Weekend Takeaway: It’s all about AI these days

22 Feb 2019

Man in a suit watching a robot adversary playing a game of chess.

Image: © diablosiatr/Stock.adobe.com

Essential weekend sci-tech reading all about artificial intelligence, delving into how it affects work, music, military and a whole lot more.

AI ethics and the military: A tangled web

US Pentagon. Ministry of Defence in Washington DC, seen from above.

The Pentagon. Image: © icholakov/Stock.adobe.com

With increased discussion around the use of AI by global militaries, how is the ethical conversation evolving?

Should we believe the hype? Media may be warping reality of AI’s powers

Journalist sitting with her back facing the camera while working on a computer in a busy newsroom.

Image: © fedorovekb/Stock.adobe.com

AI appears regularly in the media, but are journalists distorting reality, both intentionally and unintentionally? Colm Gorey investigates.

The future of AI: Why Google is betting big on Africa

Boats on a beach at Cape Coast, Ghana, with cell towers visible in the distance.

Image: © atosan/Stock.adobe.com

The continent of Africa is one of the most diverse and youngest populations in the world. And it is a cradle of promising talent when it comes to AI and machine learning.

AI in the Workplace: Where employment law meets artificial intelligence

Illustration of a computer screen on a desktop displaying a digitised image of the scales of justice.

Image: © phonlamaiphoto/Stock.adobe.com

William Fry’s focus on AI in the workplace discovers the potential for artificial intelligence to help solve some of Ireland’s current employment law issues.

6 companies hiring in AI right now

A little yellow toy robot looking askance against a bright yellow background.

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If you’re interested in forging a career in AI, these firms are all hiring in this area now.

10 AI influencers you should be following on Twitter

A small red toy robot on a tiny toy laptop, looking up AI influencers. There’s a full-size keyboard in the background.

Image: © morita/Stock.adobe.com

Want to expand your knowledge of the AI world? Make sure you’re following these industry leaders on Twitter.

‘I realised machine learning could make my musical dreams come true’

Young blonde woman smiling widely while sitting on a stage step wearing black trousers and a black top.

Tech innovator and singer Dr Maya Ackerman. Image: Shawn Flynn

Tech innovator and singer Dr Maya Ackerman sees AI as the perfect testing ground for music, where people’s creativity can really flourish.

How AI completed Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony No 8

A symphony orchestra on stage playing Schubert's No 8 Unfinished Symphony.

The English Session Orchestra. Image: Huawei

Did neural processing hit the right notes for a lost masterpiece?

How AI and old phones can help to save the rainforests

Young man in an Ireland rugby hoodie on stage at a Google event surrounded by foliage under a large screen.

Rainforest Connection’s Topher White at a Google Making AI event in Amsterdam late last year. Image: John Kennedy

A clever start-up is using AI combined with old smartphones to help combat illegal logging in rainforests, which is contributing to deforestation and carbon emissions.