On giant screens in the European parliament building in Brussels last week, the face of Mark Zuckerberg looked down on the world's data protection and privacy commissioners assembled there for their annual conference. What he said was cautious and rather bland, but the imagery was potent: a young Big Brother issuing a tailored message to those who administer the laws of many lands. Zuckerberg did not take questions – a Facebook executive in the chamber did, after Zuckerberg faded from the screens into the green and sunny background of his distant locale. An actual dialogue with the controller of Facebook might have been illuminating. For example, does Facebook anticipate, as others speculate, that the internet will split into two, or three – the US internet, the China internet and the EU internet?

Sony has announced the full list of nostalgic games that will appear on its upcoming PlayStation Classic. The tiny console – which looks exactly like the original PlayStation but is much smaller – will arrive in December and have 20 titles contained inside of it. They include the original games in series that continue to dominate gaming to this day. Players will be able to get back into the first Metal Gear Solid, Grand Theft Auto and Resident Evil games, for instance. The I.F.O. is fuelled by eight electric engines, which is able to push the flying object to an estimated top speed of about 120mph.

It's no longer unusual to have Artificial Intelligence technology respond for you: remember that time when you received an email from your boss and even before you could key in a reply, a series of predictive texts popped up on screen? There's "noted," "sure," "i'll be there," and the most common, "thank you for your mail." Well, not too far behind is the day when full-length novels written by computers will also be the norm, say AI experts. Only two weeks ago, researchers at Facebook developed an AI that wrote a story on alien abduction. Closer home, a 300-page English book written by Calicut-based author Srinivas Mahankali, comprising one lakh words, was translated into Mandarin in flat 30 seconds by an AI bot, and that, too, "with 95 per cent accuracy".

Geneva: Scientists have developed a new artificial intelligence system that can track medical staff through cameras and detect whether they maintain proper hand hygeine, an advance that could reduce the risk of hospital- acquired infections. Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) conducted a study using a combination of depth cameras and computer-vision algorithms. They tracked people around two hospital wards and automatically identified when they used gel dispensers. "We're trying to shed light on the dark spaces of healthcare. Understanding the problem is just the first step," said Alexandre Alahi from EPFL.

The AI humanoid Sophia has been granted the world's first robot visa as she embarks on a world tour on behalf of her Hong Kongese creators. She was issued the electronic visa upon her arrival at Azerbaijan's Baku International Airport shortly before meeting the Caucasus nation's president, Ilham Aliyev. The AI celebrity is in Azerbaijan for a tech conference, where she is a keynote speaker. Sophia first emerged two years ago as a super-intelligent human-like head with a realistic face that was able to blink, look from side to side and talk. But the robot's eloquent use of language and intricate facial expressions have stirred suspicion among AI experts, who say Sophia is merely a'sophisticated puppet'.

Gab.com, a website that carried violently anti-Semitic messages just before the Pittsburgh shooting, has been taken offline. The company has been banned by its hosting provider, GoDaddy, meaning that it no longer works. In its place is a holding message claiming the site is "under attack". "As we transition to a new hosting provider Gab will be inaccessible for a period of time," the message reads. "We are working around the clock to get Gab.com back online. Thank you and remember to speak freely."

As our British readers struggle with daylight savings ("struggle" an extra hour in bed), we saw China's first private satellite launch not go as planned, the original Wii remote prototype goes to auction and you can control your Roku device through Google's voice assistant. Hey Google, save me the trouble of finding the remote. Roku's Google Assistant control is here. If you're using a TV or player running at least Roku OS 8.1, you can link the Google Home app to your Roku account and control core functions using only voice and an "on Roku" suffix. You can launch channels, search for shows and control playback on most devices, while TV owners can turn on the set, adjust volume or switch inputs.

HE Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), and Chairman of the Dubai World Congress for Self-Driving Transport, announced that the participation in the Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport had exceeded the target by 30%, by the end of registration phase. Applications were submitted by companies, universities, colleges and institutions from all over the world in the challenge, which is the first and the most sophisticated of its kind worldwide. As most, similar competitions only focus on local suppliers on a smaller scale. The Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport will be the biggest global platform for companies, universities and Research & Development Centers in carrying out self-driving transport scenarios and introducing self-driving technologies to Dubai roads. Al Tayer made this statement during a press conference held to announce the finalists of the Challenge.

Many large cities (Seoul, Tokyo, Shenzhen, Singapore, Dubai, London, San Francisco) serve as test beds for autonomous vehicle trials in a competitive race to develop "self-driving" cars. Automated ports and warehouses are also increasingly automated and robotised. Testing of delivery robots and drones is gathering pace beyond the warehouse gates. Automated control systems are monitoring, regulating and optimising traffic flows. Automated vertical farms are innovating production of food in "non-agricultural" urban areas around the world.

Emerton, a consulting firm with offices in Paris, New York and Dubai, has launched Emerton Data, a new arm dedicated to helping clients embrace emerging technologies that are set to disrupt their strategies and operating models. Aimé Lachapelle, who is based in France, has been brought on board to lead the new offering. As global consulting firms bid to capitalise on a booming market to mine vast amounts of data to help shape strategy, Emerton has launched a new service to meet client requests for leveraging their data gluts. Emerton Data will serve clients globally, offering data analytics and artificial intelligence advice to businesses around the world. Emerton Data will be steered from Paris, where the competence hub is based.