No one doubts that start-ups can play a critical role in India's smart cities mission. They bring in innovation, at times at a cost larger companies can't. In India's 100 Smart Cities programme, some of the start-ups are bidding directly while many others are working with bigger system integrators to deliver the work. Thus far, they are playing a role in areas such as solid waste management, digital door number, augmented reality, bill board management, and robotic cleaning of manholes among others. There is an opportunity in solutions that involve Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence, Cloud, Blockchain, and geospatial technologies.

The University of Oxford is hosting AI@Oxford, the institution's first major international conference on Artificial Intelligence. AI@Oxford will be held in the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, Park End St, Oxford, OX1 1HP.The venue is directly opposite Oxford train station, less than a 1-minute walk away for those arriving by train. Please note that there is no public parking at Saïd Business School and car parking in Oxford city centre is limited; however, guests can use various car parking in the city centre or use Oxford Park & Ride services. At registration you will receive your delegate badge, a conference programme and if you have booked, a dinner ticket. Please always wear your badge.

Siemens Healthineers has entered into a merger agreement with US – based Corindus Vascular Robotics a developer and producer of robotic systems for minimally invasive procedures. Under the terms of the agreement, Siemens Healthineers will acquire all fully diluted shares of Corindus for $4.28 per share in cash or $1.1 billion in total. The transaction is expected to be closed by end of calendar year 2019, subject to Corindus shareholder approval, receipt of regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The Corindus board fully supports the acquisition proposal. Corindus is headquartered in Waltham, Boston, Massachusetts and currently has approximately 100 employees.

Bengaluru: A move toward project-based work is prompting Indian information technology (IT) services companies to adopt the flexi or contractual staff model while hiring professionals in high-tech areas, spelling rising costs for companies. According to the latest talent market research by Infosys, called Talent Radar 2019, the top five technical skills in demand in digital projects are: analytics, user experience, automation, IT architecture and artificial intelligence. Companies like Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, Infosys Ltd, Wipro Ltd, HCL Technologies Ltd and Tech Mahindra Ltd have adopted this model in varying degrees. The sector's flexi workforce is expected to grow to 720,000 by 2021 from half a million in 2018, according to ISF. To be sure, the move toward contract hires has been a trend across industries, but it has become more visible in IT of late because of a rise in project-based work.

This weekend Steve Worswick will be pushing the boundaries of what it is to be human, attempting to fool a panel of judges into thinking they are chatting to another person while really they will be talking to a chatbot. But Steve isn't an engineer at Apple or Amazon, he is a designer from Leeds and the AI he is hoping will pass the test - Mitsuku - is one you have probably never heard of. The competition he is taking part in, the Loebner Prize, is one of the only real-world Turing Tests but is also relatively obscure in the highly-hyped world of artificial intelligence - and not without controversy. This year could be the last time Steve competes - the sponsor Hugh Loebner, a millionaire inventor who made his fortune from brass fittings, died in 2016 so there is no longer funding for the prize. The competition sees four judges conducting a series of conversations with both humans and bots which they then score out of 100.

Powered by AI and Machine Learning technology, Seedo enables anyone to grow anything with no experience and the same amount of space you would need for a mini-fridge. Founded in 2015, the Israeli AgriTech firm's self-contained device generates "high yields of lab-grade, pesticide-free herbs, and vegetables," states Seedo's website. But the company is well aware that the herb that little Seedo will most be responsible for growing, is cannabis. In fact, the device's impressive growing abilities have been translated from the knowledge of the company's founder, retired expert cannabis grower Yaakov Hai. Seedo's biggest market is in the United States where growing and using cannabis recreationally is now legal in 11 states in the USA and in 22 states medical cannabis has been recognised as an effective treatment for numerous health conditions including PTSD, depression, chronic pain and for those undergoing cancer treatment.

Sudbury's Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI) has gone international in signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with an industry technology centre in Australia. CEMI and METS Ignited of Brisbane signed an agreement to establish a vehicle for each organization to collaborate and accelerate the commercialization of mining innovations in Canada and Australia. "We have boots on the ground in Australia now," said Charles Nyabeze, CEMI's vice-president of business development and commercialization, in a Sept. 13 phone interview. "We will have access to game-changing solutions not only for our Canadian mines, but also for the mines we work with globally." The two organizations intend to cross-promote each other in their respective countries when it comes to mining-related exploration, extraction, transportation; tailings, waste and water management technologies; and digitalization of mine operations using analytics, artificial intelligence, automation and robotics.

Utilizing ALCF supercomputing resources, Argonne researchers are developing the deep learning framework MaLTESE with autonomous -- or self-driving -- and cloud-connected vehicles in mind. This work could help meet demand to deliver better engine performance, fuel economy and reduced emissions. Researchers used nearly the full capacity of the ALCF's Theta system to simulate a typical 25-minute drive cycle of 250,000 vehicles. Researchers at Argonne are developing the deep learning framework MaLTESE (Machine Learning Tool for Engine Simulations and Experiments) to meet ever-increasing demands to deliver better engine performance, fuel economy and reduced emissions. Automotive manufacturers are facing an ever-increasing demand to deliver better engine performance, fuel economy and reduced emissions.

Saudi authorities attempt to control a fire at an Aramco factory. The world's largest oil processing facility and a nearby oil field in Saudi Arabia were set ablaze early Saturday morning after reported drone attacks by Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels. The Interior Ministry was quoted by state-run media as saying the fires at the Abqaiq oil processing facility in Buqyaq and the nearby Khurais oil field operated by Saudi Aramco were "targeted by drones." It wasn't immediately clear if there were any injuries, nor what effect it would have on oil production in the kingdom. Smoke is seen following a fire at Aramco facility in the eastern city of Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia, September 14, 2019.

Technology advances and machine learning are enabling new waves of innovation for companies investigating suspicious activity and proactively addressing potential workplace conduct issues. How can these technologies, integrated with deep forensic subject matter knowledge, help organizations proactively identify and reduce risk? Please join Morgan Lewis and Deloitte for this roundtable discussion on using artificial intelligence and other technology advances to improve compliance and reduce risk in the modern workplace.