The FBI is trialing Amazon's controversial facial recognition tech, Rekognition, as a new method to catch criminals. It began working with the agency in early 2018, according to Nextgov. Rekognition is expected to help speed up the FBI's process of going through video surveillance footage that's collected during investigations. The FBI is trialing Amazon's controversial facial recognition tech, Rekognition, as a new method to catch criminals. The technology could prove to be especially helpful during time-sensitive counterterrorism investigations.

A common belief among tech industry insiders is that Silicon Valley has dominated the internet because much of the worldwide network was designed and built by Americans. Now a growing number of those insiders are worried that proposed export restrictions could short-circuit the pre-eminence of US companies in the next big thing to hit their industry: artificial intelligence. In November, the Commerce Department released a list of technologies, including artificial intelligence, that are under consideration for new export rules because of their importance to national security. Technology experts worry that blocking the export of AI to other countries, or tying it up in red tape, will help AI industries flourish in those nations -- China, in particular -- and compete with US companies. "The number of cases where exports can be sufficiently controlled are very, very, very small, and the chance of making an error is quite large," said Jack Clark, head of policy at OpenAI, an artificial intelligence lab in San Francisco.

Senate lawmakers late Wednesday confirmed Kelvin Droegemeier, an extreme-weather expert, as the White House's top science and tech adviser, filling a critical administration role that had been vacant for nearly two years under President Trump. Droegemeier, who had served as a top meteorologist at the University of Oklahoma, is set to become leader of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, an arm of the White House that helps guide federal research spending and informs the government's policies in areas such as artificial intelligence, climate change, precision medicine and online privacy. Before the Senate confirmed Droegemeier by voice vote, the vacancy at OSTP under Trump had set a record: Never before had a modern president waited so long to install an administrator in that office. The delay had drawn sharp criticism from lawmakers and academics, who said the president had erred by forging ahead with his policy agenda -- including his 2017 decision to leave a key international carbon-reduction pact -- without a top science adviser in place. But Trump's decision in July to nominate Droegemeier -- who previously helped guide federal science research under both Democratic and Republican presidents -- earned the White House widespread accolades from the research community.

Predictions are hard, which is why Nextgov turned to industry leaders with a simple request: Give us your boldest prediction for federal IT. They dove into specific initiatives like the Defense Department's Defense Enterprise Office Solutions contract and the General Service Administration's Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract as well as the pros and pitfalls of artificial intelligence. "Technology's (IT's) days as a mere enabler are over: in today's complex and dynamic environment, IT must lead the way. The relationship between technology and mission outcomes has never been stronger. As we move into 2019, we believe technology modernization will be the No. 1 priority for federal government agencies in the year ahead, which is why IT leaders will become business leaders and use their unique understanding of technology's potential and limitations to help their agencies envision the art of the possible." "[W]e are starting to see a growing realization across government that adoption and deployment of commercial technologies is the best way to go to drive IT modernization.

Last week, I talked about how implementing AI solutions in your organization is a lot like climbing a ladder–going it alone can be risky, but a good AI infrastructure is like having a trustworthy friend to help steady your climb. In my view, a crucial piece of that infrastructure support is the IBM Power AI Enterprise Platform. This new technology offers a comprehensive infrastructure environment designed to address the key requirements for AI initiatives. In other words, to help you start climbing the AI Ladder with confidence and speed, mitigating risk. Let's take a look at how PowerAI Enterprise helps accelerate each step of your AI journey.

Scientists with the complicated task of tracking secret nuclear weapons developments around the world are getting some help from a new and more-advanced artificial intelligence system. Nuclear explosions, even underground ones on the other side of the world, leave signature traces of radioactive gasses. This system helps sort through masses of data to find which radioactive traces are relevant and which are naturally occurring, which are new and which are left-overs.

The South China Sea is host to a number of countries vying for control in the area. Attempting to develop new tactics and technologies to swing the balance in its favor, China may have found its key advantage – artificial intelligence (AI). Described as an "enabling" technology, in the same way as the combustion engine or electricity, applications range from deep-sea exploration and international investment, to cybersecurity and combat operations. Chinese scientists are currently developing plans for the first-ever AI-run colony on Earth. Designed for unmanned submarine science and defense operations, the project started at the Chinese Academy of Sciences following a visit from President Xi Jinping in April to the deep-sea research institute in Sanya, Hainan province.

Robots, though a tiny fraction of the workforce, are seeing rapid growth around the world. Though the global average of robots in the factory workforce is one robot for 150 humans, in South Korea, there is a robot for every 20 humans in the manufacturing workforce. The robot to human work ratio in manufacturing around the world is definitely on a rise. As the number of robots working grows, the cost of maintaining robots will also decrease along with the cost of making robots, creating a snowball effect, meaning the number of robots will be rising. In the coming decades, it is predicted over half of the jobs being done by humans will be automated.

The Defense Ministry will crank into high gear its research to develop a high-output military laser that can intercept mortar rounds and enemy drones flying at low altitudes. The ministry included development outlays of ¥8.7 billion for such research in the fiscal 2018 budget. It plans to open bidding soon for the building of a prototype land-based laser weapons system for research use and hopes to complete a technical evaluation by fiscal 2023, sources said. Many countries, including the United States and China, have begun to develop laser weapons. The U.S. military has already started operating such weapons installed on landing ships.

Following up on EV battery and EV charging #NewsBonanza posts, here's one on 11 autonomous vehicle & AI stories from the past couple of months that we thought should be covered but we never got to for individual stories. "Google is taking both its immense tech capabilities and social responsibility role very seriously. Namely, it has pledged to provide tangible support to organizations wanting to help address societal challenges using artificial intelligence through its just announced'AI Impact Challenge'. Whether an idea needs coaching, grant funding from a pool of $25 million available, or credit and consulting from cloud services, Google will be there to help." "The program aims to enable computers to communicate naturally, behave reasonably in new situations, and learn from new experiences." Smart Circuit, as it's called, uses vehicles from May Mobility and covers a 1.5-mile loop around the Scioto Mile during the hours 6:00–22:00.