BEIJING (Reuters) - China unveiled a national artificial intelligence (AI) development plan on Thursday, laying out its ambitions to build world-leading technology amid heightened international friction over applications of AI in military technology.

Trying to handle and hide our true emotions is a challenge we all share as humans, and trying to discern what other people are hiding from us is something that fascinates us even more. Yet latest technological developments seem to signal that there is no place to hide anymore: Scientists at the University of Oulu in Finland have developed facial recognition software that can read human microexpressions at a success rate that beats humans at the same task. But what exactly are microexpressions? According to the Paul Ekman Group, founded by renowned psychologist Paul Ekman, who conducted groundbreaking research in the correlations between emotions and facial expressions – and has been dubbed "the best human lie detector in the world" in the process – microexpressions are "facial expressions that occur within 1/25th of a second and expose a person's true emotions". We make them involuntarily, even when we are trying to conceal our true emotional response. Perhaps more importantly, microexpressions are the same across all ages and genders, regardless of the person's unique cultural background, and they appear even when the subject is trying to hide their emotions without realizing they are doing so – in essence, when they are lying to themselves, too.

LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics have been long-time rivals when it comes to manufacturing appliances, smartphones and other devices, and now it looks like the two will once again butt heads in the self-driving car market. Apparently, LG has just been granted permission to test its autonomous cars on public roads, suggesting that it will soon be ready to compete against what Samsung has been developing. This Wednesday, LG exclusively disclosed to English language South Korean news site Korea Herald that it received permission to use its self-driving cars on public roads in its home country early this month. "We received the approval to test self-driving from the government on July 7 after applying for permission in May," an LG official said. LG's venture into the self-driving car market is seen as a move that would help it grow despite the slowing sales of its smartphones.

Artificial intelligence helps farmers, doctors and rescue workers make a positive impact on society. Artificial intelligence (AI) powers many gadgets, like smartphones, smart thermostats and voice-activated virtual assistants that bring modern conveniences to daily life. Increasingly, AI is also being used to tackle critical social challenges. AI is a branch of computer science where machines can sense, learn, reason, act and adapt to the real world, amplifying human capabilities and automating tedious or dangerous tasks. Some experts believe AI has the potential to spark a serious social revolution.

Facebook showed off some artificial intelligence at its F8 event. The United Kingdom's government has some questions about artificial intelligence. On Wednesday, the House of Lords announced a public call for experts to weigh in on issues surrounding AI, including its ethical, economic and social effects as the technology becomes more prevalent. When you think about all the crazy things that AI can accomplish, like a sex robot with a "brain," yeah, we've got some questions too. AI is already poised to take over jobs, as it has for an insurance company in Japan, but Britain's Parliament has concerns from all sides.

The robot, nicknamed "Little Sunfish", has captured previously unseen shots of underwater damage at the crippled nuclear plant.

While the bond between humans and dogs now seems a natural part of life, a look at their closest living ancestor is a reminder that things weren't always that way. A new study has identified a genetic marker in dogs that sets them apart from wolves when it comes to human interaction, suggesting dogs developed a genetic condition through domestication that causes them to be so sociable. According to the researchers, this marker is the same found in people with Williams-Beuren syndrome – a condition which essentially causes people to love everyone. A new study has identified a genetic marker in dogs that sets them apart from wolves when it comes to human interaction, suggesting dogs may have developed a genetic condition through domestication that causes them to be so sociable. A genetic analysis of the world's oldest known dog remains has revealed that dogs were domesticated in a single event by humans living in Eurasia.

This article was first published on the IEC e-tech website. Rapid advances in technology are revolutionizing the roles of aerial, terrestrial and maritime robotic systems in disaster relief, search and rescue (SAR) and salvage operations. Robots and drones can be deployed quickly in areas deemed too unsafe for humans and are used to guide rescuers, collect data, deliver essential supplies or provide communication services. The first reported use of SAR robots was to explore the wreckage beneath the collapsed twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York after the September 2001 terrorist attacks. Drones and robots have been used to survey damage after disasters such as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in Japan in 2011 and the earthquakes in Haiti (2010) and Nepal (2015).

Facebook is due to launch a subscription-based news product, it has been reported. The social media giant's news partnerships head Campbell Brown announced the plans at a conference in New York. The feature is likely to allow publishers to create a paywall on Facebook's Instant Articles and guide readers to a publisher's home page to opt for a digital subscription, according to a TheStreet report. The idea for a paywall is based on premium and metered plans and has been in the works for a while, TheStreet said, citing comments by Mr Brown at the Digital Publishing Innovation Summit. The company is widely seen as a threat to publishers as it hoovers up digital advertising revenue.

In 1942, science fiction author Isaac Asimov introduced the world to his three laws of robotics. In LinkedIn's Financial Services/Fintech survey of more than 1,000 professionals from the broader FI/Fintech space, it is clear that the threats and opportunities associated with A.I. have never been more present conceptually than they are today. When you look at some of the organizations making big bets on A.I. today, the online lists always include technology majors, but we don't yet see banks investing anywhere near the scale of Microsoft, Google, Apple, Alibaba, Baidu and others. Industrial players like Boeing and Tesla are making big bets on A.I., so it is reasonable to expect that we should see big investments coming through financial services also. However, right now the lion's share of progress appears to be coming from players like Ant Financial and smaller Fintech's who are able to specialize in various technologies. In LinkedIn's recent Financial Services Insights Survey, Fintech professionals (63%) and investment bankers (55%) were the most interested in machine learning and A.I.-based investing as key technologies worth watching.