When science fiction writers first imagined robot invasions, the idea was that bots would become smart and powerful enough to take over the world by force, whether on their own or as directed by some evildoer. In reality, something only slightly less scary is happening. Robots are getting better, every day, at impersonating humans. When directed by opportunists, malefactors and sometimes even nation-states, they pose a particular threat to democratic societies, which are premised on being open to the people. Robots posing as people have become a menace.

If the futurists, visionaries, and venture capitalists are to be believed, artificial intelligence is right on the cusp of becoming the most important breakthrough for healthcare since penicillin. Self-driving cars, scary-smart advertising, and virtual home assistants are just the beginning, they proclaim. Hospitals must brace themselves for a complete transformation – a revolution – a total makeover of every aspect of patient care. If the amount of money riding on "artificial intelligence" breakthroughs is any guide, it won't be long before the first chat bot bursts through the barrier of the Turing Test. A new report from MarketsandMarkets pins the healthcare artificial intelligence sector at 7.98 billion dollars in 2022, accelerating at a wild compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 52.68 percent over the forecast period.

Motorola is adding machine learning to its surveillance equipment used by law enforcement personnel. Cops in Chicago's Waukegan police department are already suiting up with the company's Si500 body cams. But those same cameras could soon pack AI that could help officers identify missing people and objects. A prototype device is in the works with Neurala, a deep learning startup that recently integrated its software with drones to track poachers in Africa. In the near future, the camera will be able to recognize images and communicate that data with other Si500s.

WhatsApp has rolled out a new update that could prove both useful and potentially dangerous. If you're an iPhone user, you can now use the messaging app to share any type of file, as long as it doesn't exceed 100MB. Previously, you only had the option to share PDF documents. The new capabilities will, of course, prove handy, especially if your colleagues are on WhatsApp. However, they could also leave you more widely exposed to security risks.

Astronauts on board the International Space Station have a new robotic companion to play around with. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has released the first images shot by the "Int-Ball," a spherical camera that floats around alongside the rest of the crew. With its monochrome paint job and blue, circular eyes, it looks a little like Wall-E's Eva -- or at least her head, in some kind of prototype form. Notably, the Int-Ball can move around autonomously or be controlled by operators back on Earth. The images are transferred in near real-time allowing JAXA staff to quickly evaluate problems and offer possible solutions to ISS residents.

Game of Thrones has returned to our screens, but there'll be a lot of worried fans around today. The opening episode of season seven only aired at 2am UK time, and everyone who missed it will be desperate to avoid all spoilers before they get the chance to catch up by streaming it or watching the 9pm showing tonight. As one of the most popular shows around, Game of Thrones updates are all over Twitter and Facebook right now. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid seeing them while continuing to use the social networks. The I.F.O. is fuelled by eight electric engines, which is able to push the flying object to an estimated top speed of about 120mph.

We are investigating practical ways in which we can support machine intelligence SMEs in the UK, especially around compute provision. This questionnaire is part of our research, and we really appreciate your input. Thank you very much for your participation.

Machine Learning is becoming the only real available method to perform many modern computational tasks in near real time. Machine Vision, speech recognition and natural language processing have all proved difficult to crack with out ML techniques. When it comes to hardware, the tasks themselves do not need a great deal of computational power; but training the machine does – not to mention an awful lot of data. In the machine learning world, the more data you have the more accurate your ML model can be. Of course the more data you have the longer the training process will take.

The new iPhone could come with lasers, according to a new report. The technology would be built into the back of the phone – alongside its camera – and help it sense depth. That will in turn be used for all sorts of augmented reality and photography features, according to the same report. The feature is rumoured to be arriving in the more expensive version of the iPhone 8, which could be called the iPhone Pro, according to Fast Company. But it might not have been ready and it might actually wait until next year. The I.F.O. is fuelled by eight electric engines, which is able to push the flying object to an estimated top speed of about 120mph.

Two police forces have become the first in the UK to launch a fully operational drone unit. Devon and Cornwall and Dorset police forces began trialling the technology in November 2015 and the unit has now become fully established. Five officers have been trained, with a further 40 aiming to complete their Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) accreditation in the next 12 months. Devon and Cornwall and Dorset police forces began trialling the technology in November 2015 and the unit has now become fully established. The drones take part in missing person searches, crime scene photography and respond to major road traffic collisions.