Google DeepMind received 1.6 million identifiable personal medical records on an "inappropriate legal basis", according to a letter written by Fiona Caldicott at the UK's National Data Guardian, a government watchdog that monitors patient confidentiality. The letter obtained by Sky News was sent to the medical director of the Royal Free NHS Trust in London on 20 February. The data sharing agreement between the trust and DeepMind was first revealed by a New Scientist investigation last year. Google's AI firm originally obtained the NHS patient records to test a smartphone app called Streams that could help monitor people with kidney disease. A quarter of acute kidney deaths are preventable if caught early, so DeepMind wanted to use its algorithms to try to spot early signs of the disease.

ANTWERP, Belgium – The Imec research institute described machine learning accelerators using arrays of resistive and magnetic memory cells rather than neural networks to reduce cost and power. Initial results included an MRAM array that lowered power by two orders of magnitude. Imec is withholding details of the chips' architecture and their performance until later in the year when it has its patents filed. The research institute started a machine learning group just 18 months ago as part of its ongoing efforts to expand beyond its core work on silicon process technology. The introduction of the chips was among a handful of announcements at the opening day of the annual Imec Technology Forum here.

Earlier this month, researchers unveiled an AI computer that could predict the results of Supreme Court trials better than a human. While its designers were hopeful that the device could soon be used in the courtroom, an expert has warned that using AI to sentence criminals is a'dangerous idea.' In an article for The Conversation, Mr Christopher Markou, a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge explains why he think we should boycott AI judges. Earlier this month, researchers unveiled an AI computer that could predict the results of Supreme Court trials better than a human. While its designers were hopeful that the device could soon be used in the courtroom, an expert has warned that using AI to sentence criminals is a'dangerous idea' Earlier this month, researchers from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, and South Texas College of Law created an algorithm based on a neural network, which tries to simulate the way the brain works in order to learn. The algorithm analysed the US Supreme Court Database, which holds data on court cases dating back to 1791.

Internet of Things (IoT) market growth will accelerate in 2017, with the adoption of narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), according the the latest worldwide market study by Frost & Sullivan. This cellular technology uses licensed spectrum and offers a standardized low-power, wide-area network (LPWAN) solution. Furthermore, machine learning and blockchain technologies are being integrated with IoT capabilities to drive new demand in different industries - such as financial services or energy generation and distribution. In Europe, IoT connections are set to exceed 9 billion by 2021. Dedicated venture funds for IoT development will help create an ecosystem that is conducive to the growth of startups in the region.

A data-sharing deal between DeepMind and London's Royal Free Hospital Trust was struck on an "inappropriate legal basis," a top UK government advisor has said. In April 2016, NewScientist revealed that the company had received 1.6 million patient records to develop an app called "Streams." While there are strict rules regarding patient data and confidentiality, common law states that consent is "implied" if the information is being used for "direct care." Google's AI division used this line of thinking to justify the deal, however Dame Fiona Caldicott, the UK's National Data Guardian, disagrees because the app was still in testing at the time. If the app was in development, that means it wasn't yet ready for medical use.

Science and technology are essential tools for innovation, and to reap their full potential, we also need to articulate and solve the many aspects of today's global issues that are rooted in the political, cultural, and economic realities of the human world. With that mission in mind, MIT's School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences has launched The Human Factor -- an ongoing series of stories and interviews that highlight research on the human dimensions of global challenges. Contributors to this series also share ideas for cultivating the multidisciplinary collaborations needed to solve the major civilizational issues of our time. David Mindell, the Frances and David Dibner Professor of the History of Engineering and Manufacturing and Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT, researches the intersections of human behavior, technological innovation, and automation. Mindell is the author of five acclaimed books, most recently "Our Robots, Ourselves: Robotics and the Myths of Autonomy" (Viking, 2015).

The man who saved the world from the hack that took down the NHS didn't pass his IT GCSE. Marcus Hutchins, who accidentally discovered a kill switch that helped shut down the WannaCry virus as it spread around the world, doesn't have the most basic IT qualification. And it's all because his teachers thought he was a hacker. The accidental hero's problems began when he was hauled into the head teacher's office at school and told to explain why the network was down. He couldn't and so was blamed for having hacked into the network – something that despite his claims not to have done anything, led to him being suspended.

Groundbreaking new traffic lights fitted with artificial intelligence could create safer roads and bring an end to rush hour gridlock. 'Smart' traffic lights will monitor speed and congestion, prioritise cyclists, buses and ambulances with green lights and use heatmaps to analyse how pedestrians and motorists are using the roads. Milton Keynes is set to be the first city to trial the system from September, having invested some £3 million on 2,500 sensors across 50 square miles, monitoring all major junction points and car parking spaces. 'Smart' traffic lights will monitor speed and congestion and prioritise cyclists, buses and ambulances with green lights (stock image) The monitors recognise different vehicles and individual road users and will be able to regulate traffic in real-time. At present, traffic lights are sequenced but not reactive to the vehicles around them and traffic monitoring is still done manually.

Much discussion and debate surround the topic of physicians and the use of artificial intelligence. The notion that AI could ever fully replace a doctor is not a completely absurd one -- there are many jobs, including white-collar professions, that eventually will be replaced by automation and various levels of machine-learning technology. Certainly, from a pragmatic perspective, it is interesting to consider the possibility of a physician who never needs to eat, never tires, can read thousands of pages of new research every day, can record and remember every experience and can even communicate in multiple languages. In a recent Harvard Business Review article, authors Richard Susskind, chairman of the advisory board of the Oxford Internet Institute, and his son Daniel, an economics fellow at the University of Oxford's Balliol College, say that AI will not only support physicians in their work, but also ultimately replace them. The argument that technology cannot be empathic is moot, they argue, and many aspects of professional work do not require compassion.

A new chair-based gymnastics exercise programme has significant benefits for people with dementia, says a report. More than 150 people have taken part in the Love to Move scheme run by the British Gymnastics Foundation (BGF). And research by Age UK found the scheme to have "demonstrable benefits in the physical, emotional and cognitive aspects of older people". The organisers now aim to train more people to deliver the programme and make it more widely available. "This age and dementia-friendly programme is astonishing people with its life-changing benefits," said BGF manager Patrick Bonner.