THE importance of science in society has no greater spokesperson than Lord Martin Rees. From his perch at Cambridge--and a centre he formed on studying existential risks--he has served as both a promoter, populariser and the moral conscience of scientific endeavour far beyond his academic field of astrophysics. In "Our Final Century" in 2003 (retitled more breathlessly "Our Final Hour" in the American edition) he presented a range of global challenges, from bioterrorism to nuclear weapons. He put the risk of human extinction by 2100 from our technologies at around 50%. His latest book, "On the Future", is more sanguine.

This week's plunge in Apple's shares was another sign of the impact of the relations between the US and China. It does look like President Trump's tariffs are taking a toll and that the tensions maybe lasting. So this why Kai-Fu Lee's book, AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order, is so timely. He provides a detailed look at how China is poised to win one of the most important markets. Keep in mind that – according to a research report by PWC – AI is forecasted to add $15.7 trillion to global GDP by 2030. The main reason is that this technology is general purpose, having applications that span industries like healthcare, transportation, financial services, energy and so on.

Most of us are wondering about "what's next for AI in 2019 leading up to 2020?" Some of us might be wondering about "Singularity". Others are still thinking, "AI is all hype and no action" (Although this subset is on the decline). All valid questions to ponder upon. Artificial Intelligence has made substantial progress in 2018.

Called IQcast, the feature tells users whether they have a low, medium or high chance of dropping below the target blood glucose range within the next one to four hours. These individual-specific predictions are generated by analyzing data collected through Sugar.IQ app and the Guardian Connect device. The Sugar.IQ app is currently available in the App Store for free download. The FDA-cleared app uses IBM Watson Health's AI and analytics tools to help users see how their glucose levels change during the day, and includes a smart food logging system, motivational insights, a glycemic assistant, a data tracker and a glycemic insights feature. Hypoglycemia -- defined by the American Diabetes Association as a blood glucose level lower than 70 mg/dL -- can lead to symptoms ranging from lightheadedness and lethargy to vision impairment and seizures.

Discussion around the impact of intelligent automation often centers on what it means for consumers, or its implications for the workplace and the changing nature of jobs. But what does it mean in practice for finance professionals? As the CFO of an S&P 500 company with more than three decades of finance and business experience, I find that the aspect of robotics and artificial intelligence that has most surprised me is the extent to which we have come to implement these technologies in corporate finance. Digital transformation to this degree is something that has been talked about for years. Now, however, seeing the impact on the individual, day-to-day functions of my team makes transformation seem much more real.

WASHINGTON - China's desire to dominate new wireless technology poses a global threat that should be thwarted by a new, secure network, according to a former Trump administration official whose call for an enlarged U.S. government role caused an uproar last year. China will gain a capability for mayhem and mass surveillance if it dominates advanced 5G networks that link billions of devices, retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert Spalding said in a memo that was obtained by Bloomberg News. "The more connected we are, and 5G will make us the most connected by far, the more vulnerable we become," Spalding, who left the National Security Council last year, said in the memo. Spalding, who is now retired, confirmed in an interview Friday his authorship of the memo.

A.I. is this year's buzzword of choice across the Tech industry, and speculation about what this field can achieve is already running rife. Let's separate fact from fiction and make some sense of all the hype. As we start the new year, the Tech propaganda machine is already ramping up its next generation of buzzwords, promising paradigm shifts and silver bullets that will make whole industries obsolete, enable huge efficiency gains, and make the world a better place. Blockchain, which used to top keyword search trends and social media posts, suffered a significant decline in interest, partly due to the fact that its initial hype was residual from the Bitcoin bubble. It seems that this year's buzzword of choice is going to be Artificial Intelligence.

When the Apollo 11 spacecraft was orbiting the Moon prior to the first lunar landing, Nasa officials told the astronauts on board to look out for the'lovely girl with a big rabbit'. They were jokingly referring to a story from Chinese mythology in which the goddess Chang'e escapes Earth to live on the Moon with her pet, Jade Rabbit. This week, almost 50 years on from that'giant leap for mankind', the legend of Chang'e resurfaced -- and this time the joke is on the Americans as China announced it had became the first nation to land a spacecraft on the'dark side of the moon'. The robotic probe was named Chang'e 4, a product of China's £3.9 billion a year space exploration project. This week, almost 50 years on from that'giant leap for mankind', the legend of Chang'e resurfaced -- and this time the joke is on the Americans as China announced it had became the first nation to land a spacecraft on the'dark side of the moon' If ever there was a metaphor for the Communist super-power's obsessive secrecy and soaring global ambition, then this audacious secret mission provides it.

News of Facebook's exposure of tens of millions of user accounts to data firm Cambridge Analytica broke in March -- a scandal that was only compounded by recent news that the tech giant shared even more private data through hidden agreements with other companies. Then in May, the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation, the world's most stringent privacy law, came into effect. By the end of the year, even Apple's and Microsoft's CEOs were calling for new national privacy standards in the United States. It's not just a coincidence that privacy issues dominated 2018. These events are symptoms of larger, profound shifts in the world of data privacy and security that have major implications for how organizations think about and manage both.

Atop those demands sits the ever-present threat of technology disruption, the forces of innovation that will disrupt their business in the coming years or possibly render it obsolete farther down the line. Emerging technologies fill the hearts and minds of technology's talented innovators with inspiration, hope and daring. They turn sci-fi dreams into reality and challenged accepted technology and computing paradigms. Before enterprise dreams become reality, businesses must to invest in the infrastructure and talent that will lay groundwork for future investments. Artificial intelligence-based and enabled technologies will heavily play into the next wave of enterprise computing capabilities, but innovators have to navigate and manage accountability, market support and hype. CIOs will push for emerging technologies and a customer-focused operating model, but they will also be held accountable for innovation that delivers.