The document discusses robots, artificial intelligence, and the potential technological singularity. It summarizes the rise of robots in areas like retail stores and warehouses. It also discusses advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence, including self-driving cars and AI that can learn to play video games. Finally, it considers possible societal implications as technology continues to progress, such as job disruption and the need to embrace continuous learning.

1. Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity?
Martin Hamilton
1Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity? - BCS ELITE - May 201726/05/2017

2. Who am I?
» About Jisc
› edtech not-for-profit with ~18m users
› We run shared services, negotiate deals
with IT vendors, provide advice & guidance
– Janet, the UK’s research & education network,
Shibboleth Consortium, eduroam Wifi roaming
› Major initiatives right now in digital skills,
research data and learning analytics
› My role:
– Generating & channelling new ideas
– Building partnerships to bring them to fruition
2Robots and AI - towards the Singularity? - BCS ELITE - May 201726/05/2017
Pepper robot at Jisc Digifest 2017

3. Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity?
1. Rise of the robots
2. Machine learning & artificial intelligence
3. Towards the Singularity?
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4. Rise of the robots
4Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity? - BCS ELITE - May 201726/05/2017

5. Rise of the robots
5Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity? - BCS ELITE - May 201726/05/2017
Photo CC BY-NC Flickr user feuilllu
Photo CC BY-NC Flickr user nestle
› Pepper acts as greeter in 140+ SoftBank stores in Japan
› Nestlé planning to introduce in 1000+ sales outlets

6. Rise of the robots
6Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity? - BCS ELITE - May 201726/05/2017

7. Rise of the robots
7Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity? - BCS ELITE - May 201726/05/2017
Photo CC BY-NC Flickr user greenplasticamy
› Amazon uses over 45,000 robots already in its
warehouses and distribution centres

8. Rise of the robots
8Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity? - BCS ELITE - May 201726/05/2017
Photo CC BY-NC Flickr user greenplasticamy
› Amazon uses over 45,000 robots already in its
warehouses and distribution centres

9. Rise of the robots
9Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity? - BCS ELITE - May 201726/05/2017
From http://futurism.com

10. Rise of the robots
10Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity? - BCS ELITE - May 201726/05/2017
Startups and scaleups
› Jisc Startups competition
– Six month accelerator programme
– Support package includes cash grant
and mentoring
› Winners: Omni Invent
– 4 nozzle 3D printer + CNC mill,
automatically embed circuits/sensors,
automated tool changer
– Selected for Hax hardware accelerator
programme, in top 3% of entrants
– Team moved to Shenzen to finish
commercialising
– www.omni-invent.co.uk

11. 2. Machine learning & artificial intelligence
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12. Machine learning & AI
12Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity? - BCS ELITE - May 201726/05/2017
Photo CC BY-ND Flickr user chijs
Photo CC BY-NC-SA Flickr user portalgda
› Tesla owners have already driven over 140m miles on Autopilot
› 90,000+Teslas with Autopilot are already on the road

13. Machine learning & AI
13Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity? - BCS ELITE - May 201726/05/2017
Photo CC BY-ND Flickr user chijs
Photo CC BY-NC-SA Flickr user portalgda
› Tesla owners have already driven over 140m miles on Autopilot
› 90,000+Teslas with Autopilot are already on the road

14. Machine learning & AI
14Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity? - BCS ELITE - May 201726/05/2017
Google DeepMindAI learns to play Breakout

15. Machine learning & AI
15Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity? - BCS ELITE - May 201726/05/2017
Blind man takes solo ride in Google self-driving car

16. Machine learning & AI
16Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity? - BCS ELITE - May 201726/05/2017
Startups and scaleups
› Jisc Startups competition
– Six month accelerator programme
– Support package includes cash grant
and mentoring
› Winners: Wildfire Learning
– World’s first AI content creation
service for learning
– Create learning objects from any text,
PowerPoint or video
– Generate a course’s worth of content
in an hour
– www.wildfirelearning.co.uk

17. 3.Towards the Singularity?
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18. What’s next?
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Societal implications
› You might be surprised at just how much
more can be automated
› Further erosion of unskilled and semi-skilled
employment opportunities
– Watch out if your white collar job can be reduced to an
algorithm or “learned” from data
› “New Luddites” throwing stones at the
Google bus?
– Versus universal basic income?
– Versus psychological need for a greater purpose?
› Health implications of sedentary lifestyles,
musculoskeletal disorders
– Already 86% of Chinese high school students are
myopic – screen time & indoor play?
Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity? - BCS ELITE - May 201726/05/2017
CC BY Flickr user boykoblagoev

19. What’s next?
19
Developing digital capability
› There will be whole new careers & existing ones will
change beyond recognition
– We should view this as an opportunity, e.g. smart homes need smart
plumbers & smart electricians
› We will need to embrace portfolio careers &
continuous/bite sized learning
– No longer enough to learn a trade or achieve professional
certification
› Impedance mismatch between digital tech and the
apparatus of the nation state
– Brexit vs. Estonian e-residency
› Reaching the next billion learners, workers, customers
– Last mile issues around digital technology
Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity? - BCS ELITE - May 201726/05/2017
CC BY-ND Flickr user chijs

20. What’s next?
20Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity? - BCS ELITE - May 201726/05/2017
http://ji.sc/developing-digicap

21. What’s next?
21Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity? - BCS ELITE - May 201726/05/2017
Tri-modal model for innovation
CC-BY Simon Wardley – see
blog.gardeviance.org/2012/06/pione
ers-settlers-and-town-planners.html
Tackling the Innovator’s Dilemma
› What’s the right mix of Pioneers,
Settlers andTown Planners?

22. What’s next?
22Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity? - BCS ELITE - May 201726/05/2017

23. What’s next?
23Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity? - BCS ELITE - May 201726/05/2017

24. Continue the conversation…
24
Except where otherwise noted, this
work is licensed under CC-BY
Martin Hamilton
Futurist, Jisc, London
@martin_hamilton
martin.hamilton@jisc.ac.uk
Robots & AI - the calm before the Singularity? - BCS ELITE - May 201726/05/2017