2 | New Scientist | 4 July 2020
Reporting on the life and world-
changing potential of scientific
and technological advances is
New Scientist’s bread and butter.
Sometimes, however, an
innovation’s scope is so great,
and its societal effects so profound,
that it is difficult to fully appreciate.
Artificial intelligence is a case in
point. The advent of machines that
feed on reams of our data to “learn”
about us and the world is both
immensely exciting and deeply
troubling. AI tech, from medical
bots to driverless cars, holds
much promise to improve our lives;
yet AI stands accused of sins such
as exacerbating racial and other
inequalities through algorithmic
bias and undermining democracy
by spreading fake news.
That is why I find the second
issue of our new Essential Guide
series so timely. Featuring the best
recent New Scientist content on
AI, carefully curated and brought
bang up-to-date, it provides a
much-needed opportunity to
zoom out and form a balanced
view of the technology.
On page 46 of this issue, you
will find an excerpt, in the form of
a classic article from AI researcher
Toby Walsh, on that eternally
fascinating question of whether
machine intelligence will ever
supplant us. If that piques your
interest, you can get the full
Essential Guide at all good
newsagents, and online at
shop.newscientist.com.Emily Wilson
New Scientist editorHeating up Temperatures in the Arctic hit 38°CPodcast
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Father figurer Anna Machin on the biological impacts of dadhoodThe big bang Dan Hooper takes you back to the beginning of timeVirtual events
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What happened at
the big bang?
Theoretical astrophysicist Dan
Hooper reveals why recreating
the conditions of the big bang
is helping to uncover the biggest
mysteries of the cosmos. Thursday
9 July at 6pm BST/1pm EDT
and on demand.
newscientist.com/eventsWeekly
Record temperatures in the Arctic;
long-term symptoms of covid-19;
the tale of the tailless whale and the
fastest supercomputer in the world.
newscientist.com/podcastsHealth check
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sign-up/healthCoping with fatherhood
Evolutionary anthropologist
Anna Machin explores the
biological changes that
manifest in male parents.
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