Extinction is a part of nature. Of the five billion species that have existed on Earth, 99.9 per cent have vanished. The Triassic-Jurassic extinction, two hundred million years ago, finished off the crocodile-like phytosaur. Sixty-six million years ago, the end-Cretaceous extinction eliminated the Tyrannosaurus rex and the velociraptor; rapid climate change from an asteroid impact was the likely cause. The Neanderthals disappeared some forty thousand years ago. One day--whether from climate change, another asteroid, nuclear war, or something we can't yet imagine--humans will probably be wiped out, too.

In 2012, the biochemist Jennifer Doudna and her colleague Emmanuelle Charpentier developed a method for using RNA-guided proteins to edit specific sections of DNA. Their innovation--for which the two won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, in 2020--is known as the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing system. CRISPR has since been used to alter plants (to, for instance, produce greater yields), insects (preventing them from carrying certain diseases), and people (to treat sickle-cell disease). The technology's promise can sound as if derived from science fiction: it might help us adapt to a radically different climate, or grow organs for those in need, or reprogram a cancer patient's own cells to target tumors. But there are also worries about its possible side effects, both biological and social.

Welcome to our August 2023 monthly digest, where you can catch up with any AIhub stories you may have missed, peruse the latest news, find out about recent events, and more. This month, we take a whistle-stop tour around some of the big conferences, popping in to IJCAI, AIES and ICML, find out about interdisciplinary methods in computational creativity, and say goodbye to a well-loved podcast. Nadia Ady and Faun Rice are working on a research project exploring where AI researchers find inspiration and ideas about human intelligence, and what approaches they use to translate ideas from the disciplines that study human intelligence (e.g. We spoke to Nadia and Faun about the project, what they've learnt so far, and how they plan to further develop the work. The 32nd International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI 2023) took place in Macao from 19-25 August 2023. The programme included plenary talks, workshops, symposia and tutorials.

The programme of the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) featured an invited talk by Jennifer Doudna entitled "The future of ML in biology: CRISPR for health and climate". Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for "the development of a method for genome editing". The method in question is often referred to as CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors. Using this technique, researchers can change the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with extremely high precision. This technology has already had a huge impact on the biological sciences.

The 40th International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) took place last week in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. As well as four invited talks, the programme boasted oral and poster presentations, affinity events, tutorials and workshops. Find out what the participants got up to over the course of the conference. Can't wait for our first invited speaker talks by the inimitable @MarzyehGhassemi and @shakir_za on Tuesday! pic.twitter.com/tNDi7RNIUt Amazing group from #LatinXinAI hiking the Makapu'u Point Lighthouse Trail to kick off our social events at @icmlconf #ICML2023 @_LXAI pic.twitter.com/cO6dKAz6x8

We take it for granted that we're supposed to act ethically and, usually, that seems pretty simple. Don't lie, cheat or steal, don't hurt anybody on purpose and act with good intentions. In some professions, like law or medicine, the issues are somewhat more complex and practitioners are trained to make good decisions. Yet ethics in the more classical sense isn't so much about doing what you know is right, but thinking seriously about what the right thing is. Unlike the classic "ten commandments" type of morality, there are many situations that arise in which determining the right action to take is far from obvious.

CRISPR technology could help scientists immediately diagnose and treat patients with time-sensitive, deadly illnesses, a new study has found. Scientists from the University of California have discovered that a'side effect' of the DNA-editing tactic could improve the way doctors diagnose their patients. They made the discovery while conducting basic research on CRISPR-Cas12a, which can cut double-stranded DNA. The researchers responsible for the findings said the technology is'revolutionizing biology'. Researchers from the University of California have found that CRISPR technology could be used to transform diagnostic practices.

Headlines from Silicon Valley sometimes read like mythology, fantasy, or science fiction. "First human-pig'chimera' created in milestone study" revives images of the Greek mythological beast (part lion, part goat, part serpent). "No Longer a Dream: Silicon Valley Takes on the Flying Car" describes the Kitty Hawk, whose name pays homage to the Wright brothers with a subtle nod to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. And "Oh Great, Now Alexa Will Judge Your Outfits, Too" tells of an innovation that combines a photoshoot and a fashion critique in the privacy of your closet. Novelties like these make last year's driverless cars and personal shopper bots look quaint.