COMPUTERS can already hold a massive amount of instantly retrievable data in a manner that puts most humans to shame, but getting them to actually display intelligence is an entirely different challenge. Now a team of researchers from Northwestern University just made a huge stride toward that goal with a computational model that actually outperforms the average American adult in a standard intelligence test. As PhysOrg reports, the witty computer system utilizes an AI platform called CogSketch that gives it the power to solve visual problems just by looking at them, which is something that has traditionally held back many examples of artificial intelligence, reports the New York Post. Being able to visually understand, interpret, and then use that data to come to a solution brings the computer system closer to the functioning of the human brain than many before it, and so the team pitted its creation against a popular standardised test called Raven's Progressive Matrices. The Raven's test (or RPM for short) is composed of 60 multiple-choice questions that measure the taker's ability to reason, using visual puzzles.

Oracle will launch the first of its machine-learning powered Adaptive Intelligent Apps this spring, but what's next for Oracle Data Cloud? Here's a look at promised and possible use cases. The first of five promised Oracle Adaptive Intelligent Application (AI Apps) will be generally available this spring. As for next steps for the petabyte-scale treasure trove known as the Oracle Data Cloud, we'll have to wait and see. The AI App plans emerged at the January 17 Oracle Cloud Analyst Summit in New York.

DeepMind is known internationally as a leader in an area of computer science called machine learning. Now senior DeepMind staff are joining forces with UCL's Department of Computer Science to share their knowledge by delivering a state-of-the-art Master's level training module called'Advanced Topics in Machine Learning'. This new module will provide a key component of UCL's Machine Learning Master's programmes and will cover some of the most sophisticated topics in artificial intelligence. The first of these lectures will take place in January 2017. The course focuses on deep learning and reinforcement learning, and will be led by DeepMind's Thore Graepel, who also holds a UCL professorship.

Lego robot used to reverse engineer the e.dentifier2 smartcard reader (picture courtesy of Chalupar13).

Concerns have recently been widely expressed that artificial intelligence presents a threat to humanity. For instance, Stephen Hawking is quoted in Cellan-Jones1 as saying: "The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race." Similar concerns have also been expressed by Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak, and others. Such concerns have a long history. John von Neumann is quoted by Stanislaw Ulam8 as the first to use the term the singularitya--the point at which artificial intelligence exceeds human intelligence.

In January 2015, a host of prominent figures in high tech and science and experts in artificial intelligence (AI) published a piece called "Research Priorities for Robust and Beneficial Artificial Intelligence: An Open Letter," calling for research on the societal impacts of AI. Unfortunately, the media grossly distorted and hyped the original formulation into doomsday scenarios. Nonetheless, some thinkers do warn of serious dangers posed by AI, tacitly invoking the notion of a Technological Singularity (first suggested by Good8) to ground their fears. According to this idea, computational machines will improve in competence at an exponential rate. They will reach the point where they correct their own defects and program themselves to produce artificial superintelligent agents that far surpass human capabilities in virtually every cognitive domain.

Since its inauguration in 1966, the ACM A.M. Turing Award has recognized major contributions of lasting importance to computing. Through the years, it has become the most prestigious award in computing. To help celebrate 50 years of the ACM Turing Award and the visionaries who have received it, ACM has launched a campaign called "Panels in Print," which takes the form of a collection of responses from Turing laureates, ACM award recipients and other ACM experts on a given topic or trend. ACM's celebration of 50 years of the ACM Turing Award will culminate with a conference June 23–24, 2017 at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco to highlight the significant impact of the contributions of ACM Turing laureates on computing and society, to look ahead to the future of technology and innovation, and to help inspire the next generation of computer scientists to invent and dream.

A new report from KGI Securities reveals that Apple may be revamping its touch ID system, which is predicted to include a face recognition option for users. A link has been sent to your friend's email address. A new report from KGI Securities reveals that Apple may be revamping its touch ID system, which is predicted to include a face recognition option for users.

Many claims, including the key one that "Blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize applications and redefine the digital economy," were neither discussed nor backed up with evidence. From a scientific point of view, this is insufficient. Worse, like many blockchain proponents, Underwood failed, in my opinion, to raise the right questions. Instead of focusing on "what block-chain could do," one should address "what blockchain can do better than other technologies." In this context, blockchain is often compared to existing solutions rather than to existing technologies, as in the proverbial comparison of apples and oranges. There may be any number of reasons, including operational, economic, or social, why an existing solution (as inadequate as it may be) has not been replaced in the marketplace.

Keith Kirkpatrick is principal of 4K Research & Consulting, LLC, based in Lynbrook, NY.