Quantum Revolution & Advanced AI
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Quantum Revolution & Advanced AI

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Scientific Platform

Quantum Revolution & Advanced AI

Whether through data mining for machine learning, physics-based processing with quantum computers, copying biological information-handling, creating intelligent robots or augmenting our experience of reality, this is a time of upheaval. These innovations require attention if they are to be developed and deployed in ways that serve humanity, society and our planet. In this section, we anticipate, explain and explore the various ways in which advances in novel information technologies may evolve and impact our world.
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Emerging Topic

Advanced AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) aims to produce intelligence using algorithms and machines. This means, in particular, machines that are able to behave in ways we associate with human activity: perceiving and analysing our environment, taking decisions, communicating and learning. AI systems have achieved some impressive milestones in the last decade, and could prove disruptive to societal norms in the near future.
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Emerging Topic

Quantum Computing

When information is stored in the physical states of objects whose behaviour is governed by the laws of quantum physics, new and powerful forms of information processing become possible. Suitably realised and managed, this creates novel computational capabilities that have the potential to significantly impact sectors as diverse as finance, materials science, cryptography and drug discovery.
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Emerging Topic

Unconventional Computing

Research is now looking to widen the scope of information processing to explore the potential of a range of approaches. Unconventional computing might harness biological innovations honed through millions of years of evolution, for instance. If researchers can achieve even a fraction of the energy efficiency and processing power of the human brain, we will have unleashed an extraordinary new era of computing. Other novel possibilities arise from the biological processing power of organoids and cellular material, which may be a route to more efficient environmental sensing, remediation of pollution and medical diagnosis. The properties of photons — the particle form of light – are also redefining information processing’s possibilities, offering radical new computing applications.
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Emerging Topic

Robotics and Embodied Intelligence

The speedup of digital communications, combined with developments in hardware and software, means that we can now receive real-time data and sensory experiences that enhance our normal interaction with our environment. Such overlays of augmented reality are already being used to train people in virtual work environments and to improve certain leisure activities, such as online gaming. Companies such as Apple and Meta are committing resources to improving the offering: as the technology progresses, the hardware — such as glasses that provide a view of information about our surroundings and the objects within them — will become ever more ubiquitous. Augmented reality is likely to change the nature of our daily interactions with other people and with our surroundings, and even the way we switch between the real world and virtual environments such as the metaverse.
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Emerging Topic

Augmented Reality

People’s digital experiences have become a central part of their daily lives thanks to the advent of personal computers, smartphones and social media. Now real and virtual worlds are poised to become even more tightly enmeshed as augmented reality (AR) technology advances.
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Emerging Topic

Collective Intelligence

The field of Collective Intelligence (CI) is founded on the principle that when people come together to solve problems, the sum can be greater than its parts. It aims to improve understanding of the dynamics underpinning human collaboration and to enhance and guide these processes to tackle the world’s biggest challenges.