We tend to talk about artificial intelligence as if it were a thing of the future, but AI is already all around us — as the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated.

A "super computer" to operate on at risk patients more safely - at the Hautepierre University Hospital in Strasbourg, artificial intelligence (AI) now assists health workers during operations to better prevent and manage the risks associated with low blood pressure.

Germany's reputation as an industrial powerhouse could be on the line if the country fails to integrate artificial intelligence technology. Succeeding will require addressing several smaller issues first.

Thousands of migrants, mostly from the Middle East, have crossed or tried to cross the 400-kilometre (249-mile) Belarus-Poland border since August. Three teenagers prepare to spend a cold night in the forest in southeast Poland, as one recounts how he is making the journey for a third time after twice being sent back into Belarus by Polish border guards in recent weeks. All three are from Iraq's hard-pressed LGBTQ community, saying they fled their homeland because they faced harassment after protesting in favour of gay rights there.

Researchers in California unveiled a bipedal robot on Wednesday (October 6) that combines walking with flying to create a new type of locomotion, allowing it to jump, skateboard and walk on a slackline. The robot, named LEONARDO or LEO for short, was developed by a team at the California Institute of Technology's Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies. Researchers said LEO is the first robot to use multi-joint legs and propeller-based thrusters to enable it to balance and carry out complex movements.

This year's World AIDS Day puts the spotlight on ongoing inequalities in the fight against HIV, the virus that impacts some 38 million people worldwide. Dr. Alexandra Calmy, the head of the HIV/AIDS Unit of Geneva University Hospitals, says the inequalities surrounding HIV/AIDS are much like those witnessed during the Covid-19 pandemic, with access to treatments and prevention spread unevenly across the world's population. Forty years after the first case of HIV was detected, stigmatisation also remains a major obstacle to eradicating the virus. Dr. Calmy's message for anyone worried they might have HIV is "don't be afraid of yourself".

This week's Tech 24 is a special edition from the south of France, where the World AI Cannes Festival is taking place. Almost every sector is abuzz with talk of AI, and investment in the technology is through the roof. But will it change the world completely? Or will it simply keep providing useful tools for specific circumstances? Peter O'Brien went to the festival to find out.

The apocalyptic idea of computer-run robots turning against the human race and taking over the planet is not something we should dismiss, but for now we should be celebrating and embracing the positive side of artificial intelligence (AI). That's the view of Professor Anthony Elliott, the author of a new book entitled "Making Sense of AI". He says AI currently does a lot of good, helping us for example in the fields of industrial robots and self-driving cars, as well as providing vital information for fighting pandemics such as Covid-19. However, he admits that with AI, "to some extent, we lose control over decision-making".

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto spoke with FRANCE 24’s Marc Perelman during the Munich Security Conference. The president discussed Finland’s plans to join NATO, whether Western leaders misjudged Russian President Vladimir Putin prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and whether there is a risk that Russian military action will expand further into Europe.

Viral photos appear to show a beached shark in the United States being rescued by local residents. But that is what the social media posts want people to think. The photos are actually fake, generated by artificial intelligence software, and their creator seemingly wants to take advantage of the confusion. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

"A challenge that European democracies are totally unprepared for." That was the reaction of one MEP to images that recently went viral on social media. The pictures, generated by artificial intelligence, purported to show French President Emmanuel Macron collecting rubbish, and former US president Donald Trump being arrested.

Inside Stuff with Martins Oloja is back and in this installment of the show, the multi-award-winning journalist with The Guardian Nigeria takes a look at why the Buhari-led Presidency is afraid of the Public Procurement Council.