Automated tools could help take the slog out of peer review.Credit: Mary Evans/Classicstock/H. Armstrong Roberts Most researchers have good reason to grumble about peer review: it is time-consuming and error-prone, and the workload is unevenly spread, with just 20% of scientists taking on most reviews. Now peer review by artificial intelligence (AI) is promising to improve the process, boost the quality of published papers -- and save reviewers time. A handful of academic publishers are piloting AI tools to do anything from selecting reviewers to checking statistics and summarizing a paper's findings. In June, software called StatReviewer, which checks that statistics and methods in manuscripts are sound, was adopted by Aries Systems, a peer-review management system owned by Amsterdam-based publishing giant Elsevier. And ScholarOne, a peer-review platform used by many journals, is teaming up with UNSILO of Aarhus, Denmark, which uses natural language processing and machine learning to analyse manuscripts.

The last 30 or so years in scholarly communications have been marked by a steady trend towards digital content creation and delivery; particularly for journals, the industry has now moved from print to online. However, online delivery may mask underlying print-based attitudes, as is evidenced from the continuing preference academics have for reading PDF rather than any other format. In this regard, the advent of machine learning, because it involves a semantic engagement with the content, may in the end be more far-reaching, in fact genuinely disruptive, as it looks to challenge existing business processes. Here, for the first time, is a tool that can identify the meaning contained within articles. Machine learning will have an impact throughout the publishing lifecycle, from discovery (the most obvious quick win) to authoring, classification and presentation.

Infosys chief executive Vishal Sikka says he would look at building the company's artificial intelligence (AI) offerings as a standalone business, independent of the traditional services, to help build next generation applications for its customers. With its artificial intelligence platform Mana, a part of the Infosys Aikido framework, the company is looking to help clients reduce costs and improve productivity through automation and free resources to build new applications that adds value to their business. "The AI platform is not only for our own use for simplifying our work, it is also for building great next generation applications for others," Sikka said at a Credit Suisse conference recently. "We want to do this as a standalone business in its own right, not something that is feature of our existing services." Experts say, while some companies take AI as a capability to all existing business verticals, Infosys may be looking at giving more attention to it, in order to take it to the market independently.

Infosys has made an investment of R14.5 crore in a Denmark-based artificial intelligence start-up, Unsilo. Founded in 2012, this Danish company is focused on solutions in the area of advanced text analysis. Infosys has earmarked $500 million for its innovation fund which invests in start-ups across the globe. Of this, $250 million has been set aside for start-ups in India. "We will partner with Unsilo to bring their artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to our global clients. They join and expanding portfolio of innovative young companies from around the world that Infosys works with to help enterprises drive their digital transformation," said Ritika Suri, executive vice president & global head of corporate development & ventures at Infosys.

Infosys has invested ₹14.5 crore from its "innovation fund" in UNSILO, a Danish artificial intelligence start-up on advanced text analysis. This is Infosys' 11th investment in a start-up from its $500 million innovation fund and fourth in 2016. "We will partner with UNSILO to bring their artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to our... clients, " an Infosys official said.

Infosys has invested about $2 million in UNSILO, a Danish artificial intelligence startup focused on advanced text analysis. India's second largest software services firm said it has made the investment from its Innovation Fund. UNSILO is Infosys Innovation Fund's first investment in Europe, according to a stock exchange filing. "UNSILO have built an impressive semantic search engine with best-in-class text intelligence, which powers a range of advanced business processes. We will partner with UNSILO to bring their artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to our global clients. They join and expanding portfolio of innovative young companies from around the world that Infosys works with to help enterprises drive their digital transformation," said Ritika Suri, executive vice president & global head of corporate development & ventures, Infosys.

Bengaluru: Infosys Ltd has invested 14.92 millon Danish krone (Rs14.5 crore) from its "innovation fund" in UNSILO, a Danish artificial intelligence start-up focused on advanced text analysis. The deal comes at a time when companies around the globe, including Infosys clients, are trying to find better ways to make sense of a large amount of unstructured text. UNSILO uses a unique combination of machine-learning and natural language processing to analyse large quantities of text. This is Infosys's 11th investment in a start-up from its $500 million innovation fund, its fourth in the calendar year. Indian IT firms have been increasingly investing in futuristic start-ups to get products based on new technologies faster to the market and serve the emerging needs of their customers.

Indian IT services major Infosys Ltd has invested DKK 14.92 million ($2.14 million) in UNSILO, a Danish artificial intelligence startup focussed on advanced text analysis, the company said in a stock market disclosure on Friday. The investment comes just within a week after the IT firm, through its innovation fund, backed US-based TidalScale. "UNSILO have built an impressive semantic search engine with best-in-class text intelligence, which powers a range of advanced business processes. We will partner with UNSILO to bring their artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to our global clients. They join and expanding portfolio of innovative young companies from around the world that Infosys works with to help enterprises drive their digital transformation," said Ritika Suri, executive vice-president & global head of corporate development & ventures at Infosys.