New Delhi: Former HCL Technologies Ltd chief executive officer (CEO) Anant Gupta on Friday launched a Rs100 crore investment fund TECHCELX, to invest in start-ups focused on digital technologies such as machine learning, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and analytics. HCL on Friday announced the elevation of its chief operating officer C. Vijayakumar to the top position in the company to replace Gupta. TECHCELX will invest between Rs50 lakh and Rs10 crore in disruptive technology ventures and the shareholding will range between 15% and 51%. "With TECHCELX, I am pursuing my long-term goals and passion towards promoting our country's entrepreneurship and innovation potential in the technology space," said Gupta, chairman and CEO, TECHCELX. Three other key partners from investment banking and technology sectors are backing this fund, the company said in a statement.

Note that, while there are numerous machine learning ebooks available for free online, including many which are very well-known, I have opted to move past these "regulars" and seek out lesser-known and more niche options for readers. Don't know where to start? If you are looking for something more, you could look here for an overview of MOOCs and online lectures from freely-available university lectures. Of course, nothing substitutes rigorous formal education, but let's say that isn't in the cards for whatever reason. Not all machine learning positions require a PhD; it really depends where on the machine learning spectrum one wants to fit in.

Driverless car are packed with state-of-the-art technology are considered information goldmines for an increasing number stakeholders, including car manufacturers, governments and hackers. In response, the American National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, which is part of the Department of Transportation is first ensuring its own, most probably exclusive access to this rich data bank. In the recently released Federal Autonomous Vehicles Policy, the NHTSA states its intention to oversee the development, regulation and policing of self-driving cars inside the United States. The agency is hoping to expand the guidelines' reach through collaborating efforts involving America's only two land neighbors, Canada and Mexico. Autonomous vehicle companies will be pushed by these federal guidelines to begin sharing data regarding their failures with even rival companies, and also the government. This will be considered a serious shift already faced with stiff resistance from tech and auto companies that enjoy significant influence inside their respective governments.

Taiwan-based visual analytics company Viscovery has announced raising 10 million in funding from its lead investor China Development Industrial Bank, in a bid to accelerate the growth of the platform's global video data analytics and contextual advertising solution. GD1 Fund, H&Q Asia Pacific, and iStart (Softbank China's Venture Capital early fund) also participated in this round. The company's Viscovery Discovery Service (VDS) provides video data analysis, search optimisation and other value added services to clients across the region, including those in Taiwan, South Korea and China. The data is then analysed in order to determine the best context. According to the company, clients find this technique more effective in finding video content, instead of just searching through keywords in the title or description.

It wasn't so long ago that the idea of biped or quadruped robots delivering pizzas seemed like a real possibility. Such speculation was fuelled by Google's acquisition of Boston Dynamics--a company more associated with potential military applications, which earned notoriety for its scarily nimble Big Dog robots. Google, and then its parent company Alphabet, had to work out how to bring this technology to civvy street--a problem that certainly gnawed at the development team. The vision was perhaps too grandiose even for Alphabet and, earlier this year, it was reported that Boston Dynamics had been off the leash so it could sniff around for potential buyers. With that short-lived episode over, the roadmap for robotic deliveries is now back under debate, at least if you were expecting arms and legs. These are all at the prototype stage but they're definitely coming; in fact, there's a wide range of innovative technology under investigation by retailers to achieve a competitive edge, from drones to chatbots to redesigned Mars rovers and slasher robots.

For the last decade, I have worked closely with families who are trying to find the best senior care facility for a loved one. I am fortunate to work in an area (Portland, OR) that offers a plethora of senior housing options, from traditional Retirement Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care Communities. Portland also boasts an impressive 900 Adult Care Homes (aka Adult Foster Care or Adult Family Homes) for folks who want/ need a smaller family-style setting. People often ask me what I think the future holds for elder care. I suspect this question stems from fears of what their own future holds or (most likely) that they are terrified of facing their later years in the current senior care model (which is becoming quickly outdated by the social and medical needs of the boomer generation).

Apple is going all-in on artificial intelligence (AI). As it continues to work on Siri, its voice-activated digital assistant, a new interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook sheds a bit of light on just how far the company is willing to go to make Siri a central part of your life. Speaking to Nikkei, Cook waxed philosophical about Siri's intended abilities, saying "AI is horizontal" and should reach across all products. He said the technology should be able to do things like help you manage battery life, recommend music to Apple Music subscribers, and tell you where you parked your car. Cook also discussed Apple's incoming Yokohama research and development center, where it intends to focus on machine learning and AI.

The fun part about thinking about artificial intelligences (AI) – especially for folks with a dark sense of humor – is that it is possible to assess its impact in the short term, the medium term and the very long term. The humor springs from the fact that the long-term view refers to the end of civilization. Overriding the conversation is the idea that the sophistication and capabilities of AI are growing at a very rapid clip. It was mostly discussed by futurists and screenwriters just a few years ago. Now, it is at the center of many corporate and business functions.

One possible framework to think through these topics is this "5P"list: Positioning (finding blue ocean), Product, Petabytes (data), Process (social engineering) and People. I'm approaching this discussion from a VC perspective (and also through the dozens of conversations I've had with founders of AI and Big Data startups at Data Driven NYC, the monthly event I organize). This "5P" framework is just one way of thinking through those issues -- Positioning means "market positioning", while "Petabytes" means "large amounts of data" Just about every major tech company is working very actively on AI. Not only can the large tech companies hire the best talent, they're willing to snap up AI startups quickly when needed.

Just about every major technology player is investing serious financial and human capital in pursuit of advances in cognitive computing. The National Science and Technology Committee on Technology released a much-anticipated report on how to prepare for the future where we have mature artificial intelligence systems. The report, Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence, outlines specific implications that artificial intelligence will have when it comes to transforming our society and outlines twenty-three recommendations for federal agencies to consider. Computers that think and work like humans will change the nature of our public agencies, from how they are designed and managed to the delivery of public services and the management of public goods. We have good reason to believe that there will be significant benefits to be had from cognitive computing solutions.