I've attended a few conferences on artificial intelligence (AI), but one last week drove home some concepts to discuss. While it might seem I'm picking on The University of Texas, Austin, McCombs School of Business, I'm not. All their CATT 2021 Global Analytics Summit did is clarify some ideas. The key problem is that conference organizers don't seem to be clearly differentiating between two different business audiences. There are two very different business audiences interested in AI.

Almost every second of Betty Li's school life is monitored. The 22-year-old student at a university in northwestern China must get through face scanners to enter her dormitory and register attendance, while cameras above the blackboards in her classrooms keep an eye on the students' attentiveness. Like many other educational institutions across the country, the university in Xian, Shaanxi province, deployed AI-powered gates and facial recognition cameras several years ago as a part of the "smart campuses" campaign promoted by the Ministry of Education. Some schools are even exploring ways to use artificial intelligence to analyse the behaviour of teachers and students. The universities are at the forefront of a national effort to lead the world in emerging technologies and move China's economy up the value chain.

A robot dentist has carried out the first successful autonomous implant surgery by fitting two new teeth into a woman's mouth, mainland media has reported. Although there were human medical staff present during the operation, they did not play an active role while it was being carried out. The one-hour procedure took place in Xian, Shaanxi, on Saturday, according to Science and Technology Daily. The implants were fitted to within a margin of error of 0.2-0.3mm, The technology was designed to overcome mainland China's shortage of qualified dentists and frequent surgical errors.

Po, the wisdom-seeking hero of the "Kung Fu Panda" films, might recognize this temple in China where the world's first robot monk dwells. For Po's Jade Palace, there is Longquan (Dragon Spring) Temple, a place of Buddhist worship in the mountains northwest of Beijing, where gnarled gingko and cypress trees tower over red-walled buildings underneath rocky Phoenix Ridge. For his Hall of Warriors, there is the Comic Center deep inside the temple, at the end of winding stone paths and steps, past a flower-shaped audio device that crackles sutras. As for Po himself, there is Xian'er, the two-foot-tall, advice-dispensing robot whose full title is Worthy Stupid Robot Monk. A childlike creature in an orange Buddhist robe, Xian'er is an object of fascination in China amid an increasingly urgent pursuit of spirituality and, more recently, artificial intelligence.

The world going crazy over smartphone and other high-tech devices does not mean that spirituality has no more place in the hearts and lives of people. To disprove that, a Buddhist temple outside Beijing developed Xian'er, a monk robot that could recite mantras and explain the basics of Buddhism. The two-foot-high robot, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), has a shaved head and wears a saffron robe like traditional Buddhist monks, reported The Guardian. A touchscreen on the chest of the robot monk, found at the 500-year-old Longquan Temple, provides answers to 20 simple questions about the Buddhist faith and daily life at the temple. Among the questions is "What is the meaning of life?" Xian'er replied, "My master says the meaning of life is to help more people finally leave behind bitterness and gain happiness," quoted CNET.

Google artificial intelligence project DeepMind is building software to trawl through millions of patient records from three NHS hospitals to detect early signs of kidney disease. The project raises deep questions not only about data protection but about the ethics of artificial intelligence. But these are not the obvious questions about the ethics of autonomous, intelligent computers. Computer programs can now do some things that it once seemed only human beings could do, such as playing an excellent game of Go. But even the smartest computer cannot make ethical choices, because it has no purpose of its own in life.

Longquan Temple, a Buddhist temple not too far from Beijing, is home to Xian'er, a 2ft. The robot is an unexpected blend of modern with the ancient, and is designed to, among other things, teach visitors some basic things about Buddhism. The robot's purpose is fairly simple -- it is designed to attract visitor attention that may otherwise be dedicated to a smartphone. The robot is short and squat with a fun design. The tablet between his hands is a touchscreen on which visitors can view one of 20 questions.

Xian'er's touchscreen chest gives him a way to answer questions, such as "What is the meaning of life?" To which he'd reply: "My master says the meaning of life is to help more people finally leave behind bitterness and gain happiness." He also has a WeChat account under the name????? where he talks with people who can't go to the temple, though we couldn't seem to find and add him when we tried. The temple's human monks have no plans to mass produce Xian'er, but they're already working on a smarter, more advanced robot that might be able to impart more wisdom.

This tiny robot monk could teach you something about Buddhism. Its name is Xian'er and it can perform a range of tasks, shown in the video above. Built over 1,000 years ago, this ancient sanctuary has grown into the most tech-savvy Buddhist temple in China. It promotes the collaboration of religion and technology--contrary to the traditional belief that Buddhists should be very secluded. Some of its study rooms even have fingerprint recognition systems (link in Chinese).

At a Buddhist temple northwest of Beijing, a humble machine has some advise for you. Xian'er, which translates into Worthy Stupid Robot Monk ("stupid," being a a term of affection in the local dialect), uses a touchpad to respond to questions or statements from visitors, reports the NY Times. If you ask, "What is the meaning of life?" the little orange-robed fellow will respond, "My master says the meaning of life is to help more people finally leave behind bitterness and gain happiness." If you say, "I'm not happy," he'll say, "If you're not happy, what can anyone else do about it?" Xian'er was developed last year as part of a collaboration between a dozen Chinese technology, culture and investment companies. The robot is based on a comic book character created by artists at the Comic Center inside the temple.