MIT researchers trained AI to write horror stories based on 140,000 Reddit posts

Not ready for prime time yet, but it's getting there:

https://qz.com/1115179/mit-used-data-from-reddit-to-train-an-ai-to-tell-horror-stories/

Scientists break new ground in memory technology

Impressive: "a novel thin, organic film that supports a million more times read-write cycles and consumes 1,000 times less power than commercial flash memories" and "the researchers are also looking at fabricating multi-state memories to produce neuromorphic memory devices (that resemble the brain) for artificial intelligence (AI) applications":

https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news/newsid=48404.php

Amazon Is Quietly Building the Robots of Sci-Fi—Piece by Practical Piece

Amazon is uniquely positioned to build the kinds of robots we REALLY want:

https://singularityhub.com/2017/10/29/amazon-is-quietly-building-the-robots-of-sci-fi-piece-by-practical-piece/

The Real Story of Automation Beginning with One Simple Chart

A good look at the statistics behind trends in automation and its effects on economics:

https://medium.com/basic-income/the-real-story-of-automation-beginning-with-one-simple-chart-8b95f9bad71b

Technology That Sucks CO2 From Ambient Air is Already Used Commercially in Switzerland and Iceland

This needs to scale, but it's a brilliant solution (at least until we have advanced nanotech to do the job even more efficiently and larger scale):

http://bigthink.com/design-for-good/technology-that-sucks-co2-from-ambient-air-is-already-used-commercially-in-switzerland-and-iceland

Researchers watch video images people are seeing, decoded from their fMRI brain scans in near-real-time

Here comes mind reading:

http://www.kurzweilai.net/researchers-watch-video-images-people-are-seeing-decoded-from-their-fmri-brain-scans-in-near-real-time

Solar power crushes its own record for cheapest electricity ‘ever, anywhere, by any technology’

Wow: "The lowest price for solar power last year is the highest price now." That's not for the US, but still...

https://thinkprogress.org/stunner-lowest-price-solar-power-f3b620d04010/

DARPA’s New Brain Device Increases Learning Speed by 40%

"Advancements in technology seem to be bringing us closer to a future in which quickly leveling-up intelligence is a real possibility." Leveling-up. Hah!

https://futurism.com/darpas-new-brain-device-increases-learning-speed-by-40/

Daimler, Parent Company of Mercedes, Unveils an Electric Truck Ahead of Tesla

First electric truck:

https://futurism.com/daimler-parent-company-of-mercedes-unveils-an-electric-truck-ahead-of-tesla/

IBM scientists say radical new ‘in-memory’ computing architecture will speed up computers by 200 times

200 times? Wowsers:

http://www.kurzweilai.net/ibm-scientists-say-radical-new-in-memory-computing-architecture-will-speed-up-computers-by-200-times

Scientists Want to Create a Universe in a Lab, And They Actually Could

So much for the necessity of God:

https://futurism.com/scientists-may-create-universe-actually-could/

Is Technology Really Going to Destroy More Jobs Than Ever Before?

Another person missing the point that history isn't a guide to job loss from automation when the automation in question is the development of artificial intelligence more capable than any human:

https://futurism.com/technology-destroy-jobs/

AlphaGo Zero trains itself to be most powerful Go player in the world

Alpha-Go just keeps on getting smarter:

http://www.kurzweilai.net/alphago-zero-trains-itself-to-be-most-powerful-go-player-in-the-world

Armed Ground Robots to Fight in the Ukrainian Conflict, Ushering in a New Age of Warfare

It's happening whether we want it or not:

http://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/robot-wars-are-here-as-ukraine-plans-to-use-them-against-russia

There’s No Fire Alarm for Artificial General Intelligence

A long article, but has some interesting insights about how badly people can underestimate how quickly new technologies can arrive:

https://intelligence.org/2017/10/13/fire-alarm/

Nanoelectronics breakthrough could lead to more efficient quantum devices

https://nano-magazine.com/news/2017/10/18/nanoelectronics-breakthrough-could-lead-to-more-efficient-quantum-devices/

New Simple Device Uses Sound Waves to Store Quantum Information

You think computers are too noisy now?

https://scitechdaily.com/new-simple-device-uses-sound-waves-to-store-quantum-information/

Controlled by a synthetic gene circuit, self-assembling bacteria build working electronic sensors

Self-healing materials. I like it:

http://www.kurzweilai.net/controlled-by-a-synthetic-gene-circuit-self-assembling-bacteria-build-working-electronic-sensors

