President Obama geeks out & calls for citizen science to push the frontiers of the future of humanity.

As technologist Joi Ito, director of the MIT Media Lab and a board member at the The New York Times and at Sony, recently predicted, "This is the year artificial intelligence becomes more than just a computer science problem." This week, the White House issued a formal position paper with 23 recommendations on artificial intelligence. Let me cut to the chase: they don't think superhuman A.I. is imminent. While you're relaxing in the good news, take in the pleasant surprise that the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), which advises the President in policy and budget development, coordinated efforts to deliver this cohesive position paper. The outcome is a chunky, committee-clarified read, but for all that, it cuts to the chase on big issues in nontechnical language.

Three key guiding philosophies were presented across the reports: AI needs to augment humanity instead of replacing it, AI needs to be ethical, and there must be an equal opportunity for everyone to develop these systems. Human-machine collaboration in its many forms is major theme in the reports, titled "Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence" and "National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan." "The walls between humans and AI systems are slowly beginning to erode, with AI systems augmenting and enhancing human capabilities," the Strategic Plan report says. The White House imagines virtual personal assistants housed in smart glasses, automated factories that assist humans in complex building tasks, and systems that provide better data for farmers, all in the context that these could be job creators and not job stealers.

The German government is warning the nation's Tesla owners about the dangers of putting too much trust in their cars' Autopilot system. Reuters reports that the German Transport Ministry has taken the step of sending a letter to all of them as a reminder that they are ultimately responsible for the operation of their vehicles, and that Autopilot is merely an assist system. The feature, which can autonomously maintain the car's speed, brake for obstacles, steer within a lane and even change lanes on command, became a point of controversy after a driver in Florida suffered a fatal crash while using it. An internal report from the German Transport Ministry called it a "considerable traffic hazard," according to Der Spiegel. Since launching it last year, Tesla has modified the way Autopilot operates, in part to prevent its misuse, by restricting how long and at what speeds drivers are able to remove their hands from the wheel.

TYSONS CORNER, VA, Oct. 13, 2016 -- In-Q-Tel has partnered with Brainspace in an investment agreement that seeks to advance the latter's machine learning and data analytics tools to support digital investigations, ExecutiveBiz reported Wednesday. Brainspace said Tuesday the partnership also serves to build on its efforts to meet the operational requirements of the Intelligence Community. About Executive Mosaic: Founded in 2002, Executive Mosaic is a leadership organization and media company. It provides its members an opportunity to learn from peer business executives and government thought leaders while providing an interactive forum to develop key business and partnering relationships. Executive Mosaic offers highly coveted executive events, breaking business news on the Government Contracting industry, and delivers robust and reliable content through seven influential websites and four consequential E-newswires.

Carahsoft Technology and IPsoft have partnered to offer the latter company's artificial intelligence-based digital labor platforms through the General Services Administration's Schedule contract vehicle. The partnership aims to drive demand for IPsoft's AI offerings across the public sector market, Carahsoft said Wednesday. "Federal organizations are under considerable pressure to deliver more with less, particularly when it comes to improving their service to citizens," said Brian O'Donnell, a Carahsoft vice president. O'Donnell said the addition of IPSoft's digital labor products to Carahsoft's GSA schedule will help resellers and government clients to automate computing processes and provide a digital customer service experience. IPsoft's AI platforms include the Amelia virtual agent designed to automate human interaction, read natural language, understand context and apply logic to address problems.

A rotary wing unmanned air vehicle from the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Pacific, lifts off as part of the first-ever Unmanned Warrior, a research and training exercise. The Royal Navy is testing out more than 50 autonomous vehicles, including drones and submersibles in one of the largest demonstration of marine robotic systems. Held off the coast of west Scotland and west Wales, the Unmanned Warrior event is a showcase for aerial, surface and underwater Maritime Autonomous Systems (MAS) from 40 companies. Demonstrations will include the use of autonomous vehicles for surveillance, intelligence-gathering and mine countermeasures. The Royal Navy said that autonomous systems like this "could transform the way in which the armed forces of the future help keep Britain safe".

Artificial intelligence, and technology in general, will have a crucial role to play in society's progress, that is the view of the UK and American governments anyway. This Thursday President Obama announced at the first White House Frontier Conference that more than 300 million in funding, through partnerships, will be released for tech innovations that will improve healthcare, develop smart cities and enhance America's space ambition. "We may be in a slightly different period now, simply because of the pervasive applicability of AI and other technologies," said President Obama in a video shown at the start of the conference. President Obama believes AI, in particular, will be able to help solve the biggest crises that face the world, such as disease, famine, climate change and economic inequality. Others, like Tesla CEO Elon Musk, suggest AI's rise will be the biggest threat to the survival of the human race.

Barack Obama might be the most powerful man in the world, but at heart he's just a science nerd - as he proved while touring the White House Frontiers Conference Thursday. The commander-in-geek was clearly in his element as he stepped off Air Force One in Pittburgh and headed to the event, which showcases thrilling innovations in tech. There, a clearly delighted President fist-bumped a paralyzed man who uses a mind-controlled robotic hand, goofed around with a baby in a Nasa T-shirt and got a taste of astronaut life. The President beamed as he took docked a virtual shuttle into the International Space Station on a Boeing Starliner Flight Simulator that had been installed at the event, held in Carnegie Mellon University. 'Your ride is here, baby,' Obama said after docking the simulator on the International Space Station.

Russian officials have unveiled a'microwave gun' that can disable an unmanned drone and even a missile from up to 0.6 miles (1km) away. The first sample of the weapons have been revealed following a secretive Russian Defense Ministry exhibition. The'death ray' will be used to target enemy drones and apparently deactivates the radios of UAVs and warheads, causing them to lose control. Russian officials have unveiled a'microwave gun' that can disable an unmanned drone and even a missile from up to 0.6 miles (1km) away. A Krasukha, a Russian electronic warfare system, is pictured.