While the Lords may have made headlines last week voting against the Government's latest Brexit Bill, they were also tackling an issue that could prove to be an even greater challenge for the UK in the coming decade. The Lords select committee on artificial intelligence released its latest report into the opportunities and challenges of this new technology, and, at a hefty 183 pages, you could forgive a few people for dosing off on the red benches. However, unlike many reports on artificial intelligence, the committee didn't suggest that the greatest threat to the UK was mass unemployment or rogue terminators, but rather the ethical implications of adopting such complex software.

Ascott Limited, a mid-market serviced apartments provider with 40,000 residences across the US, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, is in discussions with two Dubai-based robotics firms as it looks to use robots to conduct basic services at its properties, such as bringing clean towels to its guests. "Ascott is exploring new technologies across the serviced residence sector as automation becomes an integral part of business," said Vincent Miccolis, Ascott's regional general manager for the Middle East, Africa and Turkey. If a deal is reached with one of the firms – unlikely to happen until next year, Mr Miccolis told The National – Ascott would start commissioning the production of small-scale robots to deploy across its portfolio. "The idea is not to replace our staff," he added, during the ATM travel conference in Dubai, "but to complement their work and make operations even more efficient." Ascott has been orchestrating tests in China in conjunction with a Chinese robotics firm, which have shown that the proposed type of robots it would use can move around independently within the properties, including in elevators.

Walking the enormous exhibition halls at the recent RSA security conference in San Francisco, you could have easily gotten the impression that digital defense was a solved problem. Amidst branded t-shirts and water bottles, each booth hawked software and hardware that promised impenetrable defenses and peace of mind. Artificial intelligence that, the sales pitch invariably goes, can instantly spot any malware on a network, guide incident response, and detect intrusions before they start. That rosy view of what AI can deliver isn't entirely wrong. But what next-generation techniques actually do is more muddled and incremental than marketers would want to admit.

Artificial intelligence and human workers will be working alongside each other as coworkers and trusted advisers within two years, but companies need to create AI products that are responsible, productive members of society. That is the view of 81 per cent of Irish businesses, according to the latest report on tech trends from Accenture. The Accenture Technology Vision 2018 highlighted the use of advanced technologies such as AI, advanced analytics and the cloud could help create intelligent businesses and enable companies to integrate themselves more deeply with people's lives, changing how we work and live. But trust in the new technology was key, with 78 per cent of Irish businesses saying they would be transparent in their AI decisions to gain customer trust and confidence. Technology is reshaping large parts of society, David Kirwan, head of technology at Accenture Ireland said, comparing it to the introduction of electricity.

In a bid to prevent falling behind China and the US, the European Commission has outlined its plan to invest €20 billion in ethical artificial intelligence. The cash will be used to boost artificial intelligence research in the private and public domains, prepare for the socio-economic changes advancements will bring about, and ensure frameworks are in place for its legal and ethical development. "Just as the steam engine and electricity did in the past, AI is transforming our world. It presents new challenges that Europe should meet together in order for AI to succeed and work for everyone. We need to invest at least €20 billion by the end of 2020. The Commission is playing its part: today, we are giving a boost to researchers so that they can develop the next generation of AI technologies and applications, and to companies, so that they can embrace and incorporate them."

The increasing sophistication of automated systems will have far-reaching implications for work and employment, and governments should be ready for upheaval. "WHO IS READY FOR THE COMING WAVE OF AUTOMATION? The Automation Readiness Index", created by The Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by ABB, assesses how well-prepared 25 countries are for the challenges and opportunities of intelligent automation. The Automation Readiness Index compares countries on their preparedness for the age of intelligent automation. In assessing the existence of policy and strategy in the areas of innovation, education and the labour market, the study finds that little policy is in place today that specifically addresses the challenges of AI- and robotics-based automation.

Firstly, I'd like to thank Lina and Stephen from LoopMe, the world's largest mobile video advertising platform, for inviting me to be this year's keynote to present the "Future of Artificial Intelligence" at the British Museum in London the other week. All in all it was an eclectic day, after an interview which you can see below, I discussed, and showed, just how far Artificial Intelligence (AI) has come in just the past four years, lifting the kimono as they say on the latest generation of Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN's) and so called "Creative Machines" that are being used to innovate new products, including aircraft, clothes, other AI's, robots, software and shoes, as well as compose and compile best selling pop songs, and create scarily realistic high definition fake news clips, after which I moved onto the impact that the forthcoming so called "Quantum AI" revolution, and self-learning brain inspired Neuromorphic computers, that will pack the power of today's biggest supercomputers into a fingernail, will have on the future pace and direction of AI development. As for the remainder of the day, and the line up, it was as interesting as it was diverse. There were luminaries such as Saqib Shaikh from Microsoft who despite being legally blind has risen to fame for using his immense drive and determination to develop AI powered solutions that help disabled people everywhere better understand and navigate the world around them, as well as Alan Kelly, Ireland's "most awarded creative," and the Creative Director of Rothco, whose recent work with the Times newspaper saw him and his team use AI and speech synthesis to help them "unsilence" JFK, and allow him to finally speak the state of the union address he was going to deliver on the day of his fatal shooting in his own voice. There were also speakers and panellists like Roger Highfield, the director of the UK Science Museum who was discussing some of the latest breakthroughs he's seen in robotics and AI, such as Nvidia's recent "fake" celebrity stunt, and Chris Russell from the Alan Turning Institute who discussed his work in using AI to create better "healthcare outcomes," as well as other executives from a range of organisations, from eConsultancy to News UK, who regailed the audience with insightful facts about the state of AI in the global advertising industry.

I also remember looking at what technology did exist – the cars, televisions and phones surrounding us – and thinking, "Why can't Thailand create these such things for itself?" Those two questions inspired me to study telecommunications engineering. I completed an undergraduate degree from King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Lad Krabang. Then, I jumped into the AI world by pursuing a masters degree at Germany's Ulm university followed by a doctorate at Caen University, in France, majoring in computer visions and data mining. My first job was linked to the future of self-driven cars.

At the Bristol Robotics Laboratory in southwest England, dozens of tiny metal machines were poised to dance over a shiny white surface in "swarming" experiments to track how they organize themselves and work together. The scene at the European Union-funded facility this week mirrored what the continent is now trying to do to compete with the U.S. and China in artificial intelligence, or AI. The European Commission said it wants to create a network of hundreds of so-called Digital Innovation Hubs like the one in Bristol. The aim is to help Europe's companies and scientists work together to boost research and the take-up of new technologies among the thousands of small and medium-sized companies that form the backbone of the economy. "The idea is that all these nodes will connect and communicate with each other, maximizing the impact of the technologies and expertise they develop," said Farid Dailami, an associate professor who runs the prototype hub in Bristol, which connects researchers and funding with companies that need robotics.

George Orwell escaped to a remote Scottish island to created his final masterpiece - the dystopian classic 1984. Going into the Corryvreckan whirlpool is a heart-stopping experience even when conditions are relatively benign. It hits quite suddenly as you are passing through the narrow stretch of sea between the islands of Jura and Scarba. One side of the boat drops away and you find yourself sitting on the deck. Then the other side goes and you are grabbing on to the guard rail to stop yourself sliding in the opposite direction. It must have felt something like this when George Orwell found himself in the throws of the Corry on the way back from a picnic on the west side of Jura.