The field of study that focuses on the interactions between human language and computers is called Natural Language Processing, or NLP for short. It sits at the intersection of computer science, artificial intelligence, and computational linguistics (Wikipedia). "Nat ur al Lan guage Pro cessing is a field that cov ers com puter un der stand ing and ma nip u la tion of hu man lan guage, and it's ripe with pos sib il it ies for news gath er ing," Anthony Pesce said in Natural Language Processing in the kitchen. "You usu ally hear about it in the con text of ana lyz ing large pools of legis la tion or other doc u ment sets, at tempt ing to dis cov er pat terns or root out cor rup tion." NLP is a way for computers to analyze, understand, and derive meaning from human language in a smart and useful way.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have huge potential to drive a new generation of creative brand experiences. They are at the forefront of a powerful shift that will bring brands closer to consumer expectations, passions and emotions. Assistive and smart technologies are catching up and we're already facing a new world of possibilities. AI and ML can be applied in many ways. The use of machine learning to power business decisions and product recommendations is becoming widespread.

As some would have it, robots are poised to take over the world in about 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... But one machine-learning expert -- who is, after all, in a position to know -- thinks that's not the biggest issue facing artificial intelligence. "I am personally not worried about an AI apocalypse, as I consider that a completely made-up fear," Jeff Dean, a senior fellow at Google, wrote during a Reddit AMA on Aug. 11. "I am concerned about the lack of diversity in the AI research community and in computer science more generally." The issue that the tech industry is trying to maneuver their way around, for better or worse, is the same issue that can stunt the progress of "humanistic thinking" in the development of artificial intelligence, according to Dean. For the optimists in the audience, Google Brain wants to improve lives, Dean wrote.

Drone safety, from privacy issues to crashing over unsuspecting pedestrians, has been a concern since, well, the dawn of the drone. But one startup is working to use artificial intelligence to help drone pilots pick the safest route. Flock, an artificial intelligence company formed out of Imperial College London, Oxford University and Cambridge University, is currently developing a risk analysis program for commercial drones, from aerial photographers to drone use on a larger scale, such as delivering Amazon packages. The program uses real-time weather information and the location of buildings. But what's perhaps even more impressive is that the system can also predict what areas will be full of people so it can choose a route around congested areas or a time when those areas will be less crowded.

When Bloomberg first built the terminal system, back in the early 1980s, most of its customers -- mainly finance professionals -- didn't have computers on their desks. The internet was not yet a commonly-accepted technical protocol for networking and hardware of the terminal's kind hadn't been seen before. So Bloomberg's engineers had to go about inventing the tech themselves -- from the set of instructions to carry data across a network, to custom-built hardware so traders could use a keyboard, and monitors you could stack. It created a great culture of invention at Bloomberg, which has more software engineers than journalists. But cultivating that culture to create new products within came at a small cost.

TWC NEWS VIDEO: In this Tech Talk report, Time Warner Cable News' Adam Balkin looks at how NYU Tandon School of Engineering is teaming up with ff Venture Capital to create what is believed to be the very first U.S. coupling of a university and a venture fund to help accelerate startups working on artificial intelligence. Inside what'll be called the AI NexusLab, five chosen companies, for four months, will get all sorts of AI support, funding, legal advice, whatever they need in order to accelerate their growth to more quickly enter your life.

British actor Kenny Baker, who starred as R2-D2 in six Star Wars films, has died aged 81 after a long illness, his niece has confirmed. Baker made his name as the robot in the first Star Wars film in 1977 alongside Anthony Daniels's C-3PO character. Star Wars creator George Lucas paid tribute to a "real gentleman" and Mark Hamill - Luke Skywalker in the films - said he had lost "a lifelong friend". Born in Birmingham, Baker's other films include Time Bandits and Flash Gordon. After starring in the original Star Wars film he went on to appear in the sequels, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and the three prequels between 1999 and 2005.

There may be bad news for horror film writers - computers could soon be taking your job. A new independent horror film called'Impossible Things' has been produced in part by an artificial intelligence tool. The creators have billed the film as the'the scariest and creepiest horror film out there.' The AI software was used to develop'perfect plot twists' for the film, which is about a grieving mother who, after the death of her daughter, is driven to insanity by a supernatural being Impossible Things is a horror film which was reportedly produced by an artificial intelligence (AI) software tool. The tool analysed audience response data to help the writers craft plot points that connect with viewer demand.

Unless you have a selfie stick or a longer than average arm, your selfies are sure to misrepresent or distort your facial features. Now, Princeton University has invented a tool that transforms photos to look like a professional photographer snapped them at a farther distance - for a more realistic shot. This editing technology can also alter an apparent pose as if the camera were placed higher, lower or at an angle for the perfect selfie to share online. Princeton University has invented a tool that transforms your original selfie (left) to look like a professional photographer snapped the image (right) at a farther distance. Princeton gathered the data from a database of 150 people that were each photographed in 20 different poses.

It may be many men's dream to have Scarlett Johansson tend to their every need. But one man has come close to making this fantasy a reality by building a look-a-like robot. He now plans on sharing his designs in a handbook, so other fans can create their own sexy androids too. The life-size robot was created by Hong Kong designer Ricky Ma, based on a famous Hollywood actress. A 3D-printed skeleton lies beneath Mark 1's silicone skin, wrapping its mechanical and electronic parts.