Lifeboat Foundation

The age of agentic AI has arrived. Spanning the virtual and physical realms, we stand at a pivotal moment where human ingenuity will be amplified by intelligent machines. This convergence of agentic AI, intelligent software agents capable of independent learning. actions and tasks, with physical AI, encompassing robots and machines interacting with the physical world, is poised to fundamentally reshape the global economic landscape.

We are entering a new era where individuals and businesses will interact with and manage a network of AI agents.

Continue reading “2025: Agentic And Physical AI — A Multitrillion Dollar Economy Emerges” »

By the end of 2024, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) had established themselves as the main transformative forces behind recent technological advancements in healthcare. A report by Silicon Valley Bank states that in 2024, the amount of VC investment in health AI in the U.S. was expected to reach $11.1 billion, the highest number since 2021.

In my experience, the main driver behind the AI investment and adoption craze is the measurable value technology offers healthcare providers. A 2023 National Bureau of Economic Research study indicates that integrating AI can save the U.S. healthcare system up to $360 billion annually. A 2023 survey by the AMA shows that physicians see AI as a way to reduce the administrative burden of documentation (54%) and improve workflow efficiency (69%).

But do these positive changes reflect on the quality of care, and do patients benefit from AI and ML-powered solutions? In this article, I share my take on the transformative potential of AI and ML in the modern care delivery process.

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have brought about many stunning tools in the past decade, including the Nobel-Prize-winning AlphaFold model for protein-structure prediction [1]. However, this success comes with an ever-increasing economic and environmental cost: Processing the vast amounts of data for training such models on machine-learning tasks requires staggering amounts of energy [2]. As their name suggests, ANNs are computational algorithms that take inspiration from their biological counterparts. Despite some similarity between real and artificial neural networks, biological ones operate with an energy budget many orders of magnitude lower than ANNs. Their secret? Information is relayed among neurons via short electrical pulses, so-called spikes. The fact that information processing occurs through sparse patterns of electrical pulses leads to remarkable energy efficiency.

In a significant step toward creating a sustainable and circular economy, Rice University researchers have published a study in the journal Carbon demonstrating that carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers can be fully recycled without any loss in their structure or properties. This discovery positions CNT fibers as a sustainable alternative to traditional materials like metals, polymers and the much larger carbon fibers, which are notoriously difficult to recycle.

“Recycling has long been a challenge in the materials industry—metals recycling is often inefficient and energy-intensive, polymers tend to lose their properties after reprocessing and carbon fibers cannot be recycled at all, only downcycled by chopping them up into short pieces,” said corresponding author Matteo Pasquali, director of Rice’s Carbon Hub and the A.J. Hartsook Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Materials Science and NanoEngineering and Chemistry.

Continue reading “Fully recyclable carbon nanotube fibers have far-reaching implications for manufacturing across sectors” »

The past year, 2024, witnessed an array of groundbreaking technological advancements that fundamentally reshaped industries and influenced the global economy. Technology trends like the development of Industry LLMs, Sustainable Computing, and the Augmented Workforce drove innovation, fostered efficiency, and accelerated the pace of Digital Transformation across sectors such as Healthcare, Finance, and Manufacturing. These developments set the stage for even more disruptive Technology Trends in 2025.

This year is set to bring transformative changes to the business landscape, driven by emerging trends that require enterprises to adopt the right technologies, reskill their workforce, and prioritize sustainability. By embracing these Technology Trends, businesses can shape their objectives, remain competitive, and build resilience. However, Success in this rapidly evolving landscape depends not just on adopting these technologies but also on strategically leveraging them to drive innovation and growth.

How long would you like to live, and could science and technology make it possible?

Longevity science aims to extend our healthy years through advancements in CRISPR, cellular reprogramming, and drug development. While private companies and philanthropists invest heavily in these innovations, should the government be responsible for funding these efforts? Those who say yes to government funding say that longevity research could revolutionize public health, keep aging populations productive in the workforce, and reduce the economic burden of age-related illnesses. Those opposed to public funding of longevity science say that true life extension beyond a decade might be unachievable, and it will take years before results are measurable.

They argue that when and if these advances become available, they may only be for a smaller, affluent population. They also argue that long-known behavior choices like good nutrition and sleep should be adopted by all now, instead of chasing uncertain longevity advancements.

Continue reading “Is Longevity Science Worth It?” »

Exploring the most important questions we face as we age.

Dr. Debra Whitman, Ph.D. is Executive Vice President and Chief Public Policy Officer, at AARP (https://www.aarp.org/) where she leads policy development, analysis and research, as well as global thought leadership supporting and advancing the interests of individuals age 50-plus and their families. She oversees AARP’s Public Policy Institute, AARP Research, Office of Policy Development and Integration, Thought Leadership, and AARP International.

Continue reading “Dr. Debra Whitman, Ph.D. — Chief Public Policy Officer, AARP — Author, The Second Fifty” »

That’s the word from a new set of predictions for the decade ahead issued by Accenture, which highlights how our future is being shaped by AI-powered autonomy. By 2030, agents — not people — will be the “primary users of most enterprises’ internal digital systems,” the study’s co-authors state. By 2032, “interacting with agents surpasses apps in average consumer time spent on smart devices.”

Also: In a machine-led economy, relational intelligence is key to success

This heralds a moment of transition, what the report’s primary author, Accenture CTO Karthik Narain, calls the Binary Big Bang. “When foundation models cracked the natural language barrier,” writes Narain, “they kickstarted a shift in our technology systems: how we design them, use them, and how they operate.”

It is pleasure for us to bring the ECFG conference to the island of Ireland from mainland Europe, we believe the conference will be a great scientific and social success.

We believe that Ireland is an ideal location which is accessible with low fare economic flights both from Europe and America and more than 20,000 hotel bed capacity for potential participants.

There will be a rich repertoire of research highlights from early, mid and advanced career researchers in the field of fungal genetics and biology. Our venue, the Convention Centre Dublin, is in a perfect location in the heart of Dublin city.