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This week on TechRepublic’s Business Technology Weekly podcast, hosts Dan Patterson and Bill Detwiler discuss how swarm AI won the Kentucky derby, and the real world, practical impact of artificial intelligence.
Headlines:
- Swarm AI predicts the 2016 Kentucky Derby | Hope Reese Big news in the AI world this week! Last week, prior to the race, TechRepublic’s Hope Reese reported on a software platform called UNU that used so-called swarm AI to predict the winner of the Kentucky Derby. Not only did swarm AI predict the winner, Nyquist, but the platform also predicted the second, third, and fourth place horses in the correct order. None of the human experts at the racetrack, Churchill Downs, predicted this outcome. We’ve heard from several readers who placed bets based on the TechRepublic story, and they’re probably glad they did, because the superfecta paid out $540 on just a $1 bet. Note that TechRepublic does not support or encourage gambling.

Cover Story:
- Why AI could destroy more jobs than it creates, and how to save them | Nick Heath Now that intelligent machines can perform most menial tasks, it’s time for humans to kick back and reap the benefits, right? Think again. AI could actually destroy more jobs than it creates. According to researchers Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael A. Osborne, “47 percent of total US employment is in the high risk category, meaning that associated occupations are potentially automatable.” The good news is that robots won’t dominate the economy for another 70 years, so you’ll likely be dead before your job is lost to AI. Phew!
Special Report:
- Artificial Intelligence predicted the Kentucky Derby, and Hope Reese has the winnings to prove it! Hope reports about how swarm AI was developed, and how software robots use the crowd to make collective decisions.
Produced by Jason Hiner, Amy Talbot, and Dan Patterson.
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TechRepublic and Tech Pro Research publish a number of free and useful business technology newsletters. Each week we spotlight a newsletter that summarizes the week’s most interesting stories. The Innovation newsletter features stories about artificial intelligence, big data, and other technologies that can help your business get ahead.
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Thanks for listening.