The Darren Aronofsky film Pi features a mathematician with the uncanny ability to perform complex arithmetic in his head. Notwithstanding his talent, he uses a computer to make stock predictions. In one scene, after recognizing a predictive pattern in a 216-digit output, the character becomes so overwhelmed that he passes out. This scenario is science fiction, but computers have long had greater processing power than humans. When used to build artificial intelligence (AI), as its datasets grow, so does a computer's advantage.

Previously, I had started this conversation with the saying "I am not a Geek, but I need a job too…". Here is why: Technological anxiety (oh yes, it is a thing). I don't want to be a victim of the inevitable wave of "robots taking over our jobs" which is a simplistic explanation for the impact of advancements in technology in the workplace. The idea that half of today's jobs may vanish has changed my view of my children's future. Quincy Larson, Teacher at FreeCodeCamp (an open-source community that helps you learn to code, build pro bono projects for nonprofits, and get a job as a developer) has not stopped in his attempt to get more people coding.

For most gamers, early June is a kind of video-game Christmas. Summer brings E3 and its associated press conferences with the biggest names in publishing and development telling us what games and consoles to expect in the coming year. For the most part, audiences are shown cinematic trailer after cinematic trailer of grizzled white men brandishing guns on missions they've "just gotta take alone" introduced by white dudes in a blazer/T-shirt/jeans/trainers combo. Some shows manage to do better than others in offering audiences diverse games, and diverse speakers. Last year, we looked at how things stacked up in our diversity report.

Machine learning is going to fundamentally alter our world for the better, improving healthcare, the manufacturing industry and assisting in the prediction of supply and demand levels across a plethora of industries. For those who are into science fiction, the term'machine learning' immediately conjures up images of computers taking over the world, either to send murderous terminators from the future to our present or to place us all inside the Matrix as living power batteries. Fortunately, the truth about machine learning is not only far more prosaic, but also much more promising for the future of the human race. Basically, machine learning uses algorithms that iteratively learn from data, meaning that it enables computers to find hidden insights without being explicitly programmed where to look. The iterative aspect is especially important, as it means that as the computer is exposed to new data, it is able to independently adapt.

"Imagine a future anthropologist with access to trillions of photos of people--taken over centuries and across the world--and equipped with effective tools for analyzing these photos to derive insights. What kinds of new questions can be answered?" This is the dream that has inspired Kevin Matzen, Kavita Bala, and Noah Snavely at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Their thinking is that the millions of photos uploaded each day to social media provide a fascinating window into the cultural, social, and economic factors that shape societies around the world. With powerful enough machine intelligence, they say, it ought to be possible to mine this mother lode of data for deep insights into our civilization.

Let's do a quick exercise. Did you start at the top or bottom? New data show that the way you draw a circle holds clues about where you come from. In November, Google released an online game called Quick, Draw!, in which users have 20 seconds to draw prompts like "camel" and "washing machine." It's fun, but the game's real aim is to use those sketches to teach algorithms how humans draw.

Microsoft gave us the first glimpse of the upcoming Assassin's Creed during its Xbox One X reveal at E3. A day later, Ubisoft discussed the details about how it took a year off from the franchise to "reinvent" the game. Well, after spending some time playing on that newly announced console, what Ubisoft is showing off this week isn't a huge revelation, it's a continuation. There's no need to dance around the obvious: Assassin's Creed Origins looks amazing in 4K. You've heard us say that a lot this week about games on the Xbox One X, but the visuals really are stunning.

While it may be some time before we commute to work in flying cars or seek a transfer to our company's lunar outpost, another concept once thought outside the realm of modern reality is now increasingly ordinary in the contemporary workplace: working side-by-side with robots and machines capable of artificial intelligence. This article provides an overview of some of the ways in which these once-futuristic technologies are being integrated in today's work environment, and offers best practice suggestions for human resources professionals and in-house counsel adapting to these developments. We have reached the point of "minimum viability" when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) – we can now count on the reliable use of AI products to perform meaningful work. Long past are the days when AI was little more than a novelty (remember asking iPhone's Siri whether it was raining outside?). The technology to integrate AI into necessary functions is now available, the data needed to power AI has been accumulated, and investors are pouring money into AI systems to make them a worthwhile part of everyday life. Having reached minimum viability, we now stand on the cusp of revolution.

Before the giant E3 video game exhibition takes place every year, it is proceeded by a series of vast press events, where publishers hope to snag just a little of the world's attention with their latest mega releases. Filling huge venues and live-streamed to a global audience of millions, these one-hour hype-fests can make all the difference between blockbusting success and ignoble failure. Here, then, are our 17 favourite announcements, culled from all the pre-E3 shows. We've stuck to games that were either revealed for the first time on stage, or were finally confirmed after months of gossip, leaks and rumours. These are the titles we want to discover more about at the show, and over the months to come.

When Swedbank customers face a problem, they reach out to Nina, the bank's virtual assistant. Visitors to Mizuho Bank are greeted by Pepper, a humanoid robot standing four feet tall. Santander allows payments to be activated by voice, and JP Morgan Chase now uses machine learning to review commercial loan agreements in seconds, a task that used to take 3,60,000 manhours every year. Wherever you look in the world of financial services, you will find some form of artificial intelligence (AI) at work. AI technologies such as machine learning and speech recognition are quietly working behind the scenes to improve lending decisions and prevent fraud.