This week's top Machine Learning stories, including AI agents that both encrypt and explain themselves, and more! Machine Learning is one of the most exciting fields in the world. Every week we discover something new, something amazing, something revolutionary. It's incredible, but it can also be overwhelming. That's why we created This Week in Machine Learning!

Not surprisingly, interest in this opportunity went through the roof. With only 500 seats initially available, and applications already covering that number multiple times, the competition to reserve a spot in the workforce of the future, especially given the fact that graduates will be given preference by Nanodegree including Didi Chuxing and IBM Watson, is guaranteed to be fierce. For graduates of the 2011 AI class, Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, the fact that the instructor line up reunites Sebastian Thrun and Peter Norvig is another incentive to enrol.

Want to watch this again later? Need to report the video? This feature is not available right now. If you want Open Course Video Playlist, welcome to: http://opencourseonline.com/playlist If you are interest on more free online course info, welcome to: http://opencourseonline.com/ Professor Dan Jurafsky & Chris Manning are offering a free online course on Natural Language Processing starting in March 19, 2012.

Udacity, the education platform focused on helping workers gain skills they need for great careers in tech, has partnered with IBM Watson, Didi Chuxing and Amazon Alexa to offer a new nanodegree in artificial intelligence, the companies announced today at the IBM World of Watson conference. IBM Watson is co-developing the curriculum of the course with Udacity. Chinese ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing intends to hire students who successfully complete the nanodegree, as does IBM. And Amazon Alexa is serving as an advisor to Udacity in developing the new AI nanodegree. According to Udacity's founder Sebastian Thrun, who previously started Google's innovation shop Google X and its self-driving car initiative, the new AI nanodegree will be for students who already have a level of mastery in software development.

Udacity is partnering with IBM Watson, Didi Chuxing, and Amazon for a new "Nanodegree" program. Artificial intelligence, the machine learning technology that allows "smart" machines to take over human tasks like driving cars or ordering pizza, is quickly becoming the go-to technology for many industries to hire talent for, including health care, auto, and finance. Research firm Markets and Markets estimates the AI market will grow to more than $5 billion by 2020, given the rising adoption of AI across these industries. That's why online education company Udacity is debuting a new way for workers to learn skills needed to be experts in developing artificial intelligence for the likes of IBM and others. Udacity originally launched "Nanodegrees" to train people hoping to land technical jobs, such as software developing.

A university without any teachers has opened in California this month. It's called 42 - the name taken from the answer to the meaning of life, from the science fiction series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The US college, a branch of an institution in France with the same name, will train about a thousand students a year in coding and software development by getting them to help each other with projects, then mark one another's work. This might seem like the blind leading the blind - and it's hard to imagine parents at an open day being impressed by a university offering zero contact hours. But since 42 started in Paris in 2013, applications have been hugely oversubscribed. Recent graduates are now working at companies including IBM, Amazon, and Tesla, as well as starting their own firms.

As artificial intelligence (AI) begins to power more technology across industries, it's been truly exciting to see what our community of developers can create with Watson. Developers are inspiring us to advance the technology that is transforming society, and they are the reason why such a wide variety of businesses are bringing cognitive solutions to market. With AI becoming more ubiquitous in the technology we use every day, developers need to continue to sharpen their cognitive computing skills. They are seeking ways to gain a competitive edge in a workforce that increasingly needs professionals who understand how to build AI solutions. It is for this reason that today at World of Watson in Las Vegas we announced with Udacity the introduction of a Nanodegree program that incorporates expertise from IBM Watson and covers the basics of artificial intelligence. The "AI Nanodegree" program will be helpful for those looking to establish a foundational understanding of artificial intelligence.

Artificial intelligence, the machine learning technology that allows "smart" machines to take over human tasks like driving cars or ordering pizza, is quickly becoming the go-to technology for many industries to hire talent for, including health care, auto, and finance. Research firm Markets and Markets estimates the AI market will grow to more than $5 billion by 2020, given the rising adoption of AI across these industries. That's why online education company Udacity is debuting a new way for workers to learn skills needed to be experts in developing artificial intelligence for the likes of IBM and others. Udacity originally launched "Nanodegrees" to train people hoping to land technical jobs, such as software developing. Nanodegrees also aim to teach people about the advanced and emerging technologies like self-driving cars or Android development for mobile phones.

The following is a list of, mostly free, machine learning online courses for beginners. First, and arguably the most popular course on this list, Machine Learning provides a broad introduction to machine learning, data mining, and statistical pattern recognition. The course will also draw from numerous case studies and applications, so that you'll also learn how to apply learning algorithms to building smart robots (perception, control), text understanding (web search, anti-spam), computer vision, medical informatics, audio, database mining, and other areas. The course is 11 weeks long and averages a 4.9/5 user rating, currently. It is free to take, but you can pay $79 for a certificate upon course completion.