My daughter had been hounding me for days to mail Santa Claus her Christmas list, but I kept putting it off. Then this week, she had a change of heart and told me it's OK if we wait until the last minute, because "most of the toys are made by machines, and the elves just have to turn them on." Even a five year old, it seems, understands how modern manufacturing has changed, and her insight got me thinking about the future of elf jobs. With advances in automation and machine-learning, elf technology is getting really good. Engineers are focusing their efforts on designing "the machine that builds the machine," promising to spit out toys as fast as bubbles from a bubble machine.

This year delivered a whole host of body blows to the UK's thriving startup sector. There has been an investor slowdown, few notable IPOs, increased market volatility and shining lights sold abroad. Then there was the biggest punch of them all, the Brexit vote to leave the European Union and all of the issues this brings up for a sector reliant on foreign talent. So what can the UK tech startup scene expect in 2017? It will no doubt be a year of further turmoil, and startups will need to be prepared for the worst, but there are also green shoots of hope for smart founders and investors who are focusing on the right areas.

Tesla's new AI autopilot could roll out next week: Elon Musk says cars with latest hardware are set to get more self-driving features Tesla could be giving its customers a late Christmas present – an upgraded Autopilot that will add more self-driving features to newer Model S and Model X cars. CEO Elon Musk shared a tweet on Friday confirming that they'might be ready to rollout most of Autopilot functionality for HW2 towards the end of next week' Dubai police launch AI that can spot crimes BEFORE they... What humans will look like in 100 years: Expert reveals the... Travelling star heading towards Earth could cause a... Are aliens trying to contact Earth? Dubai police launch AI that can spot crimes BEFORE they... What humans will look like in 100 years: Expert reveals the... Travelling star heading towards Earth could cause a... Are aliens trying to contact Earth? Models built after October will have hardware capable of a long list of features, but have been waiting for a software update The latest update would push Tesla's autopilot capabilities even further towards full automation, enabling Level 5 automation of vehicles Guests throw chairs as huge fight breaks out during wedding Male guests in a Chinese wedding flock to harass a bridesmaid A young thug is filmed fly kicking a lady in the back Man's amazing backflip saves child from out of control car Girl walks around London with no jeans - can the public tell? Man's amazing backflip saves child from out of control car Girl walks around London with no jeans - can the public tell?

By 2020 it is estimated that the global internet of things (IoT) market will have grown to more than $1.7 trillion. According to a study by Gartner, by the end of this year alone the number of IoT devices on the planet will have reached more than 4 billion. It is not unreasonable to suggest that by the end of this decade, these devices will outnumber humans. Such exponential growth has facilitated two major developments. It has boosted technology markets around the world and it has warped the landscape of cyberspace.

Uber moved a fleet of self-driving vehicles to Arizona on Friday after California insisted it comply with local rules -- a move that highlights the regulatory discrepancies governing this new technology between states. The California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the registration of 16 Uber cars Wednesday because Uber refused to apply for a permit for testing autonomous vehicles. Uber's response: shipping the cars to a state where no such permits are required. It's a tactic that could have consequences for California's future as a hub for self-driving technology, some experts said. Though California allows companies to test self-driving vehicles on its roads, it has established strict regulatory barriers.

Crime Prediction software analyzes existing patterns from police databases It uses the data to predict when and where an event is likely to occur next It's hoped this can alert patrol teams to which districts may need more attention It's hoped this can alert patrol teams to which districts may need more attention Nanotech'superbatteries' that can last longer and charge... Water discovery! Scientists find a new state of matter for... Travelling star heading towards Earth could cause a... Consumer Reports refuses to recommend Apple's new MacBook... Nanotech'superbatteries' that can last longer and charge... Water discovery! Scientists find a new state of matter for... Travelling star heading towards Earth could cause a... Consumer Reports refuses to recommend Apple's new MacBook... Minority Report-style crime prediction has edged closer to reality with a new AI software launched in Dubai. Guests throw chairs as huge fight breaks out during wedding Male guests in a Chinese wedding flock to harass a bridesmaid A young thug is filmed fly kicking a lady in the back Man's amazing backflip saves child from out of control car Girl walks around London with no jeans - can the public tell? Man's amazing backflip saves child from out of control car Girl walks around London with no jeans - can the public tell?

Would YOU eat a 3D-printed turkey? Experts say'Frankenfood' will be the future of Christmas dinners Is THIS the future of business? World's biggest hedge fund... Will this month's leap second break the internet? Google... Police trial'Big Brother' AI system that is so powerful it... Tesla's Autopilot will now stick to the speed limit: Update... Is THIS the future of business? World's biggest hedge fund... Will this month's leap second break the internet?

Uber has ended its brief driverless car experiment in San Francisco -- though not before trying to pull off a bit of corporate gymnastics. Earlier this month, Uber announced it had brought "self-driving" cars to its hometown, with much fanfare. Two days later, however, Uber was clarifying that the vehicles aren't really as "self-driving" as the name suggested. In fact, they require a human operator. The clarification came after Uber refused to comply with California state regulations that require a special permit for companies testing self-driving technology.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The image was startling, but a look into what could be tech's immediate future. After being ostracized by the tech industry for most of the election year, there sat venture capitalist Peter Thiel, beaming, to the left of President-elect Donald Trump at the Trump Tower Tech summit in mid-December. Silicon Valley's billionaire leaders had disavowed Trump during the campaign, throwing their weight behind rival Hillary Clinton. Only Thiel stumped for the real-estate mogul, and after the tech industry had turned on him for that and his role in Gawker's failure, he was luxuriating in the I-told-you-so moment. Tech tries to get Trump's ear after shunning him during campaign Trump tells tech leaders'There's nobody like you in the world' The display of power portends a roiling year or two in tech.

Every year, financial services magazine Euromoney gives out numerous awards for excellence to firms in many categories, at country, regional, and global levels. The story of its digital transformation is all the more remarkable because one of its goals for its technology – in fact, for the entire bank – is to disappear from view. DBS is a midsized Asian bank with about 22,000 employees, created by the Government of Singapore in 1968 to help modernize the island nation. However, when DBS brought in Paul Cobban, who is now Chief Operating Officer, Technology and Operations for DBS, to spearhead the bank's transformation in 2009, they were far from best – in fact, they were among the worst. Cobban recalls an eye-opening story from his first day at the bank. "I was in a taxi and I mentioned I worked at DBS," Cobban recalls.