Explore Topics:
AIBiotechnologyRoboticsComputingFutureScienceSpaceEnergyTech
Tech

Watch: Where AI Is Today, and Where It’s Going in the Future

Alison E. Berman
May 23, 2017

Share

2016 was a year of headlines in artificial intelligence. A top-selling holiday gift was the AI-powered Amazon Echo; IBM Watson was used to diagnose cancer; and Google DeepMind’s system AlphaGo cracked the ancient and complex Chinese game Go sooner than expected.

And progress continues in 2017.

Neil Jacobstein, faculty chair of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at Singularity University, hit the audience at Singularity University’s Exponential Manufacturing Summit with some of the more significant updates in AI so far this year.

DeepMind, for example, recently outlined a new method called Elastic Weight Consolidation (EWC) to tackle “catastrophic forgetting” in machine learning. The method helps neural networks retain previously learned tasks.

Be Part of the Future

Sign up to receive top stories about groundbreaking technologies and visionary thinkers from SingularityHub.

100% Free. No Spam. Unsubscribe any time.


And a project out of Newcastle University is using a convolutional neural network to teach a robotic hand abstract grasping patterns. Once hooked up to their system, the robotic hand is able to uniquely approach and pick up different objects, like a can or a box. (Think about the impact this technology may have on assembly lines.)

These are just two of a number of developments and advances moving AI ahead in 2017.

For those worried AI has become overhyped, we sat down with Jacobstein after his talk to hear firsthand about progress in the field of AI, the practical applications of the technology that he’s most excited about, and how we can prepare society for a future of AI.

Image Source: Shutterstock

Alison tells the stories of purpose-driven leaders and is fascinated by various intersections of technology and society. When not keeping a finger on the pulse of all things Singularity University, you'll likely find Alison in the woods sipping coffee and reading philosophy (new book recommendations are welcome).

Related Articles

Yellow and orange helical strands that look like DNA

Google’s Genome Atlas Predicts the Effect of Every Possible DNA Mutation

Shelly Fan
Workers in a modern office space on laptops and walking

The Real AI Disruption Isn’t the Technology. It’s the Company.

Singularity
Two fluids, dark blue and orange, intertwining on a black background

OpenAI Claims Another Huge Mathematical Result Amid Fights Over Credit, Ethics, and Privacy

Andrew Cullen
Yellow and orange helical strands that look like DNA
Biotechnology

Google’s Genome Atlas Predicts the Effect of Every Possible DNA Mutation

Shelly Fan
Workers in a modern office space on laptops and walking
Tech

The Real AI Disruption Isn’t the Technology. It’s the Company.

Singularity
Two fluids, dark blue and orange, intertwining on a black background
Artificial Intelligence

OpenAI Claims Another Huge Mathematical Result Amid Fights Over Credit, Ethics, and Privacy

Andrew Cullen

What we’re reading

Be Part of the Future

Sign up to receive top stories about groundbreaking technologies and visionary thinkers from SingularityHub.

100% Free. No Spam. Unsubscribe any time.

SingularityHub chronicles the technological frontier with coverage of the breakthroughs, players, and issues shaping the future.

Follow Us On Social

About

  • About Hub
  • About Singularity

Get in Touch

  • Contact Us
  • Pitch Us
  • Brand Partnerships

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
© 2026 Singularity