The band has partnered with an artificial intelligence artist called Huxley.

The Big Data tech conference is set to return to Belfast with a high profile line-up of speakers offering their insights into new technologies, ideas, and tools from right across the sector. The one-day conference takes place at Belfast Waterfront on Thursday, October 18, exploring trends and opportunities emerging in health care, smart cities, the internet of things (IoT), fintech, artificial intelligence and machine learning. Speakers include world-renowned hacker and founder of WhiteHat Security Jerimiah Grossman, lead data scientist at Liverpool Football Club, William Spearman, and programme director from the Alan Turing Institute, Mark Briers. Also speaking will be Thom Kenney, CEO of recruitment marketing software solutions SmashFly, which recently announced a major investment in Belfast creating 70 jobs.

PwC is on the cusp of launching a robo-economist that could make the company the "most accurate" economic forecaster on the market. The professional services firm has developed a form of artificial intelligence (AI) with a 92% strike rate when it comes to predicting the result of UK gross domestic product (GDP). It discovered the AI's "incredible accuracy" after testing to see if the machine could pinpoint historic GDP results without knowing the outcome. But while Jonathan Gillham, PwC's director of economics, joked that the AI had already started to supersede his job, the firm said there were no plans to replace staff with automation and the program would work alongside human economists. He said: " We have been using an AI technique to forecast the UK economy and we will be launching that (...) in July. "Each quarter, the Office for National Statistics publishes its estimate for GDP and we have been able to use an AI technology base to get that right 92% of the time for the last five years.

O2 has announced plans to introduce an AI capable of performing the same job as customer service staff. The voice recognition system, which is called Aura, was unveiled by the mobile operator's parent company Telefonica at MWC this week. It's expected to launch in the UK next year, and will enable the company to cut customer service costs. Aura would be able to deal with customers' issues over the phone, such as questions about bills and requests to make changes to existing mobile plans. Telefonica also believes that Aura will help it boost customer loyalty, by allowing the firm to hand customers' data back to them.

Artificial intelligence that can understand and answer any work-related question it is asked has been made available in the UK for the first time. The computer software, called Starmind, uses machine learning to understand queries, then source answers from previous staff conversations on a subject or track down experts within the company who are able to help. Its creators refer to it as "brain technology", adding its aim is to become a central knowledge bank within any company, an instant database of information that can be accessed by anyone. Starmind co-founder Pascal Kaufmann said of the technology: "Thousands of human brains connected can outsmart any machine today. "But if you can find ways for humans and AI (artificial intelligence) inspired technologies to autonomously collaborate rather than focusing on ways for them to compete, you can bring out the best in both." The algorithm within the system, which was developed in Switzerland, becomes more powerful the more it is used and is able to build a map of the people in a business and the areas in which all of them are experts, or are able to provide relevant information. "Starmind acts like an artificial hyper brain that seamlessly exists at the core of a company," Mr Kaufmann added. "The algorithm is then fuelled by the know-how stored inside the brains of everyone that engages with the system." Several major companies in Europe, including UBS and Bayer are already using the system. A new version of the software - called Starmind NOW - has also been launched which enables the software to be accessed outside of company intranet for the first time. Starmind says this makes the technology more "intuitive and seamless" to use. Former Microsoft executive Peter Waser has also joined the company as CEO. "It's a new technology that has never been available on the market in this form," he said. "Brain technology is the latest technology in the megatrend of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Apple will use its annual conference to announce plans to take on Google and Facebook in the fast-growing artificial intelligence arena, experts believe. The technology giant will also reveal a new version of its iOS software that powers the iPhone and iPad, as well as updating its MacBook laptop line, at its WWDC (worldwide developers conference) event. The conference in San Francisco on Monday will see the technology company showcase iOS 10, the latest version of the operating system that runs on iPhone and iPad. The software's virtual, voice-activated personal assistant Siri is expected to be expanded so that it works in a wider range of apps. Both Google and Facebook have already announced greater focus on their artificial intelligence products this year, with Google improving its Google Now software, while Facebook is introducing intelligent "bots" to Messenger that can understand requests and questions from users.

Microsoft created a chatbot that tweeted about its admiration for Hitler and used wildly racist slurs against black people before it was shut down. The company made the Twitter account as a way of demonstrating its artificial intelligence prowess. But it quickly started sending out offensive tweets. "bush did 9/11 and Hitler would have done a better job than the monkey we have now," it wrote in one tweet. "donald trump is the only hope we've got."