This is the second blogpost in a series on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, co-authored by: Christiaan van Veen (Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at NYU Law) & Corinne Cath (Oxford Internet Institute and Alan Turing Institute). Why are human rights relevant to the debate on Artificial Intelligence (AI)? That question was at the heart of a workshop at Data & Society on April 26 and 27 about'AI and Human Rights,' organized by Dr. Mark Latonero. The timely workshop brought together participants from key tech companies, civil society organizations, academia, government, and international organizations at a time when human rights have been peripheral in discussions on the societal impacts of AI systems. Many of those who are active in the field of AI may have doubts about the'added value' of the human rights framework to their work or are uncertain how addressing the human rights implications of AI is any different from work already being done on'AI and ethics'.

Editor's Note: Welcome to Aspencore's Special Project on Embedded Artificial Intelligence (AI). This article, along with the articles listed on the last page, form an in-depth look from a variety of angles at the business and technology of imbuing embedded systems with localized AI. SAN JOSE -- It's easy to list semiconductor companies working on some form of artificial intelligence -- pretty much all of them are. The broad potential for machine learning is drawing nearly every chip vendor to explore the still-emerging technology, especially in inference processing at the edge of the network. "It seems like every week, I run into a new company in this space, sometimes someone in China that I've never heard of," said David Kanter, a microprocessor analyst at Real World Technologies.

Most technologies are dual use: take the case of digital technologies that are fundamentally transforming governance, markets and development for the better. Yet the malicious use of these same technologies also poses serious challenges to global stability. In the current international climate, the potential for miscalculation and destabilization is real. Online crime is already costing the global economy hundreds of billions of dollars a year and appears to be worsening. Meanwhile, the race is on to dominate and in some cases weaponize frontier technologies – including artificial intelligence (AI) – with implications that will undoubtedly shape the future direction of humanity.

SINGAPORE: Imagine stepping into a hospital outpatient clinic or polyclinic and skipping the long wait, just by looking into a camera. It is a facial recognition device which is able to match a patient to his or her medical and personal data. There is no manual registration or paperwork to be done. A text message will tell the patient which consultation room to head to, and the medical bill could even be sent directly to the patient's home or email address. This could soon become a reality at hospitals under the National University Health System (NUHS), with an artificial intelligence healthcare system called Discovery AI which incorporates different AI tools to make sense of the huge amount of hospital data.

As you might expect, this year, many companies use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning at the core of their business to deliver innovative products and service offerings. Anyone interested in AI should know about these 14 pioneering businesses.# This London-based company was founded in 2013 and operates under two business units: BenevolentTech's focus is to develop the artificial intelligence platform that will drive innovation by transforming the way scientists access and use the information available to them. BenevolentBio is the division that applies the tech to generate new ideas that will impact human health such as better medicines and research, insights and innovation for rare diseases. With a mission to make law free and understandable, Casetext leverages artificial intelligence technology to help legal researchers find the most relevant cases quickly.

Disney already has humans performing stunts at places like Shanghai Disneyland. And of course, they already have animatronic figures, but those guys aren't exactly made to fly. Take the "Shaman" character in an "Avatar"-themed attraction in Florida, for example. "It's a very, very sophisticated, very, very expressive animatronic figure," says Tony Dohi, a principle R&D "imagineer" with Walt Disney Imagineering Research and Development. "Yet it's definitely not something we'd want to throw 90 feet across an outdoor space."

During his stay, Grant is surprised by the non-humanoid robot he meets at the check-in desk. Maybe he should have known--Henn Na Hotel loosely translates to "strange hotel" in Japanese. Naomi Tomita, the hotel's Chief Technology Officer, says that using non-humanoid robots can make the interactions less awkward. The hotel encourages guests to chat with the robots while they work. A robot checks Grant's coat, and a robotic trolley takes his luggage to his hotel room.

It's completely understandable why you might overlook the news that the Federal Communications Commission will conduct a pair of high-band frequency spectrum auctions later this year. But if you are among the 77 percent of Americans who own a smartphone or you wish your home broadband speeds were faster, this is an important development. The two spectrum auctions announced today by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, planned to begin in November, will help drive innovations in the evolution of 5G. That means the potential for speeds 100 times faster than current 4G networks and far lower latency, or better network responsiveness. "5G has the potential to have an enormously positive impact on American consumers," Pai said in a statement to USA TODAY.

Chinese guests at Marriott International, the world's largest hotel chain, may soon be able to check in with a quick scan of their facial features. The chain will work in a joint venture with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group to test facial recognition check-ins at two China hotels this month, the firms said on Wednesday, with ambitions for a global rollout later. China is spearheading the use of facial recognition for everything from helping control major live events to ordering fast-food, but also bolstering a growing domestic surveillance system that has raised fears among human rights activists of privacy being invaded. The joint venture said the new technology would help guests jump queues and cut the check-in process to less than a minute, compared to at least three minutes at a normal counter. Chinese guests will need to scan their IDs, take a photo and input contact details on an automated machine, the firms said.

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk on Tuesday landed a deal with Chinese authorities to build a new auto plant in Shanghai, its first factory outside the United States, that would double the size of the electric car maker's global manufacturing. The deal was announced as Tesla raised prices on U.S.-made vehicles it sells in China to offset the cost of new tariffs imposed by the Chinese government in retaliation for U.S. President Donald Trump's heavier duties on Chinese goods. Musk was in Shanghai Tuesday, and the Shanghai government in a statement said it welcomed Tesla's move to invest not only in a new factory in the city, a center of the Chinese auto industry, but in research and development, as well. China has long pushed to capture more of the talent and capital invested by global automakers in advanced electric vehicle technology. Tesla plans to produce the first cars about two years after construction begins on its Shanghai factory, ramping up to as many as 500,000 vehicles a year about two to three years later, the company said.