the conversation
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A Language Generation Program’s Ability to Write Articles and Compose Poetry Has Wowed Scientists
Seven years ago, my student and I at Penn State built a bot to write a Wikipedia article on Bengali Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s play “Chitra.” First it culled information about “Chitra” from the internet. Then it looked at existing Wikipedia entries to learn the structure for a standard Wikipedia article. Finally, it summarised the…
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5 Things the Coronavirus Pandemic Has Revealed About the Australian Psyche
The COVID-19 pandemic has spawned some of the most dramatic changes to Australian life in recent memory. We’ve had to adapt to a vastly different way of life to curb the spread of the virus, featuring unfamiliar challenges such as social distancing, mask wearing, and limits on gatherings and travel. As Victorians in particular begin…
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How Adopting New Tech Could Drive Australia’s Economic Recovery
Over the next few years, science and technology will have a vital role in supporting Australia’s economy as it strives to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. At Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, we’ve identified opportunities that can help businesses drive economic recovery. We examined how the pandemic has created or intensified opportunities for economic growth…
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This Video Shows Just How Easily COVID-19 Could Spread When People Sing Together
Production of the reality TV show The Masked Singer was shut down last month after several crew members were infected with COVID-19. It’s one of several examples of COVID-19 transmission associated with singing around the world since March, prompting some jurisdictions to ban group singing altogether. In New South Wales, for example, choral singing is…