Google is deepening its push into artificial intelligence (AI) by opening a research centre in China, even though its search services remain blocked in the country. Google said the facility will be the first its kind in Asia and will aim to employ local talent. Silicon Valley is focusing heavily on the future applications for AI. China has also indicated strong support for AI development and catching up with the US. Research into artificial intelligence has the potential to improve a range of technologies, from self-driving cars and automated factories to translation products and facial recognition software. In a blog post on the company's website, Google said the new research centre was an important part of its mission as an "AI first company".

Alphabet Inc's Google said on Wednesday it is opening an artificial intelligence (AI) research center in China to target the country's local talent, even as the US search firm's products remain blocked in the country. Google said in a statement the research center is the first of its kind in Asia and will comprise a small team operating out of its existing office in Beijing. Chinese policy makers have voiced strong support for AI research and development in the country, but have imposed increasingly strict rules on foreign firms in the past year, including new censorship restrictions. Google's search engine is banned in the Chinese market along with its app store, email and cloud storage services. China's cyber regulators say restrictions on foreign media and internet platforms are designed to block influences that contravene stability and socialist ideas.

Robots are already coming for our jobs, and now it looks like they're coming for our treasured cultural ceremonies, too. On Monday, the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology's Hubo robot carried the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics relay torch for a stretch of the relay in Daejon, South Korea. Even more impressively, as shown in the clip below from Arirang News, Hubo used a tool mounted on one of its other arms to cut through a wall and pass the torch through, all without accidentally setting anything on fire. According to Olympics news website Inside the Games, it's not the first robot in history to carry the torch--or even the first one in the 2018 relay. Earlier this year, an "undersea robotic craft helped carry the flame" for a separate stretch of the months-long relay, which involves some 7,500 volunteers.

Yitu Technology, based in Shanghai, China has developed and employed an artificial intelligence (A.I.) algorithm called Dragonfly Eye that uses facial recognition technology capable of identifying 2 billion people in seconds. Zhu Long, CEO of Yitu Technologies, told the South China Morning Post, "Our machines can very easily recognise you among at least 2 billion people in a matter of seconds, which would have been unbelievable just three years ago." Dragonfly Eye is presently used by 150 municipal public security systems and 20 provincial public security departments across the country of China. Dragonfly Eye was initially employed on the Shanghai Metro in Shanghai, China, during January of this year. Local police authorities credit Dragonfly Eye with aiding in the arrest of 576 suspects on the Shanghai Metro in the first three months of using the facial recognition system.

Digital disruption is leaving no industry untouched, irrespective of geography. Digital disruptors and cloud natives are radically transforming business models. Digital transformation is no more a buzzword. We see technology evolving like never before and accelerating in scope and reach. While the year 2017 more or less stabilized new technologies, the coming year could see a significant incline.

Alphabet's Google said on Wednesday it is opening an artificial intelligence (AI) research center in China to target the country's local talent, even as the US search firm's products remain blocked in the country. Google said in a statement the research center is the first of its kind in Asia and will comprise a small team operating out of its existing office in Beijing. Chinese policymakers have voiced strong support for AI research and development in the country, but have imposed increasingly strict rules on foreign firms in the past year, including new censorship restrictions. Google's search engine is banned in the Chinese market along with its app store, email and cloud storage services. China's cyber regulators say restrictions on foreign media and internet platforms are designed to block influences that contravene stability and socialist ideas.

Google has officially announced that it is opening an AI center in Beijing, China. The confirmation comes after months of speculation fueled by a major push to hire AI talent inside the country. Google's search engine is blocked in China, but the company still has hundreds of staff in China which work on its international services. In reference to that workforce, Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt has said the company "never left" China, and it makes sense that Google wouldn't want to ignore China's deep and growing AI talent pool, which has been hailed by experts that include former Google China head Kaifu Lee. Like the general talent with Google China, this AI hiring push isn't a sign that Google will launch new services in China.

Google's search engine is banned in the Chinese market along with its app store, email and cloud storage services. China's cyber regulators say restrictions on foreign media and internet platforms are designed to block influences that contravene stability and socialist ideas.

Russia: Putin's statements are backed by Russia's intention to make 30% of the country's military equipment robotic by 2025. The country's intelligence departments have already leveraged machine learning and algorithms to project pro-Russia messaging into foreign media markets. Russia's demonstrated enthusiasm for AI will only increase moving forward. United States: The United States leads the world with $10 billion in venture capital being funneled to AI. According to a report LinkedIn's team in China (via the South China Morning Post), there are also more than 850,000 AI professionals in the United States -- more than any other country.

Japanese construction equipment manufacturer Komatsu will work with Nvidia to use artificial intelligence to make construction sites safer. Santa Clara, California-based Nvidia announced the deal at its GTC Japan event, where CEO Jensen Huang said that Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs, which can be used for AI processing) will power visualization and analysis of construction sites for safety issues. Nvidia's Jetson AI platform, a credit card-sized device designed to drive robots and drones, will serve as the brains of heavy machinery. "Artificial intelligence is sweeping across industries, and its next frontier is autonomous intelligent machines," Huang said in a statement. "Future machines will perceive their surroundings and be continuously alert, helping operators work more efficiently and safely. The construction and mining industries will benefit greatly from these advances."