Elon Musk is warning that artificial intelligence is a "fundamental existential risk for human civilization," and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is looking into how states can respond. Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, made the remarks over the weekend at the National Governors Association meeting in Rhode Island. He has long warned of the threats he believes artificial intelligence will pose, from automation to apocalypse. Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking and others have also sounded warnings over AI. "Of all the things that I heard over this weekend with the National Governors Association, this was the one that I've spent more time thinking about," says Hickenlooper, a Democrat. Not everyone at the NGA meeting received Musk's comments as warmly as Hickenlooper.

And he called for the establishment of a new government regulator that would force companies building artificial intelligence technology to slow down. People who spend more time working on artificial intelligence than the car, space, and solar entrepreneur say his eschatological scenarios risk distracting from more pressing concerns as artificial intelligence technology percolates into every industry. His propensity for raising sci-fi scenarios comes despite being very directly exposed to some of the near-term questions raised by artificial intelligence. We might also fear the risk of apocalyptic talk preventing awareness that society has more immediate AI problems to work on too.

In 1899, the world's most powerful nations signed a treaty at The Hague that banned military use of aircraft, fearing the emerging technology's destructive power. Five years later the moratorium was allowed to expire, and before long aircraft were helping to enable the slaughter of World War I. "Some technologies are so powerful as to be irresistible," says Greg Allen, a fellow at the Center for New American Security, a non-partisan Washington DC think tank. "Militaries around the world have essentially come to the same conclusion with respect to artificial intelligence." Allen is coauthor of a 132-page new report on the effect of artificial intelligence on national security. One of its conclusions is that the impact of technologies such as autonomous robots on war and international relations could rival that of nuclear weapons.

Hackers could have used a vulnerability in electric scooters to cause road traffic collisions, researchers have revealed. They found a number of "critical" security flaws in a popular type of self-balancing electric scooter – also widely known as a'hoverboard' – that could let criminals remotely take control of one, even if it was being driven at the time. If they wanted to, they could throw the rider off by making it come to an abrupt stop, or even drive it into traffic. The I.F.O. is fuelled by eight electric engines, which is able to push the flying object to an estimated top speed of about 120mph. The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session A man looks at an exhibit entitled'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Electrification Guru Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart talks about the electric Jaguar I-PACE concept SUV before it was unveiled before the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S The Jaguar I-PACE Concept car is the start of a new era for Jaguar.

'Happy' Afghan girls compete at robotics meet after US visa woes Video provided by AFP Newslook Lida Azizi, right, and other members of the Afghanistan team make a repair to their robot after their first round competing in the FIRST Global Robotics Challenge, July 17, 2017, in Washington. But the Afghan girls competing Monday in an international robotics competition in Washington were clearly excited to be representing their nation. The teams play in alliances of three nations, with two alliances competing head to head in 2 ½ minute games. Afghan girls robotics team can finally compete in D.C.

Rachel Whetstone, the former top public relations executive at Uber, is joining Facebook as vice-president of communications for Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger. Whetstone, a British public relations guru who worked for some of the UK's most powerful Conservative politicians, stepped down as head of public policy and communications at Uber in April following a string of corporate scandals. Before Uber, Whetstone worked at Google as the head of communications and public policy. "It's a real privilege to be joining the Facebook family," Whetstone said in a statement. "Products like WhatsApp have become an important part of my life – making it so much easier to stay in touch with my own family and friends."

A recent interview shed some light on how the president feels about Chief Strategist Stephen K. Bannon. Kushner walks with Steve Bannon at Indianapolis International Airport on Dec. 1, 2016. Before Steve Bannon oversaw the conservative Breitbart News Network and, subsequently, joined then-candidate Donald Trump's campaign, the chief political strategist became a player in Hollywood and ... World of Warcraft. Bannon's migration from banker at Goldman Sachs to his current post in Trump's inner circle is chronicled in the new book Devil's Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Storming of the Presidency, out Tuesday, by Joshua Green, a reporter with Bloomberg Businessweek. "You can activate that army. They come in through Gamergate or whatever and then get turned onto politics and Trump."

The maker of the world's most deadly firearm has unveiled plans for a radical AI controlled gun for the Russian military. Kalashnikov, best known for its AK-47 rifle, is building'a range of products based on neural networks,' including a'fully automated combat module' that can identify and shoot at its targets. The new products were revealed in an interview with Kalashnikov spokeswoman Sofiya Ivanova by TASS, a Russian government information agency. The Kalashnikov'combat module' will consist of a gun connected to a console that constantly analyses image data to identify targets. According to Kalashnikov it will be able to'make decisions' on whether to shoot.

US Navy officers are currently testing the world's first drone-killing laser capable of blasting targets with 30kW of power. The $40 million (£30 million) super laser moves at the speed of light and is'more precise than a bullet', according to naval officers. Live-tests of the new super laser have now begun in the Persian Gulf, and officials have predicted that it will be used in combat by 2020. While laser weapons have been a staple in science fiction films for decades, the US military is inching closer to making these a reality. US Navy officers are currently testing the world's first drone-killing laser capable of blasting targets with 30kW of power (pictured) The LaWS, which stands for Laser Weapons System, is currently being tested on board the USS Ponce amphibious transport ship.

If you live in a big city, you've probably experienced the frustration of rushing to the subway only to realize--eventually--that it's delayed and you would have been better off walking or taking the bus. What if there were digital screens mounted on street corners that warned you the subway was running late and directed you to other forms of transportation? And what if those screens also notified you of community events, listed daily pollution levels, and solicited your opinion on local government initiatives? Such a scenario may soon be reality in London and New York. Both cities are replacing outdated phone booths with Wi-Fi kiosks that have embedded computing tablets, USB charging ports, keypads for making phone calls, and large screens that display relevant information to passersby.