In the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), we've often looked for signs of intelligence, technology and communication that are similar to our own. But as astronomer and SETI trailblazer Jill Tarter points out, that approach means searching for detectable technosignatures, like radio transmissions, not searching for intelligence. Now scientists are considering whether artificial intelligence (AI) could help us search for alien intelligence in ways we haven't even thought of yet. As we think about extraterrestrial intelligence it's helpful to remember humans are not the only intelligent life on Earth. Chimpanzees have culture and use tools, spiders process information with webs, cetaceans have dialects, crows understand analogies and beavers are great engineers.

The selection of the Reno-based drone operator Flirtey and its local partners for a national test program aimed at increasing the use of unmanned aircraft will be a "game-changer" for the delivery of emergency medical supplies in the region, backers of the effort say. The 10 sites the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Wednesday include projects ranging from monitoring crops and oil pipelines in North Dakota to applying mosquito-killing treatments in Florida. In northern Nevada, the focus will be on drugs and medical equipment. Flirtey drones already have delivered automated external defibrillators used to jumpstart the hearts of cardiac arrest victims as part of a joint emergency program with first-responders in Reno. The company also anticipates future deliveries of EpiPens to treat severe allergic reactions and Narcan for opioid overdoses.

Despite the prevalence of the technologies, a degree of confusion remains around the difference between machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI). The distinction lies in the fact that machine learning is the practical implementation of artificial intelligence – the use of algorithms to analyse volumes of quantitative and qualitative data, establishing findings and making statistical inferences based on analyzed data. From a cybersecurity perspective, this process is focussed on accurately and efficiently identifying zero-day, unknown threats at the earliest possible opportunity – and at a stage before that which traditional static or behavioral analysis would permit. But machine learning algorithms are not infallible, and should not be treated as such. That said, they can certainly offer a significant boost to security tools, by enabling them to operate proactively as well as reactively when undertaking functions such as anti-malware, anti-spam, anti-fraud and anti-phishing detection.

The development of new Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is often subject to bias, and the resulting systems can be discriminatory, meaning more should be done by policymakers to ensure its development is democratic and socially responsible. This is according to Dr Barbara Ribeiro of Manchester Institute of Innovation Research at The University of Manchester, in On AI and Robotics: Developing policy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a new policy report on the role of AI and Robotics in society, being published today. Dr Ribeiro adds because investment into AI will essentially be paid for by tax-payers in the long-term, policymakers need to make sure that the benefits of such technologies are fairly distributed throughout society. She says: "Ensuring social justice in AI development is essential. AI technologies rely on big data and the use of algorithms, which influence decision-making in public life and on matters such as social welfare, public safety and urban planning."

Lawmakers, child development experts, and privacy advocates are expressing concerns about two new Amazon products targeting children, questioning whether they prod kids to be too dependent on technology and potentially jeopardize their privacy. In a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Friday, two members of the bipartisan Congressional Privacy Caucus raised concerns about Amazon's smart speaker Echo Dot Kids and a companion service called FreeTime Unlimited that lets kids access a children's version of Alexa, Amazon's voice-controlled digital assistant. "While these types of artificial intelligence and voice recognition technology offer potentially new educational and entertainment opportunities, Americans' privacy, particularly children's privacy, must be paramount," wrote Senator Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) and Representative Joe Barton (R-Texas), both cofounders of the privacy caucus. The letter includes a dozen questions, including requests for details about how audio of children's interactions is recorded and saved, parental control over deleting recordings, a list of third parties with access to the data, whether data will be used for marketing purposes, and Amazon's intentions on maintaining a profile on kids who use these products. Echo Dot Kids is the latest in a wave of products from dominant tech players targeting children, including Facebook's communications app Messenger Kids and Google's YouTube Kids, both of which have been criticized by child health experts concerned about privacy and developmental issues.

Legislators met with dozens of techies and business leaders May 10 for the White House's Artificial Intelligence for American Industry summit. They're keeping the conversation around research and development and adoption of AI alive and well, as the U.S. strives to stay on top of global innovation. The Office of Science and Technology Policy and Michael Kratsios, the president's technical adviser, welcomed executives from more than 30 major tech companies like Amazon, Facebook and Google for the summit. It convened more than 100 senior government officials, technical experts from academia, heads of industrial research labs and business leaders, according to the White House's summary report. OSTP also announced a Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence under the National Science and Technology Council to advise the administration on interagency AI R&D priorities going forward.

Uber Technologies Inv. hopes to use drones in San Diego to deliver food as part of an innovative commercial test program approved by the federal government on Wednesday. Dara Khosrowshahi, the company's chief executive officer, described how deliveries could be expected in between five to 30 minutes depending on if they were done by humans or drones. 'Push a button and get food on your doorstep,' he said, according to Yahoo Finance. Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber's chief executive officer, described how deliveries could be expected in between five to 30 minutes The executive was speaking to a crowd during an on-stage interview with Bloomberg at a Uber Elevate conference in Los Angeles when he said that Uber had become the largest food delivery business in the world. The CEO has been a skeptic of the flying car program but seems to be playing a different tune as of late.

They were the mischievous creatures blamed for causing mechanical failures and faults on aircraft during World War Two - before starring in a hit film as destructive monsters. Now, the gremlins are back - as a new type of killer flying drone. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) research arm has revealed is planning to test the radical craft next year after awarding Dynetics a contract to build them. DARPA said the program has been deliberately named Gremlins after the imps that British pilots during Wold War Two adopted as their good luck charms. The program envisions launching groups of UASs from existing large aircraft such as bombers or transport aircraft - as well as from fighters and other small, fixed-wing platforms - while those planes are out of range of adversary defenses. When the gremlins complete their mission, a C-130 transport aircraft would retrieve them in the air and carry them home, where ground crews would prepare them for their next use within 24 hours.

I am fortunate today to be in Washington with leaders from three dozen companies, including many of our close partners, to discuss with administration officials how the U.S. can continue to lead the world in research, development and the adoption of artificial intelligence. I'd like to thank the Office of Science and Technology Policy for convening this important meeting. AI is becoming the world's most important computational tool -- applicable to a wide variety of industries including transportation, energy and healthcare. But AI is enormously demanding in terms of computation -- it requires processing hundreds of millions of data points to extract insight. Therefore, it's important for us to discuss how to improve our nation's computing infrastructure to support AI and maintain leadership in this space.

Today, young people are in pole position to steer the best possible future of the development of artificial intelligence (AI). As Douglas Adams famously said: "Anything that's invented between when you're fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things." The next generation are coming of age as the most exciting chapter in the development of AI is written. And there is a huge opportunity for organisations to harness the power of this younger generation to play a guiding role in how this technology is used and develops.