The City of New Orleans has been adamant that it "does not use facial recognition software." Though there is no city ordinance outright banning the technology, city officials often repeat that claim, and have even included a line in the privacy policy of its Real-Time Crime Center surveillance hub stating "Facial recognition is not utilized by the System." But that is an incomplete picture of how facial recognition technology is being used in New Orleans. Now, court evidence reveals that Louisiana state police officers can and have utilized a searchable facial recognition database to assist New Orleans police in their investigations. In at least one NOPD investigation, facial recognition was used to identify and indict a suspect.

The session is designed to support digital companies and learn more about the Innovate UK family, including Digital Catapult and the Knowledge Transfer Network, as well as other organisations that have opportunities and support for UK based businesses across all sectors. This event will particularly support companies working in the international and export. The engaging speakers will highlight a range of upcoming opportunities and various benefits for digital companies, researchers and academic institutions working across a diverse range of sectors. At the session, you'll be able to: Follow the link below to find out more & register.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed the way we do business and our everyday lives. Virtual assistants, computer-aided diagnosis and clinical decision support are just a few examples of how artificial intelligence in healthcare has transformed the sector. Yet, there is a dark side of AI. The malicious use of artificial intelligence in healthcare can create significant problems for the sector and beyond. AI may be developed with a malicious purpose in mind, or AI may be exploited by adversaries with a malicious purpose – in other words, currently available technology may be intentionally misused.

A recent survey showed that Americans are evenly split on how they view artificial intelligence (AI). According to Blumberg Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm, 50% of American consumers feel "optimistic and informed" about AI while the other half feel "fearful and uninformed." Regardless of whether the results are statistically meaningful -- "no estimates of sampling error can be calculated" as the respondents were entirely random -- the results are plausible. After all, AI is variously described as more profound than electricity and fire or tantamount to summoning the demon. Fearful or not, ready or not, we are hurtling ahead towards realizing the benefits or curse of AI.

Hundreds of Apple workers across Europe who were employed to check Siri recordings for errors have lost their jobs after the company announced it was suspending the programme earlier this month. More than 300 employees have had their contracts ended in the company's Cork facility alone, according to former employees, with more sent home from other sites across Europe. The staff had been on paid leave since 2 August, the day Apple announced its decision to suspend the programme, referred to as "grading", as it conducted "a thorough review". The decision followed a story in the Guardian that revealed the workers frequently heard confidential medical information and couples having sex while checking the Siri recordings. The graders, employed through contracting firms, were sent home that Friday, with many told there was no work for them due to "technical errors".

Overview of how Python is used for Data Science and Data Analytics projects.

Shanghai has formed a RMB 500 million ($70 million) fund to boost its drone industry and lure drone makers to the city with subsidies and preferential policies. Why it matters: Shanghai aims to become a global tech powerhouse. The city has already laid out plans to become an artificial intelligence hub and has set its sights on becoming a world "e-sports capital." Details: Shanghai's Jinshan District has implemented 18 policies to attract businesses to the city, including covering up to 20% of a firm's budget to build research and development centers in the city. Context: Jinshan hopes to attract up to 100 domestic and international drone makers by 2021.

On Tuesday, July 9th project manager Patricia Delgado and project sponsor Aleksandar Valjamae from Goprosocial at Tallinn University and I signed the Vertigo STARTS Laureate residency contract to develop AIBO, an emotionally intelligent, artificial intelligent brainwave opera.

I envisioned an old Cadillac with massive Texas longhorns adorning the hood meandering along a dusty road. This road was in Egypt, and Stringfield was behind the wheel, sweat glistening on his brow as he hauled a load of freshly-baked sesame seed bagels. No, I hadn't been experimenting with some designer hallucinogen. But my conversation with him, as happens with particularly captivating sources, conjured evocative concepts and imagery, the kind of stuff that begs to be illustrated in word pictures. Thing is, although his latest enterprise encompassed many of the issues I aimed to address in my most recent feature story in MIT Technology Review -- such as fair labor in the AI industry, data ethics and the future of work -- his background as a former Halliburton executive who became a bagel-making entrepreneur during his time in Cairo as an HR consultant with the oil giant never made it into the story.

Last year, more than 4,600 Google employees signed a petition urging the company to commit to refusing to build weapons technology. A response to Google's work with the military on an artificial intelligence-based targeting system, the petition made a powerful and seemingly simple moral statement: "We believe that Google should not be in the business of war." Similarly, Microsoft employees in February demanded that their company withhold its augmented reality HoloLens headset technology from the Army, saying they did not want to become "war profiteers." As a Marine who has been in harm's way a few times, I am glad that my peers in the tech industry have initiated this discussion. America is long overdue for a conversation about how we engage in war and peace; the difference between the decision to go to war and decisions about what happens on the battlefield during warfare; and what it means to fight, die and kill for our country.