MEPs have called for the adoption of comprehensive rules for how humans will interact with artificial intelligence and robots. The report makes it clear that it believes the world is on the cusp of a "new industrial" robot revolution. It looks at whether to give robots legal status as "electronic persons". Designers should make sure any robots have a kill switch, which would allow functions to be shut down if necessary, the report recommends. Meanwhile users should be able to use robots "without risk or fear of physical or psychological harm", it states. Lorna Brazell, a partner at law firm Osborne Clarke, was surprised by how far-reaching the rules were.

MEPs are to vote on the first comprehensive set of rules for how humans will interact with artificial intelligence and robots. The report makes it clear that it believes the world is on the cusp of a "new industrial" robot revolution. MEPs will decide whether to give robots legal status as "electronic persons". Designers should make sure any robots have a kill switch, which would allow functions to be shut down if necessary, the report recommends. Meanwhile users should be able to use robots "without risk or fear of physical or psychological harm", it states. The report suggests that robots, bots, androids and other manifestations of artificial intelligence are poised to "unleash a new industrial revolution, which is likely to leave no stratum of society untouched".

Do you think Hollywood has lost touch with American values? Do you think Hollywood has lost touch with American values? The contentious presidential campaign was filled with accusations of elitism and bias by the media -- from the news to entertainment. Many supporters of Donald J. Trump saw his victory as a repudiation of the so-called liberal elite. So as 2017 begins, we ask: Is Hollywood representing all Americans? Are Hollywood values out of sync with American values? It's the start of a conversation we'll have all year with Hollywood's creators, consumers and observers. Most of all, we want to hear from you. Is Hollywood out of touch with your America? Here's what our critics and writers have to say: KENNETH TURAN on potent Hollywood visions that helped elect Trump TV's affluent bubble: MARY McNAMARA on Hollywood's reluctance to deal with class issues Fear of the powerful woman: JUSTIN CHANG on working women and men still behaving badly Realistic or cliche?: JEFFREY FLEISHMAN on ...

The dominant public narrative about artificial intelligence is that we are building increasingly intelligent machines that will ultimately surpass human capabilities, steal our jobs, possibly even escape human control and kill us all. This misguided perception, not widely shared by AI researchers, runs a significant risk of delaying or derailing practical applications and influencing public policy in counterproductive ways. A more appropriate framing--better supported by historical progress and current developments--is that AI is simply a natural continuation of longstanding efforts to automate tasks, dating back at least to the start of the industrial revolution. Stripping the field of its gee-whiz apocalyptic gloss makes it easier to evaluate the likely benefits and pitfalls of this important technology, not to mention dampen the self-destructive cycles of hype and disappointment that have plagued the field since its inception. At the core of this problem is the tendency for respected public figures outside the field, and even a few within the field, to tolerate or sanction overblown press reports that herald each advance as startling and unexpected leaps toward general human-level intelligence (or beyond), fanning fears that "the robots" are coming to take over the world.

Britain's top law enforcement official says it is legal to kill militants overseas if they pose an immediate or otherwise unstoppable threat. Attorney General Jeremy Wright is using a speech Wednesday to lay out the legal basis for the use of lethal force. Excerpts were released in advance. A Royal Air Force drone strike in Syria killed three Islamic State group fighters in 2015, including two Britons. It was the first such strike acknowledged by the British government.

The rise of cloud-based multinational entities (MNE's) like Google, Facebook, Amazon etc. has proven that far from being a passing fad, virtual and cloud-based businesses have come to stay creating a new frontier for both tax regulators and departments. Global tax laws have however, failed to keep pace with the fast-paced evolution in the tech world creating challenges for tax assessors and departments as they race to determine, plan for, as well as comply with new standards. While uncertainties persisted, loopholes were exploited mainly in the knotty area of Transfer Pricing (TP). Increasingly improving tax audit procedures have made the area of TP potential minefield for multinational companies not just regarding compliance with overall tax rules but also, regarding its tax planning activities. Multinationals like GOOGLE, Amazon and Microsoft, have fallen foul of new regulations with costs ranging from a couple of millions to billions of dollars.

After an action-packed Season 12 premiere, Fox series "Bones" aired an episode with its regular case-of-the-week format. Season 12, episode 2 kicked off with the FBI investigating the death of tech genius Ian Goldberg. Goldberg owns a company called Social Cybernetics which makes robots that help kids suffering from autism. His body was found in the woods. The crowning glory of Goldberg's work is an artificial intelligence robot named AMI that can speak eight languages. The AMI is also a lot like Brennan (Emily Deschanel).

Inventions in AI, cloud and cyber security saw IBM best the likes of Samsung and Google to take the top patent spot in 2016. Pushes in AI, cognitive computing, cloud and cyber security saw IBM notch up 8,088 US patents, which works out to 22 patents per day in 2016. Setting a US patent record, IBM researchers, engineers, and designers generated more than 1,100 inventions in the cognitive computing space alone, with patents granted for inventions that help machines learn, reason, and efficiently process diverse data types while interacting with people in natural and familiar ways. Patent #9,384,661 saw IBM inventors develop a method of planning a trip route based on the state of travellers that affects driving risk the most: their state-of-mind. Had a long day or easily overwhelmed?