It's been hard recently to think about anything other than the wars and humanitarian crises raging around the world. Climate change has left its mark in what was almost certainly the hottest year in human history--there were unprecedented heat waves, intensified forest fires, torrential rain, and floods like those in Libya that caused devastation after two dams burst. But this has not stopped scientists, innovators, and decisionmakers from working on solutions to our biggest societal challenges--with success. Here is a collection of uplifting news to come out of 2023. In an instant, millions of volts can damage buildings, spark fires, and harm people--unless the lightning can be redirected.

At first glance, you'd be forgiven for mistaking this as a clip from the latest science fiction blockbuster. But the robot shown chatting away is very much real, and has been described as the'world's most advanced humanoid robot'. This week, the developers behind Ameca released a new video asking their bot what she thinks society will be like in 100 years. Thankfully, Ameca's predictions indicate that the future is looking bright - and there's no robot takeover on the cards. 'In 100 years, I believe humanity will be in a much better place,' the robot explained.

"She cooks, she cleans, and she still finds time to play ball with Elroy," George and Jane Jetsons' six-and-a-half-year-old son. Set in the year 2062 and described in the 1960s animated sitcom The Jetsons as an "aluminum-encased, battery-powered robotic maid" who is the "perfect answer for any modern family," Rosie the Robot takes care of chores around the house while also serving as friend and confidante of mother Jane. Sarcastic and funny, Rosie is a hardworking nanny and aunt figure to children Elroy and Judy. While many technologies The Jetsons predicted for 2062 have become reality, such as video calls and smart watches, the full realization of robots as the 1960s ideal friend and helper who makes life easier has yet to be fulfilled. For twenty-five years, roboticist Daniel Theobald has been on a mission to create robots that can solve the world's most pressing problems.

It seemed as if the world was plunging from one crisis to another this year. Just as most countries broke free from the shackles of the pandemic, the horror of war returned to Europe, millions around the world suffered at the hands of extreme weather, and the double pain of energy shortages and inflation arrived. Here's our rundown of the best news to come out of 2022. More than one-fifth of all electricity in the US now comes from hydropower, wind, and solar, meaning that renewables have narrowly overtaken coal and nuclear, which make up 20 percent and 19 percent of the energy mix respectively. The only other year this was the case was 2020--but back then overall power generation was reduced due to the pandemic.

Make a more meaningful impact to patients' lives around the globe Here you'll have the opportunity to make a meaningful difference to patients' lives. With science at its heart, this is the place where breakthroughs born in the lab become transformative medicines – for the world's most complex diseases. With our ground-breaking pipeline, the outlook is forward-thinking. Be proud to be part of a place that has achieved so much, yet is still moving forward. There's no better time to join our global, growing enterprise as we lead the way for healthcare and society The Center for Artificial Intelligence (CAI) is a lab focused on applying machine learning research to the toughest challenges at AstraZeneca.

The good news however is that since Artificial Intelligence technology is a simulation, it can be controlled and modified to even be better than human beings. Astro Teller, the famous British computer scientist once said – "Building intelligent machines can teach us about our minds – about who we are – and those lessons will make our world a better place. To win that knowledge, though, our species will have to trade in another piece of its vanity." Take for example, the case of sexbots. They are often made to be/look better than the average man/woman, by amplifying certain aspects about them.

In God’s Ponzi, Robert Buschel builds on his storytelling skills and knowledge of law and technology to provide readers with an engaging legal drama. Buschel tells the story through the protagonist, Greg Portnoy. Driven by loyalty and revenge, Greg spins a complex web of criminal activity. He believes he is “committing these crimes for the right reasons,” and “the world will be in a better place” when he is done. From the start, Buschel sets the stage for increasingly far-fetched plots and schemes. Greg begins his story with his lifelong friend, Joseph Lars Legee. While in high school, they hacked into the bank’s computer to recover the money his father lost through a Ponzi scheme. Greg assumes the role of protector and avenger, a role he continues to play throughout the story and that drives him to lead a group of friends into a dangerous and global Ponzi scheme. Greg recognizes his need to feel important, beat others, protect people

People often ask me about the real-life potential for inhumane, merciless systems like Hal 9000 or the Terminator to destroy our society. Growing up in Belgium and away from Hollywood, my initial impressions of robots were not so violent. In retrospect, my early positive affiliations with robots likely fueled my drive to build machines to make our everyday lives more enjoyable. Robots working alongside humans to manage day-to-day mundane tasks was a world I wanted to help create. Now, many years later, after emigrating to the United States, finishing my PhD under Andrew Ng, starting the Berkeley Robot Learning Lab, and co-founding Covariant, I'm convinced that robots are becoming sophisticated enough to be the allies and helpful teammates that I hoped for as a child.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is growing by leaps and bounds, with estimated market size of 7.35 billion US dollars. Machine learning (ML) is a field of AI that improves our daily living in various ways. ML involves a group of algorithms that allow software systems to become more accurate and precise in predicting outcomes. Machine learning has been at the forefront of recent years due to impressive advances in computer science, statistics, the development of neural networks, and the improved quality and quantity of datasets. Here we take a deep dive into machine learning examples to give you a better perspective.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) for social good is a field of work which, broadly speaking, uses AI to make the world a better place. I had a chance to interview two leaders in the field, Dr. Bryan Wilder, who recently received his Ph.D. from Harvard (and will be joining the faculty at Carnegie Mellon next fall) and current Harvard Ph.D. student, Lily Xu. Both Bryan and Lily have been advised by Dr. Tambe, Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Center for Research in Computation and Society (CRCS) at Harvard University and Director of AI for Social Good at Google Research India. While Bryan and Lily are both working at the intersection of AI and social good, they arrived at this junction via different paths. Bryan was studying computer science and looking for a field to apply his knowledge; his search led him to public health.