Detailed parcel-level crop type mapping for the whole European Union (EU) is necessary for the evaluation of agricultural policies. The Copernicus program, and Sentinel-1 (S1) in particular, offers the opportunity to monitor agricultural land at a continental scale and in a timely manner. However, so far the potential of S1 has not been explored at such a scale. Capitalizing on the unique LUCAS 2018 Copernicus in-situ survey, we present the first continental crop type map at 10-m spatial resolution for the EU based on S1A and S1B Synthetic Aperture Radar observations for the year 2018. Random forest classification algorithms are tuned to detect 19 different crop types. We assess the accuracy of this EU crop map with three approaches. First, the accuracy is assessed with independent LUCAS core in-situ observations over the continent. Second, an accuracy assessment is done specifically for main crop types from farmers declarations from 6 EU member countries or regions totaling >3M parcels and 8.21 Mha. Finally, the crop areas derived by classification are compared to the subnational (NUTS 2) area statistics reported by Eurostat. The overall accuracy for the map is reported as 80.3% when grouping main crop classes and 76% when considering all 19 crop type classes separately. Highest accuracies are obtained for rape and turnip rape with user and produced accuracies higher than 96%. The correlation between the remotely sensed estimated and Eurostat reported crop area ranges from 0.93 (potatoes) to 0.99 (rape and turnip rape). Finally, we discuss how the framework presented here can underpin the operational delivery of in-season high-resolution based crop mapping.

Researchers at North Carolina State University have discovered a new law of physics that could enable improved friction and grip in robotics. It can be difficult for engineers to account for the friction that occurs when robots grip objects, particularly in wet environments. This is due to elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL), the friction that occurs when two solid surfaces come into contact with a thin layer of fluid between them. In humans, this friction occurs when fingertips are rubbed together, the fluid being the thin layer of naturally occurring oil on the skin. This could also apply to a robotic claw lifting an object that has been coated with oil, or to a surgical device being used inside the human body.

The direction of AI development is not preordained. It can be altered to increase human productivity, create jobs and shared prosperity, and protect and bolster democratic freedoms--if we modify our approach. The direction of AI development is not preordained. It can be altered to increase human productivity, create jobs and shared prosperity, and protect and bolster democratic freedoms--if we modify our approach. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not likely to make humans redundant. Nor will it create superintelligence anytime soon. But like it or not, AI technologies and intelligent systems will make huge advances in the next two decades--revolutionizing medicine, entertainment, and transport; transforming jobs and markets; enabling many new products and tools; and vastly increasing the amount of information that governments and companies have about individuals. Should we cherish and look forward to these developments, or fear them? Current AI research is too narrowly focused on making advances in a limited set of domains and pays insufficient attention to its disruptive effects on the very fabric of society. There are reasons to be concerned. Current AI research is too narrowly focused on making advances in a limited set of domains and pays insufficient attention to its disruptive effects on the very fabric of society. If AI technology continues to develop along its current path, it is likely to create social upheaval for at least two reasons. For one, AI will affect the future of jobs. Our current trajectory automates work to an excessive degree while refusing to invest in human productivity; further advances will displace workers and fail to create new opportunities (and, in the process, miss out on AI's full potential to enhance productivity). For another, AI may undermine democracy and individual freedoms. Each of these directions is alarming, and the two together are ominous. Shared prosperity and democratic political participation do not just critically reinforce each other: they are the two backbones of our modern society.

Ever since microfinance came into the picture several decades ago, it has been continuously transforming the lives of the economically backward across the world. Micro-lending has been instrumental in pulling millions out of the clutches of poverty. It has helped millions of small-scale entrepreneurs realise their dreams. Starting from providing loans to people with minimal to no access to traditional banking, microfinance has now graduated to micro-savings, micro-insurances, fund transfers, payment services and remittances. Microfinance companies have been continuously looking for avenues to expand their reach into the potential markets and investing heavily in doing so.

