Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), an organization whose brands provide financial products and services to personal and business customers in the UK and beyond, is putting artificial intelligence (AI) to work in its customer support department. Luvo, a web chat application, is being used to help EBS customer support staff when they aren't sure of an answer to a customer's question. Luvo is capable of fielding questions by sifting through a vast amount of data very quickly. If an answer can't be determined, the application directs the question to a human who can answer more challenging questions. Think of Luvo as live chat, but instead of a human responding, it's a machine. The AI application was originally tested in a two-month trial of 1,200 employees who managed relationships with small businesses, before it was deemed successful.

Do they miss you when you're away on business? Can they put on a VR headset without their parents' help? That last one is pretty important. The year is zipping by, but before we launch full-force into next month, there's just about enough time for a quick roundup of the best updates and launches in April. It was recently revealed that Google was testing a new app for travelers, and now we have a better idea of what it might do.

We're made of meat and they're made of silicon, but according to a new study, humans and computers might actually "see" using the same mechanisms. When you break it down, all vision really is, physiologically speaking, the transformation of light into electrical pulses that are then processed in stages by different parts of the brain. Sounds a lot like a computer, doesn't it? But computers aren't as good at reliably "seeing" and recognizing objects as humans are, at least not yet. According to some folks, this is because the brain simply isn't like a computer at all.

We're made of meat and they're made of silicon, but according to a new study, humans and computers might actually "see" using the same mechanisms. When you break it down, all vision really is, physiologically speaking, the transformation of light into electrical pulses that are then processed in stages by different parts of the brain. Sounds a lot like a computer, doesn't it? But computers aren't as good at reliably "seeing" and recognizing objects as humans are, at least not yet. According to some folks, this is because the brain simply isn't like a computer at all.

The UK's AI scene is the talk of the town at the moment, with a number of significant startup exits happening over the last few years. Evi was acquired by Amazon for a reported 18 million in 2013, DeepMind was bought by Google for around 400 million in 2014, VocalIQ was acquired by Apple for an unknown amount in 2015, and SwiftKey was bought by Microsoft for 175 million in 2016. Saul Klein, a venture capitalist at London-based LocalGlobe, believes there are a number of factors that have led to a general surge in AI. "Clearly this [AI] has been decades in the making," said Klein during an interview with Business Insider at LocalGlobe's office in King's Cross. "There are conditions that exist now that make mainstream AI and the application of AI possible. In terms of what makes the UK so special, Klein believes the Oxbridge-London triangle is playing an important role in the creation of the UK's best AI companies. Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, and UCL all have deep expertise in applied mathematics, computer science, and machine learning, according to a blog post by two AI investors. As a result, several of Britain's best-known AI companies started off as research projects within these institutions before being spun out. Evi and VolalIQ began at Cambridge, for example, while DeepMind has close ties to all four institutions. There are also a number of organisations in the UK that incubate AI startups in their early days. Entrepreneur First in London, for example, helps deeply technical people to find cofounders to launch a tech startup with; at least half of their last cohort focused on applying machine learning to different challenges. LocalGlobe, which Klein founded with his father Robin, is using its 45 million fund to make a number of investments into UK AI startups, as are VCs like Playfair Capital and White Star Capital. "There are really amazing AI-driven businesses that are emerging and some of the companies that we will announce investments in are squarely focused in and around that," said Klein. In terms of whether AI could one day pose a threat to humanity, as famous scientist Stephen Hawking predicts, Klein said: "I guess the way I would look at it is that there are lots of technologies that we have created over time, including nuclear weapons, that have existential risk.

Google has been given access to huge swatches of confidential patient information in the UK, raising fears yet again over how NHS managers view and handle data under their control. In an agreement uncovered by the New Scientist, Google and its DeepMind artificial intelligence wing have been granted access to current and historic patient data at three London hospitals run by the Royal Free NHS Trust, covering 1.6 million individuals. That would include any chronic illness people may be suffering from and the circumstances over why they were admitted – for example, if they have suffered a drug overdose. The agreement provides Google with access to data going back five years and is far more expansive than expected. Google and DeepMind previously said they were working with the NHS on a product called "Streams" that would "present timely information that helps nurses and doctors detect cases of acute kidney injury." The agreement however provides access to all patient data, covering issues far beyond just kidney functioning.

Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae -- or dark patches -- on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" display

Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae -- or dark patches -- on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" display

Did you know there is a 25% chance your cause of death will be due to environmental pollution? According the World Health Organization, some 12.6 million people--or nearly 1 in 4 worldwide--died in 2012 due to living or working in unhealthy conditions. In addition, environmental degradation seriously affects overall quality of life and the balance of Earth's ecosystems through loss of forests, open spaces, marine environments and biodiversity. While technological growth and industrialization historically contributed to such problems, the latest technologies--from robotics to artificial intelligence to biotechnology--will also help create healthier and greener industries benefiting both people and planet. While affordable electric and hybrid cars will help reduce pollution and use of fossil fuels, self-driving cars will make our whole transportation and logistics systems more efficient. Cars, trucks, ships, drones and jets that drive or pilot themselves and wirelessly communicate with each other can coordinate and optimize delivery of people and goods in ways requiring less energy.

Twelve years ago, Robert McEliece, a mathematician and engineer at Caltech, won the Claude E. Shannon Award, the highest honor in the field of information theory. During his acceptance lecture, at an international symposium in Chicago, he discussed the prize's namesake, who died in 2001. Claude Shannon: Born on the planet Earth (Sol III) in the year 1916 A.D. Generally regarded as the father of the information age, he formulated the notion of channel capacity in 1948 A.D. Within several decades, mathematicians and engineers had devised practical ways to communicate reliably at data rates within one per cent of the Shannon limit. As is sometimes the case with encyclopedias, the crisply worded entry didn't quite do justice to its subject's legacy. That humdrum phrase--"channel capacity"--refers to the maximum rate at which data can travel through a given medium without losing integrity.