"In Q1 2020, venture capital firms deployed over $4.0 billion of fresh capital into 148 deals for artificial intelligence companies. The data shows that strategic and financial investors are looking for companies that are combining emerging, connected and smart technologies to digitally transform their industry." Technology innovation in artificial intelligence (AI) is accelerating at a breakneck pace, and the ability to innovate, adopt and integrate AI techniques to evolve business models will separate those businesses that recover from the COVID-19 pandemic from those that will fail. Four artificial intelligence technologies are poised to lead the global economy out of the pandemic-induced recession. Applications for these technologies across verticals abound.

As businesses rush to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) for products and services--from driverless cars to algorithms that can spot cancer--technologists, philosophers and governments are starting to tap the brakes. How can we be sure that AI will be trustworthy? How can we know that its applications are unbiased, that they are secure from attack, protect privacy and will do more good than harm? To chart a path forward, the European Union has taken a leading role in laying out guidelines for how companies can put AI to work ethically and responsibly. Two years ago, the EU formed the High-Level Expert Group on AI--a group of 52 leaders from education, business, law and other disciplines--to develop a set of AI ethics guidelines.

One of the defining aspects of COVID-19 is its disproportionate impact on underserved communities and the harsh spotlight it shines on existing social equity issues around the world. From access to quality education, jobs or affordable healthcare, COVID-19 is magnifying virtually every inequality in our communities. Never has there been a more important time to capture the moment to create the solutions the world needs to make a positive and lasting contribution to the social inequity issues of our generation. Solutions will come from all corners and technology innovators will need to play their part. Building on Microsoft's long-standing efforts to ensure technology fulfills its promise to address the world's biggest challenges, Microsoft joined efforts with Giving Tech Labs to unleash the power of public interest technology.

Ceibal Foundation is organizing the 3rd edition of the EdTech Winter School in partnership with ANII (Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovación) and with the support of the International Development Research Centre -IDRC-. The EdTech Winter School is a multi-stakeholder initiative organized within the framework of the Education Sector Fund "Digital Inclusion: Education with New Horizons" created with ANII and ADELA (Alliance for the Digitalization of Education in Latin America) supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). In this context and for the past three years, the Winter School focused in creating a stimulating learning environment to present and discuss key challenges, research trends and opportunities; to foresee new horizons in education, learning and teaching practices enhanced by digital technologies. This year's edition "Human Centered Technologies for Education" aims to assess, analyze and explore the changes, opportunities and challenges that technology-driven transformations are creating for education worldwide. Advances in areas as automation, artificial intelligence, robotics, Big Data, among others, are shaping society in ways that could not be foreseen a few years ago.

While several Member States have or are in the process of developing their AI strategies, smart cities and communities could well be the main beneficiaries of AI. With the increasing use of digital devices, sensors and Internet of Things (IoT), smart cities have seen a tremendous growth in data generated, including real-time and Big Data. This wealth of data, combined with machine and deep learning, can recognise patterns, help predict events, allow for more personalised services, optimise the use of resources as well as strengthen evidence-based analytical capability for policy-making and implementation. In order however, to benefit from the possibilities of AI at local level, there is a need for large amounts of high quality data, with relevance in the urban context (economic, urban, geographical, technical, climatic, health, etc.). Smart cities and communities are however, not yet fully exploiting the value of data and AI.

SEOUL – When a man in Seoul tested positive for coronavirus in May, South Korean authorities were able to confirm his wide-ranging movements in and outside the city in minutes, including five bars and clubs he visited on a recent night out. The fast response -- well ahead of many other countries facing outbreaks -- was the result of merging South Korea's already advanced methods of collecting information and tracking the virus into a new data sharing system that patches together cellphone location data and credit card records. The Epidemic Investigation Support System (EISS), introduced in late March, effectively removed technological barriers to sharing that information between authorities, by building on the country's "Smart City" data system. That platform was originally designed to let local authorities share urban planning information, from population to traffic and pollution, by uploading data in Excel spreadsheets and other formats. Now it forms the foundation for a data clearinghouse that has turbocharged South Korea's response to the virus.

The language barrier is preventing many foreign residents in Hiroshima Prefecture from keeping abreast of the latest status of the coronavirus pandemic, highlighting the need for municipalities to provide essential information in multiple languages. "It was through social media that I came to know about the whole kyūgyō yōsei thing," Michelle Crothers, an Australian who runs an English conversation school in the city of Hiroshima, said, referring to the Japanese phrase for "request to suspend businesses." On April 18, when the prefecture issued the request in line with the state of emergency declared by the central government, Crothers stumbled upon a friend's social media post written in English about the prefecture's announcement. She then fumbled her way through official websites by the government and the prefecture in hopes of finding out whether her school will have to shut down in line with the request, but ended up giving up. As an extra precaution, she decided to close it for the time being.

After co-writing the best-selling adult novel of 2018, Bill Clinton and James Patterson have teamed up for another political thriller. "The President's Daughter" will be released in June 2021, the book's publishers announced Thursday. As with the million-selling "The President Is Missing," the new novel will be a rare joint release by rival companies: Alfred A. Knopf, which has released Clinton's "My Life" among other works, and Little, Brown and Co., Patterson's longtime publisher. "I never imagined I'd be writing a book with a master storyteller like Jim, much less two," Clinton said in a statement. "I was grateful for the success of the first book, and I believe readers will enjoy reading'The President's Daughter' as much as I'm enjoying working on it."

Sphero, a toy manufacturer known for making simple, programmable robots for kids, has launched a new spinoff business to develop AI and robotics for law enforcement, first responders, and other government agencies. The new entity is called Company Six (CO6) and will build on technology Sphero had previously developed through its Public Safety Division. The company hasn't announced any clients or new projects, but promises to focus on'lightweight, yet highly advanced robotic solution that provides critical awareness for those we depend on the most, including police, fire, EMT, military, and others with dangerous jobs.' Sphero's Paul Berberian, who previously served in the US Air Force, will step down from his role as CEO and take a new title as Chairman of both companies, according to a report in CNet. 'This is an opportunity to continue to bring revolutionary robotics technology to new markets to improve the lives of more people, our future leaders, and people with essential and sometimes dangerous job functions,' he said in a prepared statement. Sphero says the company has sold more than four million robots since it was founded in 2010.

The NHS Confederation, a membership body that represents people who commission or provide NHS services, has warned of the urgent need for a UK contact tracing strategy. "Our members are concerned that unless there is a clear strategy, then there must be a greater risk of a second wave of infections and serious health consequences," chief executive Niall Dickson wrote in a letter sent to the UK's health and social care minister Matt Hancock yesterday. "We would therefore urge you to produce such a strategy with a clear implementation plan ahead of any further easing of the lockdown." Dickson welcomed Prime Minister Boris Johnson's new commitment to trace 10,000 new coronavirus cases per day by 1 June, adding that "delivery and implementation will be critical, and we await further details." However, he said that a strategy for tracing contacts "should have been in place much sooner". An international randomised controlled trial investigating whether hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine ...