China is working on the development of artificial intelligence (AI) systems that would enhance the thinking capabilities of commanding officers of nuclear submarines, a senior scientist, who was a part of the project, said. The scientist, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the project, said by updating the old systems and providing nuclear submarines with AI-augmented brainpower, the Chinese navy would have an advantage in underwater wars. It would also result in the progress of AI technology, he added. The scientist said, "Though a submarine has enormous power of destruction, its brain is actually quite small." Speaking to the South China Morning Post, he said although the operation of a nuclear submarine depends on the efficiency of the crew's performance, novel challenges posed by the demands of modern warfare could result in new variables that would make the operations even easier to perform.

The next level of strategic cooperation between India and Japan has become apparent with the news that India and Japan are to work together to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics in the defence sector. Chatting with Indian media last month, said, "You should expect to see increased bilateral cooperation between us (India and Japan) to develop unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and robotics." This cooperation is important considering the increasingly aggressive stance by China and China's assistance to Pakistan in terms of AI and robotics. Recent reports indicate China has secretly sold its Wing Loong-I strike-capable medium-altitude, 5000 km range, 200 kg payload drone to Pakistan. Wing Loong-I is China's latest armed drone that conducted firing exercises during January 2018.

Travel agency H.I.S. Co. is eyeing an ambitious plan to build eight more android-staffed Henn na Hotels in addition to the one it opened in Tokyo's high-end Ginza shopping district on Thursday. Against the backdrop of a shrinking population and a growing number of foreign tourists, the hotel has found success employing robots as a way to both draw in business and reduce staffing costs. "Japan does not have enough hotel rooms and we have a shrinking population to staff stores," said Miura Tatsuki, a manager from the public relations division at H.I.S."We created this hotel in part to respond to societal issues." In addition to its latest addition in Ginza, the company plans to build four robot-staffed hotels in the Tokyo area this year and four others spread among Osaka, Fukuoka, and Kyoto. The company also opened an automated coffee shop, Henn na Cafe in Shibuya Ward, on the same day as the opening of the Ginza hotel.

We already know that algorithms are ruling the world. Consider it kind of God or Ghost from the machine powering them all, for good or evil -- you decide. Soon Machine Learning Algorithms will be able to accurately guide forward-looking business decisions and reveal behaviors never before seen. Gartner says that Automation and Machine Learning will shape the future of governments. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning is the Trend no 1 in Garner's Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2017 Can computers really learn mom's art of cucumber sorting?

Major iPhone assembler Hon Hai Precision Industry, also known as Foxconn, on Friday pledged to dedicate a minimum of $342 million to turn itself into a key artificial intelligence player as the Taiwanese tech conglomerate eyes new growth opportunities beyond smartphones. "We will at least invest some 10 billion New Taiwan dollars ($342 million) over five years to recruit top talent and deploy artificial intelligence applications in all the manufacturing sites," said Chairman Terry Gou. "It's likely that we could even pour in some $10 billion or more if we find the deployments are very successful or can really generate results," said Gou. Gou added that his company aimed to recruit up to 100 top AI experts globally and would open up thousands of jobs for young talent should they have good ideas on how to develop applications using machine learning and deep learning techniques. His team is already looking globally for different types of sensors that can be built into production line equipment to better sense, capture and process data, according to Gou. "We will become a global innovative AI platform rather than just a manufacturing company," said Gou. Foxconn's move to invest heavily in AI comes as it faces mounting challenges to grow its core manufacturing business as global smartphone demand slows. Although its largest customer Apple on Feb. 1 reported record revenue for the last holiday season quarter, the US tech group sold fewer units of the iPhone X than expected and gave a weak outlook for the current quarter.

FOR the moment at least, automation is occurring all too slowly. The displacement of workers by machines ought to be bringing on a consistent rise in productivity and a faster growing economy. This is not happening in the US, Europe and Japan as well as in most parts of the world, including Malaysia – all being persistently disappointed with the outcomes. Experts warn that rapid advances in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) could destroy millions of jobs and pose a "Terminator" style threat to human life as we know it. However unnerving the prospect, present day limitations of AI appear all too evident.

Industry figures question research that'pathologises' compulsive gaming, while scientist involved defends move to address addiction Mon 5 Feb 2018 04.00 EST Last modified on Mon 5 Feb 2018 04.02 EST The World Health Organization (WHO) has included "gaming disorder" in its draft for the next edition of its diagnostic manual, the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), which is due for final release this year. The disorder is characterised by behaviours such as impaired control of time spent playing video games and prioritisation of gaming above other activities, in a way that negatively affects other areas of a person's life such as their education, occupation and relationships. Games industry bodies the US Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and UK Interactive Entertainment (Ukie) have expressed doubts about the classification. "We are very concerned about the inconclusive nature of the research and the evidence that WHO is using to base this potential classification on," says Ukie's chief executive, Jo Twist. "I just feel like we don't know enough yet," says Dr Netta Weinstein, a senior lecturer in psychology at Cardiff University.

SK Telecom Co. said Monday it successfully tested self-driving automobiles using fifth-generation (5G) network service for the first time. South Korea's No. 1 mobile carrier said two of its self-driving cars operated on a 2 kilometer-track earlier in the day, exchanging real-time traffic information through its ultra high-speed network. The company said the demonstration marks the first time in the world that 5G has been used in autonomous car technology. It claimed that the test will help the industry move forward so as to make it possible for full autonomous driving in the upcoming era of 5G. The cars were able to sense the outside environment and avoid obstacles, slowing down at a school zone and even stopping when a mock-up that looked like a child appeared on the road suddenly, the company said.

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The industry faces stiff competition from US companies such as Waymo, Google's autonomous driving arm, which in November passed 4m test miles in four states since 2009. Racking up test miles is one of the key metrics in training artificial intelligence software to drive.