June 2, 2017: Friday News Roundup

Welcome to the weekend, roundup readers! We’ve got lots of juicy content about AI, robots, and the future. Check it out.

When Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg Sound the Same Dire Warning About Jobs, It’s Time to Listen
So, what was it these two titans of industry warned 2017 grads about? Yup, it’s automation replacing jobs. They both suggest joining the robot revolution instead of fighting it.

Robot Priest Unveiled in Germany to Mark 500 Years Since Reformation
The clergy isn’t the first “industry” that springs to mind when we predict which jobs will be automated, but here’s Germany pushing the envelope. The fairly silly-looking BlessU2 “delivers blessings in five languages and beams light from its hands” but is meant more as a conversation-starter than a proposed replacement for human priests. According to the article, BlessU2 is “intended to trigger debate about the future of the church and the potential of artificial intelligence.”

Google’s AlphaGo Defeats Chinese Go Master in Win for AI
A computer beat the world’s best Go player. Ke Jie had battled against the Google software in the past and prevailed, but now, he says, “it became like a god of Go.” Clearly, the rapid evolution of A.I. isn’t just fun and games.

AI Will Be Able to Beat Us At Everything By 2060, Say Experts
Brace yourself. According to this article, “There is a 50 per cent chance that machines will outperform humans in all tasks within 45 years, according to a survey of more than 350 artificial intelligence researchers.” On the positive side, the researchers surveyed put the chances of AI bringing about human extinction only at 5%.

Why American Workers Now Dress So Casually
Back in the day, you wouldn’t just be excited for free time over the weekend; you’d be looking forward to slipping into something more comfortable. Of course, now we have offices where anything goes, from flip flops and shorts to hoodies and baseball hats. Once again, we have Silicon Valley to thank for shaking up the norm.