The European Commission recently announced its proposal for the regulation of artificial intelligence, looking to ban "unacceptable" uses of artificial intelligence. Up until now, the challenges for businesses getting AI'wrong' were bad press, reputation damage, loss of trust and market share, and most importantly for sensitive applications, harm to individuals. But with these new rules, two new consequences are arising: plain interdiction of certain AI systems, and GDPR-like fines. While for now this is only proposed for the EU, the definitions and principles set out may have wider-reaching implications, not only on how AI is perceived but also on how businesses should handle and work with AI. The new regulation sets four levels of risk: unacceptable, high, low, minimum, with HR AI systems sitting in the "High Risk" category.

Over the past two decades, technology has transformed our world and our workplaces. COVID-19 has only accelerated the implementation of technological change and innovation by employers. One significant development in the workplace is the introduction of artificial intelligence ("AI"), which includes technologies such as automated decision making ("ADM") and machine learning ("ML"). In light of these capabilities, it is wise for employers to stay abreast of the latest developments and opportunities – being an early adopter of new technology can often mean saved costs and a competitive advantage. Nonetheless, it is equally important for employers to be aware of the ethical and legal risks associated with these technologies, as a relatively recent and rapidly evolving phenomenon.

The Way of the Future, a church founded by a former Google and Uber engineer, is now a thing of the past. It's been a few months since the world's first AI-focused church shuttered its digital doors, and it doesn't look like its founder has any interest in a revival. But it's a pretty safe bet we'll be seeing more robo-centric religious groups in the future. Perhaps, however, they won't be about worshipping the machines themselves. The world's first AI church "The Way of the Future," was the brainchild of Anthony Levandowski, a former autonomous vehicle developer who was convicted on 33 counts of theft and attempted theft of trade secrets. In the wake of his conviction, Levandowski was sentenced to 18 months in prison but his sentence was delayed due to COVID and, before he could be ordered to serve it, former president Donald Trump pardoned him.

DHAKA (THE DAILY STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro's latest novel Klara and the Sun, his first since receiving the award in literature in 2017, has some relevance for policymakers and ordinary citizens across the globe. The main protagonist in this dystopian science fiction story is Klara, an artificial friend (AF) - a human-like teenager who behaves and thinks almost like her cohort of the same age and is a fast learner, as any device or robot using artificial intelligence (AI) can be expected to be. However, what we also learn is that if robots, even if they are super-intelligent, are allowed to make decisions that affect the lives of humans, it might lead to unintended consequences unless there are strict guidelines protecting privacy and other individual rights. Many discerning readers might already be aware that AI is whipping up quite a storm, particularly as it makes inroads into facial recognition software, law enforcement, and hiring decisions in the corporate world. Policymakers in many countries are alarmed, realising the pros as well as the cons of this revolutionary technology.

Rapidly developing technologies can be an unprecedented force for good, but too often codify and amplify existing forms of racial inequality, discrimination, and bias. This free, online conference brings together researchers, policymakers, technologists, and advocates to address technology's new threats to racial equity and new tools for a more just future. The conference is sponsored by the Stanford Center for Comparative Studies in Race & Ethnicity (CCSRE), Digital Civil Society Lab (DCSL) at the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), and the Stanford Program in African & African American Studies, with support from the Public Interest Technology University Network. If you are experiencing any technical difficulties, please contact Rebecca Lapeña.

Postdoctoral positions are appointed primarily for purposes of research. Applicants are expected to hold a Swedish doctoral degree or an equivalent degree from another country. In the first instance, a person who has completed a Swedish doctoral degree in Law with a focus on IT Law and AI or has a foreign degree that is deemed to correspond to this or has achieved equivalent scientific competence is sought, no more than three years before the application deadline. If there are special circumstances, the doctoral degree may have been completed earlier. Such reasons are leave due to illness, parental leave, clinical service, elected positions within trade unions or other similar circumstances.