Extreme developments in the field of artificial intelligence have become an integral part of the technology industry. AI has helped the world reach a point where continuous improvements have resulted in making life easier for humans. "A chatbot is an artificially intelligent software program that uses natural language processing to simulate intelligent conversation with end users via auditory or textual methods".Chat Bots date as far back as 1960's and this was the time when the computer world idealized such machines which could be used to impersonate humans in real-time, sufficiently well that the reviewer was unable to distinguish, whether the conversation was between real humans themselves or between the program and a real human. Joseph Weizenbaum's, a professor at MIT developed a program named ELIZA, published in 1966. ELIZA operated in a unique way, as it focused on the recognition of cue words or phrases in the input.

"We cannot predict the future," says BMW Group design chief Adrian van Hooydonk, "but we can take a stance. That's what our company feels is very important, to try and shape the future before it shapes you." And the future, says van Hooydonk, is a lot closer than many think. He is convinced the next paradigm for the automobile and individual mobility will be shaped by technologies that will become commonplace in the next 10 years. So what does the BMW Vision Next 100, the first of four advanced concepts to be unveiled this year as BMW celebrates its centenary, reveal about a 100-year-old automaker's idea of the future?

A lot of people would struggle to get through their daily lives without the help of glasses, but for most, they help make everything they are looking at slightly clearer. But for one man, a new pair glasses is doing much more than that, allowing him to read for the first time in 20 years. Luke Hines was left blind in one eye and with only three per cent vision in the other after an operation to remove a childhood brain tumour in 1997. Luke Hines (pictured) was left blind in one eye and with only three per cent vision in the other after an operation to remove a childhood brain tumour in 1997. He was unable to attend school, has not found work because of his condition and has spent years feeling isolated.

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

Today there is an ongoing battle between man and machine. While genuine machine consciousness is still years into the future, we are beginning to see computers make choices that previously demanded a human's input. But we are not beaten yet - humans are still superior in some areas and researchers in Denmark have developed a scheme that is mapping the human brain to blur the lines between the two. While machine consciousness is still years into the future, we are beginning to see computers make choices that previously demanded a human's input. 'It may sound dramatic, but we are currently in a race with technology - and steadily being overtaken in many areas,' said Danish physicist Jacob Sherson.

The rise of on-demand startups and other fast-growing businesses like online marketplaces has created a need for reliable ways to verify new hires and customers to make sure they are cut out for the task. Onfido, one of the group of startups building software-based solutions to do just that, has raised 25 million to meet that need. The Series B round was led by Idinvest Partners, with participation also from existing backers Wellington Partners and CrunchFund (founded by TC founder Michael Arrington), and brings the total raised by the startup to just over 30 million. It's not disclosing its valuation in this round, but as a marker, its competitor Checkr, which has raised just under 50 million, is valued between 250 million and 300 million. Onfido plans to use the capital in a couple of different ways.

Scientists have compiled the biggest known library of bat sounds in an effort to identify and conserve rare species. Mexico is home to many of the world's bats, but it also has one of the highest rates of extinction. International researchers recorded more than 4,500 calls from about half of Mexico's 130 bat species. The audio library allows bat calls to be identified automatically, helping to monitor any changes in biodiversity. Co-researcher, Prof Kate Jones, of UCL and Zoological Society London, said the ability to map bats was crucial for implementing effective conservation measures.

BERLIN – Computers may have us beat at chess and checkers, but new research suggests our brains still have an edge when it comes to solving certain tricky problems thanks to a very human trait: intuition. Scientists in Denmark have found that people who played a game that simulated a complex calculation in physics sometimes did better than their silicon rivals. "The big surprise we had was that some of the players actually had solutions that were of high quality and of shorter duration than any computer algorithms could find," said Jacob Friis Sherson, a physicist at Aarhus University who co-wrote the study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature. Experts say the results could advance the quest to develop effective quantum computers, something most major universities and several tech companies are working on as they seek to accelerate processing power. Such computers use individual atoms to store information and it's hoped they could one day outperform even the fastest conventional silicon-based supercomputers.

As part of the 2016 Cass London Symposium, the Cass Entrepreneurs Network is hosting a discussion about the impact of robotics and artificial intelligence on the world of work. The Panel will be chaired by Oliver Smith, Senior Reporter at The Memo. Can intelligent machines make us better entrepreneurs, or will disruptors be disrupted? Opportunity to meet tech startups and see prototypes.

Peter Singer raises the questions of ethics, given new developments in AI. Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google's parent company, the owner of AlphaGo, is enthusiastic about what artificial intelligence (AI) means for humanity. Speaking before the match between Lee and AlphaGo, he said that humanity would be the winner, whatever the outcome, because advances in AI will make every human being smarter, more capable, and "just better human beings." Around the same time as AlphaGo's triumph, Microsoft's "chatbot" – software named Taylor that was designed to respond to messages from people aged 18-24 – was having a chastening experience. "Tay" as she called herself, was supposed to be able to learn from the messages she received and gradually improve her ability to conduct engaging conversations.