The emergence of AI has led some people to speculate whether it could lead to the formation of new religions. This is because religion is based on finding meaning and purpose in life, and AI is becoming increasingly integrated into our daily lives, changing the way we work, communicate, and think. However, there are arguments against this possibility, such as the fact that AI is a man-made technology that can be understood and controlled by humans, unlike religion, which is based on a belief in a higher power beyond human understanding. It remains to be seen whether or not the development of AI will lead to the formation of new religions.

There is a new bill to give the federal CXO councils more autonomy and structure. Senate lawmakers aim to give a boost to federal management with the Governmentwide Executive Councils Administration and Results Improvement Act. Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) said their legislation would make permanent and expand the Office of Executive Councils at the General Services Administration. The office helps run the federal chief information officer, chief financial officer and other similar councils. A key part of this effort would make the office independent from the normal duties and functions of GSA and more directly linked to the Office of Management and Budget, which leads the President's Management Agenda and other priorities.

Four of the newfound quadruply imaged quasars are shown here: From top left and moving clockwise, the objects are: GraL J1537-3010 or "Wolf's Paw;" GraL J0659 1629 or "Gemini's Crossbow;" GraL J1651-0417 or "Dragon's Kite;" GraL J2038-4008 or "Microscope Lens." The fuzzy dot in the middle of the images is the lensing galaxy, the gravity of which is splitting the light from the quasar behind it in such a way to produce four quasar images. By modeling these systems and monitoring how the different images vary in brightness over time, astronomers can determine the expansion rate of the universe and help solve cosmological problems. With the help of machine-learning techniques, a team of astronomers has discovered a dozen quasars that have been warped by a naturally occurring cosmic "lens" and split into four similar images. Quasars are extremely luminous cores of distant galaxies that are powered by supermassive black holes.

Using automated spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, researchers found the presence of subretinal fluid (SRF) in individuals with diabetic macular edema (DME) is associated with lower baseline best-corrected visual acuity. The findings of this retrospective study suggest automated quantification of intraretinal fluid and SRF may be an objective approach to assess DME treatment. Using automated spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT), researchers found the presence of subretinal fluid (SRF) in individuals with diabetic macular edema (DME) is associated with lower baseline best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). However, the results, published in JAMA Ophthalmology, also show SRF is associated with good response to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy. The findings of the retrospective study suggest automated quantification of intraretinal fluid (IRF) and SRF may be an objective approach to assess DME treatment.

Helsinki, Finland - An audience of international peace brokers have gathered inside a room in the historic House of Estates. They have come from South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Ukraine, Colombia and elsewhere to hear a scientist speak. That scientist is Timo Honkela, and his keynote speech on the second day of April's National Dialogues conference is titled Peace from a Different Perspective - a Dialogue of a Million People. But 54-year-old Honkela is working on a machine that he hopes will facilitate world peace. "World peace would be a good goal to work for in my remaining days," he says, smiling over a cup of coffee during a break in the conference.

Job obsolescence is always a concern for workers, especially in technology fields where automation and artificial intelligence (AI) might endanger human-based positions. Human technical know-how is too valuable an asset to dismiss; at the very least, if one technological role evaporates it will lead to the creation of a new role. I discussed where AI is heading and how the IT workforces can prepare with Terri Schlosser, head of product, technical, and solutions marketing at SUSE, the open source Linux provider. Scott Matteson: What is the current status of AI? Terri Schlosser: While AI has been talked about for many years, it is a market that is just now starting to take off -- doubling every year, with analysts projecting growth from $9.5 billion in 2018 to $118.6 billion in 2025. In fact, AI is helping companies do things like sharpen customer service, organize calendars, verbally respond to questions, automate recruitment processes, and sense when machines need to be repaired. However, there are many areas where the full advantages of AI have not been leveraged, such as in the workplace.

Marx argued that under capitalism, everyone must work to live. We have some freedom to chose what type of work we do. But few of us have the choice not to work at all. Most of us need to find some particular task(s) we can do in exchange for a wage. And we cannot just walk away if we do not like it.

The two topics of healthcare and technology have truly joined forces together to create a revolutionary era for healthcare today. I studied Biochemistry as one of my double majors at UC Berkeley many moons ago but decided to enter the field of Computer Science & application development when I entered the marketplace. At the time breakthroughs surrounding healthcare weren't happening fast enough but now, with the combination of advancements in genetics, medical research, and the democratization of advanced data computing techniques, we are getting a glimpse into the future possibilities in improving healthcare substantially. There is a multitude of reasons that have contributed to why AI hasn't massively transformed healthcare yet. I think these are some of the biggest hurdles: Considering the marturity of AI & ML today, we've already made a lot of progress in the field by applying it toward image recognition and automating some health diagnostics.

The two topics of healthcare and technology have truly joined forces together to create a revolutionary era for healthcare today. I studied Biochemistry as one of my double majors at UC Berkeley many moons ago but decided to enter the field of Computer Science & application development when I entered the marketplace. At the time breakthroughs surrounding healthcare weren't happening fast enough but now, with the combination of advancements in genetics, medical research, and the democratization of advanced data computing techniques, we are getting a glimpse into the future possibilities in improving healthcare substantially. There is a multitude of reasons that have contributed to why AI hasn't massively transformed healthcare yet. Considering the marturity of AI & ML today, we've already made a lot of progress in the field by applying it toward image recognition and automating some health diagnostics.

When Kory Mathewson began his PhD in computing science at the University of Alberta, he didn't think it would lead to doing improv on stage with a robot--but that's exactly what happened. Mathewson has two shows in this year's Edmonton Fringe Fest: TEDxRFT, an improv show that riffs on the popular TED Talks videos, and Human Machine, an AI improv show. "The Human Machine AI improv show is part of my PhD work. I'm studying how humans and machine-learning systems interact, and so this show is a little bit of a play on the work that I've been doing," he said. "I've been building dialogue systems, and this show explores how humans and these dialogue systems--like Siri, Alexa or Google Home--play into our lives, and the funny things they say."