FILE- In this March 1, 2013 file photo, anti-Syrian President Bashar Assad protesters hold the Jabhat al-Nusra flag, as they shout slogans during a demonstration, at Kafranbel town, in Idlib province, northern Syria. Insurgent groups like Hezbollah and the Islamic State group in Syria have learned how to weaponize surveillance drones and use them against each other, adding a new twist to the country's civil war, a U.S. military official and others say. FILE- In this March 1, 2013 file photo, anti-Syrian President Bashar Assad protesters hold the Jabhat al-Nusra flag, as they shout slogans during a demonstration, at Kafranbel town, in Idlib province, northern Syria. Insurgent groups like Hezbollah and the Islamic State group in Syria have learned how to weaponize surveillance drones and use them against each other, adding a new twist to the country's civil war, a U.S. military official and others say. WASHINGTON (AP) -- French and Kurdish forces in northern Iraq were attacked by an exploding drone, the Pentagon said Wednesday, adding a new worry to the wars in Iraq and Syria as militant groups learn to weaponize their store-bought drones.

Just one day after announcing his plans to get humans to Mars by the 2030s, President Obama's thoughts on artificial intelligence have been revealed. According to the president, AI has been'seeping into our lives' for some time, even in ways we don't notice – and while there are many potential benefits that come with the technology, there may be grim consequences as well. The rise of'specialized AI' could deepen income inequality and make low-skilled employees become redundant in the workforce, Obama warned in an interview with Wired, and advanced, self-teaching algorithms could pose threats to the stock exchange and national security. According to the president, AI has been'seeping into our lives' for some time, even in ways we don't notice – and while there are many potential benefits that come with the technology, there may be grim consequences as well The White House has released a report and strategic plan regarding future directions and considerations for AI. The report, entitled Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence, examines the current state of AI, along with its applications both now and in the future, and outlines a series of recommendations to ensure safe use.

British lawmakers want more transparency and less bias in decision-making -- not their own, of course, but in decisions made by AI systems. As more and more software systems and connected devices employ artificial intelligence technologies to make decisions for their owners, the lawmakers want to know what's behind their thinking. The U.K. Parliament's Science and Technology Committee has been studying the need for more regulation in the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence. Recent advances in AI technology raise a host of social, ethical and legal questions, the committee's members said in a report published Wednesday. We need, they said, to think about whether transparency in decisions made by AI systems is important; whether it's possible to minimise bias being accidentally built into them; and how we might verify that such technology is operating as intended and will not lead to unwanted or unpredictable behaviors.

The White House National Science and Technology Council released a report on the future of artificial intelligence Wednesday that predicted regulatory challenges, future job losses, more capable U.S. cyber-defenses and little chance of a Terminator-esque super-intelligent computer apocalypse. "If computers could exert control over many critical systems, the result could be havoc, with humans no longer in control of their destiny at its best and extinct at its worst," the report, titled "Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence" said. "This scenario has long been the subject of science fiction series, and recent pronouncements from some influential industry leaders have highlighted these fears." The report was likely referencing comments from Microsoft founder Bill Gates, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking and Tesla CEO Elon Musk--and, for what it's worth, several Arnold Schwarzenegger-led dystopian films--warning of the dangers of AI. But the NSTC, a Cabinet-level group that coordinates science and tech policy, held "a more positive view" of AI's future, with the technology's systems serving as "helpers, assistants, trainers and teammates of humans."

FILE- In this March 1, 2013 file photo, anti-Syrian President Bashar Assad protesters hold the Jabhat al-Nusra flag, as they shout slogans during a demonstration, at Kafranbel town, in Idlib province, northern Syria. Insurgent groups like Hezbollah and the Islamic State group in Syria have learned how to weaponize surveillance drones and use them against each other, adding a new twist to the country's civil war, a U.S. military official and others say. FILE- In this March 1, 2013 file photo, anti-Syrian President Bashar Assad protesters hold the Jabhat al-Nusra flag, as they shout slogans during a demonstration, at Kafranbel town, in Idlib province, northern Syria. Insurgent groups like Hezbollah and the Islamic State group in Syria have learned how to weaponize surveillance drones and use them against each other, adding a new twist to the country's civil war, a U.S. military official and others say. WASHINGTON (AP) -- Militant groups like Hezbollah and the Islamic State group have learned how to weaponize surveillance drones and use them against each other and coalition forces, adding a new twist to the wars in Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

