Ben Dickson is a software engineer and the founder of TechTalks. As artificial intelligence and machine learning mature and manifest their potential to take on complicated tasks, we've become somewhat expectant that robots can succeed where humans have failed -- namely, in putting aside personal biases when making decisions. But as recent cases have shown, like all disruptive technologies, machine learning introduces its own set of unexpected challenges and sometimes yields results that are wrong, unsavory, offensive and not aligned with the moral and ethical standards of human society. While some of these stories might sound amusing, they do lead us to ponder the implications of a future where robots and artificial intelligence take on more critical responsibilities and will have to be held responsible for the possibly wrong decisions they make. At its core, machine learning uses algorithms to parse data, extract patterns, learn and make predictions and decisions based on the gleaned insights.

Self-driving Uber cars are making'dangerous and illegal' turns across bike lanes Forget buttons: BMW reveals its future cars could have... Facebook faces £100 million fine after EU accuses it of... The first robot-human marriage will take place before 2050,... Would YOU try it? Bizarre robot'lips' let you kiss... Forget buttons: BMW reveals its future cars could have... Facebook faces £100 million fine after EU accuses it of... The first robot-human marriage will take place before 2050,... Would YOU try it? Bizarre robot'lips' let you kiss...

A new study has shown human altruism is a trait that separates us from our primate cousins, making us unique. Europe's earliest humans were raw foodies: 1.2... Would YOU try it? Bizarre robot'lips' let you kiss... Sex robots could reveal your secret perversions: Handing... Climate change is causing Arctic lake ice cover to melt ONE... Europe's earliest humans were raw foodies: 1.2... Would YOU try it? Bizarre robot'lips' let you kiss... Sex robots could reveal your secret perversions: Handing... Climate change is causing Arctic lake ice cover to melt ONE... In the past, scientists suggested the roots of human altruism extend down at least as far as our common ancestor with chimpanzees.

I expected to feel a little out of place at the swanky university event for bioethics. My wife, a professor with expertise in the field, had invited me. But when I introduced myself as a software engineer to the attendees, many wanted to talk about one thing -- artificial intelligence (AI). How would it affect society? What are the goods and the bads?

Virtual touch screen uses reflections to give the illusion of a floating display A camera tracks the driver's hand movements and registers input The system then offers tactile feedback to the user in the form of a pulse HoloActive Touch will be debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas from the 5th to 8th of January A camera tracks the driver's hand movements and registers input The interface, dubbed HoloActive Touch, will allow users to alter settings and access music and other media in their vehicle without having to touch the controls. How safe is your fitness tracker? Hackers could steal your... BlackBerry sets its sights on self driving cars: Firm... The tiles that make buildings INVISIBLE: Smart... Will the iPhone 8 ditch glass for PLASTIC? How safe is your fitness tracker?

An expert has said we will marry robots before 2050, at a robot sex conference He also thinks sex with robots will be more enjoyable than with other humans Comments were made by Dr David Levy, author of'Love and Sex with Robots' Comments were made by Dr David Levy, author of'Love and Sex with Robots' Humans will marry robots in the next 35 years, according to a sex robot expert. Sex robots could reveal your secret perversions: Handing... Sex bots could KILL: Experts warn owners'risk... How safe is your fitness tracker? The $2500 holographic'girlfriend' that can double as a... Sex robots could reveal your secret perversions: Handing... Sex bots could KILL: Experts warn owners'risk... How safe is your fitness tracker? The $2500 holographic'girlfriend' that can double as a... Earlier this year a graphic designer created a life-like replica of actress Scarlett Johansson (pictured) which is not a sex robot but winks and giggles when people tell her she's cute. First human marriage to a robot will happen BEFORE 2050 by which time sexbots will be'more attractive than humans' First human marriage to a robot will happen BEFORE 2050 by which time sexbots will be'more attractive than humans' Girl shouts at her poor Grandpa over her iPhone appointment Group of killer whales prowl seas and attack shark Adorable Hamster gets Shot and pretends to be dead Baby'sings' Christmas carol - with a little help from daddy BMW driver tries to ram car off the road after slip lane mishap U.S. Ambassador attacker detained moments after slashing Woman riding motorbike is catapulted into air after collision Koala covered in burrs gets his fur groomed in adorable video Kung Fu truck driver gets revenge on man who stole his phone Hungarian-American actress Zsa Zsa Gabor dead at 99 Prisoner batters officer who finds him recording show on laptop Adorable baby pug takes his first bath and enjoys it SO MUCH Baby'sings' Christmas carol - with a little help from daddy U.S. Ambassador attacker detained moments after slashing Germany at war: Berlin on'significant' alert of second... Donald Trump wins Electoral College - as attempts to cause... Horror as Russian ambassador to Turkey is shot dead in art... 'I'm starving.

I have been writing these forecasts, largely with an emphasis on the data space, since the late 1990s. I do these less to proclaim my own prognostication scores (which run about 70% or so - not bad but not great) and more as an exercise to determine where I personally will be focusing on. In the last eighteen years, I have never found a year that was as filled with uncertainty as 2016 has been (2000 was perhaps the next worst, followed by 2007). These are inflection points in the economy, where trends usually break. For 2017, the political climate will have an impact in a way that is unprecedented on IT, and likely not for the good. However, this has been the season for unexpected results.

There's few of reasons why TechCrunch Disrupt (sign up here to get news about the next one) is so effective for startups. The combination of breaking news on stage and brand new companies in the Battlefield competition draws in the media and investors. And investors can easily walk a curated hall of new startups in Startup Alley, knowing that we have worked hard to bring the best and the brightest. And in theory you could get to see everything, because there aren't thousands upon thousands of people to plough through. With over 2,300 attendees in-person and more than 2.5M video views online, Disrupt London was our most watched European event ever.

She says that connected sex toys could store incredibly personal data, raising concerns over how it could be used in future. One expert has warned that these connected sex toys, including sex robots, could store incredibly personal data, raising concerns over how it could be used in future. 'Right now my big concern is about data,' said Dr Kate Devlin, from the Department of Computing at Goldsmiths, University of London. With people often ticking the boxes to agree with terms and conditions without even reading them, the consequences could be huge. But it depends on how any saved data is used, explained Dr Devlin.

With its controversial seizure and return of a U.S. underwater drone, Beijing may have inadvertently thrust into the spotlight one of the main motivations behind its ramped-up moves in the South China Sea: the quest to create a safe-haven for its sea-based nuclear deterrent. Submarines, in particular ballistic missile subs, have long figured prominently in China's desire to match the capabilities and prestige of other major nuclear powers. Slowly but surely, experts say, Beijing has made progress on this front, building a formidable program that began very early in the ruling Communist Party's history. But securing the credibility of its overall nuclear deterrent has been a challenge. "In particular, experts worry that growing U.S. missile defense, conventional precision strike, and space-based surveillance capability together allow for sophisticated preemptive attacks that pose a significant threat to China's land-based nuclear forces," Tong Zhao, a fellow at the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy, wrote in a June report on China's sea-based nuclear deterrent.