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Category: robotics/AI

AI and the mysteries of reality

Does AI have the potential to uncover the mysteries of reality, or does it lack the capacity for genuine discovery?

With the 2024 Nobel Prizes for physics and chemistry both awarded for AI-related science, claims that AI will soon make novel scientific breakthroughs on its own are growing louder.

Start-ups are already attempting to create “The AI Scientist,” and researchers at Imperial College argue AI will “usher in a new age of discovery to rival the golden age of the scientific method.” But critics argue the scientific capability of AI remains unknown.

Join computer scientist Roman Yampolskiy, philosopher Steve Fuller, and co-curator of “AI: More than Human” Suzanne Livingston to debate what AI can and can’t do for science.

Tap here to watch now.

The 2024 Nobel Prizes for physics and chemistry were both won for AI-related science, leading some to claim that AI will soon be making novel scientific discoveries on its own. Start-ups are already attempting to create “The AI Scientist,” which will one day “fully automate scientific discovery.” And researchers at Imperial College argue AI will.

Continue reading “AI and the mysteries of reality” | >

Automated AI system flags qubit drift and instability, speeding quantum calibration

NPL, the UK’s National Metrology Institute (NMI), plays a central role in providing accurate and trusted measurement across emerging technology. Within its Institute for Quantum Standards and Technology (IQST), the team is developing methods to characterize and calibrate quantum devices, particularly quantum computing.

As part of a new collaboration, NPL is integrating NVIDIA’s Ising AI tools into its quantum measurement systems to automate key calibration tasks. This approach will help address one of the major challenges facing quantum computing: the need to manage large numbers of qubits, each affected by multiple sources of noise and instability.

Qubit performance is commonly assessed using metrics such as the qubit relaxation time, usually referred to as T1 time, which is a metric for the timescale at which a qubit decays from its excited state to the ground state. These values can fluctuate or drift due to interactions with the environment, requiring frequent checks to ensure reliable operation. Traditionally, such checks are carried out manually by experts.

Monkeys navigate a virtual forest with thought alone, pushing brain-computer interfaces beyond the lab

As a part of a study testing out a new type of implanted brain-computer interface (BCI), three rhesus monkeys controlled movements in a virtual reality (VR) world using only brain signals. The study, published in Science Advances, demonstrates a major step toward practical BCIs that can work outside of lab conditions.

BCIs allow direct communication between the brain and external devices, like a computer or robotic arm. This ability is thought to be extremely valuable for helping people suffering from paralysis to move objects, communicate or complete other tasks. However, there is a gap between lab-based BCI demonstrations and practical, flexible systems for real-world usage.

Previous research has explored intracortical BCIs—those implanted directly into the brain—in monkeys and humans, enabling them to control computer cursors, robotic or prosthetic arms and wheelchairs. Others have restored communication and the function of paralyzed limbs. However, real-world navigation requires adapting to unpredictable events and complex environments, which previous BCIs have struggled with, often requiring overt movement or only working in overly simple settings.

Introducing Claude Opus 4.7

Anthropic also highlighted an improvement in the model’s creative “taste.” It is reportedly better at maintaining aesthetic consistency and professional quality when generating slide decks, interface designs, and enterprise documentation. This capability is so pronounced that market reports noted a temporary dip in the stock prices of traditional design software companies following the announcement.

Claude Opus 4.7 represents a shift from “AI as a chat interface” to “AI as a reliable coworker.” By focusing on autonomous verification and higher vision resolution, Anthropic is signaling that the next phase of LLMs isn’t just about being smarter—it’s about being more trustworthy in the professional “loops” where humans currently spend most of their time supervising.

Anthropic is an AI safety and research company that’s working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems.

Ray Kurzweil: “The Biological Singularity Is Almost Here”

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Are we transcending human biology, or are we engineering our own obsolescence? The Biological Singularity is no longer science fiction. AI systems like AlphaFold 3 and ESM3 are actively rewriting the human source code, turning biology into a programmable engineering discipline. But as we approach the death of aging and the dawn of designer reality, a terrifying question emerges: what happens to the global population when the elite become mathematically and biologically superior? We explore Yuval Noah Harari’s warning of the \.

Is AI Conscious?

Anil Seth is one of most important and influential neuroscientists of consciousness in the present moment. He’s also a great friend. We’ve learnt so much for our public and private interactions. I think this is our fourth public interaction, but it was also the first that was just the two of us. This conversation surprised me and stimulated my thinking for a long time afterwards. There is a small problem I mention in the intro, but I hope you can see past that. Enjoy, and please let me know your thoughts!

Come and see me in discussion with William Lane Craig, Jessica Frazier, and Joe Folley 1st May in the Royal Institution Theatre in London. https://www.thepanpsycast.com/reserve… book “Why? The Purpose of the Universe” is now out in paperback: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Purpose–… Please subscribe and support my public work financially if you’re able. / philipgoffphilosophy.

My book “Why? The Purpose of the Universe” is now out in paperback: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Purpose–…

Please subscribe and support my public work financially if you’re able. / philipgoffphilosophy.

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