"Long-term concerns about super-intelligent General AI should have little impact on current policy," the report Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence reads. The administration is exploring how AI can bolster existing initiatives such as the Data Driven Justice and Police Data Initiative, both of which attempt to "provide law enforcement and the public with data that can better inform decision-making in the criminal justice system, while also taking care to minimize the possibility that AI might introduce bias or inaccuracies due to deficiencies in the available data," the report reads. The government should also explore ways to improve the understanding of and uses of AI in key agencies, the report says: "For example, Federal agencies should explore the potential to create DARPA-like organizations to support high-risk, high-reward AI research and its application, much as the Department of Education has done." Along with a call for AI training for federal employees, the proposal suggests an exchange model that would allow experts from federal and state governments to rotate among departments, "colleges and universities, Indian tribal governments, federally funded research and development centers, and other eligible organizations."

The two covered the ethical implications of machine learning, diversity in tech, neurodiversity, the collapse of funding for basic research, precision medicine, high-speed trading, cybersecurity, robots taking our jobs, internet regulation, space travel, and how Star Trek informed Obama's worldview. OBAMA: I think there's no doubt that developing international norms, protocols, and verification mechanisms around cybersecurity generally, and AI in particular, is in its infancy. Part of what makes this an interesting problem is that the line between offense and defense is pretty blurred. And at a time when there's been a lot of mistrust built up about government, that makes it difficult. When you have countries around the world who see America as the preeminent cyberpower, now is the time for us to say, "We're willing to restrain ourselves if you are willing to restrain yourselves."

President Barack Obama's administration believes that artificial intelligence can be a positive force in the United States, vastly improving specialized areas within health care, transportation, education and policing over the coming decades. In two reports released today, one day ahead of the White House Frontiers Conference, the Obama administration calls for long-term investments in AI research and a broad range of investigation into the ethics, security and uses of AI. The report also emphasizes the current limits of AI, noting that narrow AI systems have rapidly advanced over the past few years, but general-intelligence systems -- machines that learn and respond as humans do -- are decades away. "Long-term concerns about super-intelligent General AI should have little impact on current policy," the report Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence reads. The report outlines a few areas of interest for the government to implement AI systems, including within policing and justice, a topic Engadget covered during AI Week 2016.

The so-called Islamic State is now taking bombs to the skies. When the forces examined the drone, it blew up. The agency warned local law enforcement of the emerging threat that drones pose. While Islamic State fighters have long used hobby drones to conduct reconnaissance, last week's incident is thought to be the first "kamikaze"-style explosive drone attack by the Islamic State. Two similar attacks last month prompted US commanders on the ground to warn of the dangers of flying drone bombs.

FILE- In this March 1, 2013 file photo, anti-Syrian President Bashar Assad protesters hold the Jabhat al-Nusra flag, as they shout slogans during a demonstration, at Kafranbel town, in Idlib province, northern Syria. Insurgent groups like Hezbollah and the Islamic State group in Syria have learned how to weaponize surveillance drones and use them against each other, adding a new twist to the country's civil war, a U.S. military official and others say. FILE- In this March 1, 2013 file photo, anti-Syrian President Bashar Assad protesters hold the Jabhat al-Nusra flag, as they shout slogans during a demonstration, at Kafranbel town, in Idlib province, northern Syria. Insurgent groups like Hezbollah and the Islamic State group in Syria have learned how to weaponize surveillance drones and use them against each other, adding a new twist to the country's civil war, a U.S. military official and others say. WASHINGTON (AP) -- Militant groups like Hezbollah and the Islamic State group have learned how to weaponize surveillance drones and use them against each other, adding a new twist to Syria's civil war, a U.S. military official and others say.