Lately, AI has been an unavoidable topic in cultural, political and online conversations. There is no way around it, whether it is about new tools, Elon Musk addressing the technology and suggesting a temporary halt to its development, or Italy banning ChatGPT in the whole country. It's new, we think we understand it, but not many actually grasp it completely. Also, those who grasp it often disagree. When it comes to this kind of novel and fast-evolving subjects, indeed, regulation is often interdisciplinary.

Some two weeks ago, Jason M Allen of Pueblo West won first prize in the digital category at the Colorado State Fair for his art work named work "ThéâtreD'opéra Spatial". It was no ordinary art work. Allen used Midjourney, an artificial intelligence (AI) programme, for creating the artwork by converting text into hyper-realistic graphics. The art world remained divided over the ethics of such an AI-generated art, with some purists expressing indignation at the way technology is taking dominance over human artistry and originality. Do purists have a point? Will we see machines overtaking humans in every sphere, including the sublime realm of art?

Technology has improved our lives in countless different ways. Today, we have more time than ever (even if it doesn't feel that way!) to pursue activities we enjoy, thanks to automation. Throughout the course of history, technology has made essential work easier, freeing up more and more time for people to create, socialize, and relax. Artificial intelligence (AI) has played a pivotal role in pushing automation forward in recent years. As the technology has advanced, it's made its way into nearly every industry, from marketing to healthcare.

While the demand for ethical artificial intelligence (AI) systems increases, the number of unethical uses of AI accelerates, even though there is no shortage of ethical guidelines. We argue that a main underlying cause for this is that AI developers face a social dilemma in AI development ethics, preventing the widespread adaptation of ethical best practices. We define the social dilemma for AI development and describe why the current crisis in AI development ethics cannot be solved without relieving AI developers of their social dilemma. We argue that AI development must be professionalised to overcome the social dilemma, and discuss how medicine can be used as a template in this process.

The UK's GCHQ has revealed how AI is set be used to boost national security. The UK's top intelligence and security body, GCHQ, is betting big on artificial intelligence: the organization has revealed how it wants to use AI to boost national security. In a new paper titled "Pioneering a New National Security," GCHQ's analysts went to lengths to explain why AI holds the key to better protection of the nation. The volumes of data that the organization deals with, argued GCHQ, places security agencies and law enforcement bodies under huge pressure; AI could ease that burden, improving not only the speed, but also the quality of experts' decision making. "AI, like so many technologies, offers great promise for society, prosperity and security. It's impact on GCHQ is equally profound," said Jeremy Fleming, the director of GCHQ.

We live in a world where humans aren't the only ones that have rights. In the eyes of the law, artificial entities have a legal persona too. Corporations, partnerships or nation states also have the same rights and responsibility as human beings. With rapidly evolving technologies, is it time our legal system considered a similar status for artificial intelligence (AI) and robots? "AI is already impacting most aspects of our lives. Given its pervasiveness, how this technology is developed is raising profound legal and ethical questions that need to be addressed," says Julian David, chief executive of industry body techUK.

Editor's note: This story was updated Aug. 13 to correct the spelling of AI startup Synthesia. The past few years have seen artificial intelligence reach a tipping point, fueled by record levels of investment and the growing availability of training data. Yet what we see today is still only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to AI's creative potential. Various incarnations of synthetic media -- content generated or manipulated by AI, often through machine learning and deep learning -- have already started to be adopted for commercial purposes. These include virtual assistants, fashion models, and chatbots that synthesize text and speech, and we've also witnessed a wave of virtual beings, including computer-generated Instagram influencer Lil Miquela, KFC's virtual Colonel Sanders, and Shudu, the first digital supermodel.

Chatbots are one of the most widely adopted iterations of artificial intelligence (AI), as is the idea of creating a chatbot for therapeutic dialog [1-2]. But, when combined with today's ever-advancing natural language processing (NLP) and other modes of AI that make more sensitive communication with human users possible, emotionally supportive chatbots are anything but retrograde. X2 is a company that creates customized chatbots (AI coaches) for an array of use-cases, most of which focus on exploring and uplifting emotional well-being. This technology is highly scalable, easy to use, available on demand, and swiftly adaptable across languages, cultures, and other important contexts. This means that a supportive AI coach can complement conventional mental health care and even reach users in times and places where other modes of care cannot.

Artificial intelligence (AI) relies on big data and machine learning for myriad applications, from autonomous vehicles to algorithmic trading and from clinical decision support systems to data mining. The availability of large amounts of data is essential to the development of AI. But the scandal over the use of personal and social data by Facebook and Cambridge Analytica has brought ethical considerations to the fore - and it's just the beginning. As AI applications require ever greater amounts of data to help machines learn and perform tasks hitherto reserved for humans, companies are facing increasing public scrutiny, at least in some parts of the world. Tesla and Uber have scaled down their efforts to develop autonomous vehicles in the wake of widely reported accidents.

We live in a world where humans aren't the only ones that have rights. In the eyes of the law, artificial entities have a legal persona too. Corporations, partnerships or nation states also have the same rights and responsibility as human beings. With rapidly evolving technologies, is it time our legal system considered a similar status for artificial intelligence (AI) and robots? "AI is already impacting most aspects of our lives. Given its pervasiveness, how this technology is developed is raising profound legal and ethical questions that need to be addressed," says Julian David, chief executive of industry body techUK.