FCC rules require TV stations to provide closed captions that convey speech, sound effects, and audience reactions such as laughter to deaf and hard of hearing viewers. YouTube isn't subject to those rules, but thanks to Google's machine-learning technology, it now offers similar assistance. YouTube has used speech-to-text software to automatically caption speech in videos since 2009 (they are used 15 million times a day). Today it rolled out algorithms that indicate applause, laughter, and music in captions. More sounds could follow, since the underlying software can also identify noises like sighs, barks, and knocks.

People are constantly trying to find more'human' ways to interact with technology. Could the same be achieved for how we approach our health too? After the recent Deep Learning in Healthcare conference held in London, it is clear that technology has the capacity to transform healthcare as we know it. Deep learning (also known as machine learning or artificial intelligence) refers to a set of algorithms whereby a computational system is "trained" to process data by being tested on some information, which it then "learns" from. This results in a computer which has the ability to assimilate, process and present data to humans, eliminating work for us humans in the process.

With companies such as Amazon Web Services offering AI on tap -- including image recognition and natural language understanding -- an increasing number of machine learning powered services will be finding their way to the consumer. Those involved in marketing and retail might have already seen offerings filter through, with the following pointing the way the AI winds are blowing. In the world of AI, Watson is one of the best-known names out there. Built by IBM, this computer system is able to learn from massive amounts of unstructured data, while also being able to answer natural language questions. Already having made an impact in the healthcare industry, Watson is bringing its AI capabilities to a number of other sectors too.

Up to 30 per cent of UK jobs are at risk of being taken over by robots and Artificial Intelligence by the early 2030s, a new report warns. The study, published by professional services firm PwC, claims that the likelihood of automation is highest in sectors including transport, manufacturing, wholesale and retail. Education, health and social work are less at risk and-- as a result of that-- male workers are more likely to see their jobs taken over by robots than their female counterparts. Despite the threat, though, PwC says that the rise of automation is actually likely to boost productivity and generate additional jobs elsewhere in the economy in the long run. "Automating more manual and repetitive tasks will eliminate some existing jobs, but could also enable some workers to focus on higher value, more rewarding and creative work, removing the monotony from our day jobs," said John Hawksworth, chief economist at PwC. "By boosting productivity - a key UK weakness over the past decade - and so generating wealth, advances in robotics and AI should also create additional jobs in less automatable parts of the economy as this extra wealth is spent or invested," he added.

Europe is a hotbed of AI innovation. Here are 25 AI start-ups to watch out for in 2017 and beyond. There are literally hundreds of promising companies pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence and machine learning in Europe. We've included a number of Israel-based start-ups because they too fall into the sphere of influence of European investors. And, judging by recent acquisitions of Israel-based machine vision and AI companies by players like Apple and Intel, they are definitely producing the goods.

More than 10 million UK workers are at high risk of being replaced by robots within 15 years as the automation of routine tasks gathers pace in a new machine age. A report by the consultancy firm PwC found that 30% of jobs in Britain were potentially under threat from breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI). In some sectors half the jobs could go. The report predicted that automation would boost productivity and create fresh job opportunities, but it said action was needed to prevent the widening of inequality that would result from robots increasingly being used for low-skill tasks. PwC said 2.25 million jobs were at high risk in wholesale and retailing – the sector that employs most people in the UK – and 1.2 million were under threat in manufacturing, 1.1 million in administrative and support services and 950,000 in transport and storage.

It could be "game over" for Minecraft fans who downloaded unauthorized mods (modifications) for their Android smartphone or tablet. Instead of finding new content or tools to tweak the wildly popular Minecraft: Pocket Edition mobile game, more than 80 malicious apps -- disguised as Minecraft mods -- contained Trojans that bombarded users with advertisements or redirected them to scam websites, says ESET, a Slovakia-based cybersecurity company. Lukas Stefanko, the malware researcher who discovered the fake mods, says there have been nearly 1 million downloads of the malicious apps from the Google Play store. "Users often fall for phony apps because they're promising to deliver something new for a famous game like Minecraft, plus many have positive – but fabricated – ratings," says Stefanko, in an interview with USA TODAY. Once launched, the apps displayed a screen with a download button, which didn't install a mod but took users to a web browser with "scareware" messages on them, such as falsely notifying users of a found virus on their device, and promoting them to download a new app.

FCC rules require TV stations to provide closed captions that convey speech, sound effects, and audience reactions such as laughter to deaf and hard of hearing viewers. YouTube isn't subject to those rules, but thanks to Google's machine-learning technology, it now offers similar assistance. YouTube has used speech-to-text software to automatically caption speech in videos since 2009 (they are used 15 million times a day). Today it rolled out algorithms that indicate applause, laughter, and music in captions. More sounds could follow, since the underlying software can also identify noises like sighs, barks, and knocks.

Chris Middleton is one of the UK's leading business & IT journalists and magazine editors. He is founder of Strategist magazine, consulting editor and former editor of Computing. He is also the former editor of: Computer Business Review (CBR). He is the author of several books on the creative use of digital media, and has commissioned, edited, and/or contributed to at least 50 more. Unusually, Chris is one of the few private individuals in the UK to own a real humanoid robot, which he hires out to schools, colleges, and corporate clients.

The recent eruption of Erta Ale volcano in northeastern Ethiopia highlights the speed and impact of space artificial intelligence (A.I.). One of our planet's few exposed lava lakes is changing, and artificial intelligence is helping NASA understand how. On January 21, a fissure opened at the top of Ethiopia's Erta Ale volcano --one of the few in the world with an active lava lake in its caldera. Volcanologists sent out requests for NASA's Earth Observing 1 (EO-1) spacecraft to image the eruption, which was large enough to begin reshaping the volcano's summit. As it turned out, that spacecraft was already busy collecting data of the lava lake.