Robotic Farm Completes 1st Fully Autonomous Harvest

This is one of those images of "the future" that is now arriving:

https://www.livescience.com/60567-robotically-tended-farm-completes-first-harvest.html

A long interview with Ray Kurzweil from 1999

He notes that there will be more technological change by 2020 than there was in the entire 20th century. It doesn't feel that way...but perhaps it's true:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97c2ezJ_1U8&feature=youtu.be

“Skyrmions” Could Provide a Way to Bypass the Limits to Moore’s Law

https://scitechdaily.com/skyrmions-could-provide-a-way-to-bypass-the-limits-to-moores-law/

How AI Learned to Bluff and Beat Humans at Poker

A.I. beats yet another master player at yet another game, this time learning how to capitalize on the weaknesses of its human opponents:

http://bigthink.com/david-ryan-polgar/poker-is-harder-for-ai-to-master-than-chess-ai-has-now-learned-to-bluff-and-beat-humans

The World’s 1st Molecular Robot Has Just Been Created by UK Scientists

http://bigthink.com/philip-perry/the-worlds-1st-molecular-robot-has-been-created-by-uk-scientists

It's worth watching the Michio Kaku video. He postulates that mature nanotech may be 100 years out, but that's likely highly pessimistic.

Daddy's Car: a song composed by Artificial Intelligence - in the style of the Beatles

This is over a year old, but it shows how artificial intelligence can create music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSHZ_b05W7o

Not my favorite pieces, but it would not be too out of place on the radio.

The Coming Creativity Explosion Belongs to the Machines

Why should creativity be any different from other forms of intelligence?

https://singularityhub.com/2017/10/01/the-coming-creativity-explosion-will-belong-to-the-machines

Artificial Intelligence Is Our Future. But Will It Save Or Destroy Humanity?

Different views on our future with A.I.:

https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence-is-our-future-but-will-it-save-or-destroy-humanity/

New Data Shows Progress in Fight Against Climate Change

Total emissions need to go substantially negative, but this is a good sign:

https://futurism.com/new-data-shows-progress-in-fight-against-climate-change/

Researchers Develop Regenerative Medicine Breakthrough

Watch the video. This sounds like pure science fiction:

https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/mediaroom/pressreleaselisting/researchers-develop-regenerative-medicine-breakthrough

This New 'Perfect' Battery Has Experts Stumped

Could be too good to be true, but...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAg_8iCLIIw&feature=youtu.be

Intel Jumps Into Brain-Like Computing With New Self-Learning Chip

"Once complete, it will feature 130,000 neurons and 130 million synaptic connections split between 128 computing cores. The device will be 1,000 times more energy-efficient than standard approaches, according to Mayberry, but more impressive are claims the chip will be capable of continuous learning."

https://singularityhub.com/2017/09/29/intels-new-brain-like-chip-will-learn-on-the-fly/

Go Anywhere On Earth In Under An Hour For The Price Of An Economy Air Ticket

Apart from the technical feasibility, I wonder about the energy usage and environmental cost:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/elon-musk-bfr-travel_us_59cddc0ae4b05f005d33550a

Is the Whole Brain Inside a Big, Previously Unnoticed Neuron?

Something else to try reproducing with computer technology:

http://bigthink.com/robby-berman/is-the-whole-brain-inside-a-big-previously-unnoticed-neuron

How Close Is Turing’s Dream of Conversational Machines?

https://singularityhub.com/2017/09/27/how-close-is-turings-dream-of-conversational-machines/

Researchers Develop Wearable Solar Thermoelectric Generator

https://nano-magazine.com/news/2017/9/27/researchers-develop-wearable-solar-thermoelectric-generator/

EasyJet says it could be flying electric planes within a decade

I'll bet they have switchable batteries:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/sep/27/easyjet-electric-planes-wright-electric-flights

Dyson to make electric cars from 2020

Yet another hat in the ring. No details yet, though. But if they make the car like their vacuums, it'll really suck!

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-41399497

Liz Parrish Is Patient Zero in Her Own Anti-Aging Experiment

She's putting her money where her mouth is, and I look forward to seeing the results:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2016/04/29/liz-parrish-is-an-ceo-and-patient-zero/#.WcwECGhSwaY

Dubai Says They Successfully Tested the First Autonomous Flying Taxi

https://futurism.com/dubai-says-they-successfully-tested-the-first-autonomous-flying-taxi/

New Simple Device Uses Sound Waves to Store Quantum Information

Gettin' weirder:

https://scitechdaily.com/new-simple-device-uses-sound-waves-to-store-quantum-information/

