In another five years, Watson will be helping a doctor diagnose a patient's symptoms and a company CEO calculate whether to buy a competitor. "The technology is not even moving fast. It's moving faster and faster every day," said John Kelly III, senior vice president of Cognitive Solutions and IBM Research. Ever since Watson, an intelligent system that uses machine learning and natural language recognition, beat Jeopardy champions in 2011, the system has been used in a variety of industries, and IBM is hoping to show how far it has come. However, Kelly wanted to focus on where Watson is going.

The following is a list of, mostly free, machine learning online courses for beginners. First, and arguably the most popular course on this list, Machine Learning provides a broad introduction to machine learning, data mining, and statistical pattern recognition. The course will also draw from numerous case studies and applications, so that you'll also learn how to apply learning algorithms to building smart robots (perception, control), text understanding (web search, anti-spam), computer vision, medical informatics, audio, database mining, and other areas. The course is 11 weeks long and averages a 4.9/5 user rating, currently. It is free to take, but you can pay $79 for a certificate upon course completion.

It sounds like something out of a science-fiction movie, but the truth is it's your inevitable reality. The rise of artificial intelligence, or AI, is poised to change the way we think of productivity. That's according to a new report from Accenture, which predicts that AI could boost productivity by up to 40 percent by 2035. Companies are already investing heavily in AI, and not just in the U.S. Put simply, AI is defined as the ability of a machine to mimic intelligent human behavior. It's essentially any sort of technology that is able to make sense of its environment and surroundings, and then act and react accordingly. One of the benefits AI will bring is taking care of mundane responsibilities so human employees can concentrate on others.

Mitch and Freada Kapor have long been champions of equality. They talk about their hope for a more diverse tech workforce in Silicon Valley. Mitch was the man behind Lotus Notes and has gone on to be a big promoter of social issues. During those three intensive days spent brainstorming new technologies, she realized she was not the only one. Huaranca was one of just two Latinos in a room of 100 people.

Unlike most other lists of top experts, this one is a hand-picked selection, not based on influence or Klout scores, or the number of Twitter followers and re-tweets, or other similar metrics. Each of these experts has his/her own Wikipedia page. Some might not even have a Twitter account. All of them have had a very strong academic and research career in the most prestigious places. Jeffrey Hawkins is the American founder of Palm Computing (where he invented the Palm Pilot) and Handspring (where he invented the Treo).

AI has a long way to go before people can or should worry about turning the world over to machines. Elon Musk's new plan to go all-in on self-driving vehicles puts a lot of faith in the artificial intelligence needed to ensure his Teslas can read and react to different driving situations in real time. AI is doing some impressive things--last week, for example, makers of the AlphaGo computer program reported that their software has learned to navigate the intricate London subway system like a native. Even the White House has jumped on the bandwagon, releasing a report days ago to help prepare the U.S. for a future when machines can think like humans. But AI has a long way to go before people can or should worry about turning the world over to machines, says Oren Etzioni, a computer scientist who has spent the past few decades studying and trying to solve fundamental problems in AI.

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Stephen Lamm, a supervisor with the ID fraud unit of the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, looks through photos in a facial recognition system in 2009 in Raleigh, N.C. Stephen Lamm, a supervisor with the ID fraud unit of the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, looks through photos in a facial recognition system in 2009 in Raleigh, N.C. Nearly half of all American adults have been entered into law enforcement facial recognition databases, according to a recent report from Georgetown University's law school. But there are many problems with the accuracy of the technology that could have an impact on a lot of innocent people. There's a good chance your driver's license photo is in one of these databases.

While you likely have at least a vague sense that artificial intelligence is the future of the devices and services around you, you may or may not know much about the specific technologies that enable machines to process data and react intelligently -- such as by recognizing objects or translating speech in real-time. The concept of deep learning, a technology that MIT Technology Review reports "attempts to mimic the activity in layers of neurons in the neocortex, the wrinkly 80 percent of the brain where thinking occurs" -- can be especially difficult to wrap your head around. Curious about deep learning, and what you need to know about it? Here's exactly how the stuff of science fiction films is coming to life. Deep learning software learns to recognize patterns in digital representations of sounds, images, and other data.

"The Geospatial Intelligence Certificate, accredited by the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) provides education and training in scientific concepts, methods and key geospatial technologies, used in the solution of global problems of human security, including natural disasters, humanitarian crisis, environmental risks, military operations, political violence, public health and challenges in access to food. USGIF's purpose is to promote the geospatial intelligence tradecraft and to develop a stronger community of interest between government, industry, academia, professional organizations and individuals. USGIF is the only organization providing Higher Education accreditation in the GEOINT domain, being a world leader in this field.