AI bias continues to be a prevailing problem when it comes to ensuring proper implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in many industries. Since the technology has been implemented across several verticals, some of its use cases have been causing… unpleasantness among users. One of the biggest worries surrounding the sticky issue of AI bias, is in facial recognition solutions. As AI works purely on analyzing data inputs that it has access to, the algorithms may at times not provide entirely accurate results. In the case of facial recognition, the particular AI recognized certain races as criminals, causing an uproar in society.

When GovTech conceptualized "Ask Jamie" in 2014, AI chatbots were still pretty much in their infancy. Ask Jamie was designed as a virtual assistant that can be implemented on government agency websites and trained to be able to answer queries within specific domains. Singapore has implemented Jamie in over 70 government agency websites. Some of Jamie's basic tasks include providing responses to citizens who have queries on basic information. Over the years, the AI chatbot evolved to handle more complex queries and issues as well.

Autonomous cars, commonly known as self-driving cars, aren't new in Japan -- nor the automotive industry. But whilst the rest of the developed world is pushing for autonomous vehicles largely for reasons of safety and convenience for people in general, Japan's a little different. It's to compensate for its aging population. The Japanese ageing population is in need of transportation -- but the country is plagued by persistent labor shortages. "In the cargo and transport sectors, drivers have become older and the shortage of human resources has become serious," a recent METI report said.

Robots in agriculture are becoming increasingly used by the industry today. An example would be the multiple analytics and machine learning tools used in smart farming to help with predicting harvests. One of these tools, agriculture robots, are normally used collaboratively (known as cobots). These robots possess mechanical arms and make harvesting much easier for farmers. Compared to traditional industrial robots and machinery, cobots are designed to work alongside human employees, giving manufacturers the benefits of both robots and humans combined.

Fraud detection is something the financial services industry can't afford to take lightly. From retail to consumer banking, to fintech and insurance

Scientists last month unveiled the most exhaustive database yet of the proteins that form the building blocks of life, in a breakthrough where observers said would "fundamentally change biological research". Every cell in every living organism is triggered to perform its function by proteins that deliver constant instructions to maintain health and ward off infection. Unlike the genome -- the complete sequence of human genes that encode cellular life -- the human proteome is constantly changing in response to genetic instructions and environmental stimuli. Understanding how proteins operate -- the shape in which they end up, or "fold" into -- within cells has fascinated scientists for decades. But determining each protein's precise function through direct experimentation is painstaking.

Across the world, mapping technology with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning allow users to have a variety of choices on their travels. Be it driving, flying, or walking, GPS systems are now a lifesaver in keeping users on track. Before this, most of us often used old maps or would buy travel maps whenever we wanted to move around. Today, map applications are not only available on GPS devices, but also on our mobile phones and are even built into our vehicles to provide better route directions. Despite this, there are still some challenges when it comes to mapping and location tagging.

Conversational AI (artificial intelligence) is now becoming a sought-after technology as businesses look to improve their response speed and also provide better services to customers. However, despite the advancements in technology to perfect conversational AI, businesses in Southeast Asia are still struggling with implementing the software in their business. The biggest problem for conversational AI in APAC is the language itself. Conversational AI refers to the use of artificial intelligence on chatbots or voice assistants. Using large volumes of data, machine learning, and natural language processing, the AI helps imitate human interaction by recognizing speech or text inputs and replying to them based on a set of predetermined replies.

The APAC region has seen a massive jump in downloads of fintech apps, showing strong support for fintech to grow in the region.

Even customizing education to meet the needs of different students with varied aptitude is a mammoth task, but the ed-techs can overcome this bottleneck efficiently with the help of AI, which can help teachers and students to craft courses that are customized to their needs and also provide feedback to both about the success of the course as a whole. AI conversational tools -- or chatbots -- also can be leveraged to improve student engagement in their overall learning process. There are several ways in which chatbots can be used, including teaching a lesson through a series of messages, integrating it in the feedback loop, and more.