Researchers have discovered a way to remove specific fears from the brain, using a combination of artificial intelligence and brain scanning technology. Their technique, published in the inaugural edition of Nature Human Behaviour, could lead to a new way of treating patients with conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and phobias.

The pain we experience as humans has physical and emotional components. Could we develop a machine that feels pain a similar way – and would we want to? The first of four Cambridge Shorts looks at the possibilities and challenges.

Computers that learn for themselves are with us now. As they become more common in ‘high-stakes’ applications like robotic surgery, terrorism detection and driverless cars, researchers ask what can be done to make sure we can  trust them.

Artificial intelligence has the power to eradicate poverty and disease or hasten the end of human civilisation as we know it – according to a speech delivered by Professor Stephen Hawking this evening.

The digital revolution is one of the great social transformations of our time. How can we make the most of it, and also minimise and manage its risks? Jon Crowcroft and John Thompson discuss the challenges as we commence a month-long focus on ‘digital society’.

A web-based machine language system solves crossword puzzles far better than commercially-available products, and may help machines better understand language. 

Researchers have built the first biologically realistic mathematical model of how the brain plans and learns when faced with a complex decision-making process.

The annual two-week Festival, which runs from 7 – 20 March and stages more than 300 events, examines the growing interaction between humans and technology.

Two technologies which use deep learning techniques to help machines to see and recognise their location and surroundings could be used for the development of driverless cars and autonomous robotics – and can be used on a regular camera or smartphone.