Machine learning is the idea that describes computers that can essentially "learn" and process new information without specifically being programed to do so. If you give a computer a task, it will more-or-less get better at that task the more it has a chance to engage in it. Object detection is a subset of this idea and is of particular relevance to photos. Not only does object detection let you know which objects are in a photo (hence the name), it also gives you insight into precisely where they are, too. But out of all the industries and activities where object detection is poised to make a big impact, drone services are undoubtedly right at the top.

This is the second story in our continuing series covering the basics of artificial intelligence. While it isn't necessary to read the first article, which …

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can help the humans in DevOps break free from focusing on simple activities.

"Falsehood flies, and the truth comes limping after it," wrote Jonathan Swift over 200 years ago. If that was the case back then, before telephones and radio, let alone Twitter and Instagram, imagine how much bigger the problem is now. In fact, it's so big that "fake news" has become a hot topic for those on both sides of the political spectrum. Gartner has gone as far as predicting that by 2022, we will consume more lies than truth. But if technology has exacerbated the situation, there's hope that it may also offer remedies.

One of the most contentious aspects of AI is the meaning of'intelligence.' No one debates the meaning of the word'strength,' or belittles the idea that machines can be stronger than humans, or even tries to re-define mechanical strength to mean some mysterious physico-spiritual capability that is unique to humans. The debate around the meaning of intelligence when it crops up in any conversation on AI is extremely baffling - until we take into account the fragile psychology of humans. Somehow, we've convinced ourselves that cognitive abilities are the sole province of the human brain, while we grudgingly cede the physical realm to the machines. Every encroachment on human cognitive abilities is fiercely contested.

Toby discusses his early dreams of building thinking machines inspired by science fiction - and covers AI Ethics and current to near term applicability in intelligent systems. Toby Walsh is a leading researcher in Artificial Intelligence. He was recently named in the inaugural Knowledge Nation 100, the one hundred "rock stars" of Australia's digital revolution. He is Guest Professor at TU Berlin, Scientia Professor of Artificial Intelligence at UNSW and leads the Algorithmic Decision Theory group at Data61, Australia's Centre of Excellence for ICT Research. He has been elected a fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, and has won the prestigious Humboldt research award as well as the 2016 NSW Premier's Prize for Excellence in Engineering and ICT.

A Google service has gone down – and taken many of the largest parts of the internet down with it. Snapchat, Spotify, Discord and other major web services ran into problems because of an issue at the web giant. While Google's own websites and apps appeared to be working, the company also provides a range of service to third-parties. It appeared to be an issue with one of those technical tools that is causing the issues. The I.F.O. is fuelled by eight electric engines, which is able to push the flying object to an estimated top speed of about 120mph.

Today, most successful AI systems require millions of points of human-labeled data, like photos of cats, to train themselves to recognize faces and objects like people do. Or they have to play games tens of thousands of times, like Google's AlphaGo Zero did.