What is the potential of machine learning over the next 5-10 years? And how can we develop this technology in a way that benefits everyone? The Royal Society's machine learning project has been investigating these questions, and has launched a report setting out the action needed to maintain the UK's role in advancing this technology while ensuring careful stewardship of its development. Machine learning is a form of artificial intelligence that allows computer systems to learn from examples, data, and experience. Through enabling computers to perform specific tasks intelligently, machine learning systems can carry out complex processes by learning from data, rather than following pre-programmed rules.

Employees in all fields are seeing some of the foundational elements of working in the developed world being disrupted. Workers are expected to know skills that weren't necessary in the past, and they're expected to adapt quickly when new technology comes to the office. Here are a few of the ways work has changed and how it will continue evolving in the future. Increasing demand in the future work environment will place an even greater demand on collaboration, and tools are smoothing this transition. Cloud-based tools provide an easier means to access programs and work data, and it will be even simpler to track other employees' progress as more and more businesses more toward cloud-like operations.

In case you missed it, Microsoft put its new priority--Artificial intelligence (AI)--front and center in its new Annual Report. In the document posted Wednesday, the company states its goal of building "best-in-class platforms and productivity services for an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge infused with artificial intelligence ("AI")." The annual report for Microsoft's 2017 fiscal year, ending June 30, differs from last year's. At that time, Microsoft's "best-in-class" platforms and services were all about "a mobile-first, cloud-first world." CNBC was first to report on this shift, which is striking given how many times Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and his lieutenants have talked up "mobile first, cloud first" over the past few years.

Google is giving you a way to get updates for its Home speaker before other people do. All you have to do is volunteer to be part of its Preview Program, which was originally launched for Chromecast in 2016. If you sign up for the initiative, your device will be one of the first to receive the latest features -- it's not for beta testing, so you don't have to worry about installing software that's not ready for public release and encountering bugs all the time. Still, Google is asking participants to send in their feedback about any issues or their experience as a whole whenever possible. To sign up for the Preview Program, fire up the Google Home app on your phone and go to Devices to find your Home speaker.

Cooking is a social activity. Kids help in the kitchen. People get together for a potluck and trade cooking tips all evening. Amazon's virtual assistant, Alexa, has become commonplace in many homes, picking your music and helping you book Uber rides. Many Alexa commands make Amazon's Echo essential.

Which authors of this paper are endorsers? Disable MathJax (What is MathJax?)

Microsoft should be a pioneer alongside Google when it comes to artificial intelligence, but the company only now appears to consider it a priority. In the company's annual report for the 2017 fiscal year, AI is now mentioned on six occasions. Compared to not a single mention in the previous report, it's clear Microsoft is now putting more of its focus on artificial intelligence. Microsoft also indicates this in their corporate vision statement: "Our strategic vision is to compete and grow by building best-in-class platforms and productivity services for an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge infused with AI." AI is only just starting to get real momentum (hence why this very publication has been launched, hello!) but it seems to be another case of where the company has slumbered, and that's incredibly frustrating because it has much to contribute. Microsoft is in a very advantageous position to lead in AI.

The term Artificial Intelligence (AI) was not coined yet and hardly anyone could follow what World famous scientist Alan Turing was talking about when he proposed a test which is now known as the "Turing Test" to answer the question "Can machines think?". When John McCarthy coined the term "Artificial Intelligence" around 1950, it was a dream to have machines that could actually think. Though we're not quite there yet, we are making rapid strides in the area of artificial intelligence and it is slowly making its presence felt in our lives. Let me illustrate where we will be heading in the coming 5 to 7 years. Imagine your present "you" in a self-driving car 5 years from now.

The other day, I covered at Search Engine Land a Wired article named Google's hand-fed AI now gives answers, not just search results. The article explains that Google is now using "sentence compression algorithms" as of this week in the desktop search results. Sentence compression algorithms is Google's way of extracting the best answer for a query to be displayed in the featured snippets. Of course, this is not just used for featured snippets but also for Google Home responses, Google Assistant and more. Which is why it is important that Google build a better way to get more answers.

They might look confident in their photos but people on the dating app Tinder are probably lacking morale. Swiping through the popular dating app lowers your self-esteem and makes you unhappy about your body, new research found. People accept or reject potential matches based on photos which takes a toll on people's sense of worth, the study found. People with lower self-esteem could be more likely to use these types of apps which then draws them in to a downward spiral of self-doubt, researchers suggest. The research, led by the University of Rhode Island, looked at 820 college-age Tinder users - 700 female and 120 male students.