Let's say we had a way to distribute beacons around our solar system (or beyond) that could survive for billions of years, recording what our civilization has achieved. What should they be like? It's easy to come up with what I consider to be sophomoric answers. But in reality I think this is a deep--and in some ways unsolvable--philosophical problem, that's connected to fundamental issues about knowledge, communication and meaning. Still, a friend of mine recently started a serious effort to build little quartz disks and have them hitch rides on spacecraft, to be deposited around the solar system. At first I argued that it was all a bit futile, but eventually I agreed to be an advisor to the project, and at least try to figure out what to do to the extent we can. We just have to think about archaeology to know this is hard. What exactly was some arrangement of stones from a few thousand years ago for? Sometimes we can pretty much tell, because it's close to something in our current ...

DAVOS, SWITZERLAND – When global leaders and captains of industry gathered in Davos last week for the 2018 World Economic Forum, AI and the economy of tomorrow dominated the discussions. Coupled with the launch of two new reports into the future of work at the summit, it is clear that AI and reskilling are already central considerations for policymakers and businesses alike. This much was evident in the coverage of the event. Both the British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron announced government-funded innovation measures around securing'safe and ethical AI'. Meanwhile, Google CEO Sundar Pichai boldly claimed that artificial intelligence will prove more important to the fate of humanity than our mastery of fire, and Alibaba founder Jack Ma argued automation technologies could'kill a lot of jobs'.

Artificial intelligence promises to improve human welfare and make the world a safer, more meaningful, and more educated place. However, a real and imminent fear is that biased AI will deepen inequalities. Smarter computers, at our behest, are helping us build a more satiated world. As Aldous Huxley would appreciate, satiation, when indulged, becomes mere habit. We don't question how we make decisions anymore, and no one really even knows how the most advanced AI does what it does.

The impact of AI on business and the role it may play in improving efficiency of operations and driving revenue is a main focus of the research conducted at TechEmergence. However, there are also a growing number of altruistic applications of AI that are being leveraged today. The ability to identify effective and sustainable solutions for some of the world's greatest challenges such as health, education and the environment present opportunities for profit but also for positive impact on humanity. We'll conclude with some of the future implications of altruistic AI applications discussed in these three sectors. Our aim was to cover AI use cases not commonly covered in our industry verticals, use cases commonly neglected because of a small market size or a more public "good", rather than a result that could provide a tangible "ROI" for companies.) Lack of funding is a topic of debate in many public school districts across the country.

Is your government ready for the Internet of Things (IoT)? The news media has been full of stories of self-driving cars being tested around the world and drones being used in diverse places. But a quiet global technology revolution is now occurring that is transforming the way we live and work in almost every area of life. And while robots at Amazon and smart home devices seem to be getting regular media attention, much more is happening in cyberspace. We live in exciting times with vast technological possibilities merging our online and offline lives.

Regional airports are ramping up their internal security measures as they say the most dangerous threats in today's aviation world come from within. Artificial intelligence will play a major role in staff clearance in cities like Dubai and Jeddah in the coming years as it will ensure swift analysis and predictions of potential criminal or terrorist behaviour, a security forum heard on Monday. "The concept of security has completely changed," said Farah Al Ansari, head of airport security at Dubai International Airport. "The threats used to be in restricted areas but now they've moved and affect people and government as they're more spread, like what happened in Brussels and Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, so we're upgrading our systems to be in line with modern technologies." The airport is currently working on staff entrance to ensure greater control by introducing biometrics, more advanced face recognition and artificial intelligence, as opposed to only CCTV cameras and police monitoring now.

The choice has consequences for taxpayers. If no company is found financially responsible, the EPA pays the bill for about 10 years and then turns it over to the state. Colorado currently pays about $1 million a year to operate a treatment plant at one Superfund mine. By 2028, it will pay about $5.7 million annually to operate plants at three mines, not including anything at the Bonita Peak site.

The hand of humanoid robot AILA (artificial intelligence lightweight android) operates a switchboard during a demonstration by the German research centre for artificial intelligence at the CeBit computer fair in Hanover March, 5, 2013. It is easy to confuse the current geopolitical situation with that of the 1980s. The US and Russia each accuse the other of interfering in domestic affairs. Russia has annexed territory over US objections, raising concerns about military conflict. As during the Cold War after World War II, nations are developing and building weapons based on advanced technology. During the Cold War, the weapon of choice was nuclear missiles; today it's software, whether its used for attacking computer systems or targets in the real world.

Malaria causes about half a million deaths each year, and about half the world's population is at risk of contracting it. The disease is caused by the Plasmodium parasite and is transmitted by the bite of the infected mosquito. The big problem is that this organism is becoming increasingly resistant to the remedies that fight it. Therefore, the risk of this worsening condition has become much greater if new drugs are not developed. But it seems there are already signs of a light at the end of the tunnel.

Digital Assistants (sometimes seen as AIs) are becoming ubiquitous in living rooms and smartphones everywhere. Now, these devices are taking the leap to the business world. With Amazon's announcement of the Alexa for Business Platform, AIs may soon be able to assist with everything from conference calls to office supply orders. All that utility may come at the cost of security, however, since these AI devices are vulnerable to potential hacking. Digital Assistants Enter the Business World Digital assistants have exploded in popularity over the last two years.