Note: This is Part 2 of a two-part series on AI. We have what may be an extremely difficult problem with an unknown time to solve it, on which quite possibly the entire future of humanity depends. Welcome to Part 2 of the "Wait how is this possibly what I'm reading I don't get why everyone isn't talking about this" series. Part 1 started innocently enough, as we discussed Artificial Narrow Intelligence, or ANI (AI that specializes in one narrow task like coming up with driving routes or playing chess), and how it's all around us in the world today. We then examined why it was such a huge challenge to get from ANI to Artificial General Intelligence, or AGI (AI that's at least as intellectually capable as a human, across the board), and we discussed why the exponential rate of technological advancement we've seen in the past suggests that AGI might not be as far away as it seems. This left us staring at the screen, confronting the intense concept of potentially-in-our-lifetime ...

On December 2nd, 1942, a team of scientists led by Enrico Fermi came back from lunch and watched as humanity created the first self-sustaining nuclear reaction inside a pile of bricks and wood underneath a football field at the University of Chicago. Known to history as Chicago Pile-1, it was celebrated in silence with a single bottle of Chianti, for those who were there understood exactly what it meant for humankind, without any need for words. Now, something new has occurred that, again, quietly changed the world forever. Like a whispered word in a foreign language, it was quiet in that you may have heard it, but its full meaning may not have been comprehended. However, it's vital we understand this new language, and what it's increasingly telling us, for the ramifications are set to alter everything we take for granted about the way our globalized economy functions, and the ways in which we as humans exist within it. The language is a new class of machine learning known as deep learning, and the "whispered word" was a computer's use of it to seemingly out of nowhere defeat three-time European Go champion Fan Hui, not once but five times in a row without defeat.

As retailers and brands predict and plan for the way consumers will shop in the future, artificial intelligence (AI) is high on the business development strategy for 2016 and beyond. Promising significant benefits for both retailers and consumers, AI is already around us and used everyday within shopping and payments. Businesses are embracing the benefits of the technology and progress within AI is accelerating at pace, with big things expected for the near, and distant, future. AI can process'big data' far more efficiently than humans and can recognise speech, images, text, patterns of online behaviour – for example to detect fraud – as well as appropriate advertisements for upselling. Smart machines and technology can turn data into customer insights and enhance service provisions, bringing the digital experience closer to the in-store interaction for consumers.

Earlier this year, consulting firm Frost & Sullivan predicted that artificial intelligence in healthcare will see a "dramatic market expansion" in the next couple of years, with the potential to reduce the cost of medical treatments by half across the board. "By 2025, AI systems could be involved in everything from population health management, to digital avatars capable of answering specific patient queries," said Harpreet Singh Buttar, an analyst at Frost & Sullivan. With this in mind, we identified 32 companies that are already applying machine learning techniques and predictive analytics to reduce drug discovery times, provide virtual assistance to patients, and diagnose ailments by processing medical images, among other things. The 32 startups on the list have raised more than 530M in aggregate funding. This year, New York-based AiCure raised 12.3M in Series A funding and National Science Foundation-grantee Cloud Pharmaceuticals raised a 350K round from undisclosed investors.

The Diet on Thursday enacted a law banning drones from flying over important facilities such as the Prime Minister's Office while giving police the power to destroy drones if necessary. The legislation is expected to take effect before a foreign ministerial meeting of the Group of Seven industrial nations takes place in Hiroshima on April 11-12. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition had been seeking early enactment of the bill to strengthen anti-terrorism measures ahead of the G-7 summit in Mie Prefecture in late May. The Civil Aeronautics Law was revised to regulate drone flights in September after a small drone was found on the roof of the building housing the Prime Minister's Office last April. A man was later convicted over the incident.

DETROIT – As autonomous car technology rapidly progresses, makers of the cars face the difficult question of how safe they must be before they're ready to move people on highways and city streets. Right now, companies such as Google, Audi and Mercedes-Benz are testing the cars in a small number of cities to demonstrate they can be safer than human drivers. They also must figure out what level of risk is acceptable to both government regulators and a potentially skeptical public. Government statistics show that human mistakes are responsible for 94 percent of the 33,000 U.S. traffic fatalities each year. Autonomous cars won't get drowsy, distracted or drunk, so in theory they could eliminate those mistakes and save an estimated 31,000 lives a year.