Researchers Claim They Just Invented The “Ultimate” Method for Quantum Computing

If increasing the number of cubits exponentially increases the processing power, then this would be insane:

https://futurism.com/researchers-claim-they-just-invented-the-ultimate-method-for-quantum-computing/

One of China’s Supercomputers Has Nearly Doubled its Power

I don't like China being in the lead on this:

https://futurism.com/one-of-chinas-supercomputers-has-nearly-doubled-its-power/

Physicists Just Quantum Teleported Complex Light Patterns For The First Time

https://futurism.com/physicists-just-quantum-teleported-complex-light-patterns-for-the-first-time/

This Robot Can be Controlled from Thousands of Miles Away

Waldos are growing up! I'm surprised the system doesn't use a glove to match hand motions exactly, though. But it's clear that this is how Russia is going to attack Germany remotely:

https://futurism.com/videos/this-robot-can-be-controlled-from-thousands-of-miles-away/

A Chinese Robot Has Performed the World's First Automated Dental Implant

And so goes the beginning of the end of the surgeon:

http://time.com/4952886/china-world-first-dental-surgery-robot-implant/

Nina Unlocked: A Robot Assassin Goes on a Quest of Self-Discovery

An interesting A.I. robot assassin interview story (low budget yet with some excellent F/X. Well, one):

https://youtu.be/jgfzlc6ymKU

Scientists remove one of the final barriers to making lifelike robots

Three times stronger than human muscle:

http://www.kurzweilai.net/scientists-remove-one-of-the-final-barriers-to-making-lifelike-robots

World's first 'molecular robot' capable of building molecules

Here we go!

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170920131744.htm

New system allows near-zero-power sensors to communicate data over long distances

http://www.kurzweilai.net/new-system-allows-near-zero-power-sensors-to-communicate-data-over-long-distances

Imagine how great universities could be without all those human teachers

https://qz.com/1065818/ai-university/

Researchers charge the energy landscape with novel device

Bonus: This is an energy generating device that improves with use:

https://nano-magazine.com/news/2017/9/20/researchers-charge-the-energy-landscape-with-novel-device/

Scientists Demonstrate Efficient, Light-Powered Production of Fuel via Artificial Photosynthesis

This not only creates fuel, but reduces CO2 levels as well (although I've no idea whether it's enough to have an effect):

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-demonstrate-efficient-light-powered-production-of-fuel-via-artificial-photosynthesis/

A Material That Throws Heat into Space Could Soon Reinvent Air-Conditioning

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/608840/a-material-that-throws-heat-into-space-could-soon-reinvent-air-conditioning/

China Signed a $300 Million Lab-Grown Meat Deal with Israel

Freedom of consumption for ethical eaters:

https://futurism.com/china-signed-a-300-million-lab-grown-meat-deal-with-israel/

Tesla intentionally makes some of its cars worse, and it’s good for everybody

Maybe it's good overall...but I would feel cheated regardless:

https://qz.com/1074721/tesla-intentionally-makes-some-of-their-cars-worse-and-its-good-for-everybody/?mc_cid=8b782b7097&mc_eid=c4215c6c8c

Walking DNA nanorobot could deliver a drug to a precise location in your body

http://www.kurzweilai.net/walking-dna-nanorobot-could-deliver-a-drug-to-a-precise-location-in-your-body

‘Cellular Time Machine’ Slows Aging, Extends Lifespan

https://scitechdaily.com/cellular-time-machine-slows-aging-extends-lifespan/

Solar Energy Just Cleared a Pricing Target Set for 2020

Nice!

https://futurism.com/solar-energy-just-cleared-a-pricing-target-set-for-2020/

Robots will become smarter than humans by 2029, says HP Chief Technology Officer Shane Wall

http://www.financialexpress.com/industry/robots-will-become-smarter-than-humans-by-2029-says-hp-chief-technology-officer-shane-wall/852746/

Solar Power Is Getting Cheaper—But How Do We Overcome Its Limits?

https://singularityhub.com/2017/09/14/solar-power-is-getting-cheaper-but-how-do-we-overcome-its-limits

FDA Breaks New Ground With First Approved Gene Therapy for Cancer

Expensive, but those costs will come down:

https://singularityhub.com/2017/09/13/fda-breaks-new-ground-with-first-approved-gene-therapy-for-cancer/

With Revolutionary Battery Tech, We Can Shift Global Energy To Renewables, Says Bill Joy

If this is actually as functional and efficient as this says it is, the game will change very soon:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/new-battery-technology_us_59aea591e4b0dfaafcf28e20

The First Track of the First Album Composed and Produced by AI

It's going to throw a lot of people for a loop when A.I. starts writing music that's better than anything humans can do (and it will happen eventually), since music is about evoking emotion, something that's supposed to be uniquely human:

http://bigthink.com/robby-berman/the-first-track-of-the-first-album-composed-and-produced-by-ai

New AI can guess whether you're gay or straight from a photograph

A.I. now has better gaydar than humans:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/07/new-artificial-intelligence-can-tell-whether-youre-gay-or-straight-from-a-photograph

I ran pictures of you guys through the system, and it turns out you're all gay. Not surprising, since you were all smiling....

