Artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics have become increasingly hot topics in the press and in academia. In October 2017, Bloomberg published an article claiming that artificial intelligence is likely to be the "most disruptive force in technology in the coming decade" and warning that firms that are slow to embrace the technology may risk extinction.1 Similarly, the following month, the Financial Times declared that the "robot army" is transforming the global workplace.2 This interest is likely due to the rapid gains that artificial intelligence has been making in some applications, such as image recognition and abstract strategy games, and that advanced robotics has been making in labs, even though widespread commercial applications may be lagging (Felten et al. 2018). Scholars have been increasingly interested in the economic, social, and distributive implications of artificial intelligence, robotics, and other types of automation. For example, over the past 2 years, economists at the University of Toronto have convened conferences around the economics of artificial intelligence, which have been attended by a dazzling array of economics scholars from diverse point of views including Nobel Prize winners Edmund Phelps, Paul Romer, Joseph StiglitSome research has taken a morez, and others.3

We uncovered the mysteries of machine learning and PPC with Brad Geddes, co-founder at Adalysis and author of Advanced Google AdWords. Brad doesn't refer to himself as an expert or guru, but trains marketers and lets the results speak for themselves. He is, however, able to flawlessly teach and practice SEO, PPC, CRO, affiliate marketing, product development, product positioning and much more. Brad's agenda is always packed when it comes to creating workshops in Advanced Google and Bing Ads, AI and machine learning. His official website is proof of that.

The insurance industry, no stranger to gauging risk, is facing one of its most profound disruptions in decades. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, Internet of Things, blockchain, data analytics and other emerging technologies are enabling many startups to nip at parts of their businesses. Incumbent insurers still have the advantage of institutional knowledge and regulatory expertise, as well as robust cash flows. But they can't sit still. Recognizing the technological winds of change, Reinsurance Group of America (RGA), one of the largest global reinsurers, created RGAX in 2015 to incubate and launch new products and services as its insurer clients seek to maintain their competitive advantages. RGAX CEO Dennis Barnes recently spoke to Knowledge@Wharton about the opportunities and roadblocks to digital transformation. An edited transcript of the conversation follows.

On this episode I sit down with Dr. Brian Modena from National Jewish Health. He is a rare breed of expert in medicine and immunology, including organ rejection and sever asthma. He can also code and knows how to bring machine learning into his practice and research. He's using his deep breadth of knowledge across many disciplines to better understand what triggers and what can prevent severe asthma attacks, including new biologics. Asthma is a much more complex disease than many realize, with many subtypes, and we'll need sophisticated methods to combat it effectively.

The thing I like the most is when I don't even know that I'm interacting with intelligent technologies because the people providing them have done such a great job of making them a natural part of my work flow. Whether it's voice recognition, advanced image analysis, sentiment analysis, or document processing, I love having it baked in to the products and applications that I use every day. It can be as simple as a conversation with Alexa to understand the weather and traffic for the day, or getting recommendations for articles I should be reading or presentations I should be watching. It can be as sophisticated as gaining insights into how I can better manage my team by analyzing how they're thinking and feeling through the employee engagement platform which we use. Either way, I'm looking for the little ways to be more efficient and effective. It's changed in so many weird and wonderful ways, some of which seemed obvious to me on my own journey, and some that took me completely by surprise.

It's been roughly a year since I posted my viral "AI winter is well on its way" post and like I promised I'll periodically post an update on the general AI landscape. I posted one some 6 months ago and now is time for another one. And there has been a lot of stuff going on lately and none of it has changed my mind - the AI bubble is bursting. And as with every bubble bursting we are in a blowoff phase in which those who have the most to lose are pulling out the most outrageous confidence pumping pieces they could think of, the ultimate strategy to con some more naive people to give them money. But let's go over what has been going on.

SWITZERLAND, GENEVA – Singapore announced that its work in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance and Ethics has won a top award at the prestigious World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Prizes1. The winners of the 18 categories2 of the WSIS Prizes were announced today during an award ceremony at the annual WSIS Forum held in Geneva, Switzerland. Singapore won in the "Ethical Dimensions of the Information Society" category, beating four other finalists3 across the globe. Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) Assistant Chief Executive (Data Protection and Innovation) Yeong Zee Kin received the prize at the ceremony in Geneva. Singapore's AI Governance and Ethics initiatives aim to build an ecosystem of trust to support AI adoption. These initiatives advance Singapore's vision to be a leading Digital Economy and Smart Nation through balancing business innovation and consumer trust and confidence in adopting AI.

The SIIA CODiE Awards are the premier awards for the software and information industries, and have been recognizing product excellence for over 30 years. I spoke recently with Martin Vauthier, Head of Artificial Intelligence Analytics at Enablon. Here are Martin's answers to five questions, which give you a great idea of what's happening with AI, especially regarding the use of AI in workplace safety. Artificial Intelligence is another buzzword we hear often. Sometimes there's a disconnect between how much we hear about a technological innovation, and how much it is actually used.

The age of artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics is here, and these technologies will continue to shape our lives in the future. But the people working in these fields still don't reflect the society they are bound to change. Women make up only 22% of AI professionals worldwide, according to analysis done by LinkedIn and the World Economic Forum for its 2018 Global Gender Gap Report. In the more specialized area of machine learning, only 12% are women, based on a study done by Wired in partnership with Montreal startup Element AI. Artificial intelligence and machine learning continue to be male-dominated fields.

In 2016 and 2017 I spoke with dozens of venture capitalists, many of whom have a specific and overt focus on artificial intelligence technologies. I wanted to know what made an AI company worth investing in, and what business models were generally the most appealing for investment. It took me almost a year of interviews to come to that conclusion. VCs all want to invest in business models with a defendable "moat". Companies that can acquire more data and more users in a positive feedback loop have the chance to blast beyond the competition and become nearly unassailable.