Global technology major Google, which is primarily accredited for developing the search engine and transforming mobiles into complex devices, is banking on the concept of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to drive its future growth. Already implementing complex algorithms in its search engine, the company is now integrating these concepts and coming up with solutions which can be used and implemented in daily life like Google Maps. The company's global chief executive officer (CEO), Sundar Pichai said a solution which can track blindness in early stages so that it can be cured before it takes an acute shape is being worked upon. Traces of such machine learning techniques can be found in Google Translate which Pichai claimed, had become more powerful than it was 10 years before. Pichai said India had the potential to emerge as a technology leader in the forthcoming times, and solutions which are made for India specifically can be implemented globally as well.

NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) is primarily known as the company that revolutionized computer gaming. The debut of the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) in 1999 provided gamers with faster, clearer, and more lifelike images. The GPU was designed to quickly perform complex mathematical calculations that were necessary to accelerate the creation of realistic graphics. It achieved this feat by performing many functions at the same time, known as parallel computing. This resulted in faster, smoother motion in game graphics and a revolution in modern gaming.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., and Eindhoven, Netherlands, Jan. 3, 2017 – Intel has agreed to purchase a 15 percent ownership stake in HERE, a global provider of digital maps and location-based services, from HERE's current indirect shareholders: AUDI AG, BMW AG and Daimler AG. In conjunction with Intel's acquisition of a stake in HERE, the two companies also signed an agreement to collaborate on the research and development of a highly scalable proof-of-concept architecture that supports real-time updates of high definition (HD) maps for highly and fully automated driving. Additionally, the two companies plan to jointly explore strategic opportunities that result from enriching edge-computing devices with location data. "Cars are rapidly becoming some of the world's most intelligent, connected devices," said Brian Krzanich, Intel CEO. "We look forward to working with HERE and its automotive partners to deliver an important technology foundation for smart and connected cars of the future."

Border control agencies are already using self-service kiosks to manage the crowds of international travelers entering their countries, but a high-tech type of kiosk in development can do more than just scan passports. The AVATAR--which stands for Automated Virtual Agent for Truth Assessments in Real-Time--can detect travelers trying to lie their way through customs, according to Vocativ. The self-service kiosks, created by the National Center for Border Security and Immigration at the University of Arizona in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security [PDF], scan travelers' passports and ask the kinds of questions posed by human agents, such as "Do you have any fruits or vegetables?" Sensors can identify body cues like facial expression, vocal tics, pupil dilation--and even cues that human agents can't see, like cardiorespiratory data--which could indicate that the person is lying and should be subject to additional screening. They can even see that you're curling your toes, according to a press statement from AVATAR researcher Aaron Elkins of San Diego State University, a professor who studies deception. The kiosks can be programmed to display several virtual agents, choosing from a woman or a man and a stern or a friendly face.

Your car may already feel like an extension of your home based on the hodgepodge of stuff collecting in the backseat, but it's apparent that technology will soon make the two more connected than ever. No one has proposed blurring the line more than Hyundai -- which unveiled a futuristic concept car last week that literally connects to the home via a hole in the wall. Hyundai envisions the car becoming a lounge-like extension of the living space that provides air conditioning and entertainment, and acts as a back-up generator. "By seamlessly blending features from the car with home and work environments, the user experience is uninterrupted whether socializing, working at home, or on the move," Hak Su Ha, Hyundai's design center director, said in a news release. But even if cars never plug into the home physically, they will digitally.

A 2017 Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivan equipped with Waymo's self-driving vehicle technology. Waymo, the company born from Alphabet's Google Self-Driving Car research project, faces mounting competition to perfect technology needed for fully autonomous vehicles. After staying low key about its progress, the latest indications from the new company are that it's far along the path to making such vehicles a reality by taking cost out of the components and boosting overall performance and reliability. John Krafcik, Waymo's chief executive officer, said at the Automobili-D conference in Detroit that the latest sensors, software, artificial intelligence and other components -- all developed and built in-house -- are being used for a fleet of 100 Chrysler Pacifica minivans, the first batch of which will begin public road tests in California and Arizona this month, he said. Keeping development and production in-house has led to major cost savings, including a 90% reduction for the laser Lidar sensor riding atop the new Pacificas.

SYS-CON Events announced today that Fusion, a leading provider of cloud services, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Fusion, a leading provider of integrated cloud solutions to small, medium and large businesses, is the industry's single source for the cloud. Fusion's advanced, proprietary cloud service platform enables the integration of leading edge solutions in the cloud, including cloud communications, cloud connectivity, and cloud computing. Fusion's innovative, yet proven cloud solutions lower our customers' cost of ownership, and deliver new levels of security, flexibility, scalability, and speed of deployment. For more information, please visit http://www.fusionconnect.com.

SANTA MONICA, CA – Consumer Watchdog today called on Uber to release information about testing its robot cars in Arizona after pulling them out of San Francisco and to answer 10 questions about its vision for self-driving vehicles. In a letter to Uber CEO Travis Kalanick Consumer Watchdog's Privacy Project Director John M. Simpson wrote: "Consumer Watchdog believes you opted to pick up your toys and move because you wanted to keep important information about your robot car testing secret. We would welcome your proving our conclusion to be incorrect, by making public important information about your robot car activities. Using public highways as your laboratory carries the obligation of telling the public what you are doing." Consumer Watchdog noted that had Uber obtained a testing permit in California, the company would have been required to report any crashes of its robot cars to the Department of Motor Vehicles and to file annual disengagement reports, explaining when the robot car turned control over to the test driver and when the test driver felt it necessary to intervene.

Audi's plans to build AI-powered autonomous vehicles may have taken center stage during NVIDIA's CES press conference, but it's not the only automaker working with the company. NVIDIA announced its building smart vehicles with the folks at Mercedes-Benz, too. "Mercedes-Benz and NVIDIA share a common vision of the AI car," NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said. "At this point, it is clear AI will revolutionize the future of automobiles." The two firms have been working together for about three years now, and their product is almost ready for market.

Networked Insights, a Chicago-based company whose tools crawl the social web and analyze data for marketers, has raised $30 million in Series E funding, the company announced Friday. The company sifts through 560 million social media posts from 30 million sources daily, it said on its website. It sorts and analyzes that information for marketers and agencies, and pitches itself as a way for them to create better-targeted and more effective campaigns. Its clients include NBC Universal, media-buying agency GroupM, and American Family Insurance, whose venture arm is an investor. The funding will help Networked Insights invest in deep learning and artificial intelligence capabilities on its platform, Kairos, the company said. It said it would also use the infusion to enter partnerships and pursue acquisitions.