The Department of Defense (DoD) will harness artificial intelligence (AI) to transform all functions of DoD positively, according to a summary of the Department's AI strategy. AI, machine learning (ML) and related technologies have great potential to transform how the DoD and national security agencies operate and deliver on their mission--but these technologies also require agencies to think in new ways about technology, policy and workforce strategies. AI is generating buzz in part because of its high'cool' quotient-but coolness counts for nothing in national security, where it's all about the mission. Leveraging AI means investing in an AI ecosystem that includes the people, computing infrastructure, data, and policies required to support any organization's deployment of AI technology. As the Center for Strategic and International Studies points out, the technology required to deliver AI results for national security applications differ from what is expected from commercial AI.

Gene therapy, stem cells, artificial intelligence, the bionic eye – incredible advances in research and technology are opening up new frontiers for eye health. With each step forward, eye researchers are unlocking exciting possibilities for earlier detection of eye disease, better treatments and potentially even restoring sight. At the Centre for Eye Research Australia's Looking to the Future Community Forum, held in October 2019, a selection of CERA's leading experts discussed the current eye research landscape and what the future holds. Over two panels – 'Gene therapy demystified' and'Everything you need to know about artificial intelligence and new technology' – they explored everything from the bionic eye, to corneal cells grown from skin, to computer programs that can detect eye disease with better-than-human accuracy. Here is a snapshot of some of the key ideas discussed, and the areas of research shaping the future of eye health.

It is rather short-sighted to be critical of Artificial Intelligence (AI) -- not least because it seems that every time someone says, "Technology will never be able to do …" (you can fill in the blank here), technology goes and does it. Nevertheless, I've grown accustomed to playing the fool, and so I want to ponder whether technology will in fact be able to attend to what matters in medicine. Just to be clear, though, there are many things that I think technology can do better than the human; to me those things are rather uninteresting. At the risk of angering our future, computer overlords, I will offer three domains where I think that machines will have difficulty. When a physician enters a room, she greets the patient face-to-face. She engages with the person --that which animates the face just beyond its surface properties. She is, of course, looking at or reading the surface of face, but she is at the same time looking at something that seems to dance beneath the face. Yet what animates the face cannot really be said to be beneath the face -- it is right there on the face. Let me put this differently: when greeting a person, the physician -- indeed, anyone engaging truly with another person -- finds that which is "beneath" the surface of the face, gathering in excess on the face itself.

Dmitry Kaminskiy speaks as though he were trying to unload everything he knows about the science and economics of longevity--from senolytics research that seeks to stop aging cells from spewing inflammatory proteins and other molecules to the trillion-dollar life extension industry that he and his colleagues are trying to foster--in one sitting. At the heart of the discussion with Singularity Hub is the idea that artificial intelligence will be the engine that drives breakthroughs in how we approach healthcare and healthy aging--a concept with little traction even just five years ago. "At that time, it was considered too futuristic that artificial intelligence and data science … might be more accurate compared to any hypothesis of human doctors," said Kaminskiy, co-founder and managing partner at Deep Knowledge Ventures, an investment firm that is betting big on AI and longevity. Artificial intelligence in healthcare is attracting more investments and deals than just about any sector of the economy, according to data research firm CB Insights. In the most recent third quarter, AI healthcare startups raised nearly $1.6 billion, buoyed by a $550 million mega-round from London-based Babylon Health, which uses AI to collect data from patients, analyze the information, find comparable matches, then make recommendations.

December 07, 2019: According to the AI-based prediction from'DHL Global Trade Barometer', India is the only country with a positive trade outlook for the running quarter out of the world's seven largest economies. Thanks to the strong maritime exports and Imports that will maintain India's trade growth over the three-month period ending in January 2020. The DHL Global Trade Barometer, an indicator of global trade developments calculated using artificial intelligence and big data, predict mildly positive growth for Indian trade with the country's Index rising five points to 54. The positive outlook is driven primarily by an uptake in ocean imports of basic & industrial raw materials and chemicals & products, coupled with a gradual revival in air exports of consumer fashion goods. In total, ocean trade grew by 10 points, maintaining India's positive outlook even as air trade forecasts experience relative weakness.

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – SpaceX made an early holiday delivery to the International Space Station on Sunday, dropping off super muscular "mighty mice," pest-killing worms and a smart, empathetic robot. The station commander, Italy's Luca Parmitano, used a large robot arm to grab onto the Dragon three days after its launch from Cape Canaveral. The two spacecraft soared 260 miles (420 km) above the South Pacific at the time of capture. "Whenever we welcome a new vehicle on board, we take on board also a little bit of the soul of everybody that contributed to the project, so welcome on board," Parmitano told Mission Control. The capsule holds 3 tons (2,720 kg) of supplies, including 40 mice for a muscle and bone experiment.

Rumors are rife that Intel is in talks to acquire Israeli AI accelerator startup Habana Labs. Intel is reportedly considering a purchase price of ranging anywhere from $1 billion to $2 billion, according to the Israeli publication Calcalist, who broke the story earlier this week. If it's true, it would be a surprising move, given that Habana competes with Intel acquisition Nervana. Nervana, based in San Diego, was purchased by Intel back in August of 2016 for a sum believed to be around $400 million. Intel acquired another AI chip startup, Movidius, the following month (Movidius' product line is aimed at computer vision in edge devices).

IMAGE: Using age predictors within specified age groups to infer causality and identify therapeutic interventions. The deep age predictors can help advance aging research by establishing causal relationships in nonlinear systems. Deep aging clocks can be used for identification of novel therapeutic targets, evaluating the efficacy of various interventions, data quality control, data economics, prediction of health trajectories, mortality, and many other applications. Dr. Alex Zhavoronkov from Insilico Medicine, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, in Hong Kong, China & The Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, California, USA as well as The Biogerontology Research Foundation in London, UK said "The recent hype cycle in artificial intelligence (AI) resulted in substantial investment in machine learning and increase in available talent in almost every industry and country." Over many generations humans have evolved to develop from a single-cell embryo within a female organism, come out, grow with the help of other humans, reach reproductive age, reproduce, take care of the young, and gradually decline.

While artificial intelligence may be powering Siri, Google searches, and the advance of self-driving cars, many people still have sci-fi-inspired notions of what AI actually looks like and how it will affect our lives. AI-focused conferences give researchers and business executives a clear view of what is already working and what is coming down the road. To bring AI researchers from academia and industry together to share their work, learn from one another, and inspire new ideas and collaborations, there are a plethora of AI-focused conferences around the world. There's a growing number of AI conferences geared toward business leaders who want to learn how to use artificial intelligence and related machine learning and deep learning to propel their companies beyond their competitors. So, whether you're a post-doc, a professor working on robotics, or a programmer for a major company, there are conferences out there to help you code better, network with other researchers, and show off your latest papers.