In the field of artificial intelligence, the phrase deep learning applies to software that improves its model of reality with experience. Consider, for example, a project developed at Google in 2012, in which a neural network running on 16,000 computer processors, browsing through 10 million YouTube videos, began on its own to identify and seek out one of the most popular YouTube genres: cat videos. The then director of that project, Andrew Ng, went on to become the founding chief scientist at Baidu Research, an innovation center run by the giant Web services company Baidu. The parent company owns the largest search engine in China, along with Chinese-language browsers, online encyclopedias, social networks, and other Web-based services. According to the company, Baidu responds to more than 6 billion search requests from more than 138 countries every day. Because search engines and advertising placement platforms (such as Baidu's Phoenix Nest) depend on artificial intelligence (AI) to satisfy vague or ambiguous requests, the company -- along with Google, Microsoft, and other providers of internet guidance -- has a natural interest in machine learning.

After fifty years of soaring crop yields thanks to fertilizers, pest control, and irrigation, that growth is bottoming out. We solved the food shortfall in the 20th century, but we need to do it again in this century. The UN says crop production must rise 70% by 2050 to meet demand. Startups see cheap sensors and artificial intelligence as the solution. Clever algorithms are processing a deluge of high-resolution data enabling real-time monitoring of crops and their environment for the first time.

I'm relieved Volition is making something other than Saints Row V. Which is not to say they'll never make one--or that it's not secretly in development right now. But if it is, it's being developed alongside the all-new Agents of Mayhem, which Volition revealed right before E3. It's set in the Saints Row universe, but trades the town of Steelport for Seoul, South Korea and the Saints themselves for a group of superheroes known as the Multi-national AgencY for Hunting Evil Masterminds or M.A.Y.H.E.M. And yes, they lifted the "Y" from the end of "Agency." But after playing a demo of the game recently, I'm a bit worried--worried that maybe Saints Row isn't quite as enjoyable without the Saints.

Whether it's Deep Blue beating Garry Kasparov at chess, Watson defeating Ken Jennings at Jeopardy!, or Google DeepMind's AlphaGO besting Lee Sedo at Go, artificial intelligence can't be underestimated when it comes to taking on the champions and winning. That's because a new AI system called ALPHA -- developed by recent University of Cincinnati doctoral graduate Nick Ernest, now CEO of Psibernetix -- recently defeated retired United States Air Force Colonel Gene Lee in an air combat simulator. Not only did Colonel Lee, who has extensive aerial combat experience as an instructor, fail to kill ALPHA's aircraft during combat, he was also repeatedly shot out of the air by the bot. According to Lee, ALPHA is "the most aggressive, responsive, dynamic and credible AI I've seen to date." Related: Israel's new'RoBattle' bot is built with swappable modules "ALPHA is an incredibly difficult opponent to face," Psibernetix CEO Nick Ernest tells Digital Trends. "Even flying against other pilots when ALPHA has severe handicaps to a number of its systems -- including speed, turning, missile capability and sensors -- it is able to win.

MasterCard is looking at using artificial intelligence (AI) to help make businesses operate more efficiently. The global payment-technology company recently announced that it will be piloting a robot called Pepper, created by SoftBank Robotics. The robot will leverage MasterPass, MasterCard's digital payment service solution that enables consumers to purchase from merchants. The first test for MasterCard will be in Pizza Hut restaurants across Asia. Pepper, the robot, will attempt to provide basic, yet personal, customer service, such as taking orders and processing payments without human intervention.

The Seagull is an unmanned vehicle. The torpedo is a torpedo. A robotic ship fired a torpedo into the ocean without any humans aboard. Naval battles, for so long the domain of sailors fighting each other and the elements all at once, can now be in part delegated to machines. The vessel responsible is the Seagull Unmanned Surface Vessel, made by Israel's Elbit Systems.

Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae -- or dark patches -- on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" display

It's called this because each CRISPR unit is made of repeated DNA base-pair sequences that can be read the same way forward or in reverse and are separated by "spacer" pairs. Think of it like an organic Morse code palindrome. With CRISPR we can now edit any genetic code -- including our own. In the three years since its advent, researchers have used CRISPR to investigate everything from sickle-cell anemia and muscular dystrophy to cystic fibrosis and cataracts. One group has even used it to snip off the cellular receptors that HIV exploits in order to infect the human immune system.

Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae -- or dark patches -- on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" display

Imagine a far flung land where you can catch a ride from the Jackie Chan bus stop to a restaurant called Translate Server Error, and enjoy a hearty feast of children sandwiches and wife cake all washed down with some evil water. If such a rich lunch gets stuck in your gnashers, you'll be pleased to know there are plenty of Methodists on hand to remove your teeth. And if by this point you've had enough of the bus, fly home in style on a wide-boiled aircraft. But whatever you do, please remember that when you land at the airport, eating the carpet is strictly prohibited. No, I haven't gone mad.