In a world of taps, swipes, likes and shares, the ability to empathise with others remains a vital part of our daily lives. From comforting a friend, to sharing the pain of an unwell child, empathy is a vital skill that we develop through childhood. Now, thanks to advancements in technology, we're at a stage where we can think about the importance of empathy in machines. Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming an ever-increasing presence in our daily lives, whether it's the voice assistant on your phone, or the complex algorithms used to fight diseases. The way we design interactions with AI systems and the results they provide should be thoughtfully considered, and in the future, the responsibility for designing artificial empathy could fall under the remit of an empathologist – a job that has yet to exist. We spent some time discussing the impact and importance of empathy in AI systems and the possible roles that an empathologist might one day play, with Michael Banissy, Professor and Head of Department in Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Chris Edgar, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Banissy Lab.

According to foreign-policy experts and the defense establishment, the United States is caught in an artificial intelligence arms race with China--one with serious implications for national security. The conventional version of this story suggests that the United States is at a disadvantage because of self-imposed restraints on the collection of data and the privacy of its citizens, while China, an unrestrained surveillance state, is at an advantage. In this vision, the data that China collects will be fed into its systems, leading to more powerful AI with capabilities we can only imagine today. Since Western countries can't or won't reap such a comprehensive harvest of data from their citizens, China will win the AI arms race and dominate the next century. This idea makes for a compelling narrative, especially for those trying to justify surveillance--whether government- or corporate-run.

New York: Continuing its mission to build trusted partnerships with advertisers and publishers, Verizon Media today announced an innovative new omnichannel insights tool for its industry-leading demand-side platform (DSP). Powered by machine learning, the new tool is designed to give advertisers clarity on their omnichannel programmatic ecosystem, with robust performance insights and optimization recommendations for each channel, ad format and exchange. According to a recent survey by Advertiser Perceptions, among advertisers, "transparency" is the most important word of 2019, with brands rightfully seeking more insights into campaign performance and media quality than ever before. Similarly, 60% of US advertising executives cite a lack of transparency as the biggest challenge for digital spend optimization. "At Verizon Media, trust and transparency are more than just buzzwords," said Iván Markman, Chief Business Officer at Verizon Media.

According to the National Academy of Sciences, a sixth mass extinction is underway. Animal species are disappearing at 1,000 to 10,000 times the natural rate. We recently reported on scientists using artificial intelligence to analyze photos to help track at-risk species such as giraffes and whale sharks. Now AI is being used to analyze sound to help protect forest elephants in central Africa. Mainly due to poachers and habitat destruction, the number of forest elephants went from an estimated 100,000 in 2011 to fewer than 40,000 today.

A LinkedIn user named Katie Jones, who connected with prominent members of the Washington D.C. political sphere, may actually have been a spy's made up persona -- Jones' picture was almost certainly generated a deepfake by an artificial intelligence algorithm. There are distinct flaws in "Jones'" photo, like how her earring is blurred by an algorithm that can generate facial features but not jewelry, or how there's an eerie light surrounding her hair, the Associated Press reports. But the ease with which whoever operates the account connected with a veritable who's who of D.C. politics shows just how dangerous these AI-generated images could be in future intelligence operations. Many of Jones' connections told the AP that they were initially suspicious of the profile but accepted anyway. Others, like Paul Winfree, who used to be deputy director of Trump's domestic policy council, told the AP that he accepts every single request he gets -- a move that lent further credibility to the fake account by proxy.

MUCH OF THE information that is beamed back from space is useless. Pictures taken by satellites orbiting the Earth might take days to download, only to show lots of cloud obscuring the area of interest. The subject matter may also be surrounded by irrelevant information. All this uses up a lot of valuable bandwidth. Processing data in space, before transmission, would reduce clutter, but this can be tricky.

Artificial intelligence is already here. There's a lot of debate and hype about AI, and it's tended to focus on the extreme possibilities of a technology still in its infancy. From self-aware computers and killer robots taking over the world, to a fully-automated world where humans are made redundant by machines, the brave new world of Artificial Intelligence is prophesied by some to be a doomed, scary place, no place for people. For others, AI is ushering in great technological advances for humanity, helping the world communicate, manufacture, trade and innovate faster, longer, better. Marginalised communities are experimented upon, and they're on the front lines of these technological systems, the front lines of harm.

I am often asked about artificial intelligence and the future of work. My answer is that A.I. will change 100% of current jobs. It will change the job of a factory worker. It will change the job of a software developer, of a customer service agent, of a professional driver. And it will change my job as the CEO of one of the biggest technology companies in the world.

Gamers rarely get to hear the thwack of virtual leather on willow these days. But in the midst of a huge summer for cricket in the UK, with the World Cup followed by an Ashes series, Australian developer Big Ant Studios has stepped into the breach. Cricket 19 has a great career mode that lets you work your way up from club cricket, or take control of an established pro. In each game, you can either control your player alone or their entire team. There are playable scenarios from famous real-life games, and a welter of editing tools that let you design your own custom competitions, bats and cricket grounds.

Despite the absence of Sony PlayStation, this year's annual Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles delivered the usual whirlwind of new game announcements, trailers, marketing bluster and performative fandom. For years the entire thing has been streamed on YouTube, Twitch and half the world's gaming websites, everything from showy press conferences to long demonstrations, transforming the event from a games industry conference to a kind of mid-year Christmas for both game marketers and enthused players watching at home (or paying around $1,000 to attend in person). This is what E3 is now, and though the sense of mystery and anticipation has dimmed significantly in this age of instant streaming, Twitter hot-takes, online leaks and teaser trailers for teaser trailers, there's still a thrill to it. But while the event stays the same, behind the scenes the games industry is changing. This year's E3 has made clear that video game consoles, with their cyclical generations and competing suites of exclusive games, are changing rapidly and are on their way to becoming obsolete. Here's how things used to work.