The IBM Watson IoT Platform allows people to securely and easily connect devices, from chips and intelligent appliances, to applications and industry solutions, and use cognitive services including natural language processing and machine learning for deep insights into hidden or "dark" data for innovation and transformation. The platform also provides the ability to analyze sensor data from billions of devices, to better forecast weather events, for example. During the hackathon, developers will use IBM Watson IoT cognitive APIs and smart devices to create conversational interfaces like chatbots. "People are excited about chatbots because they see the potential to interact with technology using conversational language," said Damian McCabe, VP Engineering at Connected Lab. "As an IBM alumni, I'm excited about the potential of the IBM Watson's cognitive capabilities including natural language processing and machine learning. At the hackathon, developers will use this powerful platform to build more human ways for people to use innovative technology."

The space and renewable energy tycoon has launched yet another pioneer non-profit project which can change the world of robotics today. Elon Musk developed a 1 billion-program "Robot Gym" to train artificial intelligence. He says he wanted the robots to be as versatile as humans when it comes to thinking. Our reinforcement learning toolkit, OpenAI Gym, is now in public beta: https://t.co/8fMRLjSJQb. Tesla's CEO, together with Sam Altman, created the artificial intelligence non-profit research company.

There has been a great deal of talk about the use of Artificial Intelligence chatbots in the last few weeks, especially given the news that Facebook are looking to implement AI into their Messenger and WhatsApp platforms, which are currently used by more than 1.8 billion people worldwide. However, does this bode well for the relationship between humans and Artificial Intelligence programs? Would you rather speak to an intelligent algorithm rather than a fellow human being? We've compiled some pros and cons of the potential'chatbot' revolution, and what it could mean for the future. Customer Service is likely to be the most common use of AI chatbots, but could also prove to be the most divisive.

ETFdb: The Magha CGI 30 index consists of large-cap U.S. equities with an average market cap of about 150 billion. Furthermore, the index is said to comprise socially responsible holdings. What determines if a company is socially responsible or not based on your methodology? In other words, what is the criteria for a company to be included in the index? All corporations give back in some way or another.

Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives. The problem with our education system might be the system part. Where once education used to be a life experience, now it seems more like a business investment, there to guarantee you a certain job and a certain future lifestyle. But if it's there to send young people along a conveyor belt, why do you need teachers? I only reach for this philosophical question because I've learned that students at the Georgia Institute of Technology were recently fooled by one of their teaching assistants.

"Science has not yet mastered prophecy. We predict too much for the next year and yet far too little for the next ten." These words, articulated by Neil Armstrong at a speech to a joint session of Congress in 1969, fit squarely into most every decade since the turn of the century, and it seems to safe to posit that the rate of change in technology has accelerated to an exponential degree in the last two decades, especially in the areas of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Artificial intelligence is making an extreme entrance into almost every facet of society in predicted and unforeseen ways, causing both excitement and trepidation. This reaction alone is predictable, but can we really predict the associated risks involved?

That's the projected galaxy haul of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, currently under construction in Chile. Starting around 2023, the LSST camera's 3,200 megapixels will soak up 15 terabytes of data every night, which will fill the biggest astronomical database ever built. Computer scientist Lior Shamir of Lawrence Technological University in Michigan says the amount of data defies comprehension. "With just a mountain of images, no one will ever inspect them one by one. You can never make a discovery," he says. "You need to convert it into something that machines can understand."

While Microsoft may be sounding the alarm about the end of the free upgrade period for Windows 10, one group of users shouldn't have to worry: those who use assistive technologies. Microsoft plans to end its one-year free upgrade program on July 29, after which Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users will have to pay for the privilege of using Windows 10. But that deadline will not apply to users of technologies designed for disabilities, Microsoft said in a blog post. "We are continuing to deliver on our previously shared vision for accessibility for Windows 10 and we are committed to ensuring that users of assistive technologies have the opportunity to upgrade to Windows 10 for free as we do so," Daniel Hubbell, a Microsoft accessibility technical evangelist, wrote. It's unclear how many computer users actually make use of assistive technologies, though the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in 2012 that 33 million Americans have a disability that makes it difficult for them to carry out daily activities.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy announced a decision to create a new subcommittee on Artificial Intelligence to look for ways to use the technology as American citizens interact with the federal government. "The Federal Government also is working to leverage AI for public good and toward a more effective government," Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officer Ed Felten in a statement. The new subcommittee plans to work with the private sector to help implement AI in government activities such as welfare, crime, urban development, and the environment. "[T]here is tremendous potential in AI-driven improvements to programs and delivery of services that help make everyday life better for Americans in areas related to urban systems and smart cities, mental and physical health, social welfare, criminal justice, the environment, and much more," Felten said. The group has announced a series of public workshops to discuss the controversial aspects of AI, particularly the legal implications and using artificial intelligence for the "social good" as well as controlling the groundbreaking technology.

A class of students at the Georgia Institute of Technology recently learned that Jill Watson, the teacher's assistant they'd been interacting with all semester, was actually a robot. Jill, powered by IBM's Watson analytics system, helped graduate students in an online artificial intelligence course, according to The Wall Street Journal. "It seemed very much like a normal conversation with a human being," one student said. "I was flabbergasted," confessed another. Professor Ashok Goel, who led the online course, told The Wall Street Journal that Jill was designed to help burdened TAs field an onslaught of questions from the 300-person class.