While not a magic bullet, artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the game for manufacturers faced with ongoing labor shortages, decreased productivity and quality control, and an unpredictable supply chain exacerbated by growing consumer demands. Increasingly sophisticated AI is already being used in nearly every industry--from automotive and food & beverage to metal fabrication and plastic molding--to power predictive systems, increase robot capabilities, improve the precision of machine vision and help businesses optimize their processes to improve quality and reduce waste. The future is here--and we're just getting started. As AI becomes more powerful, robots and other machines can quickly learn what they need to do to perform given tasks without expensive and difficult-to-find AI experts. When coupled with decreasing hardware costs and clearer use cases demonstrating the benefits, deploying AI is an obvious choice for small and large companies alike.

Two forces in manufacturing are converging: 1) the need to bring more automation into the system during a time when workers are becoming scarce, and 2) advances in automation tools that do not require original programming. As these forces converge, manufacturers may have the opportunity to improve their production methods at the same time they address labor shortages. The dearth in manufacturing workers is getting complicated by disruptions in the supply chain. "Manufacturers are scrambling to deal with the labor shortage along with many other urgent issues such as disruption of the supply chain – from sheet metal to computer chips – unpredictable consumer demand, and pressures to reduce waste," Max Versace, CEO and co-founder of Neurala, told Design News. "A series of concurrent factors have greatly limited the number of people on the factory floor, while job openings remain are at a record high."

Songwriter's block can be a problem for even the world's most successful musicians. They can sometimes overcome it by taking breaks, seeking new forms of inspiration, or simply pushing through. And if none of that works, they could try out a new AI lyrics generator called keyword2lyrics. Sometimes I have a few ideas that I want to turn into a song, but I'm too lazy for that, so I thought it would be cool to make a program that generates lyrics from isolated keywords or phrases. Gatthi developed the tool by training OpenAI's GPT-2 language model on songs that Google lists when you search for "top artists 20th century" and "top artists 21st century," and extracted keywords from them using a tool called yake.

Max addresses some of the challenge's manufacturers are facing today. "While many manufacturers' production levels have plunged due to the pandemic, there are some low-hanging technology fruits, machine vision for quality inspection in particular, that can be put to work immediately" says Versace. Neurala's anomaly recognition software is being used in factories to reduce product quality issues, increase production line efficiency and improve overall productivity on the factory floor. The pandemic also raised a need for social distancing leaving many manufacturers unable to run and others at a reduced capacity. "The level of automation, AI and robotics implemented in factories are not advanced enough to guarantee operations without heavy human intervention" says Versace.

Once AI has transformed into a lifelong-learning system across industries, individual users and big corporations alike will notice its more than dynamic insights. Artificial Intelligence (AI) in 2020 and beyond, with its seemingly limitless potential, is set to transform the world – or is it? To fully embrace and reap the rewards of this futuristic technological trend, industries as far afield as a business forecasting and online gambling security, predictive maintenance and customer service will need to identify a clear strategy of AI's inherent value for each of them. The answer may lie in AI's many nuances. For example, is your software able to learn new stuff on the fly?

In 2020, AI could empower robotics with tools such as this Brain Bulder workspace. For the past decade, robotics has been one of the most interesting areas for developers, industry analysts, and startups to focus on. From emerging technologies and new applications to ongoing challenges, both innovators and entrepreneurs will have a lot to watch in 2020. The Robot Report spoke with the following executives at robotics and artificial intelligence companies about their observations of 2019's trends, as well as their expectations for the new year: Which technologies do you expect to mature the most in 2020, such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), edge computing, 5G wireless networks, or autonomous vehicles? Visti: In 2020, Industry 4.0 will become more of a reality than a vision.

AI and robotics are increasingly working together. As 2019 winds down, every news media and technology site is pausing to reflect on the biggest trends of the past year. Some aspects of robotics and artificial intelligence are advancing rapidly; others, not so much. What should AI and robotics developers recall as they prepare for a new year? In your opinion, what was the biggest news in AI and robotics in 2019?

From esoteric tech to AI, visual analysis and deep learning systems are now transforming the innovation of intelligent products and devices, making enterprises more competitive and jobs more efficient. MIT Technology Review Editor at Large, David Rotman, and Max Versace, Cofounder and CEO of Neurala, discuss what this means within the enterprise space and how it translates into worksite and process efficiency. Dr. Massimiliano Versace is the CEO and cofounder of AI-powered visual inspection company, Neurala. Max is a pioneer in non-traditional DNN approaches and a leader in the movement to bring AI beyond the hype and apply it in real-world, tangible use cases. As a cofounder of Neurala, Max has been instrumental in innovating AI technologies that enable customers in the industrial, drone, robotics, and smart device verticals efficiently and cost-effectively deploy AI for real-world impact.

The challenges of making the technology industry a more welcoming place for women are numerous, especially in the booming field of artificial intelligence. To get a sense of just how monumental a task the tech community faces, look no further than the marquee gathering for AI's top scientists. Preparations for this year's event drew controversy not only because there weren't enough female speakers or study authors. The biggest debate was over the conference's name. The annual Conference and Workshop on Neural Information Processing Systems, formerly known as NIPS, had become a punchline symbol about just how bad the gender imbalance is for artificial intelligence.

Following the announcement of its Brain Builder beta program, Neurala, an artificial intelligence company, recently announced its call for submissions for its "AI for Good" competition. Developers who participate in the "AI for Good" contest will have the chance to win a $1,000 first-place cash prize. The second-place finalist will win an EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti SC2, and the third-place winner will receive a DJI phantom 3. Entries will be judged by a panel of industry experts. Neurala's own applications and commitment to this theme include its work with Motorola Solutions' first responder body cams to help find missing children, as well as its partnership with the Lindbergh Foundation to help combat animal poaching in Africa. Each proposal should feature a detailed explanation of the approach the applicant will take to achieve the desired objective.