China has the resources and ambitious top-down plans to potentially create an intelligent economy powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning over the next several years, according to a new report from Goldman Sachs. In the report, titled "China's Rise in Artificial Intelligence," the investment bank said the world's second-largest economy has emerged as a major global contender in using AI to drive economic progress. Goldman said the government and companies have identified AI and machine learning as the next big areas of innovation. "We believe AI technology will become a priority on the government's agenda, and we expect further national/regional policy and funding support on AI to follow," the bank said. AI is already widespread: From simple smartphone applications that can tell the weather to complex algorithms that are able to easily beat humans in board games. Companies such as Google (GOOGL) and Microsoft (MSFT) have poured vast amounts of money into research and development to expand the horizon of what AI can achieve.

If you think you run a fashion business, you're wrong. Anything else and you may as well wave the white flag, because the rules of the rag trade are changing. You're either leading that change, or you're a sitting duck ready to be picked off by a sharp-shooting tech juggernaut. Since Amazon first started peddling books online, Jeff Bezos never once saw his company as a retailer. "Amazon is a technology company. We just happen to do retail," said Amazon CTO Wagner Vogels in 2011.

The digital arms race between the United States and Russia appears to be accelerating, fueled in part by new comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin, speaking to a group of Russian students Friday, called artificial intelligence "not only Russia's future" but "the future of the whole of mankind." "The one who becomes the leader in this sphere will be the ruler of the world," he said. "There are colossal opportunities and threats that are difficult to predict now." Top U.S. intelligence officials have been warning of a "perpetual contest" between the United States and Russia, with much of it playing out in the digital domain.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says that whoever reaches a breakthrough in developing artificial intelligence will come to dominate the world.... 58 Published By - U.S. News - News - 2017.09.01. Related Posts Opinion: Russia's Vladimir Putin the teacher gets an'F' Deutsche Welle (Yesterday) - Six months before Russia's presidential election, Vladimir Putin wants to show that he's just like everyone else. This time his strategy wound up as a failed attempt to reach out... Teacher arrested for indecent behavior with students Ex-Teacher Sentenced to 12 Years in Case Involving Student Putin Warns North Korea Situation Is on the Verge of a'Large-Scale Conflict' The world may run out of food in a decade New York Post (Yesterday) - The world could be facing a food shortage in just 10 years, according to an agricultural data technology company. Gro Intelligence founder and chief executive Sara Menker says previous calculations... Food revolution in aisle seven: Amazon will be a game ...

A world renowned pioneer in social robotics, Cynthia Breazeal splits her time as an Associate Professor at MIT, where she received her PhD and founded the Personal Robots Group, and Founder and Chief Scientist of Jibo, a personal robotics company with over $85 million in funding. While Breazeal's work has won numerous academic awards, industry accolades, and media attention, she had to fight early skepticism in the 1990s from other experts in robotics and AI. At the time, robots were seen as physical and industrial tools, not social or emotional companions. Her first social robot, Kismet, was unfairly called out in popular press as "useless". Breazeal bucked the trend with a very different vision: "I wanted to create robots with social and emotional intelligence that could work in collaborative partnership with people. In 2-5 years, I see social robots helping families with things that really matter, like education, health, eldercare, entertainment, and companionship." She hopes her work and influence will inspire others to create robots "not only with smarts, but with heart, too."

Russian President Vladimir Putin says that whoever reaches a breakthrough in developing artificial intelligence will come to dominate the world. Putin, speaking Friday at a meeting with students, said the development of AI raises'colossal opportunities and threats that are difficult to predict now.' He warned that'the one who becomes the leader in this sphere will be the ruler of the world.' Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, attends a meeting with students in Yaroslavl, Russia, Friday, Sept. 1, 2017. Putin, speaking Friday at a meeting with students, said the development of AI raises'colossal opportunities and threats that are difficult to predict now' 'Artificial intelligence is the future, not only for Russia, but for all humankind,' Putin said during the discussion, according to RT.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says the country that masters artificial intelligence technology will be the "ruler of the world" and leader in military might. Putin, speaking Friday at a meeting with students, said the development of AI raises "colossal opportunities and threats that are difficult to predict now." He warned that "the one who becomes the leader in this sphere will be the ruler of the world." The Russian president's comments come weeks after top tech barons Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg engaged in a public spat over AI's future impact on the world. Zuckerberg, when asked about Musk's concerns about AI, said those who push "doomsday scenarios" about the technology are being "irresponsible.

Diners at a KFC store in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou will have a new way to pay for their meal. Customers will be able to use a'Smile to Pay' facial recognition system at the tech-heavy, health-focused concept store, part of a drive by Yum China to lure a younger generation of consumers. The multi-step process includes two seconds of facial scanning with a 3D camera and then a'live-ness detection algorithm' which guarantees a user's identity. Customers will be able to use a'Smile to Pay' facial recognition system at the tech-heavy, health-focused concept store, part of a drive by Yum China to lure a younger generation of consumers Customers will be able to use a'Smile to Pay' facial recognition system at the tech-heavy, health-focused concept store, part of a drive by Yum China Holdings to lure a younger generation of consumers. The multi-step process includes two seconds of facial scanning with a 3D camera and then a'live-ness detection algorithm' which guarantees a user's identity. This algorithm can detect features that only come from living beings - which blocks people from using photos.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, applauds during a meeting with students in Yaroslavl, Russia, Friday, Sept. 1, 2017. Putin said that whoever reaches a breakthrough in developing artificial intelligence will come to dominate the world. Putin, speaking Friday at a meeting with students, said the development of AI raises "colossal opportunities and threats that are difficult to predict now."

Robot-shaped smartphones called RoBoHoN, developed by Sharp, on display at a press preview of the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies in Japan in October 2016. Artificial intelligence is big no matter where you are in the world, and some of the largest companies in Asia are making significant investments in AI technology. Startups across the region are exploring the ways in which AI can help people make better decisions, secure themselves against financial risk, learn more effectively, and obtain more accurate disease diagnoses. Here are four up-and-coming AI companies in Asia to watch. ADDO AI CEO Ayesha Khanna (left) appears on a panel hosted by the International Finance Corporation.