In Max Barry's new novel Providence, a four-person crew sets out into deep space to battle aliens. It's a scenario that recalls many classic science fiction novels such as Starship Troopers and Ender's Game. "It was a chance to revisit some of the exciting sci-fi I'd enjoyed as a kid, but do it with a bit more of a modern take on it," Barry says in Episode 414 of the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast. The crew soon discovers that their real purpose is to maintain public support for the mission back home while the ship's AI does the actual fighting. It's Barry's response to movies like those in the Star Wars franchise, which emphasize the skill of human pilots.

When California issued a stay-at-home order back in March to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Dana Angelo, a 33-year-old copywriter at an ad agency in Los Angeles, found herself with more free time. So, out of boredom, she turned to a social activity she could still do from home: She got back on the dating app, Bumble. Angelo said she's been rotating through online dating apps -- she's also tried Tinder and Hinge -- with minimal luck since getting out of a long-term relationship about a year ago, and had recently been taking a break. "You just see the same people on all of them and then it gets kind of depressing," Angelo said. But something surprising happened this time around: She actually met someone she genuinely likes.

This blog is a summary of the discussions that took place at the DataKind UK ethics book club on AI and medicine, on 22nd April 2020. Views represented here are those of attendees at the book club. By the time DataKind UK's ethics book club rolled around, our topic -- AI and medicine -- felt pretty timely. In groups, we discussed the contact-tracing methods being used by public health authorities around the world, and concerns that privacy might be a casualty of the public health response. While there might be legitimate arguments to pry into people's personal lives in the midst of a pandemic, we also wondered what happens after the crisis is over.

Future Shock: 25 trends in education post COVID-19.By Sandeep Goyal This Future Shock series is inspired by the Alvin Toffler book with the same name, first published in the 1970s. The book future gazed a rapidly changing world, propelled into newer and newer orbits by not just science and technology, but by newer political realities, sociological change and the emergence of newer opportunities, newer aspirations and newer lifestyles. But even Toffler had not visualized a world faced with cataclysmic change because of a pandemic, a metamorphosis triggered by a virus. Most governments around the world have temporarily closed educational institutions in an attempt to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some 1.3-1.5 billion students and youth across the planet are affected by school and university closures. These nationwide closures are impacting over 72% of the world's student population. Several other countries have implemented localized closures impacting millions of additional learners. Governments around the world are making efforts to mitigate the immediate impact of school closures, particularly for more vulnerable and disadvantaged communities, and to facilitate the continuity of education for all through remote learning. School closures carry high social and economic costs for people across communities. Their impact however is particularly severe for the most vulnerable and marginalized boys and girls, and their families.

The technology company Agric10x announced a collaboration with the government of India. Their work is aimed at creating a connection between farmers, enterprises and markets. As a result, farmers in the country will be able to sell their products faster and with the greatest profit directly to consumers. Agric10x is an agricultural E-Market with artificial intelligence and blockchain. Using the platform, farmers will be able to sell their products and minimize the number of intermediaries.

Groundbreaking artificial intelligence is helping couples to become parents. A trial is currently taking place in Australia using technology to increase the chances of having a baby through IVF, 9news.com.au During the study, led by fertility provider Virtus Health, embryos are being grown in incubators with tiny cameras. By taking 115,000 pictures over five days, these cameras then help to predict fetal heart outcomes and identify the healthiest embryos before they are implanted. The incredible trial - which is taking place at seven different fertility clinics - has so far led to 90% of couples having a child through IVF.

Around the world, the lockdown measures to contain the pandemic have led to economic contraction and a significant drop in energy consumption including electricity, gas, and oil. CEOs, experts, and policymakers are still taking stock of the impact of COVID-19 on the energy landscape and what it means for the ongoing transition to sustainable energy. In India, the renewable sector, including large hydro, accounted for 15.6 percent of the generation in January, which is a lean season for hydro. Solar, wind, small hydro, biomass i.e officially referred to as Renewable Energy in India ― contributed 9.11 percent, up from 8.55 percent in the same period last year. Renewable energy provides an opportunity for building back better' as many people all over the world believe that the coronavirus pandemic is a result of us not being responsible for the environment.

The tech sector is quietly having a boom during the COVID-19 pandemic. Open source developers are getting involved with many aspects of the fight against the coronavirus, using Python to visualize its spread and helping to repurpose data acquisition systems to perform contact tracing. However, one of the most exciting areas of current research is the use of robotics to contain the spread of the coronavirus. In the last few weeks, robots have been deployed in critical environments--particularly in hospitals and on airplanes--to help staff sterilize surfaces and objects. Most of these robots are produced by tech startups, who have seen an opportunity to prove the worth of their proprietary systems.

With the coronavirus pandemic choking social interaction and global travel, many of the nation's approximately 800 Japanese-language schools are struggling because new students have not been able to enter Japan. Since private schools basically rely on tuition fees, they are facing an existential crisis, people familiar with the matter say. Enrollment at Japanese-language schools halved to around 50,000 from about 100,000 in March due to graduation and other reasons, including coronavirus restrictions, they said. Japan has banned the entry of people from 100 countries and regions as part of efforts to curb the pandemic. According to the Justice Ministry, students can enroll in a Japanese school for up to two years.

Amazon-owned video game streaming platform Twitch is creating its own Safety Advisory Council. The council will help Twitch draft new policies, develop products, protect the interests of marginalised groups, identify "emerging trends" and promote healthy streaming and work-life balance habits, according to the company's blog announcing the board. The board is made up of a number of Twitch streamers including CohhCarnage, Cupahnoodle, FerociouslySteph, and Zizaran, who collectively have an audience of approximately 1.6M followers. It also includes the deputy CEO of the non-profit'The Diana Award' Alex Holmes, which aims to help prevent bullying in schools, and Emma Llansó Director of the Center for Democracy & Technology's Free Expression Project which supports "Internet users' free expression rights" and has worked on counter-terrorism, disinformation, and radicalising content. Finally, the board includes two academics: Dr. Sameer Hinduja, a Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University and Co-Director of the Cyberbullying Research Center, and T.L. Taylor, a Professor of Comparative Media Studies at MIT and co-founder and Director of Research for eSports organisation AnyKey.