Facebook usually relies on the manual removal of offensive content based on user feedback. Now they're looking to improve the process by developing AI. The algorithm is still being tested. The goal of the new tech is to remove questionable content as fast as possible, including during live-streaming. The criteria for censorship aims at nudity and violence.

Along with the advancements in pure machine learning research, we have done many steps ahead toward a greater comprehension of the brain mechanisms. Although much has still to be understood, we have nowadays a slightly better overview of the brain processes, and this might help to foster the development of an AGI. It seems clear that try to fully mimic the human brain is not a feasible approach, and is not even the correct one. However, drawing inspiration from how the brain works is a completely different story, and the study of neuroscience could both stimulate the creation of new algorithms and architectures, as well as validate the use of current machine learning research toward a formation of an AGI. More in detail, according to Numenta's researchers AI should be inspired to the human neocortex.

Etsy, the online marketplace where you can buy handmade and unique items, is eleven years old. IPO'ing in 2015 and with millions of products Etsy is shifting more than just crafts though. I wanted to know more about what's going underneath the bonnet of this juggernaut. It turns out Etsy is boasting solid results this year; in the third quarter it reported 33% revenue growth, 19% growth in gross merchandise sales, 50% growth in seller services, and a 110% increase in adjusted EBITDA (with a margin of 14.9%). It also raised its full-year guidance.

Drone footage of a former cotton mill being consumed by fire has been released. People may have been sleeping inside Maple Mill, in Oldham, when it was engulfed in a huge blaze, the fire service said. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said it had been "made aware" homeless people have been sleeping in the mill in Oldham. About 100 nearby homes were evacuated as up to 80 firefighters tackled the fire, which broke out at 04:15 GMT.

Last year's outlook for 2016 suggested that you keep your eye on the growing consumer control, the questions around AI and the excitement of virtual reality applications. The landscape has changed -- a lot. For the coming year, trends show a growing emphasis on a shifting local and global identity, the impact of intersectionality, and the real threat of cyber spying. As we enter 2017 are we more connected globally or not? A few years ago (or maybe just a month or two back?) globalism seemed like an inevitability.

Facebook has borrowed Snapchat's biggest and most famous picture. The company has now built a special camera feature into its Messenger app, and added other visual tools meant to make it easier to send pictures to friends. As well as allowing easy access to the camera, the new Messenger includes animations and special effects that can be laid over the top of pictures. Those filters are one of Snapchat's most central features, and have accounted for a large part of its growth in recent months. In its facilities, JAXA develop satellites and analyse their observation data, train astronauts for utilization in the Japanese Experiment Module'Kibo' of the International Space Station (ISS) and develop launch vehicles 32/39 The robot developed by Seed Solutions sings and dances to the music during the Japan Robot Week 2016 at Tokyo Big Sight.

What will a future driven by technological change look like? Will it be like Star Wars, dominated by greed and economic gain? A world where we've advanced technologically, but not as a society? Or will our future look more like Star Trek? Where material problems have been solved, and society guides its citizens towards reaching their full potential? In Star Trek, technology is used primarily for learning and discovering.

Watch out Tesla and Google: the race for whom will build the car of the future is still far from over. German automakers are working hard to stay ahead of the pack and add new capabilities to their reliable, if sometimes unexciting, vehicles. Back in September BMW, Audi and Mercedes announced the launch of a project aimed at helping vehicles communicate with each other and help the driver gain a better understanding of traffic conditions. The BMW i8 is presented on the first day of the press days of Paris motor Show, on September 29, 2016. Today, BMW unveils yet another agreement, a partnership with American giant IBM.

We stand on the precipice of greatness, on the gravel edges of a long path that seems to curve into the sky itself. Someone points to the sky as the sun is rendered to a speck behind a cloud of locusts. The sky turns to black and brown, as packages containing soap, fridge magnets, socks and HDMI cables are dropped from the sky. Amazon Prime Air drone delivery is here and we are saved? Yesterday Jeff Bezos announced the first ever Amazon Prime Air customer delivery.

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer. A Mercedes Vision Van concept car and a corresponding drone for parcel delivery are pictured at the booth of the Daimler AG on the grounds of the IAA Nutzfahrzeuge (IAA Commercial Vehicles) fair on September 21, 2016 in Hanover, northern Germany.