According to TechCrunch, tech giant Google has acquired'Alter' – an artificial intelligence (AI) Avatar startup – for about $100 million USD with an intention to amp up its content game and compete with TikTok. Alter is a platform that employs AI tools to help social media brands and users to express their virtual identity and now it has been acquired by Google. According to several media reports, Google had acquired Alter, an AI Avatar Startup, two months back. However, they have not released any official statement regarding the same yet. Reportedly, some of the top executives of Alter have updated their LinkedIn profiles mentioning their collaboration with Google.

Deputy Aaron Garcia, of the U.S. Marshals Detroit Fugitive Apprehension Team, details arrests of parents of suspected Michigan school shooter. The accused Michigan high school shooter convinced school officials ahead of the deadly rampage that violent drawings he made were for a "video game," a letter released Saturday by the school shows. "On the morning of Nov. 30, a teacher observed concerning drawings and written statements that have been detailed in media reports, which the teacher reported to school counselors and the Dean of students. The student was immediately removed from the classroom and brought to the guidance counselor's office where he claimed the drawing was part of a video game he was designing and informed counselors that he planned to pursue video game design as a career," a letter sent to the Oxford High School community from Oxford Community Schools superintendent Tim Thorne on Saturday states. Ethan Crumbley, 15, allegedly shot and killed four students and injured seven others at Oxford High School.

Artificial intelligence "AI," is one of the most talked about topics in the media today. In fact, according to data from TechNews, since January, there have been an average of 4,000 articles per month that mention AI. From the role AI is playing in helping autonomous vehicles make decisions in milliseconds to how it is providing recommendations to healthcare providers about potentially life saving treatment options to all of the "boring" AI uses in between, we read about and engage with AI on a daily basis. However, with all of the buzz that AI is creating, there are some areas of concern including the ethical debate surrounding AI and whether or not AI will take jobs away. Additionally, it is becoming increasingly difficult for organizations to cut through the noise the topic of AI is creating.

BANGALORE, INDIA - London's Gatwick and Heathrow airports have ordered military-grade anti-drone defenses worth "several million pounds" after drones caused three days of disruption at Gatwick last month, the airports confirmed late on Thursday. "While I can't go into detail about exactly what we have, I can confirm this was an investment of several million pounds to ensure we are at an equivalent level to that provided by the Armed Forces," a Gatwick spokeswoman said in an emailed statement. Gatwick said the new equipment had been in place for over a week. The statement did not give further details. Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, also said it had ordered the equipment. It said it was working closely with authorities including the police and looking at relevant technology to combat the threat of drones.

What an innocent, carefree year it must have been to spawn so bland a word of the year. It has a nice ring to it, especially when spoken with the Hokkaido lilt the women's curling team -- surprise bronze medalists -- gave it during February's Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. So what if all it means is, "That's right"? Let 2018, the Year of the Dog, end as it began -- on a positive note. Speaking of dogs and beginnings: Sony's robot dog Aibo was a big hit at January's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.