Texas Wind Turbines Went Right on Turning Under Harvey’s Impact, as Refineries Shut Down

Another reason to push for alternative energy sources:

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/09/03/texas-wind-turbines-went-right-turning-under-harveys-impact-refineries-shut-down

IBM Just Committed $240 Million to the Future of Artificial Intelligence

Good to see:

https://futurism.com/ibm-just-committed-240-million-to-the-future-of-artificial-intelligence/

Engineers Develop a Radical New Architecture for Quantum Computing

https://scitechdaily.com/engineers-develop-a-radical-new-architecture-for-quantum-computing/

Here's When Machines Will Take Your Job, as Predicted by AI Gurus

Better save up for retirement!

http://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/heres-when-machines-will-take-your-job-predict-ai-gurus

A single-molecule room-temperature transistor made from 14 atoms

http://www.kurzweilai.net/a-single-molecule-room-temperature-transistor-made-from-14-atoms

China Is Making a 2,500mph "Flying Train" to Compete With Elon Musk's Hyperloops

This would blow the hyperloop out of the water, assuming it's viable:

http://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/china-is-making-a-flying-train-that-can-go-2500-mph-to-compete-with-hyperloops

We May Have Just Uncovered a Serious Problem With How AI “See”

One more problem with driverless cars (for now):

https://futurism.com/we-may-have-just-uncovered-a-serious-problem-with-how-ai-see/

Stop signs can be recognized not just by the word, but also the shape and color. Understanding context is critical; if someone stuck a stop sign out a car window on the freeway, that could cause an instant disaster.

AI is Developing Faster than Experts Imagined. Do We Need a Speed Limit?

https://futurism.com/ai-is-developing-faster-than-experts-imagined-do-we-need-a-speed-limit/

New Report Claims UBI Would Grow the U.S. Economy by $2.5 Trillion

It's hard to see how it could grow the economy, especially this much, but here you go:

https://futurism.com/new-report-claims-ubi-would-grow-the-u-s-economy-by-2-5-trillion/

A Bionic Lens Undergoing Clinical Trials Could Give You Superhuman Abilities In Two Years

Seriously want! This is possibly the first "real" bionic device (in that it improves function with no downsides):

http://bigthink.com/design-for-good/a-bionic-lens-undergoing-clinical-trials-could-give-you-superhuman-abilities-in-two-years

That video is long, but it describes the eye integrating with the digital world.

Why We Should Really Stop Trying to Contact Aliens

A depressing but reasonable assessment:

http://bigthink.com/robby-berman/why-we-should-really-stop-trying-to-contact-aliens

New Electric Body Board Hits Speeds of up to 20 Mph

Want!

https://futurism.com/videos/new-electric-body-board-hits-speeds-of-up-to-20-mph/

More details:

http://newatlas.com/jet-powered-kymera-body-board-first-ride/43919/

Watch Elon Musk’s Hyperloop “Pusher Pod” Set a New Speed Record

I still don't think a hyperloop would be feasible for a number of reasons (maintaining a vacuum over long distances and vulnerability to terrorism and accidents being two of the biggest issues), but there is some useful research coming out of it:

https://futurism.com/watch-elon-musks-hyperloop-pusher-pod-set-a-new-speed-record/

Silk Spun by Graphene-Fed Spiders Is One of the Strongest Materials on Earth

Now THIS is "biotechnology":

https://futurism.com/silk-spun-by-graphene-fed-spiders-is-one-of-the-strongest-materials-on-earth/

Nanomachines that drill into cancer cells killing them in just 60 seconds developed by scientists

Very cool potential:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/nanomachines-drill-cancer-cells-killing-172442363.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=fb

We May Finally Have a Way to Cheaply Manufacture Pure Graphene

https://futurism.com/we-may-finally-have-a-way-to-cheaply-manufacture-pure-graphene/

More Renewable Power is Entering Our Grids, Making Clean Driving Even Cleaner

https://futurism.com/more-renewable-power-is-entering-our-grids-making-clean-driving-even-cleaner/

