Using artificial intelligence bots, a group of researchers at the German Technische Universitat of Dortmund and the Technical University have predicted the winners of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2018. The research team analyzed various factors including FIFA rankings, country's population, bookmakers' odds and the number of national team members who play together in a club before making the prediction. Spain to lift the world cup? During the study, researchers simulated the tournament more than 1,00,000 times and finally predicted the winners who will taste the ultimate glory. The results revealed that Spain is the most likely country to win this year's football World Cup.

Voice shopping using smart speakers and smartphone apps is starting to gain traction among consumers, opening up a new "conversational commerce" channel and potentially disrupting the retail sector. Devices such as Amazon's Alexa-powered speakers and Google Home, which use artificial intelligence (AI) to respond to voice commands, are offering new choices to consumers who are looking for more convenient ways to order goods and services. Voice shopping is expected to jump to US$40 billion (S$54 billion) annually in 2022 in the United States, from US$2 billion today, according to a survey this year by OC&C Strategy Consultants. "People are liking the convenience and natural interaction of using voice," said Ms Victoria Petrock of the research firm eMarketer. "Computing in general is moving more toward voice interface because the technology is more affordable, and people are responding well because they don't have to type."

Retailers are under increasing pressure to cut down on unnecessary packaging, and some shops are showing what a plastic-free, tech-enabled future could look like. It's a sad fact that plastic debris in our oceans is killing marine wildlife at a staggering rate. With plastics pollution spiralling out of control, shops are under pressure to cut down on their use of unnecessary packaging. Some of the greatest culprits in generating harmful waste that often ends up in the oceans or landfill are cosmetics companies – just think about how many bottles and pots of shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser, shower gels and other grooming products the average person keeps in their bathroom and it's easy to see how it very quickly adds up. The increased awareness of the problem among consumers means that this is a commercial opportunity for those offering environmentally friendly alternatives, however.

Machine learning may give a tough time to songwriters and musicians because the algorithms are definitely getting better at generating music. Composing music using artificial intelligence isn't a new development as startups and researchers have been attempting it for a long time now. Remember the Chicago-based audio startup, Brain.fm? It promised to provide a new state of medication for the brain using AI-driven music. We also saw a collaborative album between artist Tayrn Southern and Amper software called I AM AI, which became the first album to be entirely composed by AI. These are just two of the many developments that are flooding the space.

Waymo's application for a taxi service license in Phoenix, Arizona, has been granted almost immediately, in line with the pro-autonomous driving policies of state governor Doug Ducey and thus reduce traffic accidents and in improve mobility for the elderly and disabled. The company plans to use the license to launch a stand-alone taxi service this year competing directly with companies such as Uber or Lyft, and with the advantage that it will not have to pay drivers. Waymo plans a speedy roll out in 24 US cities with a wide variety of weather conditions and where it is currently carrying out road tests. Perhaps the ultimate in road testing is being carried out by Russian tech giant Yandex on the streets of Moscow, which have been hit by spectacularly heavy snowfalls and that are also prone to heavy traffic and undisciplined pedestrians. So far, Yandex's self-driving vehicles have adapted easily the Russia capital. Soon, autonomous driving will be the transportation option of choice, particularly when weather conditions are bad.

"The public sector, with its various schemes (Digital India, Make in India, Skill India), could identify areas where specific applications of AI and robotics can be utilised to increase reach, effectiveness and efficiency, thus giving direction to existing innovation across different fields," the study said. Indian government departments should take the lead in developing cross-border collaborations with countries leading in Artificial Intelligence (AI) research, industry chamber Assocham said on Sunday. The departments like the External Affairs Ministry (MEA) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST), should drive cooperative relationships with frontrunners like Japan, the UK, Germany, Singapore, Israel and China to develop solutions for social and economic challenges and accelerate strategy formulation in AI, machine learning (ML) and other new technologies, Assocham said citing its joint study with British advisory multinational PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). "Exchanging best practices and learnings from prior initiatives is one way of strengthening cooperation," the study titled "Advance artificial intelligence for growth: Leveraging AI and robotics for India's economic transformation" said.A It also suggested that policy planning in AI must be aimed at creating an ecosystem that is supportive of research, innovation and commercialisation of applications. "The public sector, with its various schemes (Digital India, Make in India, Skill India), could identify areas where specific applications of AI and robotics can be utilised to increase reach, effectiveness and efficiency, thus giving direction to existing innovation across different fields," the study said.

People can differ on their perceptions of "evil." People can also change their minds. Still, it's hard to wrap one's head around how Google, famous for its "don't be evil" company motto, dealt with a small Defense Department contract involving artificial intelligence. Facing a backlash from employees, including an open letter insisting the company "should not be in the business of war," Google in April grandly defended involvement in a project "intended to save lives and save people from having to do highly tedious work." Less than two months later, chief executive officer Sundar Pichai announced that the contract would not be renewed, writing equally grandly that Google would shun AI applications for "weapons or other technologies whose principal purpose or implementation is to cause or directly facilitate injury to people."

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PanARMENIAN.Net - Apparently, teaching artificial intelligence to read our innermost thoughts or turning them in terrifying psychopaths isn't enough-now researchers are teaching AI systems to predict what humans will do in the future (and how long you'll be doing it) 'minutes or even hours' before you decide to do it, Outer Places says. It's fine when Google finishes your sentences when typing into a search bar, but this new technology might be able to recognize patterns in human behavior and perform tasks before you've even thought about asking. Like most tasks performed by artificial intelligence, this ability is tied to machine learning and neural networks. In the course of their research, a team from the University of Bonn in Germany tried out two models for their networks: one that made predictions and'reflected' before making new more, and one that was based on a matrix structure. Both networks were shown videos of people making relatively simple food dishes (especially breakfasts and salad) with the goal of teaching them to predict what the chef was going to do next.

When 62-year-old computer scientist P Anandan started last September as CEO at the Wadhwani Institute of Artificial Intelligence (WIAI), he might have been apprehensive. He was signing up to work on AI in India after three decades at major global corporations and academia in the US and at home, including top teaching and research roles at Yale University, Adobe and Microsoft. Misconceptions abound about big data, machine learning, automation and other AI-related technologies in the context of job losses for humans. And unlike other major economies, India hadn't yet spelled out its vision for a future with AI. But when Anandan set out to work, he found support all around. In February, the Prime Minister inaugurated the institute.