Can you get pregnant using Artificial Intelligence? One American startup is trying to make it so. Mira Care, which SHACK15 News met up at CES 2018, has designed a gadget that harnesses machine learning to track hormone levels, and suggest how likely a user is to conceive a baby at a given time. Users just need to pee on a test stick and insert it in the device; then, Mira's algorithm will blend data from the sample with information about each user's fitness and life habits in order to calculate a fertility score, which will be shown on a mobile app. Mira's AI-powered device and its linked app showing a user's fertility score (via Mira Care) "One difference with any other menstrual cycle tracker is personalization," company CEO Zheng Yang said."It China-born Yang, who earned a PhD in Physics and for ten years has tried to apply mathematical and physical models to biomedical problems, also underlined that the tool and the algorithm have been tested in official clinical trials-- over 200 cases in total-- which have pegged Mira's has a 99 percent accuracy at predicting one person's chances of conceiving a baby. Yang said that the device--which has been approved by US medical authority FDA--is going to be launched on the US market in the second quarter of 2018 (and in Europe shortly after). He added that Mira is going to be followed by a string of similar AI-fuelled home diagnostic gadgets. "We are working on a product line that focuses on several diseases: like infectious diseases, chronic diseases, kidney function,"he told SHACK15 News."We're

Just shy of 60 years old, machine learning has never looked so good. Exponential data growth, advanced algorithms, and powerful computer processing are enabling the technology to fulfill its ultimate destiny: identifying profitable opportunities and avoiding unknown risks by evaluating massive volumes of complex data and delivering accurate results in real time. However, during the Americas' SAP Users' Group (ASUG) Webcast "Guide to the Machine Learning Galaxy: How Your ERP Knowledge Enables Value-Driven Intelligent Processes," Darwin Deano, principal and chief SAP Leonardo officer, and Denise McGuigan, senior manager and Deloitte reimagine platform leader (both from Deloitte Consulting LLP), forewarned that machine learning is only as good as the algorithm. And the algorithm is only as good as the data. Deano advised, "Data evolves over time. Even though ERP systems provide a strong foundation for identifying opportunities and delivering on the promise of machine learning, it does not factor in information outside the core structure, nor does it move with information as it changes."

There will be three million electric passenger vehicles on the road globally by the end of 2018, and by 2040, over half of new car sales will be electric, according to a Masdar report on transport solutions for future cities. The report titled'Technologies for Future Smart City Transit' was brought out by Masdar in collaboration with Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) on Wednesday at the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. The report predicts that new technologies such as electric and autonomous vehicles, the Internet of Things, data analytics, blockchain and'smart roads' will provide the building blocks to revolutionise urban transport over the next two decades. And countries with a relatively new urban transport network, such as the UAE and other Gulf states, may have an advantage over other countries because their transport infrastructure is newer and less sprawling - meaning it is easier to update and integrate with emerging digital technologies. Yousef Baselaib, executive director of sustainable real estate at Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), said: "Urban transport is reaching a crossroads as emerging technologies come together, placing us on the cusp of a step-change which could revolutionise the sector, making it safer, more efficient and environmentally sustainable. The Middle East is well placed to benefit from these developments but achieving these ambitions will require major investment over the next few decades. It will also be essential for the public and private sectors to work together to agree technology standards which govern the market and prioritise innovation and technology leadership."

We love a good LinkedIn report. The social network has such a huge outreach of professionals and, in our case, recruiters across so many industries that you can be sure reports are detailed and verified. Every year the company releases its Global Recruiting Trends report that helps recruiters all over the world paint a picture of the recruiting landscape ahead. This year, when LinkedIn interviewed industry experts about the state of hiring, four trends rose to the top: diversity, new interviewing tools, data, and artificial intelligence. Following these trends, LinkedIn surveyed nearly 8,800 recruiters and hiring managers to get an idea of how the trends will impact them.

Early in November, a Japanese delegation visited the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati campus. The team of five were looking for students with artificial intelligence and deep learning skills from India's premier technology schools for companies in Japan. They had visited IIT-Bombay before flying to the east. In an hour-long meeting, the visitors listed their requirements before K Mohanty, head of career development at IIT-Guwahati and the convenor of the All IITs Placement Committee. "They are willing to come to the placements only if we can provide them with people trained with AI skills. On confirmation, they will hire 15-20 people next year from Guwahati and an equal number from IIT-Bombay," he told FactorDaily.

I was invited as Keynote speaker in GCC Blockchain event in Dubai on 22 and 23 November 2017. I advocated for my area on AI and its subfield for FinTech. Also gave me lot of insight on how Blockchain can equally disrupt FinTech of rather doing it along with AI. In line with a Dubai goal towards making it the first Blockchain-powered government in the world by 2020, various service areas in Public and private organizations can benefit from Blockchain technologies. Blockchain and distributed ledger technology have potential to make ledgers more transparent, trustworthy and efficient which can revolutionize various business sectors.

Ever since early-nineteenth-century textile workers destroyed the mechanical looms that threatened their livelihoods, debates over automation have conjured gloom-and-doom scenarios about the future of work. With another era of automation upon us, how nervous about the future of our own livelihoods should we be? A recent report by the McKinsey Global Institute estimates that depending on a country's level of development, advances in automation will require 3 to 14 per cent of workers worldwide to change occupations or upgrade their skills by the year 2030. Already, about 10 per cent of all jobs in Europe have disappeared since 1990 during the first wave of routine-based technological change. And with advances in artificial intelligence (AI), which affects a broader range of tasks, that share could double in the coming years.

Artificial intelligence will be the main focus of this year's World Government Summit as Dubai aims to transform itself into the most digitally-savvy city. Beyond smart cities, AI is seen as a key pillar in providing services across the board. "Every phone will be like a personal computer," said Hussain Lootah, director general at the emirate's municipality. "Providing it in hardware and robotics will maintain the city's landscape too – we plant 70 million flowers every year but AI will help save us a lot of time. We will also have'smart canes' for the elderly and disabled."

According to, Gary Nuttall MD of The Fintech Times, "The insurance sector is embracing both the InsurTech sector in general, and blockchain in particular, with alliances such as B3I (Blockchain Insurance Industry Initiative – with 15 insurance/reinsurance members) and R3 (which includes insurance companies from Asia and the USA). The establishment of consortia, along with industry standards bodies such as ACORD (a Global Insurance Standards organisation), will enable interoperability between blockchains. Customers experience in the insurance sector still lags way behind. Blockchain allows insurers to start developing models that reduce the burden on customers such as less data re-entry, one touch buying. This can be supported with greater control over digital identity using hash functions and will allow multiple platforms to be developed that can interact with each other. The FinTech community seems to be filled with challenger banks and alternative payment providers, all of whom are competing against existing banks and service providers. The InsurTech community seems to be more collaborative with startups working with existing insurers and we're likely to see this trend grow as blockchain startups aligns with organisations that already have a major foothold in insurance."

Startups from around the world are innovating in the ways artificial intelligence can be brought to bear in the healthcare space, with clinical, financial and operational applications, as evidenced by new launches from two AI companies with roots in Israel. This week, Netanya-based CLEW Medical, launched its predictive analytics platform, which crunches real-time data with machine learning technology to drive quality and safety improvement and help control costs. The company, formerly known as Intensix, said the AI platform can help health systems prevent life-threatening complications across settings. It's been deployed in intensive care units already, and CLEW aims to expand the technology's applications, giving staff insights to help streamline medical care. Officials pointed out that inpatients often come with some 300 unique data elements to be tracked, some measured every few milliseconds.