Major leap towards storing data at the molecular level

Great! Apart from that bit about the required temperature being lower than liquid Nitrogen...

https://nano-magazine.com/news/2017/8/25/major-leap-towards-storing-data-at-the-molecular-level/

One Class of Jobs That Even the Most Sophisticated AI Can't Replace

I think this guy is WAY too optimistic about the jobs he says A.I. won't be able to replace. Even non-sentient A.I. should be able to use enough social observation to learn what to say and how to act to eventually replace humans in social fields:

http://bigthink.com/videos/andrew-mcafee-one-class-of-jobs-that-even-the-most-sophisticated-ai-cant-replace

Neuralink and the Brain’s Magical Future

Way too long an article, but an interesting deep dive into A.I.:

https://waitbutwhy.com/2017/04/neuralink.html

New Mini-Antennae Could Pave the Way for Brain-Computer Interfaces

https://futurism.com/new-mini-antennae-could-pave-the-way-for-brain-computer-interfaces/

Why People May Have Pig Organs Inside Them One Day

Pig organs could become superior to human organs, allowing for enhanced humans:

http://time.com/4910657/why-people-may-have-pig-organs-inside-them-one-day/

Sucks for the pigs, though.

MIT Researchers Have Discovered a Way to Increase Nuclear Fusion’s Energy Output

Energy output is 10x higher? But weren't they already close to energy input-output parity? Surely this would put it way over the top:

https://futurism.com/mit-researchers-have-discovered-a-way-to-increase-nuclear-fusions-energy-output/

Microsoft’s Speech Recognition is Now as Good as a Human Transcriber

The days of the professional translator are numbered (yes, I'm looking at you, Piglit):

https://futurism.com/microsofts-speech-recognition-is-now-as-good-as-a-human-transcriber/

Elon Musk’s Research Venture Has Trained AI To Teach Itself

And this is how the technological singularity is supposed to start:

https://futurism.com/elon-musks-research-venture-has-trained-ai-to-teach-itself/

A breakthrough new method for 3D-printing living tissues

http://www.kurzweilai.net/a-breakthrough-new-method-for-3d-printing-living-tissues

The future of warfare is just drones strapped with machine guns

Of course this was coming:

https://qz.com/1058726/the-future-of-warfare-is-just-drones-strapped-with-machine-guns/

New Wind Energy Study Aims to Break Transmission Barriers

http://www.triplepundit.com/2016/10/new-wind-energy-study-aims-break-transmission-barriers/

The Wireless Charging of Moving Electric Vehicles Just Overcame A Major Hurdle

https://futurism.com/the-wireless-charging-of-moving-electric-vehicles-just-overcame-a-major-hurdle/

CRISPR Co-Discoverer: “I’ve Never Seen Science Move at the Pace It’s Moving Now”

https://futurism.com/crispr-co-discoverer-ive-never-seen-science-move-at-the-pace-its-moving-now/

The “Quantum Internet” Is Just a Decade Away. Here’s What You Need to Know.

Again, not too keen on the Chinese being at the forefront of this:

https://futurism.com/the-quantum-internet-is-just-a-decade-away-heres-what-you-need-to-know/

New Tech Is Giving Humanity Many Potential Paths to Immortality

Well, a few:

https://futurism.com/new-tech-is-giving-humanity-many-potential-paths-to-immortality/

These 7 Forces Are Changing the World at an Extraordinary Rate

https://singularityhub.com/2017/08/16/why-the-world-is-getting-better-at-an-extraordinary-rate/

One of the biggest criticisms against wind and solar energy has been quashed

https://qz.com/1054992/renewable-subsidies-are-already-paying-for-themselves/?mc_cid=0cb73c29b6&mc_eid=c4215c6c8c

Automation may take our jobs—but it’ll restore our humanity

I think this guy completely misses the boat on his assessment:

https://qz.com/1054034/automation-may-take-our-jobs-but-itll-restore-our-humanity/

He seems to think that because artificial intelligence can't beat us NOW in creativity and other human-exclusive mental traits, there will always be places for human minds to succeed better than A.I. But A.I. is not going to stop advancing. At some point (soon) it will improve on EVERY aspect of human intelligence...and then there will be no place for the human mind to excel.

Investment Bank Report Predicts the Cost of Electric Vehicles Will Match Regular Cars by 2018

https://futurism.com/investment-bank-report-predicts-the-cost-of-electric-vehicles-will-match-regular-cars-by-2018/

Toyota Just Patented a “Cloaking Device”

https://futurism.com/toyota-just-patented-a-cloaking-device/