WIRE)--Accenture (NYSE:ACN) is expanding its machine learning and operations analytics capabilities by acquiring OPS Rules, a boutique analytics consulting company that specializes in the application of data science to create supply chain and operations analytics solutions. When the acquisition is completed, Accenture will add new operations analytics professionals to its team that apply machine learning and optimization techniques to develop fresh and innovative analytics approaches for clients across many industries. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 2012, OPS Rules has offices in Waltham, Massachusetts and Richardson, Texas. OPS Rules is led by David Simchi-Levi, a Professor of Engineering Systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and renowned supply chain and operations analytics expert.

Subaru and IBM Japan have announced the two companies are exploring collaboration in the development of a data analytics system for test images from the advanced safety system including output from EyeSight. It uses cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the advanced driver assist system segment. Working together with IBM Japan, Subaru developed a system that integrates and comprehensively manages vast amounts of test image data. The system has been in operation starting this month. This will allow Subaru engineers to easily search for and analyze needed test images.

The legal case for using drone strikes outside of armed conflict needs "urgent clarification" from ministers, a cross-party parliamentary committee has said. The government insists it does not have a "targeted killing" policy, but the UK was clearly willing to use lethal force overseas for counter-terrorism, the Joint Committee on Human Rights said. It follows the killing of a UK citizen in Syria last year by an RAF drone. The government says it takes "lawful action" over direct threats to the UK. Reyaad Khan, a British member of the so-called Islamic State group, was killed by an RAF drone in Syria last August.

Before he moves forward as Rams quarterback, Jared Goff needs to move backward. The No. 1 pick in last month's NFL draft is making the transition from a spread to a pro-style offense, taking snaps from under center for the first time since his freshman year in high school. It's a fairly common transformation these days -- fellow first-round pick Paxton Lynch faces a similar learning curve with the Denver Broncos -- but it's more complicated than meets the eye. "Passing the football is rhythm and timing," Rams quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke said during a rookie mini-camp last week. "When I'm under center, that rhythm and timing is different than when I'm in the [shot]gun. If I haven't done it since I was 14 years old, and now I come to this level with the speed of the game, there's a transition. There were no long passes. No outstanding pursuits or tackles. After two days of watching the Rams' drafted players and free agents go through a rookie orientation and mini-camp in Oxnard, Fisher was pleased that players observed... There were no long passes. No outstanding pursuits or tackles. After two days of watching the Rams' drafted players and free agents go through a rookie orientation and mini-camp in Oxnard, Fisher was pleased that players observed... "We felt like this kid has the mental capacity to pick it up, the physical ability to be able to make the transition, and we saw it today.

From Siri creator Dag Kittlaus comes Viv, a product that aims to be the next generation personal assistant. Kittlaus sat down with USA TODAY's Ed Baig to talk about Viv and where he thinks its headed. BROOKLYN, NEW YORK -- Siri's cofounder gave the public its first look at Viv, the artificial intelligence-powered digital assistant that aims to lap rivals with its understanding of human conversation. Dag Kittlaus took the stage at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference here to demonstrate his latest creation. Viv aims to go beyond -- and take on -- Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, Microsoft's Cortana and the voice inside Google.

In the intellectual property plan, the government said it will consider a new registration system to protect rights for AI-created works. The system's coverage would be limited to creations with certain levels of marketability. The plan also called for the establishment of a group of municipal, school and company representatives to support intellectual property education. "We will work to enable everyone to create and use intellectual property," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at a meeting of the Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters.

If your mind instantly went to Skynet, I can put your mind at ease; it's not Skynet. That's not, however, to say that this problem isn't just as scary, only without the cool special effects. While Sci-Fi has made the risks of robot takeover well-known, the more immediate concerns are the subtle decisions being made by (sometimes) poorly coded, or designed, algorithms that can drastically alter each of our lives. Our biggest ever edition of TNW Conference is fast approaching! The Obama administration published a report this week that examines problems associated with the shift to an increasingly automated world.

One of the brains behind Apple's iconic digital assistant Siri, Dag Kittlaus, took to the stage today at TechCrunch Disrupt NYC to show off his new project, Viv -- an AI assistant that aims to be "the intelligent interface for everything." "Will it be warmer than 70-degrees near the Golden Gate Bridge after 5pm the day after tomorrow?" Our biggest ever edition of TNW Conference is fast approaching! Viv delivered the answer in a matter of seconds, and correctly handled numerous oddly specific questions that followed, as well as ordering flowers, sending money as payment for drinks the previous night and even booking a hotel in under 60 seconds. Throughout the demo, the AI assistant demonstrated a profound understanding of context and intent as Kittlaus rapid-fired commands in natural language.

Close on the heels of Amazon's Alexa-powered devices, which can answer health-related questions, Lybrate has empowered its Facebook Messenger chatbot to answer health queries. Users of Lybrate in India will be able to get health advice and tips from the online platform's chatbot. "It is exciting to be India's first healthcare company to be on Messenger Platform and be able to provide smooth doctor access to people and enable them to consume health information that is shared by doctors who have amassed a wealth of medical knowledge over so many years. It is one more step towards letting people in the country be more serious about their health," noted Saurabh Arora, Lybrate's CEO and Founder. Lybrate is essentially an online-based doctor consultation platform that has now protracted its offerings to the popular messaging service from Facebook.

A bipedal robot has proven it doesn't need humans to help it maneuver uneven terrain or obstacles. Named MARLO, the machine has shown it can walk down steep slopes, through a thin layer of snow, and over uneven and unstable ground. The robot's feedback algorithms could be used to help program other two-legged robots as well as help prosthetic legs gain similar abilities. Dubbed MARLO, the cyborg is controlled with algorithms that allows the main controller to handle the forward and backward motion and the second to focus on side-to-side balance. This is the team's first robot that walk in all directions, which they believe can be used to help teach prosthetics to learn similar abilities Marlo is controlled with algorithms that enables the main controller to handle the forward and backward motion and the second to focus on side-to-side balance.