Toshiba Corp. said its profitability will improve in the next fiscal year as it scales back on products such as personal computers and home appliances. Operating profit will be 120 billion ( 1.1 billion) and revenue 4.9 trillion in fiscal 2016, the electronics maker said on Friday, in a presentation titled "A road map to a new Toshiba." Analysts were projecting, on average, a profit of 145.5 billion on sales of 5.77 trillion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Toshiba, which makes everything from computers to nuclear power equipment, is seeking to revive profits by narrowing the scope of its business lines. An accounting scandal has left the Japanese conglomerate in tatters, facing record losses, job cuts and potential spinoffs.

And no sound bite I come up with, no matter how good my English gets, will bring them back to life." First written in the aftermath of the 2008-2009 Israeli war on Gaza, these words from Rafeef Ziadah's poem "We Teach Life, Sir" became popularised by a 2011 performance that went viral. A Palestinian performance poet based in London, Ziadah is an activist in her own right and a member of the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) National Committee. She has helped spearhead many of the initiatives calling for the academic and cultural boycott of Israel until it adheres to the demands granting Palestinians rights under international law. The poem is now featured on Ziadah's latest album of the same name, which blends her poetry with original music composed by Phil Mansour. Al Jazeera spoke with Ziadah about her latest album, the inspiration and politics of her art, as well as her UK-based activism. Al Jazeera: Your poems were previously known for your captivating performance. Why did you decide to add music to your poems? Rafeef Ziadah: Both my first album "Hadeel" and this second one "We Teach Life" have been collaborations with wonderful musicians who deliberately worked to ensure the music strengthened and emphasised the words. With an album, unlike live performances, people are not able to see me and relate to my facial expressions or hand gestures - on the album we wanted to recreate that connection and music really helped to bring the poems to life. I was happy to work with activist-artist Phil Monsour (who produced the album). The music has also helped introduce the work to a broader audience and is beginning to have radio play on independent radio stations around the world. Al Jazeera: How long did it take you to make this album? Why have you decided to release it now and what do you hope will come out of its release? Ziadah: The album was a slow collaboration that started with a number of poetry pieces and slowly grew in number. It took about 12 months to complete the final production, but the poems were written over several years and recorded in a few countries depending on accessibility. It is really an attempt to capture in words a number of recent experiences of Palestinians inside historic Palestine and in exile as well. This work is also - in many ways- a collective effort beyond myself and the musicians because we launched a crowd funding campaign to support the final stages of production and many people generously donated to make sure narratives that are largely absent in the Western mainstream can be heard. As I explain in the album's artwork "the poems and music here have been written over several years, three wars, two sieges, too many borders and many protests and picket lines.

President Barack Obama speaks at the South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) on March 11 in Austin, Texas. AUSTIN -- SXSW is all about FOMO. Between the festival's events being scattered across the city and a designed-for-dismay schedule that can schedule dozens panels on top of each other, this annual gathering is guaranteed to inflict Fear Of Missing Out. I'd like to think that I've learned how to manage this chaos--I've attended SXSW's tech-oriented Interactive conference every year since 2012--but instead, I kept hearing about fascinating things I'd missed via comments like "great emoji panel" (yes, actual event) or "they had drones delivering piñatas" (apparently that happened too). The only sane response is to accept that you don't run your SXSW schedule--your current location does.

At San Francisco's first fully automated restaurant, meals appear in little glass cubbies, just 90 seconds after customers order and pay on wall-mounted iPads. It's a human-less experience – no waitstaff, no cashier, no one to get your order wrong and no one to tip. The moment before the meal appears, the see-through display screen that fronts the cubbies goes black for the few seconds when you might catch sight of the hand that feeds you. Related: Would you bet against sex robots? AI'could leave half of world unemployed' Eatsa has not yet achieved total automation.