Google this week announced a new messaging app with strong encryption, meaning that your communications can't be wiretapped. But there's a catch: You have to turn on that feature yourself. The tech titan's plan to launch Allo this summer without encryption by default has drawn withering criticism from some quarters. Google's decision to disable end-to-end encryption by default in its new #Allo chat app is dangerous, and makes it unsafe. "I, too, would prefer that Allo be encrypted by default," said Kevin Bankston, director of New America's Open Technology Institute.

The Troggs were a legendary rock and roll band who were part of the British Invasion in the late 1960's. They have always been best known for their iconic rocker Wild Thing. This was also the only Top 10 hit that ever had an ocarina solo. The band went on to have two other major hits, With a Girl Like You and Love is All Around.¹ The third of the band's classic singles can be stretched a bit to be used as a helpful metaphor to describe an emerging form pervasive "all around"-edness, this time in a more technological context.

I've quickly grown accustomed to having instantaneous access to the entirety of human knowledge pretty much anywhere and at any time (otherwise known as googling from a smartphone). But you know what feature of the magical unfolding digital future really blows me away? The fact that, in my house, I can say "Alexa, play Led Zeppelin," and start irritating my children within seconds. Alexa is the pleasant personality baked into Amazon's Echo Bluetooth speaker; she's staring at me right now from the kitchen table, breathlessly listening for her name. Google just announced a similar product called Home, and Apple's Siri can pull this off, as well.

Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming one of the most powerful tools in the tech industry, and while AI can be used for harmless tasks like defeating world Go champions, it also has the potential for misuse. A malevolent AI would be like a computer virus on steroids, and while there are currently no known cases, researchers Federico Pistono and Roman Yampolskiy from the University of Louisville in Kentucky believe that we should already be preparing for them. Pistono and Yampolskiy have published a research paper called "Unethical Research: How to Create a Malevolent Artificial Intelligence." In it, they explain that it is entirely possible for a malevolent AI to be created in the right environment, and they lay out what sort of warning signs the cyber security industry should be looking out for. First and foremost, Pistono and Yampolskiy say that any organization interested in creating a malevolent AI would resist any form of oversight on their research.

When Bob Greifeld became Nasdaq's CEO in 2003, he was presented with outdated tools and a company that was bleeding cash and rapidly losing market share. Thirteen years later, Nasdaq has the largest market share for options and equities of any exchange in the US. Through acquisitions and partnerships, Greifeld has shaped Nasdaq into what he primarily views as a cutting-edge technology company. During a recent interview with Business Insider, Greifeld discussed his vision for the future of Nasdaq and how it fits into the exchange industry. What follows is that portion of our interview, edited for length and clarity.

Professor Damith Herath will speak about artificial intelligence and robotics at King O'Malley's Pub on May 25 as part of Canberra's first Pint of Science series. Canberra will raise a glass to a fresh take on politics in the pub this week as the Pint of Science festival debuts in the capital. The national series, funded by the Australian Department of Industry, Innovation and Science and the ACT government, brings some of the most brilliant scientists into city pubs to discuss their latest research and field questions about their findings. The action will begin on Monday at King O'Malley's in Civic. For just 5 punters can delve into how we learn and the power of the brain at Beautiful Mind from 7pm. At the same time on Tuesday evening ANU professor of physics Daniel Shaddock and ANU vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt will explain how we listen to and measure things in space at Ever Expanding Gravitational Pull.

Canberra will raise a glass to a fresh take on politics in the pub this week as the Pint of Science festival debuts in the capital. The national series, funded by the Australian Department of Industry, Innovation and Science and the ACT government, brings some of the most brilliant scientists into city pubs to discuss their latest research and field questions about their findings. The action will begin on Monday at King O'Malley's in Civic. For just 5 punters can delve into how we learn and the power of the brain at Beautiful Mind from 7pm. At the same time on Tuesday evening ANU professor of physics Daniel Shaddock and ANU vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt will explain how we listen to and measure things in space at Ever Expanding Gravitational Pull. And the finale event, Driven Into Crazy Stupid Love, on Wednesday from 7pm will cover self-driving cars and what the world will be like with increased human-robot interaction.

Toyota Motor Corp. said it will work with Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway human transporter, to develop advanced wheelchairs for disabled people and aging populations worldwide. The agreement announced Saturday gives the world's largest automaker a license to use balancing technology that Kamen has installed in prior generations of wheelchairs for medical rehabilitative therapy and other purposes. The agreement will also help Kamen introduce a new version of his iBOT wheelchair, which used two sets of powered wheels to walk up and down stairs and help disabled people stand face-to-face with companions. Kamen stopped selling the iBOT in 2009. "It is important to help older adults and people with special needs live well and continue to contribute their talents and experience to the world,'' said Osamu Nagata, executive vice president of Toyota North America.

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 29: An iCub robot built by the Italian Institute of Technology tracks a ball in the Robotville exhibition at the Science Museum on November 29, 2011 in London, England. Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most used technology today. You can find it in schools, offices, mobile applications and even financial firms. According to reports, banks will be using AI to handle compliance overload. According to the Wall Street Journal banks have added tens of thousands of compliance officers but are now turning to AI to handle the ever-changing regulatory landscape.

Google held its I/O Developer Conference this week, and much of the focus was on machine learning and related technologies. One of the new products the Internet giant showed off was a new custom chip that runs artificial technology, but as always, there was lots to see. UBS analyst Eric Sheridan said one of the most important announcements was Google Assistant, which is a new digital personal assistant that appears to be much more advanced than Google Now. Interactions with Assistant will take on a more human-like nature as it will offer two-way conversational dialogue using the company's natural language processing technologies. Jefferies analysts said the company is far ahead of others in speech recognition and contextual conversation.