For those who “know” how quantum computers work but still don’t quite get it If you’re like me, you know a little about quantum computing: each qubit (the quantum version of a bit) is not limited to only being 0 or 1, but can be a mix of 0 and…

You’re probably aware of AI’s increasing ability to analyze and synthesize human language, such as the recent controversy over whether a Google chatbot is, in fact, sentient (Google claims — and I’m inclined to believe — that the chatbot is just very, very good at recognizing and replicating speech patterns). …

You might have heard of AlphaGo, the computer program that first defeated a human Go champion. You might have also heard of how hard a game Go is for a computer to learn. …

The artificial intelligence behind how big companies keep you scrolling (or watching or buying) — You’ve probably used a recommendation system. Any company who benefits from you spending more time or more money with them uses them. From Amazon and eBay to Netflix and Facebook, recommendation systems are everywhere. It’s probably obvious that the recommendation process is automated. Spotify doesn’t have a person saying, “Jane…

AI isn’t just for Google and Tesla. Here, I explain how AI can be useful for any business or team that has data — If you only read the headlines, artificial intelligence (or AI) would appear to be useful for building self-driving cars and facial-recognition systems. It follows that most businesses, which are not building either autonomous cars or facial-recognition software, wouldn’t need AI. Right? Wrong.

And a possible solution — According to Elon Musk, humans could land on Mars as soon as 2026, and trips to Mars will certainly be routine by 2050. Mars is pretty cool, but hopefully Mars will be merely a stepping stone to other planets in our solar system, and one day even interstellar travel. The…