In recent years, quantum devices have become available that enable researchers--for the first time--to use real quantum hardware to begin to solve scientific problems. However, in the near term, the number and quality of qubits (the basic unit of quantum information) for quantum computers are expected to remain limited, making it difficult to use these machines for practical applications. A hybrid quantum and classical approach may be the answer to tackling this problem with existing quantum hardware. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory, along with researchers at Clemson University and Fujitsu Laboratories of America, have developed hybrid algorithms to run on quantum machines and have demonstrated them for practical applications using IBM quantum computers (see below for description of Argonne's role in the IBM Q Hub at Oak Ridge National Laboratory [ORNL]) and a D-Wave quantum computer. "This approach will enable researchers to use near-term quantum computers to solve applications that support the DOE mission. For example, it can be applied to find community structures in metabolic networks or a microbiome," says Yuri Alexeev, principal project specialist, Computational Science division The team's work is presented in an article entitled "A Hybrid Approach for Solving Optimization Problems on Small Quantum Computers" that appears in the June 2019 issue of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Computer Magazine.

The race to incorporate artificial intelligence in modern weapons threatens to outstrip the technology's capabilities -- and the world's ability to control them. The Commander-in-Chief of Russia's air force, Viktor Bondarev, has told a gathering at the MAKS-2017 international airshow his aircraft would soon be getting cruise missiles with artificial intelligence capable of analysing their environment and opponents and make "decisions" about altitude, speed, course -- and targets. "Work in this area is under way," Russian news agency TASS reports Tactical Missiles Corporation CEO Boris Obnosov as adding. "As of today, certain successes are available, but we'll still have to work for several years to achieve specific results." While neither indicated which missiles were slated to get such enhanced artificial intelligence, there are two apparent contenders among the "super weapons" President Vladimir Putin bragged about last year: the "Avangard" hypersonic glide vehicle and the "Burevestnik" nuclear-powered cruise missile. Much modern weaponry is already capable of making choices -- such as the automated Gatling guns designed to react and shoot-down incoming missiles in the blink of an eye.

Alan Turing, the scientist known for helping crack the Enigma code during the second world war and pioneering the modern computer, has been chosen to appear on the new £50 note. The mathematician was selected from a list of almost 1,000 scientists in a decision that recognised both his role in fending off the threat of German U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic and the impact of his postwar persecution for homosexuality. The announcement by the Bank of England governor, Mark Carney, completes the official rehabilitation of Turing, who played a pivotal role at the Bletchley Park code and cipher centre. William Shakespeare was the first historical character to appear on a Bank of England note in 1970. Here's the full list of the historical characters that have appeared on banknotes issued by the central bank in England and Wales over the last five decades.

Government AI regulation is necessary, AI experts and policymakers agree. But, there is no clear accord on how much regulation by the government is necessary and what to do if the state begins to infringe upon privacy. FREMONT, CA: As enterprises begin moving AI technologies out of testing and research and into deployment, technologists, consumers, policymakers, and businesses likewise have started to understand that government regulation of digital intelligence is necessary. AI has been dramatically boosting productivity, helping connect people in new ways, and improving healthcare. When used carelessly, AI can also do the opposite as it has the potential to harm human life.

Employees of tech companies should have the right to know when they are working on projects they may find ethically unacceptable, a former Google whistleblower has said. In 2018, Jack Poulson hit headlines after he resigned from his job at Google over the company's (now-scrapped) plan to build a censorship AI for the Chinese search market. Now, he wants to make sure that other tech workers can fight for what's right without having to put their livelihood on the line. Poulson has started Tech Inquiry, a non-profit that aims to make it easier for coders with a conscience to speak out inside their companies when they feel ethical boundaries are being crossed. Just as importantly, he's pushing for greater transparency to prevent workers simply being tricked into doing work that they would never take on voluntarily.

The University of California, San Francisco is developing and training an artificial intelligence model that could help clinicians diagnose tears in knee cartilage. As many athletes and active people have learned, a tear in the knee cartilage, or the meniscus, can lead to long-term health and lifestyle consequences, from debilitating osteoarthritis to limits on physical activity. One of the keys to mitigating these consequences is to identify and treat tears in the meniscus early on, before the condition brings larger health issues. While this goal is pretty simple, the path forward is rather complicated. To diagnose a torn meniscus, clinicians need to review and interpret hundreds of high-resolution 3D magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) slices showing a patient's knee from different angles.

From TED Talk speakers, to a futurologist's keynote at an event, those who make predictions about the future usually live safe in the knowledge they won't retrospectively be pulled up on forecasts that don't come to pass. The picture is very different for those in government, who must ensure citizens and businesses are adequately prepared for challenges. Government predictions must convert to real-world planning that puts building blocks for future success and prosperity in place – it can't be a'finger in the air'. Education is at the foundations of preparation. Governments and educators must identify trends early enough to update curriculums, develop the right courses, and equip people with skills that put us in a strong position to compete on the world stage.

To help identify depression early, scientists have now enhanced a technology that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to sift through sound of your voice to gauge whether you are depressed or not. Computing science researchers from University of Alberta in Canada have improved technology for identifying depression through vocal cues. The study, conducted by Mashrura Tasnim and Professor Eleni Stroulia, builds on past research that suggests that the timbre of our voice contains information about our mood. Using standard benchmark data sets, Tasnim and Stroulia developed a methodology that combines several Machine Learning (ML) algorithms to recognize depression more accurately using acoustic cues. A realistic scenario is to have people use an app that will collect voice samples as they speak naturally.

These and many other insights are from Capgemini's Reinventing Cybersecurity with Artificial Intelligence Report published this week. Capgemini Research Institute surveyed 850 senior executives from seven industries, including consumer products, retail, banking, insurance, automotive, utilities, and telecom. Enterprises headquartered in France, Germany, the UK, the US, Australia, the Netherlands, India, Italy, Spain, and Sweden are included in the report. Please see page 21 of the report for a description of the methodology. Capgemini found that as digital businesses grow, their risk of cyberattacks exponentially increases.

When DataGrid, Inc. announced it successfully developed an AI system capable of generating high-quality photorealistic Japanese faces, it was impressive. But now the company has gone even further. Its artificial intelligence (AI) system can now create not only faces and hair from a variety of ethnicities, but bodies that can move and wear any outfit. While these images are fictitious, they are incredibly photorealistic. AI Can Now Create Artificial People – What Does That Mean Humans?