Davos (Switzerland) (AFP) - From the robot that washes your clothes to the robot that marks homework: the future world of artificial intelligence wowed the Davos elite Thursday, but the rosy picture came with a warning.

Stuart Russell, a professor of computer science at the University of California Berkeley, painted a futuristic vision for those who hate the chore of washing.

"We have already developed robots who can do the complete laundry cycle. It is able to pick up a big bin of laundry, sort the clothes according to the sort of wash it needs, put them in the washing machine, take them out, sort them again, fold them," he told a bewildered Davos panel.

"The one thing it hasn't figured out is where is the missing sock," he quipped.

Anthony Goldbloom, a young tech entrepreneur from the United States, said that algorithms were being developed that could correct pupils' homework.

"It is possible to train machines to grade essays more reliably than a teacher," he said, while acknowledging that the technology remains "a long way off from being deployed in schools."

Several advances in artificial intelligence are aimed at the ageing baby-boom generation, which will be the fastest-growing market in the coming years, the experts predicted.

Driverless cars are one of the key trends, allowing an increasing elderly population better mobility.

"There's no need to park your car, because your car will just go home and come back when you need it. That changes the situation for public transport, because you'll just get taken to the station and then your car will go back home," said Russell.

"You can even imagine your car going to the supermarket and doing your groceries," he added.

Read the original here:

Artificial intelligence future wows Davos elite