On a Tuesday night last February, New York Times technology writer Kevin Roose sat down to experiment with an early version of the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot from Microsoft search engine Bing. Roose wanted to test the limits of the chatbot’s programming by asking questions most users wouldn’t.

UT Austin's Luis Sentis is leading a landmark study of how robots make us feel—and setting the standards for how autonomous machines will share our spaces.

In the specialized world of welding, where sparks fly and metal literally melts, the marriage of artificial intelligence and human craftsmanship is revolutionizing the landscape. "Making Smart Tools Work for Everyone" — one of Good Systems’ six core research projects — is focusing on empowering workers with the aid of smart hand tools and challenging the prevailing narrative of job loss due to automation. 

HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A facial recognition software could come to the Hays County Sheriff’s Office in the future.

The launch celebration for the opening of a new exhibition, "Looking to the Future: Youth Perspectives on the Environment" is scheduled for Wednesday, November 15th, at 6 p.m. at the Pharr Memorial Library in Pharr, Texas. The thought-provoking photovoice exhibit is presented by the Coalition for Youth, Health, and the Environment, in collaboration with Texas Children in Nature (TCiNN) and The University of Texas at Austin's Planet Texas 2050 (PT2050) grand challenge.

AI holds the potential to boost economic growth, improve individual health care, mitigate the climate crisis and much more. At the same time, used without intention, AI could also increase the spread of disinformation and discrimination, exacerbating some of our toughest societal challenges.

A Q&A with new Whole Communities–Whole Health chair Mike Mackert

The winners of the inaugural Planet Texas 2050 + Humanities Institute Faculty Learning Community awards have been announced. Despite planning to select only five awardees for the inaugural cohort, the organizers received dozens of impressive applications, compelling program leaders to select six recipients for the full award as well as funding ten additional microgrants. The awards are the result of a recent open call that Planet Texas 2050 issued in partnership with the Humanities Institute to seed new collaborations with researchers from arts, design, and humanities. 

Good Systems has awarded funding to five projects that investigate the ethical implications of AI technologies in society in the areas of racial justice, surveillance and privacy, smart cities, and community-robot interaction.

A University of Texas at Austin assistant professor has been recognized with a significant academic honor as she was named this month to a panel of experts who will explore the future of artificial intelligence on society.