Today's artificial intelligence-based applications are changing people's lives in ways that often go unnoticed. A new study by Accenture, however, reports that AI could dramatically boost economic growth and productivity by up to 40% in 2035, prompting many to sit up and take notice of the burgeoning industry. Already advances in AI-powered technologies like robots, virtual assistants and augmented reality have stimulated fervent interest from companies such as Google, IBM, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft. And while it's hard to pinpoint the exact path that it will take, with global tech giants making huge strides in this sector, AI startups are arguably the most sought-after in today's global economy. The trend is catching on in India as well.

Concern is growing about the introduction of new UK porn blocks that will force people to show identification in order watch adult videos. The government has repeatedly committed to introducing new rules that will force anyone who attempts to look at pornographic content to prove they are adults. That proof will largely mean showing identification documents to some sort of verification service. That in turn will mean anyone in the UK who wants to look at pornography will have to do so with a login, tied to their real name. We'll tell you what's true. You can form your own view.

With the newest smart cameras in town, customers at Roads and Transport Authority's (RTA) centres no longer need to rate their experience from'one to five' or from'happy to sad'. The new lenses can instantly capture facial expressions and determine how happy - or frustrated - customers are. Four of the RTA's centres, Al Barsha, Umm Al Ramool, Deira and Al Awir, are now equipped with these smart cameras, as part of the agency's first artificial intelligence (AI) initiative under its Smart Dubai strategy. "The initiative aims to measure customers' happiness through smart cameras that analyse the extent of their happiness," said Maher Shirah, director of smart services at the RTA's corporate technology support services sector. Accordingly, the technology gives an instant and accurate indicator of their happiness." The process assists in compiling reports about customers' experiences and enables decision-makers to take an appropriate action to improve the service, if required. Manufactured in the UAE, the AI-powered cameras are "highly accurate", the RTA said. It can take snaps at a rate of 30 frames per second at a seven-metre range within an angle of 65 degrees. It also has an autofocus feature with no flash required and can minimise the light on people's faces, allowing for a more accurate reading of their expressions. After an image is captured, the system sends detailed reports through a dashboard that generates real-time updates on customer happiness. It also sends instant SMS and e-mail notifications when the happiness rating at any centre drops from pre-defined levels. The team can then take the necessary steps to restore customers' happiness. "The smart happiness index monitors the variation in customers' happiness level from the moment they step into the centre until the moment they leave, and links it with the level of service delivered.

There are at least two clear trends that show a demand-supply mismatch in tech jobs in cutting-edge IT fields such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. One is via industry predictions that estimate growth in the AI market from $21.46 Bn to $190.61 Year on year growth is projected to be an impressive 36.62% during the same period. The second trend is more subtle. Big Indian IT firms in the US are reportedly'hoarding' employees in these two fields as they foresee a shortage of skilled experts.

A project team of Komeito, the junior partner in the Liberal Democratic Party-led ruling coalition, has presented to Foreign Minister Taro Kono its proposals for an international agreement to regulate robotic weapons development. Deployment of lethal autonomous weapons systems, or LAWS, cannot be overlooked in terms of international humanitarian law and ethics, according to the proposals released Monday. Komeito called for agreeing on a document, such as a political declaration or a code of conduct, within the framework of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. Kono said he will refer to the proposals. Ethical issues and military advantages of such weapons have been under discussion within the framework of the convention since 2014.

Thousands of people in Moscow and other Russian cities took to the streets over the weekend to protest legislation they fear could lead to widespread internet censorship in the country. The protests, which were some of the biggest protests in the Russian capital in years, came in response to a bill in parliament that would route all internet traffic through servers in Russia, making virtual private networks (VPNs) ineffective. Critics say the bill would create an internet firewall similar to China's, calling it an online "iron curtain", but advocates claim it is necessary to protect the country from state-backed cyber attacks. We'll tell you what's true. You can form your own view.

NVIDIA confirmed that it has purchased Israeli chip-maker Mellanox for $6.9 billion, its largest acquisition to date. The bid, rumored for several days, reportedly trumped a $6 billion offer made by Intel several months ago. It will reportedly help NVIDIA better compete in the server market, which accounts for about a third of its sales. Mellanox primarily manufactures chips that power high-speed ethernet and InfiniBand networks that connect servers. Such products are used in data centers cloud and storage, as well as for high-performance supercomputers used for AI and other types of data-intensive computing.

Israelis Dr. Ranit Aharonov, left, and Dr. Noam Slonim, right, of the IBM Project Debater before a debate between the computer and two human debaters Monday, June 18, 2018, in San Francisco.

NatWest customers will be able to pay just using their fingerprint, the bank has announced. It is trialling new payments cards that will allow people to touch their hand to the card and avoid having to type in their PIN. The little box built into the card will allow people to pay for things that cost more than £30 – the limit on contactless payments – without need to type in their number. We'll tell you what's true. You can form your own view.

The industrial sector will be greater enhanced by the country's ability to win lucrative advanced automation system and robotics technology trade events, according to a statement released by the Thai Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB). Dr Djitt Laowattana, the founder of the Institute of Field Robotics at King Mongkut's University of Technology who is also on the committee of the Robotics Cluster and Executive Advisor, Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), endorses the trade show as a tool and a platform to drive the utilisation of automation system and robotics technology in the manufacturing industry. "Trade shows are a primary platform to increase the competitiveness of the Thai industrial sector. The introduction of technological innovations in manufacturing process will result in widespread utilisation of automation systems and robotics technology," he said. TCEB's Nichapa Yoswee and Dr Djitt chaired the recent press conference where they announced the business plan to strengthen the automation and robotics sectors under Thai Government's 4.0 initiative.