Tag: AI

Trio of female future tech leaders announced as keynotes for Scotland’s Leading Innovation Summit

Glasgow event in November helps businesses to navigate AI and emerging tech 

Global experts including DowJones emerging technology director and a top New York based virtual AI fashion expert will join Scottish businesses at Scotland’s annual CAN DO Innovation Summit, on 7th November. 

Now in its fourth year and in-person for the first time since the pandemic, the event at Glasgow’s Science Centre connects start-ups and small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with leading innovators and academics to explore how new technologies, leadership and the right business cultures can tackle the challenges faced by Scottish industry and society.

More than 800 delegates and 40 speakers are expected to take part in the CAN DO Innovation Summit, which is funded by Glasgow City Council, Scottish Enterprise and Innovate UK.

The Summit has fast-become a must attend for Scottish businesses from all sectors, with this year’s event providing valuable insights on innovating to build resilience in a tough economic climate and navigating an increasingly virtual and artificial intelligence (AI) enabled world.   

This year’s free to attend summit is spearheaded by female keynote speakers, with a focus on rapid advances towards a tech-driven, sustainable and virtual future. The three keynote speakers are:

  • Elena Corchero, Director of Emerging Tech at DowJones Live and Globally Recognised Tech Futurist (above).
  • Edafe Onerhime, Data Specialist and Global Financial Services Lead, Top Twenty Most Influential Women in Data 2023.
  • Opé M, Fashion Creative and Futurist and Top 3 Finalist New York AI Fashion Week 2023. 

Dr Susie Mitchell, Programme Director, Glasgow City of Science and Innovation (lead agency for the CAN DO Innovation Summit) said: “Scotland is already well regarded as a leader in innovation, but the pace of change has hugely accelerated.

“This summit will support start-ups and SMEs to make the most of AI and emerging technologies, key tools for businesses to thrive in a challenging economic climate.

“I’m also immensely proud to launch the summit with a line-up of local and global female experts, showcasing the talented women in tech and helping to inspire the next generation of diverse leaders.” 

Other speakers and panellists for the event include Nick Rosa, Industry Technology Innovation Lead from Accenture, and Nicola Anderson, CEO of FinTech Scotland. 

Delegates will hear from local and global experts who will share essential tech trends, insights and tools that allow businesses to keep up and stand out. The Summit will also include a raft of business leaders from Scotland’s growing innovation clusters – from health tech and advanced manufacturing to quantum and the digital creative industries. 

Keynote speaker Elena Corchero, Director of Emerging Tech at DowJones Live, said: “No matter your industry there is so much noise when you look at innovation and trends, and what can apply to your business.

“I’m excited to be part of this important event to talk about building a technology manifesto on ‘the why’ and how companies must embed well-being, immersiveness, sustainability and ethics to ensure tech and innovation adoption is challenge-based and purpose-driven.

“I’ll also share information on essential emerging (and merging) tech that businesses need to know about to stay ahead of the curve and embrace a better future.” 

The event will also include an immersive showcase, on Scotland’s largest IMAX screen, of Opé M’s stunning AI-enabled fashion collection ‘Emergence’, for which she received a top 3 award at the first AI Fashion Week in New York City. 

Tickets are now available for delegates to reserve free of charge on the CAN DO Innovation Summit Website, with the event taking place on 7 November 2023. 

www.candoinnovation.scot

New art reveals what the next James Bond could look like

  • New art imagines what the next James Bond looks like, based on an AI interpretation of official casting requirements outlined by Barbara Broccoli 
  • The Bond producer revealed that the next 007 would be a British male actor under 40 years of age and over 5’10 in height, following fan speculation 
  • When those requirements are inputted into an AI generator, the resulting images bear a notable resemblance to some fan favourites for the role 
  • The image looks most like current 007 frontrunner Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who coincidentally meets both the casting age and height requirements

New art reveals what the next James Bond could look like, based on the only official confirmation of casting guidelines released so far, from Barbara Broccoli herself.

The image, created by Hearts Land, was a result of inputting the casting guidelines as a prompt into an AI art generator as follows: ‘British actor under 40 years old and over 5′ 10 in height, to play the next James Bond’ – and the results are pretty astounding. 

And despite not including any reference to any current actors or James Bond frontrunners, the image bears a strikingly close resemblance to current favourite, Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

The image shows a James Bond with the same skin colour, eye colour and hair colour as Taylor-Johnson, and even bears a similar facial expression as the High Wycombe-born star.

At 32 years old and 5’ 11 in height, Aaron is a perfect fit – and is currently having a resurgence in popularity on social media, as fans praised his images from Calvin Klein’s Spring 2023 campaign, which he starred in alongside Michael B. Jordan and Kendall Jenner.

Coincidentally, he’s currently the favourite to play the next James Bond at most bookmakers, having dethroned The Witcher’s Henry Cavill last week in the running. 

And whilst the image is by no means conclusive evidence that Aaron-Taylor Johnson is the next James Bond, it’s a good sign that even AI is able to imagine him stepping in the role, with speculation still rife after Daniel Craig stepped down from the role two years ago. 

The argument could be made for other James Bond favourites, too, as the AI image bears some passing resemblance to James Norton, Sam Hueghan and Michael Fassbender. 

