The world of AI can be full of a lot of unknowns. That's why we're committed to bringing our #PeopleofAI to the forefront. We want to illuminate what they do, how they stay on top of ever-evolving trends and research, and why this matters for smart, human business. This week, our data annotator, Emily, demystifies what goes into the data annotation process -- an integral piece in creating effective machine learning. Data annotation is the foundation upon which machine learning models are built.

Each big step of progress in computing -- from mainframe to personal computer to internet to smartphone -- has opened opportunities for more people to invent on the digital frontier. But there is growing concern that trend is being reversed at tech's new leading edge, artificial intelligence. Computer scientists say AI research is becoming increasingly expensive, requiring complex calculations done by giant data centers, leaving fewer people with easy access to the computing firepower necessary to develop the technology behind futuristic products like self-driving cars or digital assistants that can see, talk and reason. The danger, they say, is that pioneering artificial intelligence research will be a field of haves and have-nots. And the haves will be mainly a few big tech companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook, which each spend billions a year building out their data centers.

On the 27th of September 2019, at the Filoxenia Conference Centre, in Nicosia (Cyprus) took place the Researchers' Night 2019, a creative night-time event dedicated to science and research, through experiments, games, competitions and music. Audiences of different ages had the opportunity to meet up with Cypriot researchers and see their work, in a festive, friendly atmosphere. Our colleagues from Open University of Cyprus, Laboratory of Computational Intelligence, Loizos Michael, Nikos Isaak, Charikleia Skouteli, Christodoulos Ioannou, Christos Rodosthenou, Michalis Savva, Theofrastos Mandadelis, presented WeNet at their booth to people of all ages and background. With the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning based systems in our daily lives, worries about whether machines are compatible with human values are now a central topic of discussion. What does it mean for a machine to make ethical decisions?

Picking up steam in 1997 with Intel opening of a microchip factory and an $800 million USD investment, Costa Rica has since blossomed into a key tech hub in Latin America, according to an article from Nearshore Americas. But leaving the landmark Intel investment aside (the factory is now closed), the country is fostering growth through government spending in the space, high public funds devoted to education and tax-friendly technology parks that attract investors and talent from around the globe. With a population of five million inhabitants and 51,000 square kilometers, the number of companies in the country has reached over 546 IT companies, 3,447 manufacturing (including medical components), and performed 12,281 various commercial activities by 2018. This activity generated over 300,000 jobs, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Census. One of the major fields in the current technological revolution is artificial intelligence (AI), of which a high amount of development is occurring in Costa Rica.

Fox News Flash top headlines for Oct. 8 are here. Check out what's clicking on FoxNews.com The maker of Fortnite may face a class-action lawsuit in Canada after two parents of teenage sons alleged last week the company purposely designed the multiplayer video game to be as addictive as cocaine, according to reports. The Montreal-based law firm, Calex Légal, filed a motion in Quebec Superior Court Thursday on behalf of two parents who approached the firm separately about their 10- and 15-year-old sons, who they claim developed a severe dependence on the game, USA Today reported. The suit, which has yet to be approved by the court, seeks to hold the U.S.-based video game publisher Epic Games Inc., as well as its Canadian affiliate based in British Columbia, accountable for using psychologists and statisticians "to develop the most addictive game possible."

British Airways has been self-boarding passengers at Heathrow for some time. Facial recognition is said to speed up the airport experience. Airlines and airports say they take customer privacy seriously. Airlines insist it's easy to opt out of biometric boarding. Some groups are concerned about the privacy implications.

Joining HTSC has helped me in realizing this vision. In a short time, we've established the AI Engineering Lab and the Eindhoven Artificial Intelligence Systems Institute (EAISI) and organized the first'AI in Engineering' symposium in Eindhoven, to be held on 29 October. Major AI technology providers, such as Intel, MathWorks, Microsoft, Google and IBM, support our vision and will participate during the symposium. In the coming period, we will be working hard to get the EAISI and the AI Engineering Lab operational. We're discussing collaborations with many companies and looking for new projects to start.

The British Library on London's Euston Road is probably best known for its oldest items. The longest-surviving pieces among its 200 million-strong collection are Chinese oracle bones believed to date from about 1,500 BC. Other notable items in its ownership include one of Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks and, fittingly for the world's largest library, a copy of what it is recognised as the world's oldest mechanically printed book – the Gutenberg Bible. But for all its ties to the past, the library (pictured above) also houses a growing movement towards the future. Founded in 2015, The Alan Turing Institute is the UK's national research institution for data science and – since 2017 – artificial intelligence.

GREENSBORO, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dais X, a leading digital transformation partner to middle-market companies, today announces that it intends to merge its consulting and software product development platform with Dais AI, an artificial intelligence (AI) company purpose-built to help clients capitalize on digital business opportunities through the development of custom AI solutions and technologies. "As shown by our steady growth over the past three years, Dais X continues to gain momentum, marked by strong progress on our strategic initiatives and client successes," said Neal Davis, President and Chief Executive Officer. "With these foundations in place, we are now ideally positioned to merge with Dais AI and create one leading company. In alignment with our strategic plan, the decision to combine these businesses will allow Dais X to sharpen its focus as a leading digital transformation partner to middle-market companies." Dais X believes the merger will sharpen the company's focus as a leading digital transformation partner, encouraging long-term revenue growth and margin expansion.

Horizons ETFs Management Canada Inc. is recalibrating its artificial intelligence (AI) exchange-traded fund (ETF) after a year of underperformance that was a "complete disappointment," according to the provider's chief executive officer. The Horizons Active A.I. Global Equity ETF (MIND), which uses a proprietary AI-directed selection process to invest in major global equity indexes through a basket of ETFs, has trailed the market over the past year, down 1.04 per cent on a return basis, versus a positive total return, in Canadian dollar terms, of 5.76 per cent for the MSCI World Index. "We have been looking at MSCI World, and we're significantly underperforming on a year-to-date basis," Horizons Canada CEO Steve Hawkins said. "When we first launched this product, we had very high hopes. People would ask how well this could outperform the market. All the back-testing we did provided us with a lot of comfort that an unbiased AI system making investment management decisions would outperform the market when you're dealing with a lot of investor bias."