I got a glimpse into the future world of our robot overlords today. It was nervy at times. I watched two robots go on stage at a tech event to "debate" the future of humanity with each other. The robots in question are Sophia and Han, and they belong to Hanson Robotics, a Hong Kong-based company that is developing and deploying artificial intelligence in humanoids. The duo took to the stage at Rise in Hong Kong with Hanson Robotics' Chief Scientist Ben Goertzel directing the banter.

Aidyia, a Hong Kong automated system, uses a number of Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities, including one inspired by genetic evolution and another one by probabilistic logic, to make predictions about the market. On its first day, it generated a 2% increase in an undisclosed amount of money, according to Ben Goertzel, its creator and a long-time AI guru. Every day these engines process vast quantities of material–analysing everything from market prices to macroeconomic data and corporate accounting documents–and then "vote" on a course of action. According to a study by Preqin, a market research firm, some 1,360 quantitative funds use computer models to trade. This is 9% of all funds, and it represents $197 billion in total.

Little is known about the young startup except that its founder and CEO, Pankaj Gupta, was the former chief technology and product officer of the now defunct Stayzilla. He also did a five-year stint at Twitter, working on personalisation and recommendation engines for the social media platform. Halli Labs will be joining Google's Next Billion Users team, which is part of its bet to expand its services to non-English speaking users from India. Such users, according to a study it co-authored with KPMG, will form nine out of the ten new internet users coming online. Google has increasingly emphasised how important AI and machine learning is to them.

Spanish authorities say 33 people, including six children under 10 years old, have been injured in a roller coaster collision in Madrid. Emergency services say that 27 people needed hospital treatment for minor injuries when two roller coaster cars collided Sunday on the "Tren de la Mina" at Madrid's Parque de Atracciones theme park. Emergency services spokeswoman Carmen Camacho said that none of the injuries appeared to be serious. She said that the riders were treated for neck, back and stomach pains. Park representatives told Spanish news agency Europa Press that the roller coaster had passed a daily safety inspection Sunday morning.

Patrick Tucker, Defense One: Russian Weapons Maker To Build AI-Directed Guns Kalashnikov's upcoming product shows how the US and Russia are on wildly different paths to autonomy. The maker of the famous AK-47 rifle is building "a range of products based on neural networks," including a "fully automated combat module" that can identify and shoot at its targets. That's what Kalashnikov spokeswoman Sofiya Ivanova told TASS, a Russian government information agency last week. It's the latest illustration of how the U.S. and Russia differ as they develop artificial intelligence and robotics for warfare. The Kalashnikov "combat module" will consist of a gun connected to a console that constantly crunches image data "to identify targets and make decisions," Ivanova told TASS. A Kalashnikov photo that ran with the TASS piece showed a turret-mounted weapon that appeared to fire rounds of 25mm or so.

"How are you doing today?" "What's going on in your world right now?" "How do you feel?" These might seem like simple questions a caring friend would ask. However, in the present day of mental health care, they can also be the start of a conversation with your virtual therapist. Innovative technology is offering new opportunities to millions of Americans affected by different mental health conditions. Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) are bringing psychotherapy to more people who need it.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer is asking Amtrak to discard the idea of creating new economy seating with reduced legroom aboard its trains. Schumer says in a statement Sunday that Amtrak should find other ways to save money without burdening passengers. Outgoing Amtrak co-chief executive Wick Moorman said last week that the company was looking at creating the "economy" seating that would add more rows of seats in an effort to make more money. Schumer is calling the idea "right out of the airline's playbook." The senator from New York is urging Amtrak to "scrap the shrinking seats idea" and look at other ways of making money.

Tennis - Wimbledon - London, Britain - July 16, 2017 Switzerland's Roger Federer celebrates winning the final against Croatia's Marin Cilic REUTERS/Toby Melville Reuters From 1877 to 1921 the men's singles was decided on a challenge-round system with the previous year's winner automatically qualifying for the final (British unless stated): Winner of all-comers' final declared champion. Not all U.S. presidents are missed once they leave the White House. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO urged governors to regulate artificial intelligence before it's too late. Administration officials traveled to Providence to gain support from key players like Gov. Brian Sandoval. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other foreign leaders reached out to U.S. governors ahead of slated talks.

The BBC says Jodie Whittaker is the next star of the long-running science fiction series "Doctor Who" -- the first woman to take the title role. Whittaker, who starred in detective drama "Broadchurch," will replace Scottish actor Peter Capaldi. Whittaker is the 13th incarnation of the Doctor, a galaxy-hopping Time Lord who travels in the Tardis, a time machine shaped like an old-fashioned British police telephone booth. The 54-year-old program has a firm place in Britain's cultural life, and the announcement was made during a live television broadcast Sunday after the Wimbledon men's tennis final. "Doctor Who" was first broadcast in 1963.

The age of the robot has been predicted for decades. First used as a term to mean automated labor back in the 1920s, and popularised in the classic 1927 slient movie Metropolis, they have been a regular feature of science fiction ever since. The fact that robots and science fiction go hand in hand – and that predictions that we will soon have robot helpers being regular features of future-gazing since the 1930s – has meant that the idea of robots becoming a central part of our lives have become so familiar that we've come to ignore them. Yet robots have been a reality in manufacturing for decades, having become cost-effective production-line solutions by the 1970s. The Roomba – an automated vacuum cleaner that is perhaps the most famous domestic-helper robot – was launched back in 2002, and has sold more than 10 million units worldwide.