As well as imagining what the next James Bond will look like, Hearts Land also asked the AI generator to visualise the next Bond girl, based on the following prompt: ‘Mid-twenties British actress at 5’ 7 in height, to play the next Bond girl’ – and the results are also cool. 

There are no official guidelines for Bond’s love interest, but previous casting choices reveal she’s typically aged between 20 and 30, and has yet to be taller than 007 himself. In fact, Gemma Arterton previously revealed Daniel Craig wore shoe lifts to appear taller than her.

And based on the image, the next Bond girl will be a bombshell, with luminous blue eyes, a stunning complexion and long flowing hair that’s sure to turn 007’s head.

It’s harder to match the AI interpretation to a specific actress given there’s less speculation for that role compared to Bond, but it does bear some resemblance to Doctor Who’s Caitlin Blackwood (22 years), and her superstar cousin, Karen Gillan (35 years). 

Arguably, 28-year old Eloise Smith of Cyn fame could also be a good fit, were she to dye her hair, as well as Liason’s Olivia Popica (29 years), and Apostasy’s Molly Wright (27 years). 

Speaking on the images, Hearts Land said: “One of the most exciting applications of AI at the moment is to imagine what producers and casting directors are imagining or looking for when casting popular characters – particularly for shows where it’s really all up in the air. 

“It’s fascinating that AI is able to create a realistic image of someone based on such little information – and it’s particularly exciting that this bears such a close resemblance to frontrunner Aaron Taylor-Johnson. It’ll be amazing if he actually lands the role now!”

AI turns popular video game heroes into villains

  • AI transforms video game heroes into alternate evil versions. 
  • Super Mario is transformed into a blood-sucking fiend, “Count Mariocula.” 
  • Luigi becomes Mario’s right-hand ghoul, “Ghoulish Greenhand.”  

As the world of artificial intelligence continues to grow and expand, Online Casino has tapped into its possibilities of reimagining video game protagonists as villains.

Using MidJourney, an artificial intelligence program, Online.Casino transformed beloved video game heroes into their dark and sinister counterparts, showcasing the limitless possibilities of technology and AI-assisted creativity.
 
Inspired by the release of the Super Mario Bros. Movie, this collection reimagines Mario, Luigi, and many other protagonists as their villainous counterparts. The AI-generated pictures highlight a unique twist on classic characters, revealing them in a new light. 

These reimagined villains, which have also been re-named by ChatGPT, offer fans an intriguing new perspective on their beloved heroes, inviting them to delve into a world where the lines between good and evil are blurred. 
 
Mario 
Mario from Super Mario Bros. becomes “Count Mariocula,” the blood-sucking villainous version of Mario from the Super Mario Bros. series. 
 
 

Luigi 
Luigi from Super Mario Bros. becomes “Ghoulish Greenhand,” “Mariocula’s” right-hand ghoul: 

 
 
 
God of War 
Kratos from the God of War series becomes “God of Death”: 

 
Tomb Raider 
Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider series becomes “Tomb Terror”: 

 
Sonic 
Sonic the Hedgehog transforms into the menacing “Sinister Surge”: 

Uncharted 
Nathan Drake from the Uncharted series becomes “Nathan Dark”: 

 
The Legend of Zelda 

Link from The Legend of Zelda becomes “Darkened Blade”, the evil version of the legendary hero: 
 
 

Halo 

Master Chief from the Halo franchise becomes the “Ominous Overlord”:  

 
A spokesperson for Online.Casino commented on the images: 
 
“This AI-generated artwork showcases the limitless possibilities of technology and creativity and encourages us to consider the duality of our favorite characters.” 
 
“The goal of this project was not only to showcase the creative potential of AI technology, but also offer a fresh and unique perspective on some of the most iconic video game characters of all time. Fans have a new chance to explore the dark and twisted versions of their favorite heroes, and perhaps even gain a greater appreciation for the complex and multi-dimensional nature of these beloved characters.” 

University AI technology delivers in troubled times

Foodel app is free for local businesses and charities to use

AN Edinburgh Napier lecturer has created a simple app to help local businesses and charities organise home deliveries during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Dr Neil Urquhart, from the School of Computing, based Foodel on a simple program originally designed to teach students about practical uses of artificial intelligence.

The user creates a file of deliveries which is dropped into the app.  The app divides the deliveries into rounds, and arranges each round in an efficient order. It also produces maps and schedules.

The app has been used by the Leaf & Bean Café in Edinburgh’s Morningside, and Neil is also working with other businesses and charities in a bid to make the technology as user-friendly as possible.

He said: “The routing is driven by artificial intelligence and is based on research carried out here at the School of Computing.

“The app is free to download from www.foodel.info for any organisation to make use of free of charge, and is one of a number of Edinburgh Napier initiatives designed to support our communities through these troubled times.”

Foodel takes its input in a simple spreadsheet and produces GPX and KML files which may be uploaded to maps and GPS devices.

Written in Java, it can be run on Windows as well as Mac OS. It uses Open Streetmap data and GraphHopper for routing, with the rounds organised using a state of the art Evolutionary Algorithm.

Neil said: “It is designed to be easy to use, but I am happy to be contacted at n.urquhart@napier.ac.uk if support is needed.  It is also free to use during the current public health crisis – all I ask is that I get some feedback.”