The speed with which humans are improving A.I. is increasing, but once the singularity occurs, A.I. will create better A.I. at an exponential rate. Think new iterations of software in a matter of seconds, not months. Imagine the capabilities of an artificial intelligence whose computational capability exceeds that of all humans combined -- and a few seconds later of all humans who have ever lived. It could cure cancer in nanoseconds. Could, in fact, cure cancer, Alzheimer's, heart disease and ebola in a fraction of a second.

It started with the head of Microsoft's Xbox division, Phil Spencer, having to apologise for having scantily clad female dancers dressed as school girls at a party thrown by Microsoft at the Game Developers Conference (GDC). He said that having the dancers at this event "was absolutely not consistent or aligned to our values. That was unequivocally wrong and will not be tolerated" The matter was being dealt with internally and so we don't know who would have been responsible and why they might have thought this was going to be a good idea. But things were going to get much worse for Microsoft when a chatbot called Tay started tweeting offensive comments seemingly supporting Nazi, anti-feminist and racist views. The idea was that the artificial intelligence behind Tay would learn from others on Twitter and other social media networks and appear as an average 19 year old female person.

The potential for artificial intelligence has, for decades, been mostly relegated to the larger-than-life imaginations of Hollywood directors. From Blade Runner to Terminator, it always seems to take place in some distant and dystopian future. And yet, if there's one thing to be learned from Google's recent acquisition of the artificial intelligence startup DeepMind for a reported 400 million, it's that the heyday for this type of technology is not a century or even decades away. The global market for artificial intelligence was valued at 900 million in 2013, according to the market research firm Research and Markets. Meanwhile, a study out of Oxford University last year found that in the near future artificially intelligent technology could take over nearly half of all U.S. jobs.

Ford's Sync 3 communications and entertainment system is displayed during a Ford Motor Co. press event for CES 2016 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on January 5, 2016 in Las Vegas (Photo: Ethan Miller, Getty Images) As we become more reliant on our smartphones, car companies that do a good job integrating them into vehicles' communication, audio and navigation systems have a huge advantage. It shouldn't be asking too much to get into a car, turn the radio on and tune to a station without reading the owner's manual, but frequently it is. So automakers are trying to make their systems as simple as possible, drawing inspiration from the maker of toys for toddlers. "We talk about the Fisher-Price approach: simple design, really big buttons and really large type," said Gary Jablonski, product development manager for Ford's Sync system. Sync drew raves when it debuted as the auto industry's first voice recognition system in 2007.

KOLKATA, India -- Across a bustling intersection from one of the first dead-letters offices, a pale blue sign beseeches pedestrians to join the future. Several hundred feet separate old, colonial India from the promise of a new, technologically transformed country. An Uber sign urges traffic safety and a gentle nudge for the ride-sharing service, which is wildly popular here. In Kolkata, capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, there are traces of the future amid decaying buildings and staggering poverty. Samsung Electronics and Dell signs mark the entrance to a dilapidated Victorian structure in the heart of the city. Kolkata is India's untold story in tech.

Many people around the world have more Denisovan DNA than previously thought, which has contributed to their sense of smell and ability to thrive at high altitudes, according to a study released Monday. Researchers know that modern humans with ancestry outside of Africa inherited up to 2.1 percent of their DNA from Neanderthals. But far less was known about Denisovans, who are believed to have shared origins with Neanderthals and account for up to 5 percent of DNA in some present day populations. The latest work, from a research team at Harvard Medical School and UCLA, developed a world map of ancient DNA. In doing so, they found that populations in Oceania populations had the highest percentage of ancient DNA – 2 percent Neanderthal and 5 percent Denisovan - while South Asians had more Denisovan DNA – 0.1 percent in Sherpas - than expected.

They died out more than 40,000 years ago but the legacy left by two prehistoric species of early humans is far more widespread than had been previously believed. Scientists have discovered a surprising number of bloodlines around the world carry fragments of DNA from Neanderthals or their sister species, the mysterious Denisovans. Their analysis suggests that our modern human ancestors appear to have interbred with the Denisovans just 100 generations after their trysts with Neanderthals. Scientists have produced new maps showing the levels of Neanderthal and Denisovan ancestry around the world. And the study has unearthed some surprising new benefits these illicit encounters have gifted to modern humans living today.

The ancient strategy game of Go may have met its ultimate match. The brain-taxing board game is a little like an Eastern version of chess, except many times more complex. It has millions of devotees in China, Korea and Japan. Many of them tuned in today to watch an artificial intelligence computer built by Google's DeepMind beat the world champion, Lee Sedol, in the first of a five-game contest. Duels like these don't come often.

The number of sophisticated cognitive technologies that might be capable of cutting into the need for human labor is expanding rapidly. But linking these offerings to an organization's business needs requires a deep understanding of their capabilities. If popular culture is an accurate gauge of what's on the public's mind, it seems everyone has suddenly awakened to the threat of smart machines. Several recent films have featured robots with scary abilities to outthink and manipulate humans. In the economics literature, too, there has been a surge of concern about the potential for soaring unemployment as software becomes increasingly capable of decision making. Yet managers we talk to don't expect to see machines displacing knowledge workers anytime soon -- they expect computing technology to augment rather than replace the work of humans.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 appears to be a much-needed success for the Korean tech giant, and according to estimates, shipments of the said flagship will exceed the company's expectations for the first quarter of 2016, reaching 9 million units up from Samsung's earlier 5.5 million prediction. However, while Samsung appears to have stabilized its smartphone business, market analysts predict that by the end of Q1 2016, the company will register lower operating profits year-on-year in a number of niches, including its semiconductor and consumer electronics sectors. Amid this decline, fresh reports suggest that Samsung intends to expand its product portfolio and focus on new business ventures, including virtual reality, automotive, and artificial intelligence. According to DRAM eXchange research, global LCD TV shipments will show zero increase in 2016 compared to last year. In addition, laptop, PC, and tablet shipments are estimated to decline by 3%, 4%, and 7% respectively, and, in turn, this could mean that Samsung's operating profits for Q1 2016 might decline by 13% in the semiconductor business, and by 63% in the consumer electronics department. Interestingly enough, while Samsung Electronics is expected to register lower operating profits in Q1 2016, the South Korean company is apparently planning to increase its market presence in other segments, including the automotive market and the virtual reality niche.