The traditional definition of artificial intelligence is the ability of machines to execute tasks and solve problems in ways normally attributed to humans. Some tasks that we consider simple--recognizing an object in a photo, driving a car--are incredibly complex for AI. Machines can surpass us when it comes to things like playing chess, but those machines are limited by the manual nature of their programming; a 30 gadget can beat us at a board game, but it can't do--or learn to do--anything else. This is where machine learning comes in. Show millions of cat photos to a machine, and it will hone its algorithms to improve at recognizing pictures of cats.

From answering queries to predicting future of your relationship, a lot is already being said and written about Artificial Intelligence (AI). We've seen movies depicting the technology like Matrix, and even Bollywood doesn't fall short of explaining what's AI, of course with a fair share of melodrama. But, what seems fascinating and equally scary is a new report talking about an AI arms race. An army of machines may be decades away, and Anja Kaspersen, Head of International Security, World Economic Forum, pointing at a survey of AI researchers by TechEmergence (via Medium) points out how it poses an array of security concerns which could be curbed by timely implementation of norms and protocols. There are many questions raised about how AI could be a life-changing and threatening factor, and what it is goes into the hands of some malicious minds.

Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae -- or dark patches -- on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" display

Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae -- or dark patches -- on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" display

The U.S. robotics expert tapped to head Toyota's Silicon Valley research company says the 1 billion investment by the giant Japanese automaker will start showing results within five years. Gill Pratt told reporters that the Toyota Research Institute is also looking ahead into the distant future when there will be cars that anyone, including children and the elderly, can ride in on their own, as well as robots that help out in homes. Pratt, a former program manager at the U.S. military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, joined Toyota Motor Corp. first as a technical adviser when it set up its artificial intelligence research effort at Stanford University and MIT. He said safety features will be the first types of AI applications to appear in Toyota vehicles. Such features are already offered on some models now being sold, such as sensors that help cars brake or warn drivers before a possible crash, and cars that drive themselves automatically into parking spaces or on certain roads.

Last weekend, a drone flown by Pakistan's air force crashed just shy of four miles from an airbase in the Punjab. The drone appears to have been a Chinese-made Wing Loong. The drone, also known as the Pterodactyl, serves with the Chinese military, as well as that of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. Until this crash, Pakistan was not a known operator of the Wing Loong. The drone resembles America's iconic Predator drone, and like how the Predator begat the Reaper, there's likely an improved version in the works, which might be what Pakistan is really after.

The last time the British government embarked on a serious overhaul of its labour laws, the country was blazing with the fires and unrest of the first industrial revolution. Now it may be on the brink of extending basic workers' rights to robots at the dawn of a very different age. As artificial intelligence begins to vie with humans for jobs everywhere from factory floors to solicitors' chambers, the EU is to vote on controversial plans to declare autonomous robots "electronic persons".

Riddance to bad rubbish: Islamic State is still in Fallujah. Britain's EU referendum: Hoping that demography is not destiny Flying high: A new crop of hands-on universities is transforming how... Visit The Economist e-store and you'll find a range of carefully selected products for business and pleasure, Economist books and diaries, and much more

Charles Radclyffe, a serial entrepreneur who has focused his career on solving tough technology challenges for some of the world's largest organisations, spoke about data philosophy and mentioned how technology is slowly changing the world and could cause a wealth distribution imbalance. The Big Data Summit (Malta) is the first event of its kind to be held in Malta aimed at bringing together an international group of business leaders, policy makers and technology leaders to discuss the future of the global economy and how big data and advanced analytics is already transforming the business world as we know it. This major event brings together thought leaders from some of the key players in Big Data today including Tableau, Qlik, Microsoft, Zendesk and Salesforce as well as accomplished independent international speakers from a variety of industries, including professional services, IT, Telco, iGaming, Academia as well as areas where some of the major breakthroughs are being made like Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. Mr Radclyffe spoke about data philosophy and data ethics. He said that the consequence of what we are doing through technology today will have the furthest reaching impact to date.