Get used to hearing a lot more about artificial intelligence. Even if you discount the utopian and dystopian hyperbole, the 21st century will broadly be defined not just by advancements in artificial intelligence, robotics, computing and cognitive neuroscience, but how we manage them. For some, the question of whether or not the human race will live to see a 22nd century turns upon this latter consideration. While forecasting the imminence of an AI-centric future remains a matter of intense debate, we will need to come to terms with it. For now, there are many more questions than answers.

The UK government is due to publish its long awaited Digital Strategy later today, about a year later than originally slated. Existing delays having been compounded by the shock of Brexit. Drafts of the strategy framework seen by TechCrunch suggest its scope and ambition vis-a-vis digital technologies has been pared back and repositioned vs earlier formulations of the plan, dating from December 2015 and June 2016, as the government recalibrated to factor in last summer's referendum vote for the UK to leave the European Union. Since the earlier drafts were penned there has also of course been a change of leadership (and direction) at the top of government. And Prime Minister Theresa May appointed a new cabinet, including digital minister, Matt Hancock, who replaced Ed Vaizey.

There has certainly been no lack of punditry and controversy in the US regarding the hacking of John Podesta's email account (along with the DNC email hack), with some claiming they were responsible for Mrs. Clinton's loss in the election. I will leave the impact of these claims to those who write and talk about politics. I don't discuss politics in a work setting, so will leave that aspect to them. What I would like to address is the security infrastructure versus security posture that made this hack possible. For the uninitiated, Mr. Podesta received a targeted phishing email directing him to reset his password.

When the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in June, ultimately tanking the British pound, traders with access to Cambridge, Massachusetts-based artificial intelligence platform Kensho had a special advantage. With a few keystrokes on Kensho's AI-powered platform, traders quickly combed through an intelligence-grade database of information and in seconds learned that populist votes such as Brexit historically led to an extended drop in the local currency, washing out any short-term recovery. That's exactly what happened in the days and months after Brexit. The pound plunged to three-decade lows in July, sinking to $1.28 versus the dollar, before rallying slightly to $1.33. The currency has been in a slump since then and currently sits at $1.24.

Helicopter drones which could shoot down Islamic State's new remote-controlled weapons are under development, the Defence Secretary announced yesterday. Sir Michael Fallon said the terror group's latest drone tactics in Iraq – in which they drop grenades from the skies – had been a'wake-up call' for Britain. Unmanned craft would enable the UK to stay ahead of enemies as they would be faster, fly for longer, and spare pilots from any risk, he said. In a speech at Oxford University to engineers and academics, he said drone wars were the future, adding: 'Science fiction will soon be science fact. Unmanned warfare is coming absolutely.'

When the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in June, ultimately tanking the British pound, traders with access to Cambridge, Massachusetts-based artificial intelligence platform Kensho had a special advantage. With a few keystrokes on Kensho's AI-powered platform, traders quickly combed through an intelligence-grade database of information and in seconds learned that populist votes such as Brexit historically led to an extended drop in the local currency, washing out any short-term recovery. That's exactly what happened in the days and months after Brexit. The pound plunged to three-decade lows in July, sinking to $1.28 versus the dollar, before rallying slightly to $1.33. The currency has been in a slump since then and currently sits at $1.24.

Predator drones will no longer haunt the sky above parts of the Middle East and Africa, though another type of drone will take their place. MQ-1 predators and other military drones have launched hellfire missiles in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and other nations. The predator's been around for more than two decades. SEE ALSO: Video of'chubby' tigers taking down a drone may be way darker than you think The reaper drones that will take its place are faster, have better sensors and can carry more explosive power, according to the Defense Department. Reapers have been used in tandem with predators for a decade, but next year predators will give way to their more advanced counterparts entirely, allowing the military to eliminate training costs for the lesser of the two types of drones.

In George Orwell's classic dystopian novel, "1984," every house is equipped with a Telescreen, a monitoring device enabling government surveillance. Amazon is trying to prevent its Echo/Alexa from turning into just that. Amazon is hoping to keep its Alexa devices from being a tool of government listening, which could inhibit people from buying them. Accordingly, the Seattle-based company has filed a motion to prevent recorded audio from an Echo being used as evidence in a criminal trial. Last year, police in Arkansas sought to obtain recordings captured by Echo as evidence in a 2015 murder case.

The next big goal in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is to make them fully autonomous. The belief is that this will be the only way drones can deliver goods to customers from a mobile platform or return to a warship moving at high speeds in the ocean. Researchers at University of Cincinnati's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences are tackling the issue of drones and precision landing by using a type of artificial intelligence, which they call fuzzy logic. Researchers test drones using fuzzy logic, a type of artificial intelligence, in order for precision landing on moving targets. Source: University of Cincinnati "[A drone] has to land within a designated area, with a small margin of error," says Manish Kumar, associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Cincinnati.

Dyson, the technology company, is to undergo a dramatic expansion in the UK by opening a new 210 hectare (517 acre) campus as part of a £2.5bn investment that will support its development of new battery technologies and robotics. The company, led by the billionaire inventor Sir James Dyson, will increase its UK geographical footprint tenfold by developing the campus on a former Ministry of Defence airfield and intends to at least double its workforce of 3,500 over the next few years. The new facility in Hullavington, Wiltshire is part of a £2.5bn investment by Dyson in new technologies and will focus on research and development. The size of the campus and the company's work on batteries, robotics and artificial intelligence will increase speculation that Dyson is developing a driverless electric car. Theresa May said said: "This investment is a vote of confidence in our modern industrial strategy and our determination to cement the UK's position as a world leader in high-tech engineering. "Dyson's exporting strength and commitment to creating jobs in Britain is a real success story that demonstrates the opportunity that our plan to create a truly global Britain can present." The expansion plan is a boost for the government amid growing speculation about the future of other key industrial facilities. BMW is considering building its new electric Minis in Germany rather than its factory at Oxford. There are also concerns that jobs could be lost at Vauxhall's factories in Ellesmere Port and Luton if PSA Group, the owner of Peugeot, completes a deal to buy parent company General Motors' European business. Dyson was one of the most prominent business leaders to publicly support Brexit before the referendum in June. His company has developed from a business specialising in bagless vacuum cleaners into a fast-growing multinational technology company selling bladeless fans, air purifiers, hand-dryers, hairdryers and robotic vacuum cleaners. Dyson said he did not understand claims that the UK is suffering from economic uncertainty and that the prospect of the country leaving the EU had not dissuaded him from investing. "We have got the opportunity to export globally – Europe is only 15% of global trade and declining.