Author: The Conversation

New phones are being launched with features enabled by artificial intelligence (AI). The latest of these was Google’s flagship Google Pixel 9 phone. Samsung’s Galaxy S24 phone, released at the beginning of 2024, also features a range of AI-enabled photo editing features. The hidden story behind devices like these is how companies have managed to migrate the processing required for these AI features from the cloud to the device in the palm of your hand. In the Google Pixel 9 phone, a feature called Magic Editor allows users to “re-imagine” their photos using generative AI. What this means in practice is the ability to reposition the…

China-Africa relations have deepened over the past two decades, characterised by increased economic cooperation, investment and infrastructure development. China is now Africa’s largest trading partner, with partnerships focused on building roads, railways and energy projects. As the ninth Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) kicks off this week in Beijing, a new, green theme is shaping their relationship: the global renewable energy race. We asked Lauren Johnston, a development economist with expertise in China-Africa relations, to provide some insights into this development as it positions both regions as key players in the global shift towards green energy. How is the race for green energy shaping relations between…

Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore must have heaved a sigh of relief when they opened the hatch and floated into the International Space Station (ISS) on June 6 2024. It was the first time the Starliner spacecraft they arrived on had ever carried people. Built by aerospace manufacturing giant Boeing, Starliner had become the second commercial spacecraft to carry astronauts to the ISS after the Crew Dragon, built by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX, which has already completed eight crew transportation flights to the orbiting outpost. NASA’s decision more than a decade ago to offload crew transport to private companies like SpaceX and Boeing…

When we read about the lives of people from the ancient past, we naturally want to know what they looked like. But how do we find this out? In recent years, computer-assisted reconstructions of the faces of famous figures from the Greco-Roman world have become popular. In 2020, for example, a digital artist went viral for using artificial intelligence (AI) technology on the busts of Roman emperors to recreate their faces in a photo-realistic way. https://youtu.be/gfqy7ipjDWI How are facial reconstructions done? The simplest form of facial reconstruction involves adding realistic-looking skin, eyes and hair to Greek or Roman busts. Other methods…

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more powerful – even being used in warfare – there’s an urgent need for governments, tech companies and international bodies to ensure it’s safe. And a common thread in most agreements on AI safety is a need for human oversight of the technology. In theory, humans can operate as safeguards against misuse and potential hallucinations (where AI generates incorrect information). This could involve, for example, a human reviewing content that the technology generates (its outputs). However, there are inherent challenges to the idea of humans acting as a effective check on computer systems, as a…

The start of the new English Premier League (EPL) football season is seeing further changes to the way VAR (the video assistant referee) is operated. VAR was introduced to the EPL in 2019 in an attempt to reduce the number of incorrect refereeing decisions, including offsides – but its use is still much criticised. Video replays of refereeing decisions are reviewed in real-time by referees and other officials based in Stockley Park, west London. The advice of these officials and video of the key moment are then fed back to the referee on the pitch, to help ensure the accuracy of their…

Our Sun drives a constant outward flow of plasma, or ionized gas, called the solar wind, which envelops our solar system. Outside of Earth’s protective magnetosphere, the fastest solar wind rushes by at speeds of over 310 miles (500 kilometres) per second. But researchers haven’t been able to figure out how the wind gets enough energy to achieve that speed – until now. Our team of heliophysicists published a paper in August 2024 that points to a new source of energy propelling the solar wind. Solar wind discovery Physicist Eugene Parker predicted the solar wind’s existence in 1958. The Mariner spacecraft, headed to Venus, would confirm its…

Automating food is unlike automating anything else. Food is fundamental to life – nourishing body and soul – so how it’s accessed, prepared and consumed can change societies fundamentally. Automated kitchens aren’t sci-fi visions from “The Jetsons” or “Star Trek.” The technology is real and global. Right now, robots are used to flip burgers, fry chicken, create pizzas, make sushi, prepare salads, serve ramen, bake bread, mix cocktails and much more. AI can invent recipes based on the molecular compatibility of ingredients or whatever a kitchen has in stock. More advanced concepts are being developed to automate the entire kitchen for fine dining. Since technology tends to be expensive at first, the early adopters of AI kitchen technologies are restaurants and…

About one-third of the global population, around 3 billion people, don’t have access to the Internet or have poor connections because of infrastructure limitations, economic disparities and geographic isolation. Today’s satellites and ground-based networks leave communications gaps where, because of geography, setting up traditional ground-based communications equipment would be too expensive. High-altitude platform stations – telecommunications equipment positioned high in the air, on uncrewed balloons, airships, gliders and airplanes – could increase social and economic equality by filling internet connectivity gaps in-ground and satellite coverage. This could allow more people to participate fully in the digital age. One of us, Mohamed-Slim Alouini,…

South Africa is at a pivotal moment in its energy transition: trying to decarbonise its economy (move away from coal) and make sure that everyone has access to reliable and affordable energy. Storage of renewable energy is very important for this transition. Solar and wind power are not available all the time. To keep the national grid stable, renewable energy must be stored somewhere and supplied reliably. The country has already made strides in integrating renewable energy into its power grid through the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme. Since 2010, this has attracted 110 private independent power projects that have invested…