TRENDING SCIENCE: From AI to happiness, 2023 in CORDIS science
By January, the AI tool ChatGPT had become the fastest-growing consumer software application in history. Its unprecedented and powerful capabilities started blowing people away. But it also caused a huge firestorm.
Beware the smart machines
Little did we know that ChatGPT would be a springboard to a conversation around AI throughout the year. This column was no exception. Doom and gloom soon surfaced. It didn’t help matters that the ‘Godfather of AI’ quit Google over concerns about AI. Then we started asking practical questions: Can we detect human-written and machine-generated text? Can we distinguish between a face created by AI and a photo of a real human? We even concerned ourselves with some not-so-practical matters, too, such as if AI can help us figure out if we’re alone in the universe. Surely humour can’t be reduced to an algorithm, can it? Will AI get the last laugh?
Work wonders
People are returning to workplaces in a post-COVID world. How long it takes to get to the office may have negative health effects. There are some surprising and unexpected ways to become a more productive employee and to manage emotions in a work environment. The merits of a 4-day workweek continue to be debated. Robots are here to help out with manual labour. Enter Apollo, a humanoid robot that will make life easier for workers in the logistics and manufacturing industries. In the future, robots will also be waiting for us at home after a hard day’s work. We could just kick up our feet and relax because they’ll have done the cooking, cleaning and other household chores. We all seek happiness. But at what age are we the happiest? Science’s answer is bound to make us happy! In the meantime, greet neighbours, be happy. Speaking of happiness, Happy New Year!