How Quantum can be used to dramatically enhance and speed up not just Convolutional Neural Nets for image processing and Recurrent Neural Nets for language and speech recognition, but also the frontier applications of Generative Adversarial Neural Nets and Reinforcement Learning. While supply chain, cybersecurity, risk modeling, and complex system analysis are all important segments of data science, they don't hold nearly the promise of what a massive improvement in Deep Learning would mean commercially. Optimization problems extend beyond the realm of traditional data science to include incredibly complex problems like protein folding or test flying space craft based on mathematical models. Can We Make Quantum Computers Work Like Deep Neural Nets?

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick resigned late Tuesday night from the company he cofounded in 2009. While he'll remain on the board of directors, Kalanick's departure comes after months, if not years, of reports of a toxic workplace culture, cutthroat business tactics, and the occasional public embarrassment. It's not clear who will replace Kalanick. But what is clear is that this person will have a lot to correct. Here's a timeline of many, many upheavals that led the $69-billion startup to this crisis point.

As cars here on Earth begin to drive themselves and robots autonomously roam sidewalks delivering food and nearly running over dogs, over on Mars, the Curiosity rover very much remains a remotely piloted vehicle. That's part technical restraints, part design: Curiosity is up there to do science, so it must follow the commands of scientists here on Earth. Still, that doesn't mean automation can't lend a hand. Back in May of 2016, NASA began using an autonomous targeting system, called AEGIS, that allows the Curiosity rover's cameras to automatically detect preferable terrain to sample. Over the next year, the system was able to eyeball and automatically identify suitable rocks with very high accuracy, researchers report today in Science Robotics.

Ma said the emerging opportunities -- and risks -- from artificial intelligence and globalization are two of the topics that keep him on the road. "This is why I'm traveling, talking to all the government and state leaders and telling them move fast. If they do not move fast, there's going to be trouble," Ma said. "So when we see something is coming, we have to prepare now. My belief is that you have to repair the roof while it is still functioning."

The nation's top-level intelligence office, the Director of National Intelligence, wants to find "the most accurate unconstrained face recognition algorithm." A branch of the office, which oversees the nation's spy agencies, is holding a contest toward that end, with submissions due no later than 2pm ET June 15. "Have you developed software to identity faces in general web photographs? Can your software verify that a face in one photograph is the same as in another?" asks a posting on challenge.gov The goal of the Face Recognition Prize Challenge is to improve core face recognition accuracy and expand the breadth of capture conditions and environments suitable for successful face recognition.

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has spotted all sorts of strange features on the Martian surface, from deep pits to reptilian-looking craters. But, in a recent observation, the instrument caught a glimpse of something far more familiar. A stunning new image shows a look at the rocky mountainside terrain of Mars' Mount Sharp – and, appearing as a bright blue speck at the center, the Curiosity rover can be seen as it presses onward in its uphill mission. In a recent observation, the instrument caught a glimpse of something familiar. A stunning new image shows a look at the rocky mountainside terrain of Mars' Mount Sharp – and, appearing as a bright blue speck at the center, the Curiosity rover can be seen as it presses onward in its uphill mission Curiosity's top speed is 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) per second.

Uber's discrimination investigation recommends dozens of reforms within their company walls. A sign marks a pick-up point for the Uber car service at LaGuardia Airport in New York on March 15, 2017. Travis Kalanick, the combative and embattled CEO of ride-hailing giant Uber, resigned June 20, 2017 under pressure from investors at a pivotal time for the company. SAN FRANCISCO -- In the tumultuous months leading up to Uber CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick's resignation, the ride-hailing company lost U.S. market share and saw its brand image tarnished, most notably by a former engineer's blog post blasting the ride-hailing company for its sexist work environment. Among several surveys tracking the company's decline: one based on credit card spending, which found over the past two years, Uber's share of rides has dropped to 75% from 90%, according to TXN Solutions.

Artificial intelligence could set off a third world war, but humans will win the battle, according to Alibaba founder Jack Ma. "The first technology revolution caused World War I," Ma told CNBC in an interview that aired on Tuesday. "The second technology revolution caused World War II. This is the third technology revolution." Workers and employers are increasingly defined by data unless governments show more willingness to make "hard choices." Ma said humans will ultimately win the battle against an artificial intelligence takeover, however, as machines will never have the wisdom and experience that comes with being human. "Wisdom is from the heart," Ma said.

Yoshua Bengio has never been one to take sides. As one of the three intellects who shaped the deep learning that now dominates artificial intelligence, he has been catapulted to stardom. It's a field so new the people who can advance it fit into one room together, and everyone--from tech startups to multinational conglomerates and the department of defense--wants a share of their minds. But while his peer scientists Yann LeCun and Geoffrey Hinton have signed on to Facebook and Google, respectively, Bengio, 53, has chosen to continue working from his small third-floor office on the hilltop campus of the University of Montreal. "I want to remain a neutral agent," he says as he sips rust-colored licorice water, which he pours from a carafe that acts as a weight for the mess of papers cluttering his desk. Sign up to get Backchannel's weekly newsletter. Like the nuclear scientists of the last century, Bengio understands that the tools he's invented are powerful beyond measure and must be cultivated with great forethought and widespread consideration. "We don't want one or two companies, which I will not name, to be the only big players in town for AI," he says, raising his eyebrows to indicate that we both know which companies he means. One eyebrow is in Menlo Park; the other is in Mountain View. That's why Bengio has recently chosen to forego his neutrality, signing on with Microsoft.

The General Election has been and gone, but questions remain regarding the suitability of Theresa May as Britain's premier. Nonetheless, as part of traditional ritual, MPs have once again descended upon the House of Lords for the reading of the Queen's Speech, where Her Majesty details the formal plan for the current government. Brexit and Britain's security were the banner announcements, but technology also played a key part, with driverless cars and spaceports the notable inclusions. In last year's Queen's Speech, the government rammed home the message that Britain will become a leader in autonomous transportation. It's largely the same this year, with Theresa May outlining the need for car insurance to cover the use of self-driving cars so that "compensation claims continue to be paid quickly, fairly, and easily."