Parents shouldn't take away consoles from children who show signs of gaming addiction because it could lead to physical violence, a psychologist has warned. Professor Henrietta Bowden-Jones, head of the National Centre for Gaming Disorders, says it can become a police matter when kids lose access to gaming. The centre – which along with the World Health Organization recognises gaming addiction as a disorder – is seeing teens who are gaming up to 14 hours a day. Children are hooked on Call of Duty, Fortnite, FIFA, Angry Birds, War Zone and Minecraft, but no game is necessarily more addictive than any other. According to the centre's founder, it has dealt with 745 patients since it opened in October 2019, including 327 last year.

Since the 1970s, digital technologies have changed teaching, learning and assessment. From the advent of the personal computer in the late 70s and early 80s, the explosion of the internet in the 90s, to the period of ubiquitous computing through the smartphone and all that came after, we have seen a fundamental change in the way we engage with teaching, learning and assessment through the digital medium. When computers first appeared in our classrooms, they gradually superseded older legacy technologies. Over time, the first iteration of computers and associated software was likewise replaced by newer networked devices and software applications. The hardware refresh cycle continues at pace today, and software developments appear to be accelerating further still. Despite these developments, it is only the medium of teaching and learning that has changed.

The initiative – which has been welcomed by global technology companies including Amazon Web Services, Google, and Microsoft – is led by the education and technology not-for-profit, Jisc, and supported by innovation-focused universities and colleges throughout the UK. It will initially be staffed by a dedicated team of seven AI experts, plus consultants and partners from industry and education. The National Centre supports the government's AI Strategy, which the digital secretary, Oliver Dowden, announced in March, saying: "Unleashing the power of AI is a top priority". Yet while AI is predicted to increase our national GDP by 10.3% by 2030, and despite Office for Artificial Intelligence estimates that AI could boost productivity in some industries by 30%, a lack of investment in AI for education is endangering the UK's global competitiveness. Nationally, we are yet to meaningfully embed technology within higher and further education.

The National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics will engage youth, support in the diversification of the economy, create more jobs and inspire Nigeria's digital entrepreneurs. This was disclosed by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami at the commissioning ceremony of the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics on Friday, 13th November, 2020 in Abuja. Pantami reiterated that the proposed activities of this Centre map to Pillar No. 7 on Digital Society and Emerging Technologies and this explains the choice of the Centre's name. "Artificial Intelligence is the Refinery of the digital economy and Robotics is very useful in supporting companies as they carry out repetitive tasks. These are 2 very important emerging technologies that will shape the face of future technologies and we have decided to be proactive to enable us play a key role in how these technologies evolve, Pantami said.

On Friday, King Salman of Saudi Arabia issued a royal decree to establish a National Centre for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in KSA to drive innovation and the digital transformation of the country, as declared by Abdullah Al-Sawaha from the Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology.

One of the most radioactive places on Earth has been mapped in unprecedented detail, thanks to a team of British scientists equipped with the latest in drone technology. Chernobyl's Red Forest remains highly irradiated 33 years on from the catastrophic accident at the number-4 nuclear reactor. Experts led by the UK's National Centre for Nuclear Robotics and the University of Bristol used drones fitted with custom-built radiation detectors to create 3D maps of the area, some of which lies just 1,600ft (500m) from the power plant. Their efforts revealed previously undetected radiation'hotspots', where radioactive material from the fallout has gathered over the years. Around 70,000 tourists visited the Chernobyl exclusion zone last year, which stretches over 1,000 square miles (2,600 sq km).

India's efforts to set up a national centre on artificial intelligence (AI) reflect the country's ambition to accelerate its tech prowess akin to how China shaped the AI dialogue on the global stage. Finance minister Piyush Goyal's push for embracing AI fits into the government's vision to democratise newer technologies, which could be game-changers for creating societal impact. "India has become the second largest hub of startups. A national programme on AI has been envisaged by the government. This should be catalysed by the national centre for artificial intelligence as a hub, along with other centres of excellence," Goyal said on Friday.

At the Empa and Eawag NEST building in Dübendorf, eight ETH Zurich professors as part of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Digital Fabrication are collaborating with business partners to build the three-storey DFAB HOUSE. It is the first building in the world to be designed, planned and built using predominantly digital processes. Robots that build walls and 3D printers that print entire formworks for ceiling slabs – digital fabrication in architecture has developed rapidly in recent years. As part of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Digital Fabrication, architects, robotics specialists, material scientists, structural engineers and sustainability experts from ETH Zurich have teamed up with business partners to put several new digital building technologies from the laboratory into practice. Construction is taking place at NEST, the modular research and innovation building that Empa and Eawag built on their campus in Dübendorf to test new building and energy technologies under real conditions.

The National Centre for Text Mining (NaCTeM) is the first publicly-funded text mining centre in the world. We provide text mining services in response to the requirements of the UK academic community. NaCTeM is operated by the University of Manchester. NaCTeM has developed text mining services and service exemplars for the UK academic community.

Hundreds of industry specialists were recently introduced to APRIL (Automated Processing Robotic Ingredient Loading) at an event organised by automation solutions provider OAL and the University of Lincoln at the UK's National Centre for Food Manufacturing. The session was held to demonstrate to manufacturers what can be achieved using robots to handle ingredients and cook food, so that food manufacturing can become more efficient and safer. "Consumer demand for greater choice and convenience versus the rising cost of food production due to the introduction of the living wage has led food manufacturers to a crossroads," OAL sales and marketing manager Jake Norman told BakeryandSnacks. "These interlinking factors mean the time is now for robotics and automation to deliver flexible food production at the lowest cost." According to Norman, other industries have embraced technology as an alternative to people to great effect.