Masayoshi Son, with a net worth of $21.5bn, is reputed to be Japan's wealthiest person. He is also one of the world's slickest and smartest salesmen. In September 2016, Son met then Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. By the end of the 45-minute meeting, bin Salman, MBS, as he is known, had committed $45bn from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) to Son's Vision Fund. That's nearly half the value of what has become the biggest investment fund the world has ever seen.

TIANJIN, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Machines that can impeccably synthesize the human voice, assist judges in sentencing, and tell customers whether a dress is a good fit, have been displayed at the second World Intelligence Congress in Tianjin. Riding the global waves of artificial intelligence (AI), China aims to improve the productivity and inject new momentum into its economy by encouraging more players to tap the fledging industry. By June 2017, about one-fourth of the world's 2,542 AI companies were in China, where around 15,700 AI patents were filed, ranking second after the United States, according to the China Internet Network Information Center. "China should seize opportunities to boost innovation in deep learning, smart algorithms and chips, and modernize industries with AI technologies," Lin Nianxiu, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), told a room of entrepreneurs, researchers and policy-makers at the congress, which was held from May 16 to 18. NDRC is China's top economic planning agency. In July last year, the State Council issued a plan for new generation AI, pledging to make the industry a major new growth engine and improve people's life by 2020 and make the country the world's center and leader for AI innovation by 2030.

The Global Artificial Intelligence In Insurance Market Report includes a comprehensive analysis of the present market. The report starts with the basic Artificial Intelligence In Insurance Market overview and then goes into each and every detail. Houston, TX -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/26/2018 -- Artificial Intelligence In Insurance Market research report offers comprehensive insight into the key growth drivers, notable challenges, prominent trends, recent technological advancements, and the competitive landscape. The study presents a critical assessment of the scope of key applications and the innovations in products brought about by key players. It further takes a closer look at prevailing regulatory landscape in major regions and identifies promising avenues.

Five men in white overalls lifted the stretcher off the ground, one of them taking care to lay a clear plastic IV bag that's connected to the patient onto his stomach. They marched him toward what looks like a black inflatable dinghy on small wheels, crossed with a fly. The stretcher was loaded in through a hatch on the side, and then the men stood back. The patient was actually a medical training mannequin, but that didn't stop him (it, rather) from taking part in the first "mission representative" demonstration of a new aircraft. That bean-shaped thing is called the Cormorant, and it was built by Israel-based Tactical Robotics to make battlefield evacuations--which today rely on helicopters--quicker and safer, thanks to a new design and the fact that there's no human pilot involved.

Eric Schmidt, the former chairman of Google's parent company Alphabet and now its technical adviser, joined the list of people Friday who oppose Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's views about the future of artificial intelligence. Musk has warned that AI, if unregulated, will eventually become an existentialist threat to humanity, and his opinion has both famous supporters, like the late Stephen Hawking, and dissenters like Schmidt. Speaking at the VivaTech conference in Paris on Friday, Schmidt's comments were in response to a question about Musk's dire warnings about AI. "I think Elon is exactly wrong. The fact of the matter is that AI and machine learning are so fundamentally good for humanity," Schmidt said, adding he shared Musk's concerns about the potential for misuse of technology. Alphabet's former executive chairman Eric Schmidt speaks on the phone during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland Jan. 24, 2018.

As the buzz around data science grows every day, there is a slew of self-taught professionals who have kick-started the machine learning journey with Andrew Ng's online courses. Many enthusiasts are gravitating towards the computer science field. But if one wants to pursue a career in Machine Learning, they need to be familiar with statistics and linear algebra. With computer science and ML applications becoming more pervasive in everyday life, people from a non-technical background are also interested in joining the field. In this article, we have discussed in-depth roles a person from non-tech background can explore in the data science/AI field.

Sally Ride was the first astronaut to operate the robotic Canadarm. We know Sally Ride, born on this day in 1951, as the first American woman in space (and since her death in 2012, we've known her as the only openly LGBT American astronaut so far) but she did much more than just show up for the ride, whether on her first Space Shuttle flight or during her 34-year career as an astronaut and physicist. It's easy for the basic fact of Ride's identity to eclipse her actual work. Her 1983 Challenger flight was groundbreaking, but in many ways the rest of her career is far more interesting; Ride herself certainly thought so, based on her comments in several interviews. From designing Canadarm 1 to investigating the loss of two Space Shuttles, and from X-rays in the interstellar medium to the physics of lasers, here's a look at what the first American woman in space actually did.

These venture bets on startups that "returned the fund," making firms and careers, were the result of research, strong convictions, and patient follow-through. Here are the stories behind the biggest VC home runs of all time. In venture capital, returns follow the Pareto principle -- 80% of the wins come from 20% of the deals. Great venture capitalists invest knowing they're going to take a lot of losses in order to hit those wins. Chris Dixon of top venture firm Andreessen Horowitz has referred to this as the "Babe Ruth effect," in reference to the legendary 1920s-era baseball player. Babe Ruth would strike out a lot, but also made slugging records. Likewise, VCs swing hard, and occasionally hit a home run. Those wins often make up for all the losses and then some -- they "return the fund." "If you do the math around our goal of returning the fund with our high impact companies, you will notice that we need these companies to exit at a billion dollars or more," he wrote.

Europe is ahead in the digital game, says Tata's Consultancy Services COO. But businesses and governments will need to utilise Big Data and Artificial Intelligence to improve services and the quality of life of customers. N. Ganapathy Subramaniam is the Chief Operating Officer of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), an Indian multinational IT service, consulting and business solutions company headquartered in Mumbai. He spoke to EURACTIV's Alexandra Brzozowski on the sidelines of the European Business Summit in Brussels. How could digital economy improve business and public-sector performance?

The Great Wall of China, one of the Seven Wonders of the World is set to be restored with the drone assistance. Intel has teamed up with the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation in order to protect and restore this wonder. In the coming months, the drone will be deployed for aerial photography of the walls and help team gauge the Wall's current condition. "This partnership showcases how Intel's technology breakthroughs can benefit the restoration of Great Wall of China. It's a powerful example of how Intel's artificial intelligence and drone technology can positively impact the world," says Alyson Griffin, Intel's leader of global brand marketing.