The idea of a robot covered in human skin, muscles and tendons, might sound like the main character of the latest horror film. But researchers from the University of Oxford have predicted that the gruesome bots could soon be used in medicine. They suggest that flesh-covered bots will be used in the near-future to grow tissue grafts for the injured and elderly. The Eccerobot, known as Ecci, was developed by scientists from the University of Zurich in 2011. It was the first ever robot to have'muscles' and'tendons', as well as the'bones' they help move.

From to'malware on steroids' to hacks that cause driverless cars to make dangerous decisions on the road, artificial intelligence could soon threaten humanity in ways that once existed only in science fiction. Experts have gathered to discuss the possible nightmare scenarios that could stem from the rise of AI in the near future. The workshop focused on worst-case situations that fall within the realm of possibility, based on current technologies or those that could emerge in the next five to 25 years – including rogue cyber-weapons and stock market manipulation. From to'malware on steroids' to hacks that cause driverless cars to recklessly break the rules of the road, artificial intelligence could soon threaten humanity in ways that once existed only in science fiction. In a new article for Wired, researchers at Cambridge University's Study of Existential Risk (CESR) have come up with a list of 10 threats that may some day trigger an apocalypse.

Scientists have begun actively preparing for the end of the world. A group of experts met in the Arizona desert to discuss potential nightmare scenarios that could take place in the future and how humanity might handle them, Bloomberg reported Thursday. Funded by Tesla co-founder Elon Musk and Skype co-founder Jaan Tallinn, the meeting was comprised of 40 scientists, policy analysts and cyber security experts. The group was tasked with coming up with increasingly likely "doomsday scenarios." "There is huge potential for AI (artificial intelligence) to transform so many aspects of our society in so many ways. At the same time, there are rough edges and potential downsides, like any technology," Eric Horvitz, an artificial intelligence scientist and the co-organizer of the meeting, told Bloomberg.

The adoption and application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to accelerate at an exponential rate in modern businesses. As referenced in the 2017 Tech Trend Report, AI is nearing completion of the next layer in technological advancement, integrated into everything individuals and organizations do. This trajectory is predicted to drive cumulative worldwide spending of $40.6 billion on AI projects by 2024 – according to Raconteur. This is expected to create mass opportunity for the pioneering businesses currently investing in AI development. Moving beyond the hype in existing media coverage, this post will uncover the reality behind what AI means for businesses today, in the near future, and beyond 2017.

LG's latest G6 flagship may have become the first non-Pixel phone to have Google's new Assistant feature, but the search giant is focused on bringing its new personal assistant to as many other smartphones as humanly possible. Keeping true to its promise, the Mountain View firm just started rolling out Assistant to smartphones running Android 7.0 Nougat and Android 6.0 Marshmallow versions. With Assistant, you just long press on the Home button or say "Ok Google" to get started. The advanced feature leverages Google's knowledge graph, artificial intelligence and machine learning to better understand context of your questions. Google's conversational artificial intelligence helper debuted at Google I/O in March 2016 on its Pixel smartphones, the Amazon Echo-like Home speaker, in the cross-platform Allo messaging app and as a built-in feature of the latest version of the Android Wear platform.

Line Corp., owner of Japan's most popular messaging service, is getting into the artificial intelligence market in a big way by outlining an ambitious plan that pits it against the likes of Google, Facebook and Amazon. According to a report in Bloomberg News, Line Corp. is gearing up to launch a suite of AI software tools that will enable a digital assistant that speaks in Japanese and Korean. The assistant will be able to converse with users and provide weather and news via a dedicated smartphone app or a speaker that sits on the table and is called Wave, similar to Amazon's Echo. Line Corp., which unveiled the strategy during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, this week, said both the app and the speaker will come to the market between April and June. While Line faces a lot of competition, the company thinks it can stand out from the pack because of its local knowledge about the markets in which it is operating, including South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia.

America is now one step closer to becoming a sci-fi utopia, thanks to a new law passed in Virginia. On Friday the state's governor signed a ruling which will allow delivery robots to use its sidewalks and crosswalks from July 1st. Advised by Starship Technologies (an Estoninan robotics company that specializes in ground delivery) the legislation states that the bots cannot travel faster than ten miles per hour, or weigh over 50 pounds. The new law will allow the little bots to roam the streets completely autonomously. In a bid to reduce collisions, however, Virginia requires them to remain under the watchful eye of the delivery company via remote monitoring.

A pair of psychologists have spoken up to defend violent video games such as Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto, claiming that they can have a positive social impact. In a new book, titled'Moral Combat', psychology experts Dr Patrick Markey and Dr Christopher Ferguson claim that'the war on violent video games is wrong.' They suggest that countries where video games are popular are some of the safest in the world. In a new book, titled'Moral Combat', psychology experts Dr Patrick Markey and Dr Christopher Ferguson claim that'the war on violent video games is wrong'. One of the most successful game franchises of all time, Grand Theft Auto has also been one of the most controversial.

How do you plan to kick off your summer this year? How do you plan to kick off your summer this year? If you're like me, you will attend the Starmus Festival Of Science And Arts in gorgeous Trondheim, Norway, between 18 – 23 June. The Starmus -- "stars" and "music" -- Science and Arts Festival was the brain child of astrophysicist Brian May, lead guitarist for the rock band Queen, and his dissertation advisor, Garik Israelian, an astrophysicist who led the team that discovered the first observational evidence that supernova explosions are responsible for the formation of stellar mass black holes. This festival is designed to bring together the sciences -- astronomy, physics, and the biological sciences -- with art, film, music and other performing arts, specifically to communicate science to the public.

Artificial intelligence boosters predict a brave new world of flying cars and cancer cures. Detractors worry about a future where humans are enslaved to an evil race of robot overlords. Veteran AI scientist Eric Horvitz and Doomsday Clock guru Lawrence Krauss, seeking a middle ground, gathered a group of experts in the Arizona desert to discuss the worst that could possibly happen -- and how to stop it. Their workshop took place last weekend at Arizona State University with funding from Tesla Inc. co-founder Elon Musk and Skype co-founder Jaan Tallinn. Officially dubbed "Envisioning and Addressing Adverse AI Outcomes," it was a kind of AI doomsday games that organized some 40 scientists, cyber-security experts and policy wonks into groups of attackers -- the red team -- and defenders -- blue team -- playing out AI-gone-very-wrong scenarios, ranging from stock-market manipulation to global warfare.