According to the "Unlocking the Economic Impact of Digital Transformation in Asia Pacific" conducted by Microsoft and IDC, it was found that 79% of jobs in Hong Kong will be transformed in the next three years, 60% of which will be redeployed to higher value roles, or reskilled to meet the need of the digital age. With the growing importance of Data Science, Big Data and AI in different industries, we launched the new Microsoft AI Certification Programme in March with different tracks covering AI, Big Data, and Data Science to enable IT and business professionals to get equipped with future-ready skill sets for career development in this competitive job market. Moreover, we are extending our support to University Students by organizing free AI workshops to understand the concept and impact of AI in real-life applications. The first workshop of our Microsoft AI Workshop Series was held at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), with overwhelming attendance of more than 160 students participating with engaged conversations and follow-up questions on the AI Certification Programme. Following the success of our first Microsoft AI Workshop at PolyU, we have continued the series at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), which attracted a record-high of 200 and 230 attendees for each session. Students were interested to learn more about AI use-cases and our different tracks in our AI Certification Programme.

In recent years, off-the-grid retreats and tech detoxes have been on the rise in China, as in many other areas of the world. Often, the idea behind such initiatives is that for us to really switch off and find a sense of inner peace (or whatever term you want to attach to it), we need to more than install Calm and look at pictures of rain once a day -- humans must do away with the gadgets and technology that dominate our lives. But at Longquan (龙泉 or Dragon Spring) monastery on the outskirts of Beijing, they approach things from a radically different angle: what if cutting-edge technology can actually help rather than hinder the search for enlightenment? The monks at Longquan (including one robotic monk) are testing this idea in practical ways every day -- and last month I joined them. The monastery, built in 957, rises from the rolling hills of the Phoenix Range out beyond the Summer Palace in Beijing's suburban northwest.

The average number of robots has increased by about 20% over recent years, a figure that applies both globally and to Europe. Worldwide, according to the IFR, an average of 74 robots per 10,000 employees are in use in 2016, in Europe 99. The charge is currently being led by the South Korean industry, where 631 robots can be found per 10,000 workers. Despite the nation's reputation for technological prowess, since that year, robot density in Japan has been steadily decreasing.The UK is ahead of the curve on a global basis, with 71 robots per 10,000 workers – however the nation is also well below the European average. This is despite reports suggesting that logistics robots are set to make 40% of low skilled workers in the sector obsolete, and the prediction that over 60% of all work activities could be automated by 2055 subsequently remains a distant prospect.

The NITI Aayog has published an ambitious discussion paper on kickstarting the artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem in India. AI is the use of computers to mimic human cognitive processes for decision-making. It highlights the potential for India to become an AI'garage', or solutions provider, for 40% of the world. To pull this off, India would have to develop AI tools for a range of applications: reading cancer pathology reports, rerouting traffic in smart cities, telling farmers where to store their produce, and picking students at high risk of dropping out from school, among them. It is a tall order, but several countries have similar ambitions.

Artificial intelligence is a latest buzzword in the technology industry. Suddenly all the startups and companies who operate in technology field are claiming to use artificial intelligence or machine learning in one way or the other to solve their customer's problems. But like all other buzzwords, is artificial intelligence also just a hype cycle which will fizzle. Artificial intelligence specifically is notoriously famous for reaching a crescendo of hype every decade and then going through a period of non activity and non investment which is known as the AI winter. So first of all let's try to understand what exactly is artificial intelligence.

KUNSHAN, China--Five years ago, a group of Duke University scientists developed a pioneering gigapixel camera to provide long-range surveillance for the U.S. Navy through a sponsorship from the Pentagon. The technology, never picked up by the U.S. government, is now being used by Chinese police to identify people from nearly a football field away, after lead Duke researcher David Brady moved to China in 2016 to kick-start his business. China's easier access to startup funding, manufacturing supply chain and burgeoning demand for high-tech cameras attracted Mr. Brady, whose original venture in the U.S. failed to win over financial backers and customers. Within two years of the move to China, his company obtained enough funding to build its first commercial camera. The project's shift east offers insight into how China is emerging as a global player in pioneering technologies, including artificial intelligence.

Count Wally Rhines, semiconductor industry veteran and long-time CEO of Mentor Graphics, among the many who believe that deep-learning hardware will drive the next wave of growth for the semiconductor industry. Speaking at the GSA European Executive Forum here this week, Rhines added that memory will continue to be a key driver of the chip industry going forward. Despite the volatility of the semiconductor industry, R&D investment continues to be around 14% of revenue as it has been for the last 36 years, Rhines said, dismissing arguments put forth by some that there isn't enough being ploughed back into R&D to maintain sustained growth. On growth, we should be watching out for China, and a lot of growth will come from visual processing for AI applications, Rhines said. He offered his perspective on the future of the semiconductor industry and why revenue forecasts from research and analyst firms have been consistently off target.

Not long before Google announced it would end one part of its AI work for the U.S. military, the company's Cloud team was pitching artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to members of the U.S. special operations community, the soldiers very much at the front lines of combat in places like Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa. The pitches were part of Google's sales work at the SOFIC convention, which draws special operators from around the world to Tampa, Florida, each May. A document distributed at a May 24 sales presentation touts Google Cloud and associated AI capabilities as useful for some of special operations forces' most important work. Defense One obtained a copy of the document. One sheet describes how the tools can help with sensitive site exploitation, or SSE.

Artificial intelligence, or AI, a term that a few decades ago circled around in the realms of sci-fi and fantasy, is a reality today. The most evolved AI of our fantasy tales is often sentient machines scheming to take over the world. We are not there yet, and perhaps reality is far more benign than our imagination. AI, as we know today, has the potential to provide solutions to many of our real-life problems. In India, which is the world's fastest growing major economy and has the second largest population in the world, AI can be transformational.

Amazon has agreed to review its labor practices at Foxconn plant in China where its popular Echo Dot smart speakers are assembled. SAN FRANCISCO -- The Chinese plant where Amazon's popular Echo Dot smart speakers are assembled underpaid workers, some of whom worked as many as 14 consecutive days and more than 100 overtime hours per month, according to a U.S.-based labor rights group. Amazon says it knew of problems at the plant and has requested corrective action. The report by China Labor Watch found that the Foxconn plant in Hengyang in China broke multiple Chinese labor laws, underpaying workers and subjecting them to verbal abuse. More than 40% of the staff there were temporary employees, while China only allows 10% of any workforce to be temps.