If you need to do a job more than once then automate it – or so the wisdom goes. And now the growing availability of intelligent, automated software – or bots – is making automation a reality for businesses of all sizes. Bots are now undertaking much of the drudgery of business life – filling in forms, answering customer queries, compiling data and handling social media tasks. Proponents say this liberates staff to work on more creative and engaging work; bots are a new, cheap resource to be exploited. But is there a human cost and just how much should we expect from these new minion workers?

To celebrate summer 2016, we're putting on a special offer. This offer starts on 22 August and will run through to the end of 2 September, and is even applicable on our already heavily discounted Early Bird, Startup and Academic passes! Upcoming event topics include: Deep Learning, Healthcare, Chatbots & Virtual Assistants, FinTech, Machine Intelligence, Renewable Energy and Autonomous Vehicles. View all of our upcoming summits for 2016 & 2017 here & take advantage of this offer!

Back in 1999, I read a great book by Bruce Sterling called "Distraction"; billed as a fictional view into the status of U.S. public service in the year 2044, the technology and cultural ideas packed into that book still resonate more than 15 years later. The book in part motivated me to strive to make a difference in public service, if only to avoid some of the more dystonia views in the book. Apparently I'm not the only one who found the book packed with ideas, Cory Doctorow also wrote a great review in 2008. The book's central premise: that all of us could suffer from "Distraction" from what really matters, especially in a world with 300 cable channels, 24/7 news, and always-on social media in the United States, is an idea that I'd like to explore more fully given our rapidly changing world of today. Technology is amoral, it is how we humans choose to use it that determines good vs. bad outcomes.

In his biting, much-cheered defense of the work of local newspapers on his show "Last Week Tonight," the red-hot HBO satirist John Oliver had much fun at the expense of the role of "artificial intelligence" in modern journalism. Oliver's highly entertaining piece -- which quickly garnered well in excess of 4 million views -- contrasted the current enthusiasm of some publishing executives, including the ones who currently pay my salary, for various automated manifestations of reporting, editing and news distribution with what you might call the old-fashioned, sentimental view of the profession: the notepad-wielding reporter at the quotidian school board meeting, fighting corrupt politicians and delivering the truth to your stoop. There is a lot to unpack in Oliver's 19-minute segment and various levels of irony at work. For starters, there's this: In decrying the tendency of panicked newspapers to veer toward populist click-bait, Oliver cleverly created, well, his own populist click-bait. Oliver humbly and openly acknowledged how much his show depends on newspapers for its material -- thank you very much on behalf of my hard-working colleagues.

Startup Grind is a global startup community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs. It is powered by Google for Entrepreneurs. We host monthly events in 150 cities and 65 countries featuring successful local founders, innovators, educators and investors who share personal stories and lessons learned on the road to building great companies. Startup Grind is a connected online and offline network of vibrant startup communities to help fuel innovation, economic growth and prosperity at the local level. While Startup Grind was founded in Palo Alto, California, our extended network of Startup Grind chapters are located around the world.

NAIROBI – Japanese and African leaders on Sunday pledged to fight terrorism and emphasized the importance of rule-based maritime order as they wrapped up a Japan-led international conference on the continent's development. In the Nairobi Declaration adopted at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), the leaders also agreed to promote investment in infrastructure that leads to job creation in the fast-growing region. The sixth TICAD, convened in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, was held outside Japan for the first time, as Tokyo seeks to strengthen its economic and political presence in the continent amid China's increasing influence. In the declaration, the leaders said they will seek to maintain maritime order based on rules, and strengthen security and safety at sea by international and regional cooperation in accordance with international law. The reference to maritime security comes as tensions remain high in the South China and East China seas amid China's growing assertiveness.

Machine Learning is transforming the way we understand and interact with the world around us. But how much do you really understand it? How confident are you interacting with the tools and models that drive it? Python Machine Learning Blueprints puts your skills and knowledge to the test, guiding you through the development of some awesome machine learning applications and algorithms with real-world examples that demonstrate how to put concepts into practice. You'll learn how to use cluster techniques to discover bargain air fares, and apply linear regression to find yourself a cheap apartment – and much more.

Despite all of its benefits, artificial intelligence is introducing some controversial issues, and it's not all about stealing our jobs. Thanks to machine learning algorithms, assets that were previously in our sole possession are no longer private and can be accessed and used by anyone who has the nerves to do a little search and install the right applications. Given the recent developments in machine learning technology, along with the ubiquity of the web and the fact that your data is forever, it is fair to say that soon, privacy as we knew it before will no longer exist. Here are just some of the instances of how machine learning is invading user privacy. The recent rollout of the facial recognition app FindFace is a reminder of just how dangerous a seemingly harmless technology can become when offered at a public level with no implemented safeguards. Facial recognition technology is nothing new and is being widely used by companies such as Facebook and Google to offer services to their customers.

Machine learning is one of the most important computing developments of our time. Advanced machine learning techniques are powering an explosion in artificial intelligence. These are just a glimpse of what's possible. But it takes a massive amount of computing performance to train the sophisticated deep neural networks that power these new applications. Training can take days to weeks on even the fastest supercomputers.