To find out just how advanced our current AI systems are, researchers have developed a tougher Turing Test - called the Winograd Schema Challenge - which measures how well robotic intelligence matches human intelligence. In the end, the team found that - even though AI is definitely improving every day - our robotic pals are still seriously lacking some common sense, suggesting that it will be some time before AI is fully ready to meld with society. First, before we go any further into the new competition's results, it's important to define what a'Turing Test' actually is. Developed and coined by Alan Turing back in the 1950s, the Turing Test is a way for researchers to challenge computer-based intelligence to see if it can become indistinguishable from human intelligence, which is basically the goal for AI researchers. These tests are mostly language-based because human language is - when you truly think about it - super weird.

After decades of stagnation in research and development of artificial intelligence solutions, machine learning has blossomed again – and its seeds are spreading to financial services. Sofia Lotto Persio reports on how AI is improving the field. Almost 20 years later, in March 2016, Google's AlphaGo programme beat South Korean champion Lee Sedol at four matches of Go, a strategy game, in what represents another historic breakthrough for artificial intelligence (AI). In the two-decade span between these achievements, AI has progressed tremendously. Go is a much more complex game than chess, as there are more possible positions on the board than there are atoms in the universe.

Teachers are not ends-in-themselves, they are always a means to an end - improvements in the learner. Given this premise, could it be possible to eventually replace teachers with AI technology? This may not happen soon but let's, as a thought experiment, ask whether it could. Obvious points are that AI is 24/7, fast, scalable and cheaper. This gives it a head start.

He told the Cheltenham Science Festival that robot technology risked being hijacked for malign purposes in the way the internet has been for pornography unless governments take action. The former advisor to the United Nations on robotics said he knew of at least 14 companies in South Korea and Japan that were manufacturing and marketing "childcare" robots, and he warned that the growing capability of so-called sex robots means they are likely to enter mainstream use within years. Devices such as the Roxxxy or Rocky True Companion, which come with an optional "talking" feature, can currently be bought online for around 7,000. The cost of sex robots is expected to come down, however, as more manufacturers enter the market.

HONG KONG, July 15, 2016 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Today Mills Media Arts LLC (MMA), formerly known as Mills Agency announced the acquisition of Jump City Media, a Hong Kong based mobile media think tank with a core focus on artificial intelligence. The acquisition gives MMA a global reach with offices now in New York, Los Angeles, London and Hong Kong while also adding more depth to the MMA marketing and mobile media expertise. The advanced mobile solutions group will operate in a new division within the company called Mobile Media Arts lab. Through the use of advanced technologies such as augmented reality, artificial intelligence and proximity aware services, the Mobile Media Arts Lab builds and integrates interoperable technology that propels advances in productivity and profoundly changes how people live in ways that they could not have imagined. The Mobile Media Arts Lab includes some of the top graphic artists, developers, engineers and data scientists in the industry.

By learning how to pitch his bot idea while driving a robot, Button.ai Organized by VentureBeat, the international botathon took place July 9-10 in New York, Melbourne, Tel Aviv, and San Francisco. A fifth finalist category was made for people participating online elsewhere in the world. Finals for popular vote and judges' categories were held Tuesday in San Francisco at MobileBeat, a two-day gathering of chatbot and AI leaders, held July 12-13 at The Village. Skoolbot won the portion of the competition decided by judges Phil Libin, an investor in bots from General Catalyst; SmarterChild creator Robert Hoffer; and Alfred Lin, an investor at Sequoia Capital.

The recent reports of robots taking over jobs are alarming for many employees and job-seekers. What will happen to the teeming graduates coming out of our colleges? According to HfS Research, 640,000 IT workers in India engaged in low-level tasks won't be replaced by machines. But 10 categories of professionals including cashiers, drivers, factory workers and journalists will be wiped out. Teachers will become bots, BPO workers will be replaced by Artificial Intelligence software, cars will be driverless. Would you need a human police force in the future?

One of the millennium development goals of the United Nations is to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030. That's a complex task, since poverty has many contributing factors. But one of the more significant is the 750 million people around the world who are unable to read and write, two-thirds of which are women. There are plenty of organizations that can help, provided they know where to place their resources. So identifying areas where literacy rates are low is an important challenge.

Gowild Intelligent Technology held the press conference, entitled "When it comes to AI, we are different", for the launch of its new product in Beijing, China on July 8. The event received widespread attention from thousands of people in academia as well as in the technology, gaming, media and entertainment sectors across China and around the world. Gowild released its first generation AI-based 3D holographic product, holoera, that integrates the latest AI engine and VR technology. Transforming the artificial intelligence sector, holoera is the survival carrier on earth of the two dimensional beauty Amber. Amber not only comes equipped with training programs for daily living and learning, but can also receive instructions from its exclusive master, and be instructed based a customized training program. Furthermore, with her superior artificial intelligence, she can engage in barrier-free interaction with humans.

Samsung Electronics is on the verge of making a substantial investment in BYD, a Chinese manufacturer of electric cars and batteries. The Samsung investment comes as its chief rivals are investing in car tech and the market for car battery technology continues to grow. The investment was first reported by the Korea Economic Daily, which said Samsung will pay 3 billion yuan ( 450 million) for a 4 percent share of BYD. BYD later confirmed the two are in talks but did not confirm the investment size. "Going forward, the parties will jointly seize opportunities in the rapid development of the global electric vehicles industry and promote sustainable development of the parties' electric vehicles related businesses," BYD said in a regulatory filing.