The only exposure Yancarlos Diaz had to computer science during his high school years in New York City was when he used a computer to write essays. When it came time to apply to college, Diaz, who says he was good in math, "blindly signed up" for the computer science program at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), figuring it was a major that would help him easily find a job when he graduated. That decision already is paying off. Now a fourth-year student at RIT, Diaz expects to graduate in 2021 with dual bachelor and master of science degrees in computer science (CS). He then plans to work in the private sector as a software engineer "mainly to pay the loans," he says.

I keep hearing excuses for not working on difficult problems: "Eventually AI will solve this so there's no point working on it now." First, we should be cautious about putting too much expectation on artificial intelligence which, by most metrics, is really today's machine learning (ML) and neural networks. There is no doubt these systems have produced truly remarkable results. The GO game story of AlphaGo and AlphaZero from Deep Mind is by now a classic example of the surprisingly powerful results these systems produce. A chess-playing version of AlphaZero learned quickly and demonstrated choices of moves unlike those of traditional chess players.

Is there a wireless earbud that answers to the name Alexa in your future? Amazon is staging an event Wednesday in Seattle to introduce its fall lineup of devices. At last year's event, Amazon introduced 70 products, including updates to the Echo speaker line, a microwave that answered to Alexa and a DVR for cord-cutters. This year, CNBC reported, an Alexa earbud could top the list. Apple dominates the earbuds market with the help of Siri.

That's because Tesla has created "the best chip in the world." Yes, the car is moving with no one inside. But we'll forgive you if you're a little unnerved at first. Tesla owners have flooded social media with videos depicting the newest feature of their cars: the ability to use their phones to tell their cars to drive themselves from parking spots to the curb, where the owner is standing. Called "Smart Summon," the feature is part of Tesla's 10.0 software update, which is delivered wirelessly.

Alexa, will you stop recording and storing my queries? You won't get a response from Alexa to that one, but we got the straight answer from the man who runs the devices division at Amazon. The company has no plans to stop that practice. Sure, senior vice-president Dave Limp this week announced new privacy controls that would let users opt in to automatically delete all recorded queries either every three or 18 months, but you can't opt-out of the recording process. Every time you ask Alexa a question and awake it with the "Alexa" command, Amazon records the question and archives it, to help it become a better personal assistant.

A database of more than 100,000 images of people has been created - but none of them are real. A team of artists, AI experts and engineers teamed up on the project to create the ultra-realistic images. It includes different sexes, races and ages and none of the people are real, but could easily be mistaken for a legitimate portrait. The eerie headshots appear perfect in many cases, but there are often minor glitches, including eye sockets on foreheads, funky teeth and weird ears. A team of artists, AI experts and engineers teamed up on the project to create the ultra-realistic images.

One of the most coveted and recognizable dogs, the labradoodle, may actually be a'monster,' says the breed's progenitor. According to Wally Conron, an Australia native who was the first person to breed the labradoodle - a cross between a poodle and a labrador - the dog opened up a'Pandora's Box.' 'I bred the labradoodle for a blind lady whose husband was allergic to dog hair,' Conron told Australia Broadcast Network. 'She wanted to know if we could come up with a dog that she could use as a guide dog and her husband wouldn't be allergic to.' The issue, says Conron, who was working for the Royal Guide Dogs Association of Australia at the time, wasn't in finding a breed less harsh on one's allergies, it was finding one that was hypoallergenic and had the right temperament. Poodles, though they met the shedding criteria, didn't quite have the same friendliness factor as labradors, so Conron decided to mix the two.

BMW is taking a more intimate approach with self-driving cars. In a video teasing the German car-maker's Vision iNext concept car, the firm hints at in-car sex with its tagline'A space where everything can be done with ease'. The clip tells the story of a couple from when they first meet to them getting more intimate before taking things on the road. In video teasing BMW's Vision iNext concept car (pictured), the firm hints at in-car sex with its tagline'A space where everything can be done with ease' 'The BMW Vision iNEXT is a warm and optimistic vision that merges all the key technologies for future mobility into a single vehicle: it will be all-electric, highly automated, fully connected and ultimately human,' BMW shared with the advertisement. In the video, we meet Eve and Leo from when they first spot each other in a coffee shop to seeing their love unfold on a beach and then seeing them become slightly intimate in their sleek Vision iNext self-driving car.

Elon Musk has once again issued a stark warning over his fears about the rise of artificial intelligence. The Telsa CEO shared a pair of tweets today that stated it will not be long until'advanced AI' manipulates social media. Musk has suggested sites closely watch to see if bot swarms are evolving faster, as this could be a dead giveaway of a robot takeover. Elon Musk shared a pair of tweets today that stated it will not be long until'advanced AI' manipulates social media'Anonymous bot swarms deserve a closer examination. If they're evolving rapidly, something is up', reads the second tweet.

A massive $16.28 million microwave weapon system designed to'disrupt' and'damage' drones is set to be tested overseas for operational evaluations. Called PHASER, this military owned devices uses electromagnetic pulse to take down swarms of enemy drones. The news of the high-powered device's deployment comes just weeks after a fleet of 10 drones attacked a refinery and oil field in Saudi Arabia. The weapon is mounted on a 20-ft. The device's parameters can be set to'disrupt' or'damage'.