What then needs to be done in order to shift the balance to other regions? We need to build more "AI ecosystems". If there are more ecosystems focused on AI, then everyone will be better prepared for what researchers, the business community, analysts and investors identify as the "next big thing". Moreover, creating more ecosystems of this kind will help policymakers better address the challenges, opportunities and even the threat created by the implementation of artificial intelligence. But, in pursuing this goal, we need to realize that we don't need any sort of ecosystem, but the "right kind" of ecosystem.

From a vacuum Martian airship to an artificial gravity chamber, NASA has revealed a host of new proposals that could push human and robotic exploration of space even further. The space agency is investing in 22 early-stage projects for further development, many of which tap into ideas that once existed only in science fiction. While the radical projects could take years before they can be used in a NASA mission, if at all, the agency says they could soon'expand how we explore the universe.' Among the proposals, NASA invested in a radical idea to create a sci-fi-like Mach Effect Thruster propulsion system. This would produce thrust'without the irreversible ejection of propellant, eliminating the need to carry propellant' NASA has selected Phase I and II awards for its 2017 Innovative Advanced Concepts portfolio.

As government agencies are beginning to turn over security to automated systems that can teach themselves, the idea that hackers can sneakily influence those systems is becoming the latest (and perhaps the greatest) new concern for cybersecurity professionals. Adversarial machine learning is a research field that "lies at the intersection of machine learning and computer security," according to Wikipedia. "It aims to enable the safe adoption of machine-learning techniques in adversarial settings like spam filtering, malware detection and biometric recognition." According to Nicolas Papernot, Google PhD Fellow in Security at Pennsylvania State University, AML seeks to better understand the behavior of machine-learning algorithms once they are deployed in adversarial settings -- that is, "any setting where the adversary has an incentive, may it be financial or of some other nature, to force the machine-learning algorithms to misbehave." "Unfortunately, current machine-learning models have a large attack surface as they were designed and trained to have good average performance, but not necessarily worst-case performance, which is typically what is sought after from a security perspective," Papernot said.

The findings tie in with Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders' (SMMT) Connected Car conference on Thursday, which explores how the technology will transform the industry and the opportunities it presents. "The benefits of connected and autonomous vehicles are life-changing, offering more people greater independence, freedom to socialise, work and earn more, and access services more easily," said Mike Hawes, chief executive of the trade body, which predicts that self-driving cars will be commonplace by the 2030s. "Fully autonomous cars will be a step change for society, and this report shows people are already seeing their benefits. The challenge now is to create the conditions that will allow this technology to thrive." The research also found that six out of 10 people believe self-driving cars will improve their quality of life, with this rising to seven out of 10 for people aged 17 to 24.

Flights of nearly all unmanned aircraft, or drones, have been banned over 133 U.S. military facilities due to security concerns over the use of unauthorized drones, the Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday.

The FAA's agreement with the Defense Department restricts drone flights to up to 400 feet (120 meters) high within the boundaries of the facilities. The restrictions are effective beginning April 14. Only a few exceptions will be permitted and they must be coordinated with the individual facility or the FAA.

The cyberdefense industry needs to quit playing catch-up and having a reactionary approach to cybersecurity. So what is this industry doing wrong, and how can we change it? We must recognize that our cyberdefense technologies are not working and will not work. Cases in point: Our most sensitive cyberoffense technologies have been hacked; power companies admit they would have great difficulty stopping a cyberattack and are being asked to be prepared to operate at much less than full capacity under a cyberattack; 70 percent of oil and gas companies have been attacked -- and the threat is growing. The cybersecurity industry is in chaos and needs to move toward new technologies -- cyberdefense technologies that are beginning to leverage analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI).

While visiting Japan and interviewing officials on the robotics revolution that is sweeping much of Asia, it became clearer than ever to me that President Donald Trump's plans to bring back low-skilled manufacturing jobs to America are a political illusion. Trump should take some time off from the golf course and visit this part of the world, where he would see how fast Japan, China and South Korea are developing their robotics industries. They are replacing massive numbers of workers with ever faster, more efficient and cheaper robots, and the United States will have to do the same to remain competitive. If Trump goes ahead with his plans to clamp down on U.S. free trade agreements with Mexico and other lower-wage countries in order to bring these jobs back to America, he will be wasting his time. These jobs will never go back to American workers.

Over 8,000 drivers for Uber and Lyft are now not allowed to drive in Massachusetts. Aaron Dickens has the story. SAN FRANCISCO -- Anyone reading the tea leaves on how the Trump administration may treat ride-hailing and self-driving car companies was just handed a bit more tea. The White House said late Thursday that Trump would nominate Lyft general manager Derek Kan to join the Department of Transportation as under secretary of transportation for policy. Plans for the appointment were initially reported by Reuters.

FILE - In this June 1, 2014 file photo, people cycle towards the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany. Officials and cycling campaigners in Berlin have agreed to massively expand bike lanes with the goal of reducing car traffic in the German capital. Local media report that the two sides agreed on an annual investment of some 50 million euros ($53 million). Berlin daily B.Z. reported Friday. April 7, 2017 that the money will be used to create protected bike lines of the kind seen in Chicago and New York, build 100 kilometers of dedicate cycling highways and install 100,000 bike parking spaces.