Several years ago, in an effort to initiate dialogue about the moral and legal status of technological artifacts, I posted a photograph of myself holding a sign that read "Robot Rights Now" on Twitter. Responses to the image were, as one might imagine, polarizing, with advocates and critics lining up on opposite sides of the issue. What I didn't fully appreciate at the time is just how divisive an issue it is. For many researchers and developers slaving away at real-world applications and problems, the very notion of "robot rights" produces something of an allergic reaction. Over a decade ago, roboticist Noel Sharkey famously called the very idea "a bit of a fairy tale."

However, according to the resolution, "humans must always be ultimately responsible for, and able to overrule, decisions" that are taken by new technologies, especially in medical, legal and accounting professions. For the banking sector, the committee calls for a regulatory framework that ensures independent supervision of automated decision-making systems by qualified professionals in cases where the public interest is at stake. This framework should also make it possible for consumers to seek human review when mistakes appear as a result of using this type of new technologies. Likewise, automated decision-making systems should only use high-quality and unbiased data sets and "explainable and unbiased algorithms" to guarantee trust and acceptance, the resolution states. "We have to make sure that consumer protection and trust is ensured and that the data sets used in automated decision-making systems are of high-quality and are unbiased," said Belgian MEP Petra De Sutter (Greens/EFA), who chairs the IMCO committee.

The raging Australian and Amazon wildfires have raised a burning question for all of us - why the very technology, that has been a major facilitator to human evolution and growth could not predict, manage or control its destruction? To those of us who are in the business of technology, it is time to ask a few tough questions in our boardroom meetings and take ownership of solving the problem. After all, what is growth worth if the planet itself is in peril? As someone who has witnessed the digital revolution unfold, I may not have a full-proof plan to address the climate emergency, in fact, we don't even have the visibility of all evolving technologies that may be required to solve the climate emergency. But, I am clear and convinced that we have to start now and start with the available technologies which in their own right are very powerful and transformational.

If you have a Nintendo Wii in need of repair, it may be game over for the video game system. Nintendo is no longer offering repairs for Wii systems in the U.S., the game maker says online. However, many issues can be resolved by following the troubleshooting steps on our support site," the company says on its customer support site. The video game company said Monday it is ending repairs for the game console in Japan as of March 31 because it has had trouble getting parts to repair the console. Several tech news websites including Engadget reported the announcement from Japan.

Carnegie Mellon University's Aaditya Ramdas, assistant professor in the Department of Statistics & Data Science and Machine Learning Department, has received the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Award for his project, titled "Online Multiple Hypothesis Testing: A Comprehensive Treatment." "Arguably, one of the major hurdles to reproducibility of scientific studies is the cherry picking of results among the vast array of tests run or quantities estimated," Ramdas said. "We need'online' methods to correct for cherry picking, first acknowledging that the problem exists and then designing algorithms that can account and correct for it." According to Ramdas, statistical methods that improve reproducibility in large-scale scientific studies will combat the increasing public distrust in science. The results of this five-year grant could transform how technological and pharmaceutical industries as well as the sciences perform large-scale hypothesis testing.

Sponsored: Visit http://prizeo.com/tesla to enter for a chance to win a Tesla Model 3! Tesla Autopilot vs Comma.ai Get 15% off the best Tesla accessories! Get free Supercharging when ordering a Tesla: http://geni.us/t3sla One of the most popular reactions from people when they see my Tesla Model 3 is they usually ask "Does it really drive itself?" because many people associate Teslas with self-driving & Tesla Autopilot which is an advanced driver assistance system. Autopilot is synonymous with Tesla, but not many people realize that other non-Tesla cars can also have their own advanced driver assistance system added at a fairly affordable price.

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Cloud robotics and AI firm CloudMinds is slashing its global workforce, reports Reuters. The SoftBank-backed start-up is laying off around 175-225 employees from its 700-strong workforce in China. Following the layoffs, CloudMinds will remain with only a nominal presence in the US and Japan. The Silicon Valley office will be closed, and a small number of remaining staff will be moved to an office in Irvine, California. The company is reducing its global workforce as it burns through cash after repeated attempts to list on the stock market, said the report.

Tesla is facing calls from a U.S. Senator to make safety fixes to its autopilot system. In a press release, Democrat Senator Edward Markey of Massachuttes took issues with certain areas of its autopilot feature that enable a Tesla vehicle to center itself in a lane, provide speed changing cruise control and self-park among other things. Markey sits on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Markey said that by calling it Autopilot it encourages users to "over-rely" on the technology and think they can take their hands off the steering wheel. To get around that the Senator is calling on Tesla to rebrand and remarket Autopilot to make it clear that its a driver's assistance system not a fully autonomous capability.

Creating opportunities for collisions where computer science students, academia and industry can interact, share ideas and launch innovative programs is critical if Windsor is to attract and retain the best and brightest in the emerging technology workforce. Dr. Ziad Kobti, director of the school of computer science at the University of Windsor, believes these opportunities – including spaces and programs – need to be open to the public so that potential students can determine whether the fast-growing field is part of their future. "It can't only be done behind closed doors between academia and industry," said Kobti recently. "We have to create opportunities and settings where people can come and chat with someone and exchange ideas." Kobti believes the Windsor region needs to create these networking opportunities for students and industry so that talent can be identified, nurtured and convinced to remain in the Windsor area.