My visit to Japan has coincided with the 72nd anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings. On August 6, 1945, the nuclear bomb dropped by the Enola Gay Boeing B-29 exploded, killing an estimated 140,000 people. Three days later, the U.S. dropped the second bomb by the Bockscar B-29 on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 75,000. On the occasion of the 72nd anniversary ceremony about 50,000 people, including representatives from 80 nations, gathered at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. During the occasion, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for global cooperation to end nuclear weapons.

We take a look at categories where AI startups are beginning to emerge. A majority of them are in the early stages of funding. We take a look at categories where AI startups are beginning to emerge. A majority of them are in the early stages of funding. Artificial Intelligence is being hailed as the new linchpin of the tech industry.

For Amazon Echo owners in the UK, the arrival of Music Unlimited provided the likes of Apple and Spotify with some music needed competition. The company immediately made it the default music service on the smart speaker, allowing users to instantly queue music using their voice once they'd signed up. Understandably, Amazon is keen to differentiate its service from its more popular rivals, so it's banking on Alexa "activities," which have today arrived in the UK. Activities are basically Amazon-built voice controls that make it easier to find music for a specific event or setting. Users have apparently requested ways to find a perfect meditation playlist, or music that matches the theme of a party or a workout and the company is only too keen to oblige.

To facilitate this kind of cooperation, there is a big role for public-private partnerships, such as internship and apprenticeship programmes, and vocational training that prepares young people for jobs that don't necessarily require a college degree, but for which industries have specific skills needs. This model has produced great success in other countries, such as Germany and Switzerland. Both of these countries have demonstrated strong outcomes in procuring adult technical skills and their models could be expanded to other countries.

The current year has seen an unprecedented amount of hacker/ransomware attacks on government as well as private enterprises spread all across the world. Shadow Brokers came in form this year by leaking alleged NSA tools, which included a Windows exploit known as EternalBlue. In May, WannaCry ransomware crippled hundreds of thousands of computers belonging to public utilities, large corporations, and private citizens. It also affected National Health Service hospitals and facilities in the United Kingdom. It was halted in its tracks by utilizing its flaws and activating a kill switch.

Qualcomm announced that it has purchased Dutch artificial intelligence research company Scyfer to boost its expertise in machine learning. The price was not disclosed. Scyfer has built artificial intelligence systems for companies in manufacturing, healthcare, finance and other industries. Founded in 2013, Scyfer is a spinoff of the University of Amsterdam. Professor Max Welling co-founded the company and will continue to work both as a professor and an artificial intelligence researcher for Qualcomm.

Six F16 of the US Air Force fly over Paris during the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris on July 14, 2017. The parade on Paris's Champs-Elysees will commemorate the centenary of the US entering WWI and will feature horses, helicopters, planes, and troops. In June 2017, artificial intelligence (AI) startup, SparkCognition raised $32.5 million Series B funding for its AI powered cyber-physical software (CPS). The round led by Verizon Ventures with participation by Boeing's HorizonX unit. In July 2017, the company announced an eight to 10-month project with the United States Air Force (USAF) to bring AI by the DiuX, which accelerates commercial innovation for national defense.

When it comes to making machines to perform tasks that humans have done for years, the United States, China and India are far ahead of anyone else, according to a top tech industry executive. The three countries are leading an artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, Malcolm Frank, head of strategy at leading outsourcing firm Cognizant, told CNNMoney in an interview. Frank is the co-author of a recent book entitled "What to Do When Machines Do Everything," on the impact artificial intelligence will have on the global economy in the coming years. "I think it's three horses in the race, and that's probably the wrong metaphor because they are all going to win," he said. "They are just going to win differently."

In 2014, a new research and outreach organisation was born in Boston. Calling itself The Future of Life Institute, its founders included Jaan Tallinn - who helped create Skype - and a physicist from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That physicist was Professor Max Tegmark. With a mission to help safeguard life and develop optimistic visions of the future, the Institute has focused largely on Artificial Intelligence (AI). Of particular concern is the potential for AI to leapfrog humans and achieve so-called "superintelligence" – something discussed in depth in Tegmark's latest book Life 3.0.

The debate between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk on the misunderstandings of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought to the forefront concerns and dangers of a robot takeover. Often misrepresented and misunderstood, AI continues to serve as a source of significant intrigue. It has long been lauded as the future of work, but according to notable Hollywood movies, is also a harbinger of a robot takeover. Futuristic movies, like I, Robot, and Avengers: Age of Ultron, portray AI as the precursor to a robot revolution wherein a seemingly innocuous utilization of the tool devolves into dystopia. And in many cases, despite being an effective money making tool, it is a mischaracterization of AI. Still, it is believable because of the lack of public fluency on the issue.