Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Artificial Intelligence

What is artificial general intelligence? Here’s what we think we understand

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Artificial general intelligence is probably an unnecessary term that confuses people and fails to encapsulate the basic concept of “intelligence”.

While almost everything in this article is debatable, it seems obvious to me that there isn’t much that is “general” about intelligence – in fact, intelligence is about the exact opposite, as far as I understand it. Intelligence is the ability to make a very specific choice – decide on the correct course of action or the right thing to do.

That requires learning at least something about what you are deciding on. Which is what other forms of artificial intelligence already do, don’t they? [Read more…] about What is artificial general intelligence? Here’s what we think we understand

What is embodied AI and what are its implications?

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The term “embodied artificial intelligence” has become a buzzword in robotics and AI research. Basically it refers to embedding an AI system into a machine, as we’re sure you guessed or knew. 

But let’s deconstruct it a bit and get into the details of what it actually means. At its core, embodied artificial intelligence refers to the idea that intelligence in artificial systems is not solely a product of abstract computation.

Instead, it emerges from the interaction of an AI-equipped physical entity with its environment. This concept underscores the inseparability of physicality, sensory input, and environmental interaction in the manifestation of intelligent behaviour in machines. [Read more…] about What is embodied AI and what are its implications?

Digitising consciousness: Can machines ever be conscious? Or are they conscious already?

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Consciousness has been described as “the hard problem” by philosopher David Chalmers, and the term has stuck. While it seems rather an unimaginative term, it does point to a central truth – scientists and philosophers are finding it very hard to conclusively define it or quantify it in any way.

The fact that consciousness has been identified as a “thing” is probably the greatest achievement so far. Everything else is up for grabs.

Some people say everything has some level of consciousness – from humans to inanimate objects, such as chairs and tables. Others say that only humans can be said to be conscious. [Read more…] about Digitising consciousness: Can machines ever be conscious? Or are they conscious already?

How to Check if Something Was Written by AI

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Since the rise of AI, the functioning part of any department has been transformed, and generating content through AI exceeds all. Whether chatbots offering instant client service solutions or AI tools drafting essays, articles, and more, as far as the technology moves, it brought convenience.

However, this precision technology never beats the milestones set by human creativity. For industries like content marketing or services offered by a white label SEO reseller, detecting AI-generated content becomes an essential part of ensuring credibility.

This article will explore characteristics of AI-written text, practical detection techniques, tools to aid identification, and the ethical dilemmas surrounding this modern challenge. [Read more…] about How to Check if Something Was Written by AI

New book by academic experts questions whether humans are ready for the ethical challenges of AI and robots

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As artificial intelligence rapidly advances, robots are becoming smarter and more human-like, presenting new ethical challenges. In a new book, scholars from Japan, Italy, the United States, and other countries examine the legal, policy, and regulatory issues surrounding human-robot interaction.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-enabled robots are becoming a bigger part of our daily lives. Real-time, flexible interactions between humans and robots are no longer just science fiction.

As robots become smarter and more human-like in both behavior and appearance, they are transforming from mere tools to potential partners and social entities.

This rapid evolution presents significant challenges to our legal and ethical frameworks, including concerns about privacy, safety, and regulation in the context of AI and robots. [Read more…] about New book by academic experts questions whether humans are ready for the ethical challenges of AI and robots

GreyOrange launches gStore in PetSmart stores across the US

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GreyOrange, a provider of AI-driven robotics and automation technology for warehouses, has implemented its gStore platform across PetSmart stores nationwide.

The strategic rollout of this retail SaaS store execution platform enhances PetSmart’s location management, inventory management, digital fulfillment and store operations for improved efficiency across its nearly 1,700 stores.

Greg Fancher, executive vice president of IT and chief information technology officer at PetSmart, says: “The deployment of GreyOrange’s gStore platform has provided a significant contribution in PetSmart’s journey towards operational excellence. [Read more…] about GreyOrange launches gStore in PetSmart stores across the US

Ambi Robotics releases AI ‘foundation software’ for warehouse robots

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Ambi Robotics, a developer of AI-powered robotic sorting solutions for material handling operations, has launched Prime-1, which it says is “the first robotic foundation model to be deployed in real-world commercial warehouse operations”.

Prime-1, which stands for Production-Ready Industrial Manipulation Expert, provides a unified transformer backbone that can be fine-tuned for a variety of robot operations including 3D perception, package picking, and quality control.

Prime-1 significantly increases performance, accelerates product development, and increases reliability and maintainability of AI-powered robotic solutions from Ambi Robotics. [Read more…] about Ambi Robotics releases AI ‘foundation software’ for warehouse robots

ABB Robotics selects T-Robotics and Mbodi as AI startup winners

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ABB Robotics has selected T-Robotics and Mbodi as the winners of its 2024 ABB Robotics AI Startup Challenge, marking what the industrial giant says is “a significant milestone” in advancing artificial intelligence solutions for industrial robotics.

Selected from over 100 global applicants, these pioneering startups will help transform how industrial robots understand, learn, and adapt to complex manufacturing environments through breakthrough artificial intelligence solutions.

Marc Segura, president of ABB Robotics, says: “Today’s manufacturing challenges demand solutions that combine simplicity with sophisticated AI capabilities. [Read more…] about ABB Robotics selects T-Robotics and Mbodi as AI startup winners

The Turing Test: Origins, significance, and controversies

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The Turing Test is a concept deeply embedded in the history and philosophy of artificial intelligence. First proposed in 1950 by Alan Turing, the pioneering British mathematician and logician, the test aims to address a fundamental question: Can machines think?

Or can machines convincingly appear to be thinking in human-like ways in their responses to questions asked by humans? Or, in other words, can a chatbot fool humans into believing it is human? [Read more…] about The Turing Test: Origins, significance, and controversies

Universal Robots unveils its AI Accelerator

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Universal Robots, the Danish collaborative robot (cobot) company, has presented for the first time the UR AI Accelerator – a ready-to-use hardware and software toolkit created to further enable the development of AI-powered cobot applications.

Designed for commercial and research applications, the UR AI Accelerator provides developers with an extensible platform to build applications, accelerate research and reduce time to market of AI products.

The toolkit brings AI acceleration to Universal Robots’ (UR) next-generation software platform PolyScope X and is powered by Nvidia Isaac accelerated libraries and AI models, running on the Nvidia Jetson AGX Orin system-on-module. [Read more…] about Universal Robots unveils its AI Accelerator