As the waitress approached the table, Sam Altman held up his phone. That made it easier to see the dollar amount typed into an investment contract he had spent the last 30 days negotiating with Microsoft. The investment from Microsoft, signed early this month and announced Monday, signals a new direction for Altman's research lab. In March, Altman stepped down from his daily duties as the head of Y Combinator, the startup "accelerator" that catapulted him into the Silicon Valley elite. Now, at 34, he is the chief executive of OpenAI, the artificial intelligence lab he helped create in 2015 with Elon Musk, the billionaire chief executive of the electric carmaker Tesla. Musk left the lab last year to concentrate on his own AI ambitions at Tesla.

On the 3rd of April 2019, Partech hosted an event on Artificial Intelligence, Open Day #3: Intelligence Artificielle "Fantasmes vs réelles avancées", in collaboration with Innovation Factory. The event which took place at the Partech Shaker, saw several industry experts and exciting new startups share their visions on the future of AI and how it can be implemented in a variety of different use cases. Philippe Colombel, Co-Managing Partner at Partech, introduced the event. He began by underlining how "AI is not new… but accelerating", appearing first in the 1950s and 60s but not really gaining traction until the last decade or so. Phillippe pointed out two revolutions that are driving the new emergence of AI.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo created a commission Wednesday to guide New York in governing artificial intelligence in robots and examining how the burgeoning technology can impact the labor market, improve public services and industry, and look at how AI and robots "may be used in unlawful or unsafe ways." The commission will examine how other states have regulated artificial intelligence, and look at what revisions are needed to New York laws in how to regulate artificial intelligence to protect industry and residents. The 13-member commission will include five appointed by Cuomo, two by Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, two by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, one by Senate Republican leader John Flanagan, one by Assembly Republican leader Brian Kolb, and one each by the chancellors of the State University of New York and the City University of New York. Findings and recommendations from the new Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Automation Commission will be reported to the governor and the Legislature for action. "Artificial intelligence and automation are already having a profound impact across many industries and their influence keeps growing, so it's critical that we do everything in our power to understand their capabilities and potential pitfalls," Cuomo said.

A checkout-free future might be closer than you think, thanks to startups like Standard Cognition. The San Francisco-based company, whose patented platform uses cameras and algorithms to keep tabs on customers as they peruse store shelves, nabbed $40 million in series A funding last November and a partnership with Paltac in Japan that will see its autonomous checkout solution deployed in 3,000 stores. On the heels of this success, it's secured $35 million in a series B round led by the EQT Ventures fund, with participation from existing investors Initialized Capital, CRV, and Y Combinator. The newfound capital brings Standard Cognition's total raised to date to more than $86 million at a post-money valuation of $535 million. That's more than double the company's valuation as of November 2018, notes CEO Jordan Fisher, and it'll enable Standard Cognition to "continue to focus on making its early customers in the U.S. and Japan successful" while expanding both its team and geographic footprint.

A few weeks ago, you found the perfect Father's Day gift -- a T-shirt of your dad's favorite band. You bought it online and had it shipped to his house. This week, the same online store keeps suggesting Phish T-shirts, size large, instead of the women's athletic tops you're actually looking for. The algorithm can't distinguish between shopping for your dad or yourself. Not if Diane Keng has her way.

Robot lenders are increasingly seen as the future of finance, especially when it comes to loans for smaller companies. Automated algorithmic systems can make credit decisions in an instant, and should be much less hassle for the borrower. But a key question about their widespread adoption is whether small businesses owners used to talking about money matters face-to-face with bankers will trust the digital replacement. Take Royal Bank of Scotland, for example. The company's NatWest unit is rolling out a service for working capital loans for smaller companies, ranging between £25,000 ($31,200) to £300,000.

University of Utah doctoral student Jacob George, left, and associate professor Greg Clark examine the LUKE arm that they use for their experiments. A man who lost his lower arm in an electrical accident was able to experience some sense of touch and fine motor control with his grip while using the experimental device. University of Utah doctoral student Jacob George, left, and associate professor Greg Clark examine the LUKE arm that they use for their experiments. A man who lost his lower arm in an electrical accident was able to experience some sense of touch and fine motor control with his grip while using the experimental device. Keven Walgamott, a real estate agent who lost his left hand and part of his arm in an electrical accident in 2002, got emotional when he was able to clasp his hands together and "feel" the space between his thumb and his index finger using a 3D-printed prosthetic hand in 2016.

Incredible footage has revealed the pure pulling power of Ford's prototype all electric F-150 pickup truck. Experts from the Michigan-based motoring firm hooked up the green machine to 10 double decker railway carriages containing 42 of the firm's F-150 2019 model pickups. The truck managed to pull a total combined weight of 1.25 million lbs over a distance of 1,000 feet. The firm previously announced it would be bringing out a hybrid version of its F-150 truck, due to be released in 2020. Incredible footage has revealed the pure pulling power of Ford's prototype all electric F-150 pickup truck Experts from the Michigan-based motoring firm hooked up the green machine to 10 double decker railway carriages containing 42 of the firm's F-150 2019 model pickups The truck managed to pull a total combined weight of 1.25 million lbs over a distance of 1,000 feet Given that the all-electric F-150 is years away from reaching production, the promotional stunt seems to signal the company's commitment to ensuring future sales of the traditionally gas-guzzling workhorse.

A new smart bracelet allows you to use your index finger as a phone using technology that conducts sound via vibrations through your wrist bone. The Get bracelet, which costs £200 ($250)connects to your smartphone and translates the sound from your device into vibrations, conducted into the fingers. Users just have to stick a finger in their ear to speak on the phone, and make outgoing calls by using the bracelet's voice recognition technology. Because the device uses vibration only, instead of sound, conversations can't be overheard by people nearby. Get has no buttons, and no screen, but uses your voice and gestures to control its features, according to its Italian inventors.

A robotic arm allows amputees to touch and feel objects again by using the power of thought to control it. The high-tech prosthetic, developed by the University of Utah, uses microwires implanted under the skin, which send signals to an external computer that tells the arm to move. The arm even has sensors that transmit signals to the microwires, mimicking the feeling of the hand when it grabs something. This allows users to'feel' objects being held so the brain knows not to cause the prosthetic hand too squeeze too tightly. Fascinating video shows real estate agent Keven Walgamott, who lost his hand and part of his arm in an accident, able to pluck grapes and hold eggs without crushing them - and even put on his wedding ring.