Teaching kids how to work with robots
If you want your preschooler to grow up with a healthy attitude toward artificial intelligence, here’s a tip: Don’t call that cute talking robot “he” or “she.” Call the robot “it.” Today’s small children, aka Generation Alpha, are the first to grow up with robots as peers. Those winsome talking devices spawned by a booming…
AI beats out humans at writing in writing ad copy
Chase says that ads created by Persado’s machine learning performed better than ads written by humans, with a higher percent of consumers clicking on them—more than twice as many in some cases. The difference can be as simple as what word choice resonates with consumers. One digital ad written by humans read, “Access cash from the equity…
Robots are good at writing dry, technical, textbooks
Academic publisher Springer Nature has unveiled what it claims is the first research book generated using machine learning. The book, titled Lithium-Ion Batteries: A Machine-Generated Summary of Current Research, isn’t exactly a snappy read. Instead, as the name suggests, it’s a summary of peer-reviewed papers published on the topic in question. It includes quotations, hyperlinks to the…
I don’t think we’re ready for robo-grading of essays
But now, machines are also grading students’ essays. Computers are scoring long form answers on anything from the fall of the Roman Empire, to the pros and cons of government regulations. Developers of so-called “robo-graders” say they understand why many students and teachers would be skeptical of the idea. But they insist, with computers…
Introducing kids to coding with robots
This article isn’t about coding, it’s about teaching kids how to think and solve problems in a structured manner. 6 years ago, Netscape pioneer Marc Andreesen published an essay in the Wall Street Journal titled “Why Software is Eating the World.” This article is now nearly 6 years old, which shows that even 6 years…
Resistance to automation is holding back a higher standard of living in the US
The onslaught of robots and automation on all sorts of careers is a topic I’ve talked about previously. I believe as educators we need to be aware of the world our students will be inheriting. But one journalist doesn’t believe automation is happening fast enough. Baffling because it’s starkly at odds with the evidence, and…
Can you identify jobs that won’t be done by robots?
A robot has just moved into the cubicle next to you, and you’re wondering whether it will soon take your place. Experts say humans are better at jobs that require empathy, creativity or physical dexterity than our robot competitors. For instance, in the graphs above, empathetic nurses, creative CEOs and dextrous tree pruners are all on…
No programming required to teach these robots simple tasks
Scientists have developed a new system that allows people with no coding experience to teach robots simple tasks, such as grabbing an object and dropping it into a bucket. The system aims to mimic how humans learn, and even allows robots to teach what they’ve learned to other robots. That could allow machines to one…