Machine learning is an incredibly broad and diverse field, with a non-stop increase on research, along a multitude of applications. Thus writing a list enlisting the best machine learning researchers on the field proves challenging for a number of reasons. Please mind that this list encompasses researchers who are currently working on the field. Also, please mind that this list is by no means ranked. Everyone listed below has done extraordinary work to advance humanity's state of AI further.

Artificial intelligence is everywhere but it is considered in a wholly ahistorical way. To understand the impact AI will have on our lives, it is vital to appreciate the context in which the field was established. After all, statistics and state control have evolved hand in hand for hundreds of years. Its origins have been traced not only to analytic philosophy, pure mathematics and Alan Turing, but perhaps surprisingly, to the history of public administration. In "The Government Machine: A Revolutionary History of the Computer" from 2003, Jon Agar of University College London charts the development of the British civil service as it ballooned from 16,000 employees in 1797 to 460,000 by 1999.

The Consumer Electronic Association has rescinded its Innovation Award given to a sex toy, disqualifying the personal massager because they deemed it to be'immoral, obscene, indecent, profane'. The Ose massager, created by mostly-female startup company Lora DiCarlo, is a tool to give a hands-free blended orgasm by using advanced micro-robotics to mimic a human partner. The CEA, which is currently holding its CES showcase in Las Vegas, granted a CES Innovation Award in the robotics category to Lora DiCarlo for its sex toy, but according to owner Lora Haddock the award was taken back a month later. Now Haddock is appealing the decision, which she calls a double standard and says has potentially cost the startup investors. A CES spokeswoman said in a statement: 'The product does not fit into any of our existing product categories and should not have been accepted for the Innovation Awards Program.

From Uber's advanced computer vision system to Netflix's innovative recommendation algorithm, machine learning technologies are nearly omnipresent in our society. They filter our emails, personalize our newsfeeds, update our GPS systems, and drive our personal assistants. However, despite the fact that such technologies are leading a revolution in artificial intelligence, some would contend that these machine learning systems aren't truly intelligent. The argument, in its most basic sense, centers on the fact that machine learning evolved from theories of pattern recognition and, as such, the capabilities of such systems generally extend to just one task and are centered on making predictions from existing data sets. AI researchers like Rodney Brooks, a former professor of Robotics at MIT, argue that true reasoning, and true intelligence, is several steps beyond these kinds of learning systems.

James: Dead set, that is Bruce.

We are pleased to announce our first AI3SD funding call, which will focus on the theme of Chemical Discovery. The following priority areas are: Novel aspects of AI and Drug Discovery Machine Learning and AI Reasoning for Chemical Discovery AI for Chemical Assemblies, Nanoscience AI, Molecular Topology and Property Prediction Synergies between AI and Simulations The Key dates are as follows: 7th January – Announce Call on Website 22nd January - "Network Town Meeting" (Virtual or Physical) 18th February - Application Deadline (application forms must be sent to Samantha Kanza the Network Coordinator at s.kanza@ai3sd.org) Please note: Individual projects can request up to £40,000 funding (total spend up to £50,000 as per FEC 80%). Applicants will be awarded 80% of the full cost, and the institution receiving the award is responsible for the remaining 20%. If you have any questions please contact our Network Coordinator Dr Samantha Kanza on s.kanza@ai3sd.org

You probably have your budget and plan set for 2019 and are getting ready to wind down. But before you close the books on 2018 and take off for the holidays, there are somethings I want you to think about and be ready for in 2019. I believe that CIO, IT leaders, and digital transformation leaders may hit some speedbumps in 2019. In my recent post, five digital predictions for 2019 I suggested, "While some technologies and transformation programs will see increases in 2019, there will be strong culture and financial headwinds that will challenge CIO, CDO, CEO, Boards and leaders to defend their investments." In this post, I'd like to share some recommendations on things to do next year to maximize your chance of hitting your transformational goals.

Avi Loeb, 56, is chair of the astronomy department at Harvard University and has published more than 700 papers on astrophysical phenomena. His areas of interest include black holes and the birth of the first stars in the universe. More recently, Loeb has focused on the possible existence of extraterrestrial intelligent life, a topic on which he is currently writing a textbook. DER SPIEGEL: Professor Loeb, do you have a favorite alien? Loeb: To be honest, I don't like science fiction personally. I have a problem when the action in a movie violates the laws of physics. In those cases, I cannot enjoy the experience aesthetically. DER SPIEGEL: If you don't like aliens, why are you exploring the question of intelligent extraterrestrial life?

In Alex Garland's Ex Machina, Ava (Alicia Vikander) is the creation of CEO-genius–madman Nathan (Oscar Isaac), a reclusive inventor who invites a young programmer Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) to take part in a "Turing Test" to see if his lovely invention can pass as a human being. Like its predecessors, 2001: A Space Odyssey or The Terminator franchise, Ex Machina posits the notion that a highly functioning computer system may not be necessarily benevolent to mankind. But unlike those that came before it, the new film suggests humans can't be trusted much, either. Sloan Science and Film spoke with Dr. David J. Freedman, an Associate Professor of Neurobiology at the University of Chicago and member of the Center for Integrative Neuroscience and Neuroengineering Research, about how brains and machines learn and process data, if computers can attain consciousness, and, if they could, what the implications might be. Sloan Science and Film: Can you explain your specific area of research?

What is going on in our brains when we are creating? How does our brain look different when we are engaging in art vs. science? How does the brain of genius creators differ from the rest of us? What are some of the limitations of studying the creative brain? The neuroscience of creativity is booming.