While some still consider AI to be beyond the grasp of developing countries, our South American neighbours have been shattering that stereotype. AI is being deployed in a number of their endeavours: to speed up artefact findings in Peru; to increase crop yields in Colombian rice fields through AI-powered platforms; to boost security and enhance customer service in Brazil's banking sector; to create vegan alternatives with the same taste and texture as animal-based foods in Chile's food industry; to predict school dropouts and teenage pregnancy in Argentina; and to forecast crimes in Uruguay. Some of the push in AI adoption in these countries has come from academics and researchers, like the ones at the University of Sao Paulo who are developing AI to determine the susceptibility of patients to disease outbreaks; or Peru's National Engineering University where robots are being used for mine exploration to detect gases; or Argentina's National Scientific and Technical Research Council where AI software is predicting early onset pluripotent stem cell differentiation. These and other truths were revealed to me at a Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Workshop on AI organized by Facebook and the Inter-American Development Bank in Montevideo, Uruguay, in November this year. I was the lone Caribbean participant in attendance, presenting my paper entitled: AI & The Caribbean: A Discussion on Potential Applications & Ethical Considerations, on behalf of the Shridath Ramphal Centre (UWI, Cave Hill).

When drivers disengage the autonomous systems, they often may be doing it out of caution rather than due to a technological flaw, she said. "It may actually be a positive sign of conservative safety procedures in the camp. Unfortunately, when you report disengagements to the lay public, it may (be) reinterpreted as substandard technology or that is not ready for testing on the public streets."

When it comes to drone technology, the focus in India is mainly on either amateur photography drones or military applications of drones in India. But between these two ends of the spectrum, lies the whole gamut of drone technology. The drone startup sector is nascent in India and is still to make its mark. But its prospects are promising and under the right policies and an able vision, drones can contribute a lot to Indian economy as well as help in solving many social and ecological problems. The fast-adoption of drone technology would give added advantage to India particularly in the sector of agriculture.

The many potential social and economic benefits from advances in AI-based technologies depend entirely on the environment in which these technologies evolve, says the Royal Society. According to a new report from the UK's science academy, urgent consideration needs to be given to the "careful stewardship" needed over the next ten years to ensure that the dividends from machine learning – the form of artificial intelligence that allows machines to learn from data – benefit all in UK society. Machine Learning: the power and promise of computers that learn by example, published today (25 April 2017), comes at a critical time in the rapid development and use of this technology, and the growing debate about how it will reshape the UK economy and people's lives. Crucially the report calls for research funding bodies to support a new wave of machine learning research that goes beyond technical challenges, and into areas aimed at addressing public confidence in machine learning – vital to the UK maintaining its internationally competitive edge at the forefront of this area. The report also offers the first evidence about the UK public's views on machine learning, including the application areas about which they are particularly positive, and the need for the real-world data feeding the growth of this technology to be dealt with fairly and securely.

The many potential social and economic benefits from advances in AI-based technologies depend entirely on the environment in which these technologies evolve, says the Royal Society. According to a new report from the UK's science academy, urgent consideration needs to be given to the "careful stewardship" needed over the next ten years to ensure that the dividends from machine learning – the form of artificial intelligence that allows machines to learn from data – benefit all in UK society. Machine Learning: the power and promise of computers that learn by example, published today (25 April 2017), comes at a critical time in the rapid development and use of this technology, and the growing debate about how it will reshape the UK economy and people's lives. Crucially the report calls for research funding bodies to support a new wave of machine learning research that goes beyond technical challenges, and into areas aimed at addressing public confidence in machine learning – vital to the UK maintaining its internationally competitive edge at the forefront of this area. The report also offers the first evidence about the UK public's views on machine learning, including the application areas about which they are particularly positive, and the need for the real-world data feeding the growth of this technology to be dealt with fairly and securely.