Artificial intelligence is everywhere, at times obscured and sometimes fully hidden. It lurks in the Facebook newsfeed algorithm that curates the news you see, it's being implemented in the programs of semi-autonomous vehicles that decide who lives in case of an accident, and it spectacularly beat the top Go champions in the world with its deep neural network technology. The applications of AI are evolving with increased sophistication, sparking considerable, complex questions related the social impact, governance, and ethics of its technology. These questions are particularly salient as accountability mechanisms for algorithms are yet in a nascent stage, where the balance of power is skewed towards industry giants who control these technologies. In this particular moment, the research, development, and deployment of AI is primarily taking place in the private sector, while governments around the world are increasingly contracting out their own use of these powerful technologies. In this context, the future role of universities emerges as one that is particularly meaningful when it comes to addressing these questions of social impact, ethics, and governance of AI.

Try typing "the machines" into Google and chances are that one of the top results the artificial intelligence-powered search engine will return is the phrase: "The Machines are Coming". After a 2016 filled with high-profile advances in artificial intelligence (AI), leading technologists say this could be a breakout year in the development of intelligent machines that emulate humans. Asia, until now lagging Silicon Valley in AI, will play a bigger role as the field cements itself at the pinnacle of the technology world in 2017, the experts say. AI – technically, a computing field that involves the analysis of large troves of data to predict outcomes and patterns – is as old as modern computers but its esoteric nature means it has long endured caricatures of its actual potential – think for example, the 1960s space age cartoon The Jetsons, which featured a sentient robot maid and automated flying cars (both of which we are still waiting for, even 50 years on). Now, a confluence of factors has given rise to hopes that computers with human-like cognitive ability may soon be a reality.

In September 2014, Apple made encryption default with the introduction of the iPhone 6. Then, in February 2016, a Los Angeles judge issued an order to Apple to help break into the encrypted iPhone belonging to a terrorist involved in a mass shooting. Apple had used some of the strongest encryption technologies and practices to protect its users and their data. The encryption technology did not discriminate between lawful and unlawful users. While there were many sides to this issue, it surfaced many important debates on security, privacy, and civil rights.

You're young and want to get ahead. You work weekends and message colleagues with inspired trading ideas at all hours. You've just marked yourself as a potential rogue trader. Welcome to the brave new world of trader surveillance, where former Goldman Sachs research analyst Erkin Adylov is building a library of banking villainy based on the behaviors of hundreds of past miscreants such as UBS Group's Tom Hayes and Societe Generale's Jerome Kerviel. Using thousands of inputs, from stress levels in voice recordings to the frequency of visits to the staff canteen, Adylov and his team at startup Behavox grade employees on how likely they are to go bad before they do anything wrong. While that may sound like something out of a Philip K. Dick science-fiction novel, hedge fund Marshall Wace and interdealer broker TP ICAP are already using the software to monitor employees, and some of the biggest investment banks and commodities dealers in the world have begun testing it.

Mr. HUANG talked about the challenges facing the industry in the era of AI and how it could translate those challenges into opportunities. He pointed out that the emergence of neural machine translation, the application of speech interactive technology and the rapid development of the Internet Era had a huge impact on traditional human translation. Though the industry has begun to realize the importance of AI and other technologies, the mechanism and platform to promote their application is still lacking. Mr. HUANG believed that governments, language colleges, language and AI service providers, experts and freelance translators should join hands in exploring this topic and advise the industry on development in the new era. In addition to the guidance of government and industrial organizations, an effective cooperative mechanism shall be established to ensure the maximum synergy between colleges, research institutes and language service providers.

F-35s, F-22s and other fighter jets will soon use improved "artificial intelligence" to control nearby drone "wingmen" able to carry weapons, test enemy air defenses or perform intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance missions in high risk areas, senior Air Force officials said. Citing ongoing progress with computer algorithms and some degree of AI (artificial intelligence) already engineered into the F-35, Air Force Chief Scientist Gregory Zacharias said that technology was progressing quickly at the Air Force Research Lab - to the point where much higher degrees of autonomy and manned-unmanned teaming is expected to emerge in the near future. "This involves an attempt to have another platform fly alongside a human, perhaps serving as a weapons truck carrying a bunch of missiles," Zacharias said in an interview with Scout Warrior. An F-35 computer system, Autonomic Logistics Information System, involves early applications of artificial intelligence wherein computers make assessments, go through checklists, organize information and make some decisions by themselves – without needing human intervention. "We are working on making platforms more autonomous with multi-int fusion systems and data from across different intel streams," Zacharias explained.

Today on In Case You Missed It: A soft robotic device made by Harvard and Boston Children's Hospital researchers has been tested on pigs and so far, seems quite promising in treating heart disease. The robotic heart wraps around parts of existing tissue and helps squeeze, keeping the blood moving. But unlike other existing devices that are inserted into the heart, this just goes over the top. Its makers believe that will lead to better outcomes for patients that use it, since cycling blood through a medical device can lead to all kinds of complications, from infection to blood clots. No word yet on when they'll begin tests in humans.

The idea that robots could replace humans in the workplace dates back to science fiction writers a century ago, and it has been a recurring theme in political life for almost as long. Back in 1964, US President Lyndon B. Johnson created a national commission to examine the impact of automation on the economy and employment. Automation should be viewed as an ally, not an enemy, he said at the time. "If we understand it, if we plan for it, if we apply it well, automation will not be a job destroyer or a family displaced. Instead, it can remove dullness from the work of man and provide him with more than man has ever had before."

What does a newly hatched crocodile see while it is being transported to water between its mother's jaws? How should a wild dog pup behave if it wants to be accepted by an approaching pack of adults? These and other questions will be answered in a new BBC wildlife series screening this week, in which the stars of the show are not only the animals being filmed, but the animatronic "spy creatures" used to film them. Spy in the Wild is the BBC's first major natural history series since Planet Earth II, but the footage that makes up the five-part series was captured in a very different way to Sir David Attenborough's wildlife spectacular. Using 30 remote-controlled robotic animals, each concealing miniature cameras, programme-makers captured footage they say is among some of the most intimate and revealing to date, showing a range of animal behaviours that appear to demonstrate grief, friendship and even empathy with other species.

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer. Most afternoons, from outside our windows that look out over Shenzhen's giant electronics market in Huaqiangbei, we can hear a familiar high-pitched hiss. The source is a large plane-like drone, circling endlessly just above us.