Megvii, a Chinese AI startup that supplies facial recognition software for the Chinese government's surveillance program, is expanding its technology beyond humans to recognize different faces of pets. As reported by Abacus News, Megvii's new program is trained to recognize dogs by their nose prints -- much like how humans have unique fingerprints. Using the Megvii app, the company says it can register your dog simply by scanning the snout through your phone's camera. Just like how a phone registers your fingerprint for biometric unlocks, the app asks you to take photos of your dog's nose from multiple angles. Megvii says it has an accuracy rate of 95 percent and has reunited 15,000 pets with their owners through the app.

Preventing unfair treatment of individuals on the basis of race, gender or ethnicity, for example, been a long-standing concern of civilized societies. However, detecting such discrimination resulting from decisions, whether by human decision makers or automated AI systems, can be extremely challenging. This challenge is further exacerbated by the wide adoption of AI systems to automate decisions in many domains -- including policing, consumer finance, higher education and business. "Artificial intelligence systems -- such as those involved in selecting candidates for a job or for admission to a university -- are trained on large amounts of data," said Vasant Honavar, Professor and Edward Frymoyer Chair of Information Sciences and Technology, Penn State. "But if these data are biased, they can affect the recommendations of AI systems."

New update will be the first AI-based cybersecurity solution for the Chrome Operating System, available immediately. With global Chromebook unit shipments slated to nearly double this year to 10.1 million since their release in 2011 (and expected to reach 17 million units in sales by 2023), the Chrome OS is more prevalent in the market than ever before. The new offering makes Deep Instinct the first deep learning based solution with multi-layer protection across endpoints, servers and mobile devices for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android or Chrome OS from the convenience of a single platform. It also protects against a range of attack vectors that have been known to breach Android systems. As the first company to apply end-to-end deep learning to cybersecurity, Deep Instinct provides complete protection against attacks, taking a prediction and prevention first approach, followed by detection and response against known and unknown cyber threats.

Computer pioneer Margaret Hamilton was critical to landing astronauts on the moon for the first time on 20 July 1969 and returning them safely a few days later. The young Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) computer programmer and working mother led the team that created the onboard flight software for the Apollo missions, including Apollo 11. The computer system was the most sophisticated of its day. Her rigorous approach was so successful that no software bugs were ever known to have occurred during any crewed Apollo missions. "She symbolises that generation of unsung women who helped send humankind into space," said President Barack Obama in 2016 when he awarded Hamilton the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian award.

OXFORD, England, April 11 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - When Nepal suffered devastating twin earthquakes in 2015 that killed nearly 9,000 people, the government provided help for families whose homes had collapsed to rebuild. But tens of thousands of others with damaged homes that were still standing faced a tougher decision: Was it safe to make repairs? Or were they better off building a new, often smaller home at their own cost? Artificial intelligence (AI), it turned out, could help, said Elizabeth Hausler, a U.S.-based engineer and builder who works on creating affordable, disaster-resilient housing. In Nepal, many homes are variations on a standard design - rectangular, multi-storey and with similar windows, she said.

Today, as more global manufacturing companies are incorporating artificial intelligence ("AI") into both their manufacturing processes and the products they sell, they are grappling with several pressing issues. At Microsoft, our AI and Ethics in Engineering and Research (AETHER) Committee helped architect six baseline principles for AI development: fairness, reliability & safety, privacy & security, inclusiveness, transparency and accountability to frame the work of the company's AI designers and developers as described in detail in our book The Future Computed: Artificial Intelligence and its role in society. While researching our latest book in the "Future Computed" series, The Future Computed: AI and Manufacturing, we listened to manufacturing company executives, association and work force leaders, as well as front-line factory employees to understand their respective attitudes toward AI-related policies, and the role regulation can play in guiding the use of AI in manufacturing. With respect to the last point, the stakeholders we have connected with and listened to have all stressed that democratizing access to AI is a key priority. They also noted that smart public policy is critical for developing incentives to help all organizations, regardless of size, benefit from AI's potential.

"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting." This was Sun Tzu back in the 5th century BC. This quote is true to this day though, and our efforts to subdue the enemy are now based on fear. We have developed technologies and weapons to such an extent that they actually can destroy whole cities in the blink of an eye, often using hypersonic weapons. This also means that we've developed technologies and weapons to prevent such things from happening in the first place.

The government is investing £12m in the development of new technologies including robots that can perform household tasks and products to protect dolphins from noise protection. The money is being invested by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in four partnerships between universities and the private sector. Government funding is being supplemented by a further £17.5m in cash from commercial partners. The first project being funded involves work to develop materials that do not make noise underwater. This, the government said, will not only improve the life expectancy of dolphins, fish, and other marine creatures, but will also have a positive impact on human health.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer theoretical. It's growing in use everywhere from determining the best spot on the court to shoot a three-pointer to assisting doctors with finding a cure for cancer. Judging by advertisements and creative campaigns (AI can make you a taco!), everyone is using it. Despite this prevalence of AI marketing, the truth is quite different. A lot of AI marketing is just buzz.

The deeper we foray into the Internet Age, the more organizations turn to AI to raise our productivity, improve sales, or enhance our experiences. Now, they are also turning to it to shore up their defenses against the crime that inevitably follows. We wanted to learn more about how they are doing this, and, more importantly, how they can do it better. Tothese ends, in the new report from the Capgemini Research Institute, Reinventing Cybersecurity with Artificial Intelligence, we surveyed 850 senior executives from IT Information Security, Cybersecurity and IT Operations in seven sectors across 10 countries and spoke in-depth with industry experts and academics. We also analyzed 20 use cases of AI in cybersecurity spread across IT, OT, and IoT.