https://techxplore.com/rss-feed/machine-learning-ai-news/ en-us The latest news on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning It's now a common experience to receive an AI-generated email that's robotic and hollow, or get a stream of useless chatbot responses when you just need some help from customer service. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-sea-hype-ai-nothingburgers-dont.html Machine learning & AI Thu, 28 May 2026 11:40:07 EDT news699186062 Cyborg insects have long been studied as bio-hybrid systems that combine living organisms with small electronic devices. These systems may one day support tasks such as disaster search and rescue, environmental monitoring, and sensing in spaces too small or dangerous for conventional robots. However, most existing systems control insects based mainly on externally visible behavior, such as whether the insect is walking or stopping. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ai-insect-body-cyborg-cockroaches.html Robotics Thu, 28 May 2026 11:40:01 EDT news699186781 Humans have evolved to be able to link intentions to emotions or physical actions. This is why we may approach someone with open arms but flee if someone approaches using threatening body language. While AI can accurately identify emotions, it struggles to derive intention from them. A research group, with the help of performers from Japan and Taiwan, has helped facilitate a means to bridge this gap. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-friend-foe-gap-human-ai.html Machine learning & AI Thu, 28 May 2026 09:32:26 EDT news699179457 The most prominent figures in artificial intelligence are stepping back from dire predictions about mass unemployment, as the industry faces growing public hostility over AI's promised transformation of the workplace. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ai-chiefs-job-apocalypse.html Machine learning & AI Thu, 28 May 2026 05:30:01 EDT news699162863 Have you applied for a new job? If you've been shortlisted, get ready to be interviewed by artificial intelligence. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-job-ai-bot.html Machine learning & AI Thu, 28 May 2026 05:10:06 EDT news699162749 A research team at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has deployed AI agents with the potential to accelerate the recovery of critical minerals from real-world industrial waste in days instead of the months or years required for manual experimentation. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ai-high-yield-recovery-critical.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 28 May 2026 04:30:10 EDT news699161373 Can an artificial intelligence tool, such as a chatbot, be held responsible if people committed crimes based on information they got from the tool? Should chatbots, which are programmed to closely mimic human thought patterns and are increasingly treated as companions, be subject to legal checks that acknowledge those tools' developing independence or autonomy? https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ai-lawyers-creative.html Machine learning & AI Wed, 27 May 2026 18:00:02 EDT news699092721 Technology now allows the creation of increasingly realistic AI agents. Human-like AI agents—such as the digital characters that appear as virtual assistants, game characters, and the increasingly lifelike "metahumans" used in film and interactive media—can look remarkably realistic, but their facial behavior during conversation remains stiff and generic. A doctoral thesis defended at Tallinn University has addressed this gap by building a system that enables an AI agent to both interpret and generate facial expressions. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-technology-ai-agents-people-facial.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 27 May 2026 15:00:05 EDT news699111781 New research from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, has significant implications for understanding both human language development and the behavior of large-scale artificial intelligence language models. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-childlike-ai-uncovers-language-generations.html Computer Sciences Wed, 27 May 2026 14:40:05 EDT news699111121 Every second, the data behind billions of emails, TikTok videos and AI queries travels around the world as pulses of light through fiber-optic networks. Along the way, these signals pass through tiny components that act as channels for light: photonic chips. These devices don't just carry signals—they direct and combine them, ensuring information moves efficiently across complex networks. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-photonic-chips-ai-networks-aligning.html Hi Tech & Innovation Wed, 27 May 2026 14:00:12 EDT news699089281 Symmetry is everywhere in nature, from the bilateral form of vertebrates to the radial geometry of starfish. For decades, roboticists have tried to copy these shapes and their abilities with bodies that look like humans, dogs or insects. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-sea-urchin-strange-legged-machine.html Robotics Wed, 27 May 2026 14:00:10 EDT news699025870 Surveys and polls help societies understand what people think about issues in politics, health, education and much more. But fewer people these days tend to respond, so pollsters have to reach out more widely, which raises costs considerably. One survey provider prices a 10-minute survey of 1,000 people in the tens of thousands of dollars. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ai-humans-surveys-simulated-opinions.html Machine learning & AI Wed, 27 May 2026 12:40:02 EDT news699103563 As artificial intelligence systems become increasingly sophisticated, questions once confined to philosophy are rapidly entering mainstream scientific and public debate: Can AI possess consciousness? Could animals, organoids, or even fetuses have subjective experiences? https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ai-conscious-rigorous-scientific-standards.html Hi Tech & Innovation Wed, 27 May 2026 10:00:42 EDT news699092821 When people watch a scene in the film "Jurassic Park" where a giant dinosaur walks toward them, they naturally imagine a heavy, rumbling sound, as if the ground were shaking. This is because humans predict sound by considering not only the shape of an object, but also physical properties such as its size, weight, and speed of movement. However, existing video-to-audio generation AI mainly generates sound based on the category of objects or scene information in the video, and has not sufficiently reflected physical properties that vary depending on weight or speed. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-physics-aware-ai-generates-realistic.html Computer Sciences Wed, 27 May 2026 09:40:03 EDT news699091982 For decades, the idea that artificial intelligence can beat humans at number-crunching tasks like high-frequency trading has been widely accepted. But strategic foresight—the ability to predict the success of high-stakes, uncertain business ventures—has long been held as a uniquely human superpower. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ai-human-tournament-tech-ventures.html Business Tue, 26 May 2026 19:20:01 EDT news699017683 With the release of his encyclical letter Magnifica Humanitas on May 25, 2026, Pope Leo XIV has signaled that he wants the church to respond to artificial intelligence much as a predecessor, Pope Leo XIII, responded to upheavals during the Industrial Revolution over a century ago. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-pope-leo-xiv-ai-industrial.html Business Tue, 26 May 2026 13:20:06 EDT news699020041 A new multi-university academic consortium led by Brigham Young University has found AI models have significant biases and gaps when it comes to addressing faith and religion. The new research from The Consortium for Evaluation of Faith and Ethics in AI (CEFE-AI)—a collaboration among researchers at BYU, Baylor University, the University of Notre Dame and Yeshiva University—found a consistent, repeatable pattern: religious perspectives are being left out of AI responses. The findings are posted to the arXiv preprint server. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-major-ai-faith-religion-responses.html Machine learning & AI Tue, 26 May 2026 13:00:01 EDT news699017773 Over the past decade, the ability of artificial intelligence to speed up complex processes has made it a key tool in engineering research. Many people associate AI with cloud computing, but its growth requires expanding infrastructure, such as data centers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ai-footprint-safety-centers.html Business Tue, 26 May 2026 12:20:03 EDT news699016741 Global society makes billions of images and uploads hundreds of thousands of hours of video on the internet every day. The problem is, some of this content is misleading or downright wrong. And when it's in visual form, it can be particularly convincing. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ways-ai-slop.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 26 May 2026 11:20:07 EDT news699011407 New research published in the International Journal of Information and Communication Technology suggests that so-called knowledge graphs, a form of AI-based data organization, could improve the reliability and maintenance of power communication systems that help keep the lights on and modern electricity grids running smoothly. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-power-communication-knowledge-graphing.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 26 May 2026 09:00:06 EDT news699003601 An international study team, led by Flinders University in collaboration with Khalifa University UAE, built the machine-learning platform to act like a "smart materials discovery engine," which is capable of dramatically reducing the time spent on complex computer or lab experiments to test and find new materials for future semiconductors. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ai-discovery-gen-chips-electronic.html Electronics & Semiconductors Mon, 25 May 2026 13:20:01 EDT news698933341 There's a delicate art to teaching robots, even when you're preparing them for predictable environments like factories, where they'll repeat the same tasks a little differently depending on the obstacles they face. Whether a human is suddenly in their way or there's new clutter, the machine must closely mimic its operator's actions by staying on a trajectory (or motion path). https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-motion-tracking-robots-path-task.html Robotics Mon, 25 May 2026 12:40:01 EDT news698930882 Travelers who use AI-powered chatbots on hotel booking platforms often feel uneasy. That discomfort can cause them to disengage or delay booking decisions, according to new research from the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-hotel-chatbots-customers.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 25 May 2026 07:00:05 EDT news698910722 Photonic devices are hardware systems that can process information using light instead of electricity. These systems could potentially perform computations faster than electronic devices, while also consuming less energy. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-based-chip-energy-future-ai.html Hardware Sun, 24 May 2026 10:10:01 EDT news698335081 The trial pitting Elon Musk against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman made clear the two billionaires agreed on one thing: building artificial intelligence would require significant resources—and enormous amounts of money. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-profit-ai-openai-trial-clues.html Machine learning & AI Sun, 24 May 2026 09:30:35 EDT news698833768 A prize-winning Caribbean writer from Trinidad and Tobago is embroiled in the latest controversy involving the use of AI for a creative work, after allegations that artificial intelligence was used to write a short story. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ai-controversy-swirls-writer-trinidad.html Machine learning & AI Fri, 22 May 2026 15:00:01 EDT news698680095 Omnidirectional cameras are widely popular as they capture a full 360-degree view. They are often utilized for surveillance, traffic analysis, and autonomous systems. But the same wide-angle vision also leads to a technical problem. Objects far from the camera often appear distorted and tiny, making it difficult for computer vision systems to accurately recognize them. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-yolo-framework-boosts-degree-small.html Computer Sciences Fri, 22 May 2026 14:00:04 EDT news698675941 Soft robotics—machines made of flexible, muscle-like materials—can bend and stretch in fluid ways that put the rigid robots of old sci-fi movies to shame. But the flexibility that lets them pick ripe tomatoes or navigate a search-and-rescue site comes at a cost: Soft robotics are notoriously difficult to control. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-soft-robotics-ai-cousin-reservoir.html Robotics Fri, 22 May 2026 10:20:04 EDT news698663701 Over the past few decades, roboticists worldwide have introduced increasingly advanced robots that can understand human instructions, move in their surroundings and reliably complete basic manual tasks. While they perform well in some scenarios, many of these robots still struggle to translate the instructions of users into precise and executable actions that would allow them to successfully complete desired tasks. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-framework-robots-complex-language-precise.html Robotics Fri, 22 May 2026 09:40:05 EDT news698591508 California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday ordered officials to start work on a plan to mitigate the job-destroying impact of artificial intelligence, the first US state to do so. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-california-governor-cope-ai-job.html Machine learning & AI Fri, 22 May 2026 04:50:01 EDT news698642565