I do think there is a lot of potential if you have a compelling product and people are willing to pay a premium for that. I think that is what Apple has shown. You can buy a much cheaper cell phone or laptop, but Apple's product is so much better than the alternative, and people are willing to pay that premium.

Nokia and China Mobile, the world's largest mobile carrier in terms of subscribers, have signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to investigate the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to optimize future networks and enable the delivery of new edge cloud and 5G services. Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will jointly establish a laboratory in Hangzhou, China to develop the demo system to verify technology use cases using Nokia's 5G Future X architecture. The deal also stipulates that China Mobile will lead the research in terms of scenario selection, requirements confirmation, open API standardization and solution definition. Under the MoU, Nokia and China Mobile will work together to research the application of AI and machine learning to ensure any changes in demand are predicted and network resources are automatically allocated to meet all service demands with consistent high quality and reliability, the two firms said. At the new laboratory in Hangzhou, Nokia and China Mobile will foster an open Radio Access Network and 5G ecosystem working with third parties to leverage AI and machine learning and optimize networks for the delivery of services such as cloud virtual reality gaming.

Johnstown, PA – The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has awarded Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) a competitively bid prime $498,000 contract to research artificial intelligence (AI) automation capabilities under the agency's Boosting Innovative GEOINT (BIG) program. Under this contract, CTC will further advance the state of knowledge in virtual assistants by evolving from a singular user- centric orientation to a viewpoint of the user within an interdependent network of humans and cognitive machines. The goal is to enable task automation and management to be cloud-wide rather than confined within a traditional desktop or server architecture; and augment and scale human analysts' cognition and intelligence via a capability refined for intelligence community needs. CTC will provide NGA an AI Analyst Virtual Assistant (AVA) capability, incorporating smart technology to address significant challenges in multi-tasking and processing large quantities of rapidly changing information. The AVA will provide recommendations and predictions based on analysts' needs and tasking and by socializing analysts' activities to one another.

When industry leaders launched a non-profit organization in September to create best practices for artificial intelligence, one company was notably missing. On Friday, the Partnership on AI announced that Apple had joined as a founding member. The organization, which will publish research on the ethics, transparency and reliability of AI, among other things, was initially made up of tech giants Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, Google and IBM. Though Apple collaborated with the partnership since before it was announced last year, it wasn't officially a member until now. Tom Gruber, Apple's head of advance development of Siri, will represent the company. "We're glad to see the industry engaging on some of the larger opportunities and concerns created with the advance of machine learning and AI," Gruber said.

Advances in artificial intelligence are happening in big ways, but the progress is all from the most technical minds and companies on Earth. Those in the liberal arts and humanities, however, are now thinking they need to get in on AI before it drastically changes how we live. To do AI research for the public interest from an entirely new perspective, LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, the Omidyar Network (a philanthropic investment firm) and the Knight Foundation (which invests in journalism and arts) have put together a $27 million fund for AI research. Called the "Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Fund," it applies the humanities, social sciences and other disciplines to the development of AI. "Artificial intelligence and complex algorithms in general, fueled by big data and deep-learning systems, are quickly changing how we live and work…" reads the announcement from the Knight Foundation. "Because of this pervasive but often concealed impact, it is imperative that AI research and development be shaped by a broad range of voices--not only by engineers and corporations, but also by social scientists, ethicists, philosophers, faith leaders, economists, lawyers and policymakers."

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