Australia's Chief Scientist, Alan Finkel, has called on governments and businesses across the world to consider developing a regulatory framework for artificial intelligence devices, ranging from the likes of Apple's Siri to weaponised drones. Dr Finkel, who was speaking at the Creative Innovation Global conference, said he was optimistic about AI, but an ethical stamp needed to be developed, similar to a Fair Trade label, in order to give consumers trust that the AI in a device had been developed according to specified global standards. "Two years ago I published an article in Cosmos magazine calling for a global accord [on weaponised drones]. In the same year, more than 3000 AI and robotics researchers signed an open letter urging the leaders of the world to take action to prevent a global arms race," he said. "On the other end of the spectrum are tools in everyday use, such as social media platforms and smartphones.

Organizations already have plenty to worry about in terms of data protection, but a new type of cyberattack could prove much more damaging and harder to remediate. A destruction of service (DeOS) attack has the potential to destroy the data backups and safety nets organizations rely on to restore their systems and data following an attack, according to Cisco. DeOS attacks are a more dangerous version of distributed denial of service (DDoS), which employs botnets to overload the target organization's servers with traffic until they can no longer handle the extra load. DDoS attacks last hours or days, after which a company can resume normal operations. This is one of the many new security risks that are emerging with the Internet of Things (IoT).

The Sunday Telegraph reports that Chancellor Philip Hammond will announce a pay rise for nurses after "bowing to pressure" from Conservative MPs and cabinet colleagues. The Sunday Times also leads on the Budget, with a picture of what could be a playful Mr Hammond apparently deep in thought and scratching his head. In an interview with the paper, he says he will confirm plans to build 300,000 new homes every year - equivalent to a city the size of Leeds. He is quoted as saying "he will do whatever it takes to get builders building". "Driverless cars by 2021" is the Sunday Express's front page headline.

Driverless cars will be on Britain's roads by 2021 as a result of sweeping regulatory reforms that will put the UK in the forefront of a post-Brexit technological revolution, chancellor Philip Hammond will say this week. In his budget on Wednesday Hammond will allow driverless cars to be tested without any human operator inside or outside the car, and without the legal constraints and rules that apply in many other EU nations, and much of the US. The move – welcomed by the UK motor industry – is part of an attempt by Hammond and the Treasury to project a more upbeat message about the prospects for the UK economy after Brexit, and focus on opportunities as well as the risks. Carmakers have warned that they may have to move at least some production abroad if there is no deal to keep Britain inside the EU single market and customs union, at least for a two-year transition period. But Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said it was good news that the government was taking a lead by making the UK attractive to those seeking to develop, test and build an entirely new generation of cars.

Bio: Alexander Gude is currently a data scientist at Lab41 working on investigating recommender system algorithms. He holds a BA in physics from University of California, Berkeley, and a PhD in Elementary Particle Physics from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. About: Lab41 is a "challenge lab" where the U.S. Intelligence Community comes together with their counterparts in academia, industry, and In-Q-Tel to tackle big data. It allows participants from diverse backgrounds to gain access to ideas, talent, and technology to explore what works and what doesn't in data analytics.

A United Nations panel agreed Friday to consider guidelines and potential limitations for military uses of artificial intelligence amid concerns from human rights groups and other leaders that so-called "killer robots" could pose a long-term, lethal threat to humanity. Advocacy groups warned about the threats posed by such "killer robots" and aired a chilling video illustrating their possible uses on the sidelines of the first formal U.N. meeting of government experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems this week. More than 80 countries took part. Ambassador Amandeep Gill of India, who chaired the gathering, said participants plan to meet again in 2018. He said ideas discussed this week included the creation of legally binding instrument, a code of conduct, or a technology review process.

A U.N. panel agreed yesterday to move ahead with talks to define and possibly set limits on weapons that can kill without human involvement, as human rights groups said governments are moving too slowly to keep up with advances in artificial intelligence that could put computers in control one day. Advocacy groups warned about the threats posed by such "killer robots" and aired a chilling video illustrating their possible uses on the sidelines of the first formal U.N. meeting of government experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems this week. More than 80 countries took part. Ambassador Amandeep Gill of India, who chaired the gathering, said participants plan to meet again in 2018. He said ideas discussed this week included the creation of legally binding instrument, a code of conduct, or a technology review process.

Way back in 1992, NASA administrator Daniel Goldin described the organization as "pale, male and stale", a derisive commentary on the lack of race, gender and age/tenure diversity within the United States' premier science agency. Fast forward to 2018 and most tech industries still suffer from at least two of these symptoms. In fact, the problem may even be worsening over time. The number of women going into computer science--an obvious key ingredient in AI and ML--has decreased by half since 1985 reported Jaxenter earlier this year, and this survey found that the presence of females in top AI/ML positions is a mere 18%.

Brexit could help usher in the rise of robots As headlines go, " Brexit leads to robot takeover" sounds like satire. It's up there with Brexit being "the opportunity to create a second Elizabethan Golden Age". Both have been written recently - but I would argue that the former may actually be true. Recessions force companies to make difficult choices to survive. As headlines go, " Brexit leads to robot takeover" sounds like satire.

GENEVA – "Robots are not taking over the world," the diplomat leading the first official talks on autonomous weapons assured the meeting Friday, seeking to ease criticism over slow progress toward restricting the use of "killer robots." The United Nations was wrapping up an initial five days of discussions on weapons systems that can identify and destroy targets without human control. Experts say such weapons will soon be ready for battle. The meeting of the U.N.'s Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) marked an initial step toward rules governing such weapons. But activists warned that time is running out and that the glacial pace of the U.N.-brokered discussions is not responding to an arms race already underway.