As AI adoption brings out changes in the workplace, workers are challenged to obtain needed AI skills and business leaders are working to adapt. And as the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a shift to online learning, companies such as Udacity--who have been in that business for years--are in a good position to help. Business leaders may be caught between competing objectives of continuing to deliver strong financial performance while making investments in hiring, workforce training and new technologies that support growth, suggested the author of a recent piece in Harvard Business Review. A team at the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab has been studying how work is being changed by AI. "By examining these findings, we can create a roadmap for leaders intent on adapting their workforce and reallocating capital, while also delivering profitability," stated author Martin Fleming, a VP and Chief Economist at IBM. He made three suggestions for reskilling the workforce to better prepare for AI.

Microsoft announced the acquisition of ADRM Software, a provider of large-scale industry data models. Ravi Krishnaswamy – CVP, Azure Global Industry, Microsoft, welcomed the new team to the company via a blog posted below. Krishnaswamy also noted that the acquisition will help Microsoft and ADRM Software to create intelligent data lakes. In advancing our mission to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more, Microsoft has been investing in the power of data and artificial intelligence (AI) to continuously innovate, influence and enhance customer experience and partner growth. Data and AI are the foundation of modern technological innovation, yet businesses today struggle to unlock the full value data has to offer as fragmented data estates hinder digital transformation.

The maker of the popular Roomba line of robot vacuum cleaners boosted its second-quarter revenue forecast on Monday, citing stronger-than-expected sales of its devices. The company had previously projected revenue to be "down modestly" from last year's period; Wall Street analysts had forecast a 30%...

Publishing deals in the video game industry are generally kept secret, with terms hidden behind non-disclosure agreements and the threat of legal fallout. However, in the realm of AAA publishing, it's common for independent developers to sign contracts granting them less than 10 percent of a game's lifetime revenue, in exchange for marketing and financial assistance from a multibillion-dollar organization. In some cases, the developer also signs away their intellectual property rights, losing creative control over the game entirely. Or, a huge company will simply buy the smaller studio outright, devouring its existing library and creative talent, and overseeing all of its future products. In late March, Epic Games launched a multiplatform publishing initiative touting "the most developer-friendly terms in the industry." Under this deal, developers are guaranteed 50 percent of a game's revenue once production costs are recouped, and they retain full creative control over their own titles. Epic also promises to cover up to 100 percent of a game's development costs, including salaries, advertising and publishing fees. "We're building the publishing model we always wanted for ourselves," said Epic founder and CEO Tim Sweeney. Epic Games has been experimenting with publishing models since the early '90s, decades before the launch of Fortnite, The Epic Games Store or the Unreal Engine. We're talking about the days of BBS, back when Sweeney was building ZZT out of his parents' house and the World Wide Web was just flickering to life.

Recent surveys, studies, forecasts and other quantitative assessments of AI highlight the number of manufacturing jobs eliminated by robots; why robots could replace financial analysts; the very small number of organizations not evaluating or using AI today; and the debate over the usefulness of Covid-19 contact-tracing. And as data quality and diversity increase from the wearables and other internet-of-things devices, a virtuous cycle of improvements will kick in. In this world a novel coronavirus could be tracked, traced, intercepted, and cut off before it got going"--Kai-Fu Lee

Apple has acquired machine learning startup Inductiv Inc., in a bid to improve Siri's capabilities, according to Bloomberg. Apple confirmed the deal to Bloomberg with its usual response to inquiries about acquisitions, saying that it "buys smaller technology companies from time to time and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans." The company has not yet responded to Business Insider's request for comment. A few Inductiv Inc. employees recently updated their LinkedIn profiles to indicate that they've begun working at Apple in April or May. Inductiv Inc.'s technology automates the process of correcting flaws in data through the use of artificial intelligence.

Amazon.com Inc. is in talks to buy driverless vehicle startup Zoox Inc., according to a person familiar with the matter, a deal that would accelerate the e-commerce giant's automation efforts. "Zoox has been receiving interest in a strategic transaction from multiple parties and has been working with Qatalyst Partners to evaluate such interest," the startup said. It declined to comment on Amazon's interest. A spokeswoman for Amazon declined to comment. Zoox had outsized ambition and financial backing.

Artificial intelligence is bound to change the future of the world. By fiscal year 2025, the artificial intelligence market size is expected to be $390.9 However, this number does not tell the whole story. By FY2030, the projected growth of global GDP as a result of artificial intelligence is expected to be $15.7 trillion. This projection bodes well for AI stocks.

"What this means for CIOs is likely higher prices and less choice," said Crawford Del Prete, president of technology research firm International Data Corp. Mr. Del Prete said many large IT providers over the next few years will be looking to fill gaps or expand into new markets, in part by targeting embattled startups struggling to reignite sales and raise capital. The gaps include areas such as cloud computing, collaboration, access management and other business continuity tools that saw a surge in demand during regional lockdowns. Microsoft Corp. said Tuesday that it was acquiring Softomotive, a robotic-process-automation maker that enables businesses to automate workplace tasks, a capability many businesses have turned to in order to keep daily operations running with a thinner workforce. Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

The Station is a weekly newsletter dedicated to all things transportation. Sign up here -- just click The Station -- to receive it every Saturday in your inbox. If you're interested in all the future and present ways people and packages move from Point A to Point B, you're in the right place. It felt like Tesla dominated the news cycle once again this week. There was other mobility news though, including layoffs at self-driving company Cruise and new rules that Uber is rolling out Monday that will change the ride-hailing experience for the foreseeable future.