The Obama administration may be headed for the exits, but it continues to focus on the impact of artificial intelligence on the economy and the nation at large. Artificial intelligence (AI) is an umbrella term for a group of technologies--including machine learning--that enable computers to learn new skills and capabilities based on the data they are exposed to, among other factors. The just-released report, titled "Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence," does not downplay potential job lossdue to the advent of ever-smarter computers, but still posits that the technology will open up new career opportunities for those versed in it or who have higher-level skills. It also holds that public policy, especially re-training programs, can mitigate the negative impact of increasing automation by preparing displaced workers for other jobs. Prepared for the White House by the National Science and Technology Council's Subcommittee on Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, the report reiterates the conventional wisdom that AI-fueled automation will take over more jobs that could not be automated in the past.

Sony's lineup of games and demos is often slightly different depending on the region. It's something you may have noticed with PlayStation's VR debut in both Europe and the US, -- and that's even more true for Japan. The virtual reality headset launched in Sony's homeland with several titles on the PlayStation Store that are not available elsewhere. While standalone (much less stand-out) games are few, there's still handful of experiences that are only playable with a Japanese PlayStation account. Fortunately for you, I've got one, and have played through some of this Japan-only content.

Now machines are going on internet-watching sprees too – but with something to show for it. After viewing a year's worth of online videos, a computer model has learned to distinguish between sounds such as bird chirps, door knocks, snoring and fireworks. Such technology could transform how we interact with machines and make it easier for our cellphones, smart homes and robot assistants to understand the world around them. Computer vision has dramatically improved over the past few years thanks to the wealth of labelled data machines can tap into online. They can now recognise faces or cats as accurately as a human can.

This post was written by Ofir Press. Ofir is a graduate student at Tel-Aviv University's Deep Learning Lab. His main focus is on using deep learning for natural language processing. "Due to the recent achievements of artificial neural networks across many different tasks (such as face recognition, object detection and Go), deep learning has become extremely popular. This post aims to be a starting point for those interested in learning more about it. If you already have a basic understanding of linear algebra, calculus, probability and programming: I recommend starting with Stanford's CS231n. The course notes are comprehensive and well-written. The slides for each lesson are also available, and even though the accompanying videos were removed from the official site, re-uploads are quite easy to find online. If you don't have the relevant math background: There is an incredible amount of free material online that can be used to learn the required math knowledge. Gilbert Strang's course on linear algebra is a great introduction to the field. For the other subjects, edX has courses from MIT on both calculus and probability. If you are interested in learning more about machine learning: Andrew Ng's Coursera class is a popular choice as a first class in machine learning. There are other great options available such as Yaser Abu-Mostafa's machine learning course which focuses much more on theory than the Coursera class but it is still relevant for beginners. Knowledge in machine learning isn't really a prerequisite to learning deep learning, but it does help. In addition, learning classical machine learning and not only deep learning is important because it provides a theoretical background and because deep learning isn't always the correct solution. Geoffrey Hinton's Coursera class "Neural Networks for Machine Learn... covers a lot of different topics, and so does Hugo Larochelle's "Neural Networks Class".

Amazon, Google, Facebook, IBM, and Microsoft have announced they are forming a non-for-profit organisation to educate the public about artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, as well as alleviate anxieties around its application. The collective, which includes Google's AI subsidiary DeepMind, also plans to develop best practices on the challenges and opportunities within the field of AI. The organisation, called Partnership on Artificial Intelligence to Benefit People and Society (Partnership on AI), will address legal and ethical challenges that AI presents, encourage public discourse, and identify opportunities to use AI to bring improvements to society. The organisation does not intend to be a regulatory body, with a statement saying it does "not intend to lobby government or other policymaking bodies." Members of the Partnership on AI will conduct research, recommend best practices, and publish research under an open license in areas such as ethics, fairness, and inclusivity; transparency, privacy, and interoperability; collaboration between people and AI systems; and the trustworthiness, reliability, and robustness of the technology.

Artificial intelligence has become the pet anxiety of luminaries like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Stephen Hawking. They have all expressed concerns about our Promethean quest to develop machine intelligence, and those concerns seem to be spreading every day. But there's another dimension of technological change that ought to worry us every bit as much as AI, if not more so. Bioengineering has already allowed human beings to take control of their own evolution. Whether it's emergent cloning technologies or advanced gene therapy, we're quickly approaching a world in which humans can -- and will -- change the way they live and die. Michael Bess is a historian of science at Vanderbilt University and the author of a fascinating new book, Our Grandchildren Redesigned: Life in a Bioengineered Society. Bess's book offers a sweeping look at our genetically modified future, a future as terrifying as it is promising. "We're going to give ourselves a power that we may not have the wisdom to control very well," he told me.

Artificial intelligence will be able to conduct much of the scientific and research-based work of the future, with the ability to run or to predict millions of trials based upon billions of variables and data points. But what robots and computer programs will not be able to do is identify key areas of human suffering or need, and program themselves to address complex issues of public health, economy and other industries based upon human existence. This will always demand that humans have a role in meeting these needs, but for college leaders, the money and the future lies in parsing which industries will need more programmers versus actual employees, and adjusting academic programs to these realities.

I think it is realistic for a robot of some sort to be in every classroom. But, the education system will need to lead the way towards that future. My research--and teaching--is focused broadly on distributed systems. I've had a longstanding fascination with the potential for autonomous computing. One of my first projects was to build an environmental sensing network to monitor and understand climate change in the Chicago region.

As the ethical and policy issues surrounding artificial intelligence and other computing technologies take center stage, global law firm K&L Gates LLP has made a gift to help ensure Carnegie Mellon University's leadership in this emerging field. The $10 million gift will establish the K&L Gates Endowment for Ethics and Computational Technologies. The funds will support new faculty chairs as well as three new Presidential Fellowships for doctoral students; a biennial conference; the K&L Gates Presidential Scholarship Endowed Fund to recognize undergraduate students' outstanding achievements and potential for further excellence; and an annual K&L Gates Prize to be awarded to a graduating CMU senior. "We are deeply grateful to K&L Gates for this generous support," said Carnegie Mellon President Subra Suresh. "It is not just technology that will determine how this century unfolds. Our future will also be influenced strongly by how humans interact with technology, how we foresee and respond to the unintended consequences of our work, and how we ensure that technology is used to benefit humanity, individually and as a society. "By its history and its current leadership in these fields, Carnegie Mellon is uniquely positioned to examine these questions, and make lasting contributions.

Lancaster University is developing artificial intelligence (AI) software for servers that could potentially drive down the amount of energy consumed by datacentres. A collection of our most popular articles on datacentre management, including: Cloud vs. Colocation: Why both make sense for the enterprise right now; AWS at 10: How the cloud giant shook up enterprise IT and Life on the edge: The benefits of using micro datacenters This email address is already registered. By submitting my Email address I confirm that I have read and accepted the Terms of Use and Declaration of Consent. By submitting your personal information, you agree that TechTarget and its partners may contact you regarding relevant content, products and special offers. You also agree that your personal information may be transferred and processed in the United States, and that you have read and agree to the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy.