Information School News

How will AI and robots change university life? Dr Andrew Cox How do you think university life will change because of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robots? Photo by  Alex Knight  from  Pexels Might we see: An intelligent tutor that personalizes learning to your needs and monitors your activities rather than check your learning by exams…? A chatbot helping you in your group work…? An app helping you plan your day…? A friendly robot who you are teaching a new language…? A voice assistant advising staff about university regulations..? A robot scientist conducting hundreds of experiments a day in an entirely replicable way…? Software helping a lecturer plan their career…? A robot mentor advising senior staff about unconscious bias…? The library as a living, lifelong learning companion…? These are some of the things that are being imagined as the future of universities with AI and robots. Of course, this is exciting. But it is also in many ways frightening, in terms of priva...

Can robots help tackle loneliness? Dr Dave Cameron It was announced this week that Robots to be used in UK care homes to help reduce loneliness . Dr Dave Cameron gives his thoughts on robots tackling loneliness. Photo by  Alex Knight  from  Pexels What do you make of “companion robots”? Do you think they really could be the solution for curing loneliness in old age? Companion robots have a real potential as a research tool to better understand how people interact with each other and how social interactions progress. Their use in supporting people who are lonely is admirable but a lot of the ground work still needs to be done. I don’t think loneliness in old age could be solved just by using companionship robots. Companion robots may help though: they can provide entertainment, comfort, or distraction from loneliness, similar to other media, but not tackle the issue itself. They can offer a simulation of a relationship but that experience may be closer to the social connec...