You probably haven't heard of a special effects company called MOVA, but you've seen its Contour facial-capture technology in films like Guardians of the Galaxy and Beauty and the Beast. It could also have a big impact your entertainment choices. The company behind the tech, Rearden LLC, has filed an injunction against Walt Disney Co. to block those two films, along with Avengers: Age of Ultron, from sales or distribution. MOVA Contour is used to capture facial movements in a much more detailed way than rival tech. Rather than using markers, actors' faces are painted with a phosphor dye.

Artificial intelligence will better our lives in many ways, but it will also pose a danger if people don't program AI properly. Autonomous vehicle pioneer Elon Musk warned over the weekend that AI is the "biggest risk" to civilization. Musk, who founded Tesla, has long said that AI will be dangerous. At the National Governors Association Summer Meeting in Rhode Island, Musk said that government regulation is necessary to keep AI from getting out of hand. On Monday's "The Glenn Beck Radio Program," Glenn Beck wondered how we will train AI to know good from bad when our postmodern society doesn't even know that.

A House of Representatives panel just greenlit a measure that, once officially signed into law, would allow thousands of autonomous cars to hit the road while federal legislators draft more comprehensive safety laws. It would be a significant first step in nationally regulating the rollout and operation of self-driving vehicles -- or at least get them on streets while the finer details are being worked out. Now the bill heads to the full House Energy and Commerce Committee, which might vote on it as early as next week and reach the House floor after the August recess, according to Bloomberg. The legislation would exempt automakers from US safety rules and allow them to let loose tens of thousands of autonomous vehicles on American roads, all while prohibiting states from regulating their mechanical, software and/or safety systems. While that's probably annoying for all the work California has put in developing its own rules, Wired points out, it's an aggregate boon for the majority of states that haven't produced their own regulations.

Just one week after the sheriff's department in Cecil County, Md., got its brand new drone up and running, it was asked to investigate a case of stolen construction equipment. So the Cecil County Sheriff sent his Typhoon H Pro to investigate. The sheriff's department in Somerset County, N.J., hopes its drones could help it find missing people. "Years ago, when we had people wander off, we would bring out the rescue department, the fire department, fire department volunteers, K-9 if we had it and we'd search and search and search and never find the person," said Somerset County Sheriff Frank Provensano.

A House subcommittee has approved legislation designed to allow automakers to increase the testing of self-driving cars on U.S. roads.

Increasingly lifelike robots attempt to mimic both the physical and mental reactions of humans, but several new advertisements for such sex dolls allow for "reserved and shy" settings that encourage rape. Pre-programmed robots using base personality types such as "Frigid Farrah" and "S&M Susan" are among the several sex dolls made available by websites such as True Companion. Although the physical attributes of the robots are highlighted – simulated heartbeat, circulatory system, motorized vagina, anus and mouth – the emotion-simulating aspects of the robots encourage buyers to purposefully damage the purchaser's custom-built personalities. Included among those personality settings, is the option for a doll that resists when you touch it and another named "Young Yoko" who is "oh so young (barely 18) and waiting for you to teach her." The sex dolls have been sold by True Companion for years, including "Roxxxy," which promises the following experience from the lifelike sex robot: "She knows your name, your likes and dislikes, can carry on a discussion and expresses her love to you and be your loving friend. She can talk to you, listen to you and feel your touch. She can even have an orgasm!"

There are a lot of questions posed by the entry of sentient robots into the world of living creatures. Perhaps the most important of them is, does artificial intelligence pose a threat to human rights as we know it? We all know of the economic risks posed by the entry of robots in the employment market. To top it over, we have robots that are already entering the controversial fields of psychology, healthcare, law enforcement and even administration, leading to some serious questions with regards to privacy and the individual rights of a human being. Will they take over the world, so to speak, but perhaps in less melodramatic terms?

Rachel Whetstone, the former top public relations executive at Uber, is joining Facebook as vice-president of communications for Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger. Whetstone, a British public relations guru who worked for some of the UK's most powerful Conservative politicians, stepped down as head of public policy and communications at Uber in April following a string of corporate scandals. Before Uber, Whetstone worked at Google as the head of communications and public policy. "It's a real privilege to be joining the Facebook family," Whetstone said in a statement. "Products like WhatsApp have become an important part of my life – making it so much easier to stay in touch with my own family and friends."

I've been at every one, from the tiny one with perhaps 100-200 people to this one with 1,400 that fills a large ballroom. Tuesday morning did not offer too many surprises. The first was an announcement by Toyota Research Institute of a $100M venture fund. Toyota committed $1B to this group a couple of years ago, but surprisingly Gil Pratt (who ran the DARPA Robotics Challenge for humanoid-like robots) has been somewhat a man of mixed views, with less optimistic forecasts. Different about this VC fund will be the use of DARPA like "calls."

Tesla will partner with French renewable energy company Neoen to build the 100-megawatt battery farm in South Australia state. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says the government should consider regulations for artificial intelligence because it poses "a fundamental existential risk for human civilization." Musk made the comments over the weekend during the National Governors Association's summer meeting in Providence, R.I. Musk says AI is the "scariest problem" because of its potential to harm humans beyond just disrupting the job market. Musk wants the government to set regulations in place to root out threats early. "AI is a rare case where I think we need to be proactive in regulation than reactive," said Musk. "By the time we're reactive in AI regulation, it's too late."