose and treat a huge variety of illnesses and improve the quality of life for millions. Now more than ever we can see the huge advantages of embracing digital health in order to enable people to stay at home and still receive appropriate care for minor ailments and check-ups, or advice on their long-term conditions. In response to the global pandemic, hospitals and GP surgeries are embracing remote appointments and other digital measures to treat their patients and ensure they remain safe and well in their own homes.

It was three months ago when my friend Kimonas asked me if I can help him with a huge secret project that he had on his mind. It was kind of a cheap shot as "huge secret project" are my trigger words. He asked me if I can join him on a Zoom at 6am. I told him that I am not going to wake up that early even if the President of Greece was on that Zoom call. It turned out that the Prime Minister and his team of scientists were on the call and I was there, 7am in Los Angeles, half awake, wearing my "A.I pays my bills" t-shirt.

We are pleased to announce the first edition of the EAISI Summit, organized and hosted by TU/e Eindhoven AI Systems Institute, in partnership with High Tech Systems Center. This 2-day online event with presentations, short research pitches, and a panel discussion will be recorded at TU/e and live streamed for a large audience. What sets TU/e apart in the world of robotics and automation is a strong combination with research in human-machine interaction. This has remained somewhat of a public secret, but as AI applications mature from just the cyberworld (apps, social media and advice-giving) to the physical realm (robotics, high-tech systems, mobility, real-time systems) a special attention to man-machine interaction becomes a necessity. That is why this EAISI Summit will be dedicated to the theme: Robotics & Interacting with Smart Machines.