This annotated image is a cropped version of the last 360-degree panorama taken by the Opportunity rover's Pancam from May 13 through June 10, 2018. This annotated view is presented in false color to make some differences between materials easier to see. A set of newly released photos shows what NASA's Mars rover Opportunity was looking at just before the killer dust storm hit. That storm boiled up in May 2018 and engulfed Opportunity shortly thereafter. The solar-powered robot couldn't get enough sunlight to recharge its batteries, and it went silent on June 10.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning tools are creeping into every part of the enterprise, including security. But while 71% of US businesses said they plan to spend more budget on AI and machine learning in their cybersecurity tools this year, 58% said they still aren't sure what the technology really does, according to a Webroot report released Thursday.

Artificial intelligence (AI), according to a recent executive order, is essential to maintaining the economic and national security of the United Sates. It is also the foundation for a new generation of applications that are changing how the Department of Defense and other agencies manage their operations and carry out their missions. And that change is happening fast. The 2018 National Defense Strategy identifies AI as one of the key technologies needed to ensure that the United States will be prepared to fight and win the wars of the future, with defense leaders saying it will penetrate every corner of DoD operations.

Federal prosecutors are conducting a criminal investigation into data deals Facebook struck with some of the world's largest technology companies, intensifying scrutiny of the social media giant's business practices as it seeks to rebound from a year of scandal and setbacks. A grand jury in New York has subpoenaed records from at least two prominent makers of smartphones and other devices, according to two people who were familiar with the requests and who insisted on anonymity to discuss confidential legal matters. Both companies had entered into partnerships with Facebook, gaining broad access to the personal information of hundreds of millions of its users. We'll tell you what's true. You can form your own view.

The Defense Department's cyber warriors shouldn't be too concerned about artificial intelligence taking their jobs, according to their commander. Instead, U.S. Cyber Command is looking for troops able to wield AI like a weapon. During a budget hearing Wednesday held by the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities, Rep. Anthony Brown, R-Md., asked the Pentagon's cyber leadership whether AI could help reduce the demand for cyber talent. "AI and machine learning certainly has a place as we look at some of the activities that we are doing day in and day out," CYBERCOM Commander Gen. Paul Nakasone told the subcommittee. "But I would offer, the people that make AI go, the people who make sure that our algorithms are right for machine learning, they're the folks that I'm most focused on." Nakasone referred to what he called the "10x or 20x folks" that can utilize these advanced systems as a multiplier for the work being done by the command's 133 Cyber Mission Force teams, which includes "amplify[ing] military lethality and effectiveness," according to the Pentagon's Defend Forward strategy released in September.

The first five days or so of SXSW in Austin are always dedicated to the "interactive" portion of the festival. The city's downtown streets swell with lanyard-laden "entrepreneurs" and "founders" wearing that familiar uniform of T-shirts screen-printed with their company's clever logo, an outfit made professional by throwing a blazer over the ensemble. They bounce from panel to panel and branded "house" to branded "house" (this year, on scooters, so many scooters) hawking their new apps and software products, each promising to be more revolutionary and life-changing and utterly necessary than the next. For years, the unspoken question at the conference seemed to be which company will become SXSW famous, like Persicope, Foursquare, or, most memorably, Twitter? But this year, on the opening Friday of SXSW, Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren unleashed a manifesto titled "Here's How We Can Break Up Big Tech," and a new question burst onto the scene: What do you think of Warren's proposal?

When it comes to Sci-Fi movies, artificial intelligence (AI) is one of Hollywood's go-to themes. As a technology of which we're still yet to fully realize the potential, scriptwriters and technology doomsdayers have been busy predicting a time when AI spins out of our control, and we're forced to welcome our robot overlords. But how accurate are some of pop culture's most well-known AI creations? Communications provider Plusnet sought to find out by asking Peter Scott, an author on AI and former computer scientist at NASA, to grade the AI predictions of some of Sci-Fi greatest movies. Ridley Scott's 80s Sci-Fi masterpiece may be held in the highest esteem in film circles, but when it comes to how well it predicts the direction of artificial intelligence, experts find it wanting. Set in 2019, the film is making a prediction 37 years in the future (45 years if you count the release date of the original book on which it's based).

CropIn, a leading SaaS solutions provider to agribusinesses globally, has won the AI Innovation Challenge 2019, organised by the Government of Maharashtra and NITI Aayog, in association with NASSCOM. The challenge was held earlier this month at Taj Vivanta, Mumbai. The AI Innovation Challenge is a platform for AI-based organisations to showcase their solutions and to collaborate with the Government of Maharashtra on a proof of concept. In January 2019, Government of Maharashtra had invited applications from enthusiastic and passionate organisations from across India, that have developed artificial intelligence (AI) based solutions for social problems, to collaborate and partner with the Government in areas that include, but are not limited to agriculture, healthcare, education, smart mobility and water management. Speaking on the challenge, Krishna Kumar, CEO & Founder, CropIn said, "We are happy to win the AI Innovation Challenge 2019 conferred by the Government of Maharashtra. This will be a great opportunity for us to work for a social cause for the farmers in Maharashtra. Making agriculture more predictable is the need of the hour and only technological disruptions can create impact at scale."

Amid severe labor shortages, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to perform human tasks is sure to grow, and DJI, the world's biggest drone-maker, is ready to respond, the firm's Japan head said. Drones for industrial uses ranging from agriculture to infrastructure maintenance and security are becoming more popular, said Allen Wu, DJI's head of Japan operations. But he said he is doubtful about the potential for drone-based product delivery. "For quite some time, we've figured that our main market in Japan is industrial, so our team has been focusing on it more," Wu said in an interview Wednesday. Shenzhen-based SZ DJI Technology Co. dominates the global drone market and according to reports is estimated to have a market share of more than 70 percent.