Yesterday, the Belgian minister of justice, Koen Greens, announced the result of an investigation that the country's Gaming Commission conducted into video game "loot boxes", a mechanic that lets players pay real money for a chance at winning virtual items. It found that three popular games – Overwatch, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Fifa 18 – were in violation of gambling legislation. This is a significant finding, because controversy over loot boxes has been raging for at least six months: are they actually a form of gambling? Worse, are they a form of gambling that is particularly appealing to children? Belgium's Gaming Commission has decided that, yes, they are, and the publishers in question should remove loot boxes from their games or face fines.

As a young person aged 16, I have come to a clear realisation that artificial intelligence will have a profound impact on myself, my family and everyone around me. Only recently have we really seen the impact of AI on the world, some examples of these include our phones (we interact with virtual personal assistants such as Siri, Alexa, Cortana and Google Assistant), banking (AI analyses large amounts of data and pattern searching) medicine (AI is able to predict and diagnose lung cancer, heart disease and more). However, although some people understand the concept of AI and its use in our day to day life, the majority of people are scared of what life will be with these so called "fake humans" running our lives. In my opinion, the first step that needs to take place, having the greatest effect, are the laws that will be put in place before the mass realisation of AI. Although some laws now stand, more discussion needs to take place around ethics and use of data, as well as guidance for those developing AI systems and algorithms.

The deal is significant not only to Sea Machines and Maersk, but also to the larger maritime industry as the installation marks first time computer vision, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and perception software will be utilized aboard a container vessel to augment and upgrade transit operations. The solution chosen by Maersk is the latest in Sea Machines' portfolio and uses artificial intelligence (AI) to improve at-sea situational awareness, object identification and tracking capabilities. Similar to Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) commonly found in automobiles – which alerts drivers of roadway hazards and prevent accidents – Sea Machines' system uses advanced sensors to collect a continuous stream of information from a vessel's environmental surroundings, identify and track potential conflicts, and efficiently display the knowledge in the wheelhouse. Maersk's goal of the collaboration is to prove the technology aids the seafarers, can remove the line of sight restriction from the bridge, and provides the infrastructure for a future autonomous collision avoidance system. "We are extremely proud that the world's largest shipping company selected Sea Machines as their advanced perception and autonomous technology provider" explained Michael Johnson, founder and CEO, Sea Machines.

More than 50 leading businesses and organisations have contributed to the development of a £1bn deal that the government says will put the nation at the forefront of the artificial intelligence industry. The deal, which features almost £300m of new private sector investment, includes the Alan Turing Institute and Rolls-Royce jointly-running research projects exploring: how data science can be applied at scale, the application of AI across supply chains, data-centric engineering and predictive maintenance, and the role of data analytics and AI in science. The deal between government and industry, announced by Business Secretary Greg Clark and Digital Secretary Matt Hancock today (Thursday 26 April 2018), also includes more than £300m of newly allocated government funding for AI research to make the UK a global leader in this technology. The deal marks the first phase of a major innovation-focused investment drive in AI which aims to help the UK seize the £232bn opportunity AI offers the UK economy by 2030 (10 per cent of GDP). Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Matt Hancock said: "The UK must be at the forefront of emerging technologies, pushing boundaries and harnessing innovation to change people's lives for the better. "Artificial Intelligence is at the centre of our plans to make the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a digital business.

The Commission is proposing a three-pronged approach to increase public and private investment in AI, prepare for socio-economic changes, and ensure an appropriate ethical and legal framework. This follows European leaders' call for a European approach on AI. Vice-President for the Digital Single Market Andrus Ansip said: "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 United Kingdom is planning a big investment in artificial intelligence technologies in a deal worth nearly £1 billion, or about $1.3 billion. The U.K. government said Thursday that part of its multi-year AI investment–about £300 million, or more than $400 million–would come from U.K.-based corporations and investment firms and those located outside the country. Some of the U.S.-based companies involved with the U.K.'s AI deal include Microsoft, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM, McKinsey, and Pfizer, but the U.K. did not say how much each firm was planning to individually invest. A few of these U.S. companies helped consult on an earlier independent review on developing AI in the U.K. that the government is using as a template for its new initiative. Antony Phillipson, the United Kingdom's trade commissioner for North America, said that the investments are part of a broader set of initiatives the U.K. government is undertaking to address several areas U.K. lawmakers believe will soon affect the country's economy and society.

Most people are not very familiar with the concept of artificial intelligence (AI). As an illustration, when 1,500 senior business leaders in the United States in 2017 were asked about AI, only 17 percent said they were familiar with it.1 A number of them were not sure what it was or how it would affect their particular companies. They understood there was considerable potential for altering business processes, but were not clear how AI could be deployed within their own organizations. Despite its widespread lack of familiarity, AI is a technology that is transforming every walk of life. It is a wide-ranging tool that enables people to rethink how we integrate information, analyze data, and use the resulting insights to improve decisionmaking. Our hope through this comprehensive overview is to explain AI to an audience of policymakers, opinion leaders, and interested observers, and demonstrate how AI already is altering the world and raising important questions for society, the economy, and governance. In this paper, we discuss novel applications in finance, national security, health care, criminal justice, transportation, and smart cities, and address issues such as data access problems, algorithmic bias, AI ethics and transparency, and legal liability for AI decisions. We contrast the regulatory approaches of the U.S. and European Union, and close by making a number of recommendations for getting the most out of AI while still protecting important human values.2 Although there is no uniformly agreed upon definition, AI generally is thought to refer to "machines that respond to stimulation consistent with traditional responses from humans, given the human capacity for contemplation, judgment and intention."3 According to researchers Shubhendu and Vijay, these software systems "make decisions which normally require [a] human level of expertise" and help people anticipate problems or deal with issues as they come up.4 As such, they operate in an intentional, intelligent, and adaptive manner. Artificial intelligence algorithms are designed to make decisions, often using real-time data. They are unlike passive machines that are capable only of mechanical or predetermined responses. Using sensors, digital data, or remote inputs, they combine information from a variety of different sources, analyze the material instantly, and act on the insights derived from those data. With massive improvements in storage systems, processing speeds, and analytic techniques, they are capable of tremendous sophistication in analysis and decisionmaking.

Brussels has called for a €20bn (£14bn) cash injection for artificial intelligence research, while pouring cold water over controversial plans to give robots human rights. The European commission wants governments and private companies to boost research and innovation spending on AI, amid rising concern that Europe is losing ground to the US and China, where most leading AI firms are based. Health, transport and agriculture are among the areas the commission would like researchers to prioritise. But the commission distanced itself from proposals to give the most advanced robots the legal status of personhood. "I don't think it will happen," Andrus Ansip, a commission vice-president in charge of digital single-market policy told journalists.

A European approach on AI will boost the European Union's competitiveness and ensure trust based on European values. The European Commission has already invested significant amounts to bring benefits to our society and economy. This factsheet provides an overview of AI in Europe. In its Communication "Artificial intelligence for Europe", the Commission puts forward a European approach to Artificial Intelligence based on three pillars:

The times they are a-changin': in 2016, widescale commercial application of artificial intelligence was still a faraway high-tech dream. The ChinaBang Awards did not even have a specialized category for this technology. In the same year, ChinaBang gave out awards to three best AI products, giving a glimpse of the potential that was about to unravel. Here are the five winners of the 7th ChinaBang Awards in the category of Best AI. SenseTime is the most valuable artificial intelligence startup in the world.