How a $27 million Artificial Intelligence Fund hopes to prevent Skynet

Artificial intelligence could make major strides in 2017, as machine learning and new advances means that we can create intelligence that can pass the Turing test and outthink humans in the process. But at the same time, tech gurus are worried about the ethical complications which could result from the development of AI. The Knight Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to activities such as promoting journalism and innovation, is teaming up with tech gurus including LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman and eBay founder Pierre Omidyar to establish a fund called the Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Fund. In a press release, the Knight Foundation said that the fund will be used "to apply the humanities, the social sciences and other disciplines to the development of AI." It will work with educational institutes like MIT Media Lab and Harvard's Berkman Klein Center to ensure that technology builds ethical AIs that will benefit society.