Dmitry Malioutov can't say much about what he built. As a research scientist at IBM, Malioutov spends part of his time building machine learning systems that solve difficult problems faced by IBM's corporate clients. One such program was meant for a large insurance corporation. It was a challenging assignment, requiring a sophisticated algorithm. When it came time to describe the results to his client, though, there was a wrinkle. "We couldn't explain the model to them because they didn't have the training in machine learning." In fact, it may not have helped even if they were machine learning experts.

Ben Robinson, chief strategy & marketing officer at banking software firm Temenos, explains how the future of finance will be shaped by artificial technology. Google's DeepMind triumph this year over one of the world's highest ranked champions at Go is a sign: computers with artificial intelligence (AI) are learning how to outperform us. If computers can learn to beat us at a game, why not at things that we can't afford to get wrong – medical diagnostics, risk analysis, legal and investment advice? And what affect over time – say 20 years – will this have on the way a host of services, such as banking, are delivered? "Service will be all about data and algorithms," David Brear, co-founder and CEO at 11:FS recently suggested.

There's another round of funding for an artificial intelligence startup in Asia that's focused on e-commerce. Fresh from a Sequoia-led investment in Mad Street Den last month, now Singapore-based ViSenze has announced a 10.5 million Series B raise. Existing investor Rakuten Ventures led the round alongside WI Harper Group and Enspire Capital. A number of other investors also participated, including SPH Media Fund, FengHe Fund Management, Raffles Venture Partners, Phillip Private Equity, and UOB Venture Management. The startup was spun out of the National University of Singapore more than three years ago and it raised a 3.5 million Series A in February 2014.

Some reach too far, some do not reach far enough. No, humanoid robots will not achieve world domination tomorrow. Yes, it is within the realms of possibility that one day, the'machine' that stands in front of us will be a'person'. Or, as the philosopher and AI expert, Klaus Mainzer, describes it: He considers it possible that the crucial leap towards superintelligence is at a point where we are combining evolutionary and technical strategies and creating a'neuromorphic computer', which links technical efficiency with evolutionary benefits. Technical progress goes hand in hand with computer speed and an increase in memory capacity.

Artificial intelligence (AI) may be the hottest topic in the UK nowadays, but not everyone is certain about its business application, ROI and the impact on society. This was concluded after a research by IP EXPO Europe. Following a poll, it was revealed that a third (32 per cent) of respondents worry robots will replace humans, and almost a fifth (19 per cent) fear their job will be taken over by artificial intelligence more than they did a year ago. Also, as in many cases we still don't know what to expect, there is a certain level of risk involved. More than a fifth (22 per cent) also said AI could be used for cyber-breaches, just increasing the frustrations we have today.

Imagine a world where everything is automated, individuals go about their business without ever having to speak to another person, and all of life's needs are at one's fingertips. This is what's happening now, around the world as organizations look for ways to streamline processes using the latest technology. Some may believe that things have become less human, but others say it's a welcome change. Now, it's being considered as an option to eliminate the lengthy and often inaccurate process of recruiting the best candidates. Technology in recruitment is nothing new. The truth is, artificial intelligence has been developing over many decades, and as each new piece of recruitment software gets integrated into our world, the process becomes somewhat less human.

Intel's RealSense platform was the star of its Intel Developer's Forum conference in San Francisco last month and it seems the company is only looking to grow the scale and capabilities of its computer vision tech. Today, the company announced that it is acquiring the computer vision startup behind Google's Project Tango 3D-sensor tech, Movidius. In a blog post, Movidius CEO Remi El-Ouazzane announced that his startup will continue in its goal of giving "the power of sight to machines" as it works with Intel's RealSense technology. Movidius has seen a great deal of interest in its radically low-powered computer vision chipset, signing deals with major device makers, including Google, Lenovo and DJI. The eight-year old company has about 180 employees with offices in Silicon Valley, Ireland and Romania.

It might surprise some of you to know that artificial intelligence (AI) is already in use and a routine part of our daily lives, but we leverage this technology when we use our smartphones or other devices to ask Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana, Google Now, or Amazon's Alexa a question to get the facts or data we are looking for. Using your voice, you can say, "Where's the nearest gas station?" or "What's on my calendar today?", and the intelligent personal assistant (IPA) will respond by finding information and relaying it from your phone or sending commands to other apps. However, AI is not only being used in the context of a personal assistant. Self-driving cars are moving closer to reality, retailers are using anticipatory shipping in the hopes to send you items before you need them, and banks are using AI to detect fraud to monitor accounts and alert the owners when questionable transactions occur. So it is here, but what is AI? AI is an intelligent system's ability to improve predictions, accelerate problem solving, and automate administrative tasks, ushering in an era of automation.

America's research and development department wants the ability to know where drones are, even when they can't see them. Darpa's latest program, Aerial Dragnet, is set to track all unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operating below 1,000 feet in large cities. Using sensors, these systems would'see' over and between buildings in order to trail these vehicles with the goal of combating'UAS-enabled terrorist threats' in urban environments. DARPA's program, Aerial Dragnet, will track all unmanned aerial systems (UAS) flying below 1,000 feet in large cities. Using sensors, these systems would see over and between buildings in order to trail these vehicles with the goal of combating'UAS-enabled terrorist threats' Darpa has announced a new program that will track all unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operating below 1,000 feet in large cities in order to combat UAS-enabled terrorist threats.

I was a wayward kid who grew up on the literary side of life, treating math and science as if they were pustules from the plague. So it's a little strange how I've ended up now--someone who dances daily with triple integrals, Fourier transforms, and that crown jewel of mathematics, Euler's equation. It's hard to believe I've flipped from a virtually congenital math-phobe to a professor of engineering. One day, one of my students asked me how I did it--how I changed my brain. I wanted to answer Hell--with lots of difficulty! In fact, I didn't start studying remedial math until I left the Army at age 26. If there were a textbook example of the potential for adult neural plasticity, I'd be Exhibit A. Learning math and then science as an adult gave me passage into the empowering world of engineering.