In 1955, a group of scientists submitted a request to fund a ten person summer research project at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, USA. As part of their paperwork, they hypothesised that'every aspect of learning or any other feature of intelligence can in principle be so precisely described that a machine can be made to simulate it.' This proposal is often cited as the birth of Artificial Intelligence. Within it, the ability for computers to understand language is the first such feature of intelligence mentioned. Even earlier than that, in 1950, Alan Turing decided to devise a test for intelligent conversation.

We all need to talk about AI. We need a big conversation, one that involves everyone, not just because this technology is changing our future but also because we need to inspire more people from diverse backgrounds to guide its development. We need a national conversation because the most important conversations of all take place between experts and the public, not between experts, whether ethicists, academics or coders. But, as companies such as Samsung do more to engage with audiences, and new industry initiatives emerge, the trigger for the biggest public conversations is often when a new science or technology makes the headlines, often when things go wrong. Few people were interested in infectious proteins called prions until BSE, or'mad cow disease' (a phrase coined by a colleague of mine at The Daily Telegraph) became a threat to a national herd and then, through vCJD, to people.

Gartner, Inc. today revealed its top strategic predictions for 2020 and beyond. Gartner's top predictions examine how the human condition is being challenged as technology creates varied and ever-changing expectations of humans. "Technology is changing the notion of what it means to be human," said Daryl Plummer, distinguished vice president and Gartner Fellow. "As workers and citizens see technology as an enhancement of their abilities, the human condition changes as well. CIOs in end-user organizations must understand the effects of the change and reset expectations for what technology means."

The Forrester Wave is a guide for organizations weighing their technology procurement options. Forrester uses a transparent publicly available methodology to compare leading market players so decision-makers can make well-informed choices without spending months conducting their own research. The principal inputs in a Forrester Wave evaluation are an executive strategy briefing, a product demo session, a questionnaire, and customer references. Micro Focus was among select companies Forrester invited to participate in its Q2 2018, Forrester Wave evaluation of AI-based text analytics platforms. In this evaluation, Micro Focus was cited as a Leader in text analytics.

The Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), the first graduate-level, research-based artificial intelligence (AI) university in the world, has received immediate interest from graduate students across the globe. So far, 3,200 students have started the application process, including 1,681 potential students in the last step of their application process and 234 completing their applications within the first week of the university's launch on October 16. The majority of applications were received from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Egypt, India, and China, a statement said. Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and chairman of the MBZUAI board of trustees, said: "The level of interest in such a short time is a very encouraging sign. MBZUAI is attracting prospective students from around the world, affirming the UAE leadership's vision of investing in human potential and enabling societies through knowledge and education to find practical solutions to some of the biggest challenges in the world, and further establishing the UAE and Abu Dhabi as a global hub for innovation and higher education."

ING, KLM, NS, Phillips and food retailer Ahold Delhaize have announced the launch of Kickstart AI, a series of initiatives to promote and grow the Dutch artificial intelligence sector. By accelerating the development of new technology and supporting talent, it aims to improve education in AI, nurture the local AI community and raise the Netherlands' profile as an international hub in this growing field. The Kickstart AI programme aims to bridge the gap between the Netherlands and other countries with strong artificial intelligence industries, including China, the UK and the US. To accomplish this goal, it will bring together the Dutch government, private organisations, businesses and universities to develop investment and talent. The companies behind the programme believe it can help solve societal challenges, provide new opportunities for young people and advance the rate that different industries (including food, healthcare and finance) can use AI to improve the lives of consumers. In a statement about the launch of Kickstart AI, Maarten de Rijke, professor at the University of Amsterdam and director of the Innovation Center for Artificial Intelligence, said: "The Netherlands has always been a technological pioneer, a forerunner in the development and innovation of AI.

This holiday season we ask: How can artificial intelligence and other new technologies help make our roads safer? This article also appears on LinkedIn. Stop me if you've heard this one before: Why did the chicken cross the road? While you ponder that question, let me ask you another: Have you ever wondered if the chicken manages to cross the road safely? Every year, especially during festive seasons, hundreds of thousands of people across the world pack their bags and families, and journey back to their home towns where joyous celebrations and loved ones await.

Today, the recycling market is changing rapidly due to global changes where the quality requirements of the incoming and outgoing material are increased. As a result, systems that are separating waste material from the target material need to be improved continuously to cope with this change. Stora Enso's Langerbrugge Mill in northwest Belgium, which is one of the largest paper mills in Europe, required a more effective paper-cardboard sorting solution and technology that can easily be retrained for anomaly detection. This technology was developed by Robovision, a company specializing in deep learning-based machine vision and robot programming, and Imec, which is the world-leading R&D and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies within the framework of the AUTOWARE project. A big challenge in paper recycling is the separation of cardboard and waste materials from paper.

Rizwan Malik has been an NHS radiologist for more than 13 years. His name is becomingly increasingly well known, and not just for work at Royal Bolton Hospital, where he serves as a consultant radiologist and an associate chief clinical information officer. He is also a prominent player in the NHS diagnostic technology procurement environment and, as of September 2019, vice president responsible for industry liaison for the UK Imaging and Oncology Congress. Even so, it is only relatively recently – in the past 12 months – that Malik has started to see what he regards as real engagement from NHS technology leaders with those in the diagnostic space; something he believes has a long way to go. "Imaging doesn't get as much exposure as it should," he says, speaking to Highland Marketing in a personal capacity.

Grocery giant Sobeys has unveiled what it calls Canada's first smart shopping cart at a store in Ontario. It's a great idea for people looking for assistance in shopping and to be on their way as soon as possible. The project is a partnership with New York-based retail technology company Capers. Essentially, the cart you grab as you enter the store has high-tech devices that allow customers to shop, get recipe ideas, obtain information on where to get ingredients, weigh and pay for their food. The cart also has GPS so you can find whatever you need in the store. The Smart Cart has been developed to allow shoppers to bypass traditional checkout lanes, one of the most unpleasant parts of grocery shopping.