TechCrunch is pleased to bring you Microsoft Accelerator's Machine Learning Demo Day this Thursday, June 2 from the Showbox SoDo in Seattle. The Microsoft Accelerator is an immersive three- to six-month program aimed at helping entrepreneurs get through the challenges of building a company, finding customers and scaling to global markets. There are seven accelerators located around the world, from Bangalore to Beijing, from Berlin to Tel-Aviv. While most of their programs have a focus on enterprise startups, this demo day in Seattle is for companies specifically leveraging machine learning. Investors and press will hear pitches from nine companies solving problems ranging from natural gas pipelines to on-demand medicine.

Computer companions for elderly people are'emotionally dangerous' and will never be good enough to take the place of real human contact, an artificial intelligence expert has warned. In December the University of Singapore introduced'Nadine' the world's most lifelike robot whose creators say will eventually provide childcare and offer friendship to lonely pensioners. More basic'care-bots' which simply show an image of a computerised face are already on the market for as little as 3,000. But Maggie Boden, professor of Cognitive Science at the University of Sussex, warned that machines would never be able to understand abstract ideas such as loyalty or hurt. "Computer companions worry me very much," Prof Boden told an audience at The Hay Literary Festival at Hay-on-Wye, Wales.

The latest robotic cockroach can jump more than five feet in the air, and flip itself over to continue scurrying. Using a new method for storing energy and a height-adjustable trigger, the robo-roach can achieve more ground than those which rely solely on crawling. Though the enhanced jumping capabilities have been built into a small package for the project, the concept has potential to be scaled up for much larger robotics systems. The bug crawls across a desk before opening its'wings' to jump high in the air. The JumpRoACH features a height-adjustable trigger, allowing it to jump between 1.1 and 1.62 meters (3.6 – 5.2 feet) JumpRoACH has six feet for crawling and can move at a speed of up to .62 meters (2 feet) per second.

Technicians of Tianjin Deepfar Ocean Technology Co., Ltd., tests a new developed Underwater Unmanned Vehicle which is named'White Shark Max' in water on March 28, 2016 in Tianjin, China. For the next three years, China will be ramping up the development of its artificial intelligence (AI) sector as it aims to establish a lucrative market that could be more than 100 billion yuan ( 15.26 billion). This, according to a statement released by the National Development and Reform Commission through its website last Monday. Based on the Central Government's three-year implementation plan for its "Internet Plus" artificial intelligence program, China will create platforms for fundamental AI resources and innovation, and work towards achieving breakthroughs on basic core technology, The plan is a collaborative effort of the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the Cyberspace Administration of China. Through these efforts, China's artificial intelligence sector seeks to be at par with its global competitors by 2018.

Every year, the Taiwanese company takes to Taipei to unload a host of its wares and, in the process, steal the lion's share of the show's headlines. Well, 2016 is no different as ASUS has taken the wraps off a slew of devices including an ultraportable that's thinner than Apple's own MacBook, Surface-like 2-in-1 PCs, three new ZenFones, a charming robot assistant for the home and a me-too mobile VR headset. Don't fret if you whiled away the holiday weekend and need to get up to speed on day one of the show -- we've got you covered in the video above and the gallery below.

Just how worried should we be about killer robots? To go by the opinions of a highly regarded group of scholars, including Stephen Hawking, Max Tegmark, Franz Wilczek and Stuart Russell, we should be wary of the prospect of artificial intelligence rebelling against its makers. "One can imagine (AI) outsmarting financial markets, outinventing human researchers, outmanipulating human leaders, and developing weapons we cannot even understand," Hawking wrote in a 2014 article for The Independent. "Whereas the short-term impact of AI depends on who controls it, the long-term impact depends on whether it can be controlled at all." The fear that our irresponsible creations might bring about the end of humanity is a common one.

The idea that cognitive technology can transform the healthcare system in radical ways holds a special place in Matthew Howard's head. The UK Lead at IBM Watson Health has no doubts: "I consider it to be the most important development in healthcare analytics globally." And, using cognitive applications such IBM Watson to help augment the ability of the clinical scientific community, he says, is critical for meeting future life science demands. In fact, healthcare is a key strategic imperative to IBM. If you just look at some of the quotes by the company, they say very openly that Watson Health is their moon shot.

Over the years, researchers and companies have invented plenty of devices to help people with visual impairments avoid objects such as a desk or chair. Many of these gadgets used ultrasonic sensors to detect such hazards. Just to name a few, there was the discontinued Pathsounder (which hung around a person's neck), the cumbersome NavBelt (worn around the waist), and the wheeled GuideCane. However, there's another type of obstacle that lurks underfoot--slight depressions in the ground such as steps, curbs, or divots that can cause a person to stumble or a wheelchair to suddenly turn awry. For these subtle features, most high-tech detection systems don't work very well.

Asus has just unveiled what's likely to be the most talked about product at this week's Computex trade show in Taipei, a cute talking robot for the home priced at 599. Called Zenbo, Asus pitched it as a personal assistant that can help look after elderly relatives or read stories to the kids, but that might be selling it a bit short. The robot is about two feet high and rolls around on wheels, with a display that can show its animated face or be used for other things like making video calls and streaming movies. Asus Chairman Jonney Shih demonstrated Zenbo at a press conference in Taipei Monday, giving it voice commands and asking it questions is it rolled around the stage. "Hey Zenbo, is it true you can take pictures"?

In April 2016, Singapore-headquartered DBS Bank Ltd launched a banking app in India with in-built artificial intelligence (AI). In the past few months, many large banks such as ICICI Bank Ltd and HDFC Bank Ltd have also been looking at introducing AI technology in various services, including retail banking. Many of these are in the pilot or testing phases. The financial technology (fintech) space in India, too, has geared up towards AI and has seen interest from investors. For instance, Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus, Tata Sons Ltd, invested an undisclosed amount in Niki.ai, run by Techbins Solutions Pvt.