R-D Collaboratory 2016-03-17

• New research from the IRPP links participation in global value chains with productivity improvements in the manufacturing industry.
• An iPolitics article highlights the enduring value of a liberal arts education amidst transformative change.
• The 2015 Global Innovation Index put Switzerland at the top of the list. How did Switzerland become the world’s most innovative economy?
• Last week, Google’s AI system won four of five games against the best Go player alive. Just a couple of years ago, most programmers thought the game was so complex that it would take decades before computers would be able to beat a human expert. This video helps explain the significance of the achievement.
• But if AI is on the cusp of transforming our world, it begs the question: are robots going to make us all obsolete?