The prediction of molecular reactions triggered by light is to date extremely time-consuming and therefore costly. A team led by Philipp Marquetand from the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Vienna has now presented a method using artificial neural networks that drastically accelerates the simulation of light-induced processes. The method provides new possibilities for a better understanding of biological processes such as the first steps of carcinogenesis or ageing processes of matter. The study appeared in the current issue of the journal Chemical Science, also including an accompanying illustration on one of its covers. Machine learning plays an increasingly important role in chemical research, e.g. in the discovery and development of new molecules and materials.

Machine learning-guided virtual reality simulators can help neurosurgeons develop the skills they need before they step in the operating room, according to a recent study. Research from the Neurosurgical Simulation and Artificial Intelligence Learning Centre at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (The Neuro) and McGill University shows that machine learning algorithms can accurately assess the capabilities of neurosurgeons during virtual surgery, demonstrating that virtual reality simulators using artificial intelligence can be powerful tools in surgeon training. Fifty participants were recruited from four stages of neurosurgical training; neurosurgeons, fellows and senior residents, junior residents, and medical students. They performed 250 complex tumour resections using NeuroVR, a virtual reality surgical simulator developed by the National Research Council of Canada and distributed by CAE, which recorded all instrument movements in 20 millisecond intervals. Using this raw data, a machine learning algorithm developed performance measures such as instrument position and force applied, as well as outcomes such as amount of tumour removed and blood loss, which could predict the level of expertise of each participant with 90 per-cent accuracy.

So, a few months ago, I was walking down the street in Shenzhen, in the Guangdong Province of southeastern China. I was hungry and looking for lunch. Armed with my credit card and plenty of the local currency, I strode out of my hotel to check out the many street vendors selling delicious-smelling food. Using Google Translate, I was able to order a fried fish dish, but when I went to pay, the vendor refused my credit card. Undaunted I pulled out cash, but that too was refused. The guy pointed me to a large QR code and asked me to pay using the WeChat app. As this was my first day in China, I hadn't yet set the app to pay for things, so I walked away, a little embarrassed. Still hungry, I came to a large junction and saw a promising looking restaurant across a busy street.

Statistics say the global enterprise value of this industry will be worth $3.9 trillion by 2022. For those looking to work in the industry, these 17 AI companies from across the country are on the cutting edge. UiPath designs and develops robotic process automation software. The UiPath Enterprise RPA platform offers an easy-to-use automation design tool and supports on-premises and automated cloud deployment. The platform supports both attended and unattended robots is known for high scale, secure, resilient operations.

South Korean artificial intelligence (AI) developer Vuno has received class II approval for its Vuno Med Chest X-ray algorithm for identifying abnormal findings on chest x-rays. The algorithm was trained to find nodules, pneumothorax, effusions, and interstitial opacities that are commonly seen on chest x-ray images. The algorithm classifies lesions as normal or abnormal and highlights suspected abnormal regions. Results from clinical trials of the algorithm indicate it reduced the average reading time of medical staff by 50% while improving lesion detection performance by 5.8%. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were all improved with Vuno Med Chest X-ray, and the probability of false positives in normal areas was reduced by 50%.

Can Japan compete in the global battle for dominance in artificial intelligence and robotics that is under way? A long-standing strength in AI research gives the United States an advantage that is reinforced by the deep bench of AI talent at its numerous universities and tech giants like Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google and Microsoft. China's government incentives and growing leadership in the mobile economy has led to a data advantage -- its e-commerce giants like Tencent, Alibaba, Baidu and DiDi have an unparalleled view into the minutiae of everyday economic activities across hundreds of millions of consumers, data that feeds into increasingly sophisticated deep learning systems that power AI-native applications ranging from news filtering to medical diagnostics. Japan does not have to be left behind as the U.S. and China race ahead of the rest of the world. But building dominance in this new generation of technologies will require change and planning.

The AI Negotiation system is backed by founders of Skype and TransferWise and built by luminaries from Skype, Starship Technologies and the Government of Estonia's e-Residency program Launching today, Pactum is an AI-based system that helps global companies to autonomously offer personalized, commercial negotiations on a massive scale. The Mountain View, California company, with engineering and operations in Estonia, has raised an initial $1.15 Million in pre-seed funding to augment negotiation and AI capabilities as well as scale operations. Pactum has also filed the patent this week related to its technology IP. Inefficient contracting has been estimated to cause firms to lose between 17% to 40% of the value on a given deal, depending on circumstances, according to research by KPMG. Pactum's AI helps companies improve their bottom line by implementing bespoke negotiation services for large volumes of incremental partners in every market, that might have previously been unmanaged.

The robot uprising is coming to a store near you. And no, I'm not talking about Skynet building T-1000 Terminators to take over the world (or store in this case). I am talking about how the retail store is drastically changing to become more automated, using artificial intelligence, and relying on non-human assistance for check-outs, price checks, and inventory management. Robots and drones are in stores now and retailers are looking to build upon their capabilities for the foreseeable future. Robots in the warehouse are certainly nothing new.

Integrify is a growing tech company with a mission. We teach coding to talented and motivated immigrants and connect them with coding jobs through staffing and consulting. In 2019, over 60 students have started in our programs eager to kick-off their tech career in Finland. Over 80% of the graduates are working as developers. In June, we kicked off our first program in Python & Machine Learning with students with a background in software development, data science or mathematics.

A deepfake video presents a realistic AI-generated image of a real person saying or doing fictional things. Perhaps the most famous such video to date portrayed Barack Obama calling Donald Trump a "dipshit." Facebook is creating a "Deepfake Detection Challenge," which will offer grants and awards in excess of $10 million to people developing promising detection tools. The social network is teaming up with Microsoft and the Partnership on AI (which includes Amazon, Google, DeepMind, and IBM), as well as academics from MIT, Oxford, Cornell Tech, UC Berkeley, and others on the effort. The tech companies will contribute cash and technology and will help with judging detection tools, a Facebook spokesperson told me.