LG's deep collaboration with Google continues, as it just announced that Google Assistant is coming to ThinQ smart TVs in seven more markets and five languages. LG will also expand Amazon Alexa support to Australia and Canada. Google Assistant first arrived to ThinQ AI TVs in the US earlier this year. Google Assistant on LG ThinQ TVs lets you control smart lights, appliances, robotic vacuums and other home devices, check the weather, make a restaurant reservation and more. You can also shout at the TV (via the "mic" button on the remote) or Google Home devices to pause ThinQ TV programming, change channels, lower the volume, etc. Google Home support for ThinQ TVs works now in Canada, Australia and the UK, and non-English language support for France, Spain, South Korea and Germany will arrive by the end of 2018.

Google's parent company Alphabet is continuing its push for a presence in China with a new Waymo subsidiary, based in Shanghai. Waymo – one of the world's leading autonomous car designers -- has confirmed it has set up a legal entity in the country and has people working there, but hasn't commented on its future plans. The move marks the latest attempt by Alphabet to move into China, where many of its Google services are blocked. But the autonomous vehicle industry is rapidly developing in the country, so it makes sense for Alphabet to get in as early as it can. The cities of Beijing and Guangzhou have recently started approving companies for autonomous vehicle testing on public roads, for example. However, foreign autonomous car makers will likely face greater regulatory restrictions in China than elsewhere, due to the government's security concerns.

The battle against propaganda bots is an arm's race for our democracy. It's one we may be about to lose. Bots--simple computer scripts--were originally designed to automate repetitive tasks like organizing content or conducting network maintenance, thus sparing humans hours of tedium. Companies and media outlets also use bots to operate social-media accounts, to instantly alert users of breaking news or promote newly published material. But they can also be used to operate large numbers of fake accounts, which makes them ideal for manipulating people.

The new subsidiary, with 3.5 million yuan ($508,000) in registered capital, will design and test autonomous vehicle products and parts and may also handle business consultancy and supply chain management and logistics inquiries, the filing said. The filing listed Waymo LLC as the only shareholder of the Shanghai subsidiary. Kevin Vosen, Waymo's general counsel, is listed as chairman of the new company. Waymo executives including Chief Executive John Krafcik are also listed as senior representatives of the Chinese company. Waymo representatives couldn't be reached for comment.

In early February, Aparajita Jain was standing in front of a blackboard in Bengaluru, brainstorming ideas on art and technology with two very creative minds--Lalitesh Katragadda, the creator of Google Maps India, and multidisciplinary artist and TED speaker Raghava K.K.--when it struck her: AI (Artificial Intelligence) had dipped its metaphoric toes into the realm of art. "We were working on a technological platform together in Raghava's home in Bengaluru. Right then he told me that AI was creating art," recalls Jain, who is the co-director of the Nature Morte gallery in Delhi. It seemed absurd at first, but as it began to sink in, a very real possibility in the future. "I thought, 'the creative space is supposed to belong to mankind, so where is the space for Artificial Intelligence? Machines are taking over jobs which are system-intensive, but how does creativity inform AI--something which is quintessentially human?'"

HAIFA, ISRAEL (August 22, 2018) – Dr. Kira Radinsky and Shahar Harel of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology Computer Science Department have developed a smart system for the development of new drugs. Founded on artificial intelligence and deep learning, the system is expected to dramatically shorten and reduce the costs of drug development. It will be presented this week during the KDD 2018 conference in London. Drug production is a costly and lengthy process. Costs of half a billion to 2.5 billion dollars per drug, over 10-15 years are common numbers in the world of pharmacology.

Java-wise, I sometimes pick up a medium decaf at the Pastry Chef, where I might also grab a plain croissant, though most days I have coffee and a toasted poppy bagel at Bella's Restaurant. I do not get the bagel hollowed out, viewing this as an affectation. I freely grant this information; all you data miners fooling around inside my car can do with your findings what you please. The deeply paranoid national obsession with hiding personal info from online snoops is misplaced and counterproductive. These guys are going to get it anyway, so why obsess about it?

Sony Corp. plans to start selling its revamped Aibo robot dog in the United States from September following its domestic revival in January. Sony, which regards the new Aibo as symbolizing the revival of its innovative spirit, aims to use the product to raise its presence in overseas markets. The original Aibo was launched in 1999 and terminated in 2006. Improved with advanced artificial intelligence and communications functions, the second-generation Aibo develops a unique character depending on how its owners interact with it. The U.S. version only recognizes English and will be priced at $2,899, including a three-year data fee.

As society has evolved, technology has as well, and there is a growing awareness that already-established police techniques -- if used exclusively -- are somewhat out-of-date and oftentimes quite expensive for what they offer. When departments sink valuable resources into maintaining old systems instead of investing into newer, more efficient, and cost-effective technologies -- especially in an era of budget cuts where law enforcement agencies are forced to make difficult decisions as to where to cut funding -- these agencies are missing out on a valuable source of information. One only needs to look at history to witness the evolution of criminal investigations. Fingerprinting, DNA analysis, and computer information systems such as CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) and NDIS (National DNA Index System) have improved investigatory efforts considerably; however, as technology continues to evolve -- and criminals are openly taking advantage of this new technology -- law enforcement agencies may be missing out on a valuable opportunity if they don't embrace more openly the tremendous benefits such new technology brings. The United States spends more than $100 billion annually on law enforcement and incarceration, and this figure does not even consider other economic impacts of crime in terms of victims' costs, property devaluation, and higher outlays for companies to ensure their security.

I've been fortunate enough to attend the first meeting of what then became the Trusted IoT consortium, held in Berkeley in late 2016. The key idea was, combining properties of blockchain such as identity and immutable ledger with sensor data where provenance, authenticity, location, and governance are crucial for actions taken on the basis of the sensor data stream. It still takes an effort to wrap your mind around the way the two areas, Blockchain and IoT, interoperate. Various objects need to be ascertained as being something, belonging to someone, and being somewhere. One example is Supply Chain -- when a container is shipped from say Shanghai to Oakland, the buyer, the seller and the shipper all need to know, and to be able to prove, that it follows a certain state machine -- with loading, sailing, arrival, customs, and unloading, sequenced one after the other in time.