New Scientist Instant Expert: Artificial Intelligence

Like it or not, artificial intelligence is starting to impact your life. Machines that have learned how to perform a task - or a huge range of tasks - better than humans are proving to be an invaluable resource. AI is now assisting with your online shopping, answering your questions in virtual call centres, routing your deliveries, diagnosing disease from your medical scans, finding you a taxi and much more. Soon it may be driving your car and helping out around your home.
Eventually, though, these machines may become more than mere servants. We could end up sharing the world with our AI creations, machines who relish their own existence, accumulate memories and experience their own set of emotions. We have embarked on an astonishing journey, and we still don’t know where it will lead.
Some see this as a coming utopia; others as an impending disaster. Whatever the truth, we will soon have difficult choices to make. Do we let AI make decisions about firing weapons? Is it ok to let AI put people out of work? How far should we go in developing intelligent machines - should we aim to equip them with feelings and a sense of self?
Join our speakers on a journey through the fascinating world of AI and give your own intelligence an instant upgrade.