A hacker was sentenced on Monday to a year in federal prison for disrupting one of the most popular video games of all time, the U.S. Department of Justice announced in a press release. A 38-year-old Romanian national named Calin Mateias had been in custody since November for coordinating a series of distributed denial of service, or DDoS, attacks in "World of Warcraft" seven years earlier. Mateis was extradited from Romania last year and pleaded guilty to a charge of intentional damage to a protected computer, according to the Justice Department. His crime was deliberately slowing down or even shutting down "World of Warcraft" servers earlier this decade out of spite for other players of the massive online game. A DDoS attack is when a hacker overloads a server with traffic to cause a logjam for anyone trying to access it, according to Scientific American.

Uber is stepping up its bid to create one of the first urban flying taxi networks. The firm unveiled its Uber Air design models for the first time at the Elevate Summit in Los Angeles today, revealing a look at the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) craft that could be ferrying passengers above congested cities in just two years. A full-size model and miniature design prototype showed off to CBS News show how the electric flying taxis could fit up to four riders per vehicle, at first for piloted flights before ultimately becoming fully autonomous. Uber plans to launch the air-taxi service in 2020, with its self-flying craft to follow in the next five to 10 years. During the summit, Uber execs also revealed the firm has plans to take on nearly 10 times the number of daily flights than the FAA for a single city – and, it could cost riders less than $2 per mile.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House plans to convene a meeting on Thursday on the future of artificial intelligence in U.S. industry with major companies including Facebook Inc, Amazon.com Intel Corp CEO Brian Krzanich and the chief technical officers of Ford Motor Co and Boeing Co are also due to take part in the event, along with executives from Mastercard Inc, Microsoft Corp and Accenture, administration and industry officials said. The Pentagon and the U.S. departments of agriculture, commerce, energy, health, labor and transportation are due to take part in the daylong meeting that will look at artificial intelligence (AI) innovation and research and development and removing barriers to its application. AI and machine learning, with their growing capabilities and application, are expected to have far-reaching implications for a range of industries and the U.S. economy, according to experts. Dean Garfield, president and chief executive of the Information Technology Industry Council, called the event "an important step to building collaboration between government and industry."

The Trump administration hasn't exactly been receptive to AI -- Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin once said it was "not even on [his] radar screen." The White House is holding a summit on May 10th where representatives from 38 companies (including Amazon, Facebook, Google and Intel) will discuss how the government can fund AI research and alter regulations to advance the technology. A Washington Post source said the government was also mulling proposals that could include providing more data for AI research. As you might guess with this administration, jobs are bound to be on the table -- whether it's preparing the workforce for AI-dependent jobs or dealing with the potential job losses from automation. While the White House will likely push for technological leadership in AI, it may be cautious about backing initiatives that could lead to serious job losses without a clear plan to transition those workers. It may also discuss national security risks, both from foreign companies using AI as well as the consequences of domestic companies using AI to handle sensitive data.

Perhaps you'll see this one coming like an angry regulator pacing up to the door. But if you wonder what federal mandates, a motorcycle, a baby boomer hairdresser and a blown business opportunity might have in common, read on. Our story of regulatory woe on the go begins with 60-year-old Geri Michael of Vero Beach, Florida. The hairdresser decided it was high time to treat herself to a Honda motorcycle. Her checklist was looking pretty good, too.

A report from the House of Lords recommends that ethics be a key focus in the future of artificial intelligence, saying it should be developed "for the common good and benefit of humanity" and never given "autonomous power to hurt, destroy or deceive" people. AI in the UK: Ready, Willing and Able highlights the UK's opportunity to become a world-leading nation in the development of artificial intelligence but insists that clear-cut ethics must be established around the development and deployment of such technology. The report claims that, as a world leader, the UK can "help shape the ethical development of artificial intelligence" on a global scale; thus helping to set the fundamental guidelines for all future AI development. The report also addresses other key issues surrounding the development of AI – the potential effect on workers and data privacy rights. For some time now the issue of job losses due to the introduction of AI and robotics has been discussed, with conflicting claims of job losses and exaggeration of figures.

DALLAS (AP) -- US oil has shot above $70 a barrel for the first time since late 2014, foreshadowing costlier gasoline and consumer goods. It's not clear that higher crude prices will threaten economic growth, however, and stocks are moving higher. Many factors are behind the increase including the possibility that President Donald Trump will scrap the deal that eased sanctions on Iran. That could pinch exports from that key oil producer. SEATTLE (AP) -- Nestle is paying more than $7 billion to handle global retail sales of Starbucks's coffee and tea outside of its coffee shops.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become the hot trend in the market and this industry keeps on innovating and bringing something new. Seeker drone from RadioPlane fitted with a metal detector can fly autonomously and help clear areas of landmines. The main goal of the company is to help clear landmines field around the world and this will soon become a reality. The flight time is up to 50 minutes depending on the attachment's shape and weight. On the other hand, this drone navigates its environment through a network of cameras, GPS and GNSS systems, sensors controlled by open source software running on a fast computer chip.

The Australian government's 2018-19 Budget has earmarked a massive AU$2.4 billion for technology and science over the next 12 years in a bid to support "a stronger and smarter economy". "The government will invest more than AU$2.4 billion in Australia's public technology infrastructure," Treasurer Scott Morrison said in his Budget speech on Tuesday night. "This includes supercomputers, world-class satellite imagery, more accurate GPS across Australia, upgrading the Bureau of Meteorology's technology platform, a national space agency, and leading research in artificial intelligence." The government will invest AU$29.9 million over four years in AI and machine learning, which it said would support business innovation across digital health, digital agriculture, cybersecurity, energy, and mining. "This measure will also support Cooperative Research Centre projects, PhD scholarships, and school-related learning to increase knowledge and develop the skills needed for AI and machine learning."

The UAE is all about innovation. So, it follows that the world is watching the Emirates when it comes to the future of healthcare– after all, it's hard to think of a sector that is growing more quickly with more technological advances, or a country that has taken more bold steps across so many industries. One of the key areas of advancement in healthcare is, of course, artificial intelligence (AI), which refers to intelligent applications that assist with diagnosis of disease, treatment recommendations, as well as data management, improving online consultations, speeding up drug development, and improving doctor and medical student training. The UAE is positioned to be the region leader on this, having already made huge strides in accumulating the knowledge, finances, and tools required to incorporate AI into daily healthcare practices. Let's take one example: the Dubai Future Foundation has invested millions into AI development initiatives, such as the UAE AI and Robotics Award for Good, which asks applicants from across the globe to develop and submit advanced uses for AI in healthcare. Furthermore, tech startups have soared in number in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region since 2010, and the UAE is leading the way– securing 50% of all MENA tech funding between 2014 and 2017.