Europe
Robot Talk Episode 147 – Miniature living robots, with Maria Guix
Claire chatted to Maria Guix from the University of Barcelona about combining electronics and biology to create biohybrid robots with emergent properties. Maria Guix is a chemist and nanotechnology researcher in the University of Barcelona's ChemInFlow lab, developing miniaturised living robots and integrating flexible sensors into microfluidic platforms to better understand biohybrid robotic platforms. She has held postdoctoral positions at IFW Dresden, Purdue University, and the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, advancing biocompatible micromotors, magnetic microrobot automation, and functional living robots. Robot Talk is a weekly podcast that explores the exciting world of robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous machines. Robot Talk is a weekly podcast that explores the exciting world of robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous machines.
Restoring surgeons' sense of touch with robotic fingertips
Modern surgery has gone from long incisions to tiny cuts guided by robots and AI. In the process, however, surgeons have lost something vital: the chance to feel inside the body directly. Without palpation, it becomes harder to detect tissue abnormalities during an operation. A group of surgeons and engineers across Europe is now trying to bring back this vital aspect of surgery. Working within an EU-funded research collaboration called PALPABLE, they are developing a soft robotic "fingertip" that can sense how firm or soft tissue is during minimally invasive and robotic surgery.
The Machine Ethics podcast: moral agents with Jen Semler
Hosted by Ben Byford, The Machine Ethics Podcast brings together interviews with academics, authors, business leaders, designers and engineers on the subject of autonomous algorithms, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and technology's impact on society. This month, Ben met in-person with Jen Semler. Jen Semler is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Cornell Tech's Digital Life Initiative. Her research focuses on the intersection of ethics, technology, and moral agency. She holds a DPhil (PhD) in philosophy from the University of Oxford.
The Good Robot podcast: the role of designers in AI ethics with Tomasz Hollanek
Hosted by Eleanor Drage and Kerry McInerney, The Good Robot is a podcast which explores the many complex intersections between gender, feminism and technology. In this episode, we talk to Tomasz Hollanek, researcher at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge. Tomasz argues that design is central to AI ethics and explores the role designers should play in shaping ethical AI systems. The conversation examines the importance of AI literacy, the responsibilities of journalists in reporting on AI technologies, and how design choices embed social and political values into AI. Together, we reflect on how critical design can challenge existing power dynamics and open up more just and inclusive approaches to human-AI interaction.
Forthcoming machine learning and AI seminars: March 2026 edition
This post contains a list of the AI-related seminars that are scheduled to take place between 2 March and 30 April 2026. All events detailed here are free and open for anyone to attend virtually. Farnaz Farzadnia, Sebastian Merten, Francesca Da Ros Association of European Operational Research Societies To receive the seminar link, sign up to the mailing list . Keyon Vafa (Harvard University) EPFL The Zoom link is here . Javier M. Moguerza (Research Centre for Intelligent Information Technologies) Association of European Operational Research Societies To receive the seminar link, sign up to the mailing list .
NASA shows how Sahara desert dust spread all over Europe
The dust coated the Alps and caused'blood rain' in England. In the light of the setting sun, the sky forms a veil of Saharan dust over the Wurmberg in Lower Saxony, Germany. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. The wild winds of winter typically bring snow in the Northern Hemisphere. But sometimes, they carry dust .
Can AI in military operations really be ethical?
Could Iran be using China's BeiDou system? The Stream Can AI in military operations really be ethical? We examine concerns about AI's role in military operations and the broader ethical challenges facing tech companies. Amid growing backlash against ChatGPT and OpenAI, including social media campaigns calling for a boycott, we examine whether so-called "ethical alternatives" truly live up to their claims. We also explore emerging initiatives seeking to challenge Big Tech's dominance and develop more accountable AI systems.
John Solly Is the DOGE Operative Accused of Planning to Take Social Security Data to His New Job
A whistleblower complaint alleges John Solly claimed to have stored highly sensitive Social Security data on a thumb drive. Solly and Leidos, his current employer, strongly deny the allegations. John Solly, a software engineer and former member of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is the DOGE operative reportedly accused in a whistleblower complaint of telling colleagues that he stored sensitive Social Security Administration (SSA) data on a thumb drive and wanted to share the information with his new employer, multiple sources tell WIRED. Since October, according to a copy of his résumé, Solly has worked as the chief technology officer for the health IT division of a government contractor called Leidos, which has already received millions in SSA contracts and could receive up to $1.5 billion in contracts with SSA based on a five-year deal it signed in 2023. Solly's personal website and LinkedIn have been taken offline as of this week.