Positive news on the AI front recently when the US and UK governments both started public debate on the future of artificial intelligence. While there has been a lot of coverage on AI in the press over the recent months, it is very encouraging to see the governments of two of the leading contributing countries to this technology start taking its development seriously enough to have open public debates on the issues. Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) is one of the'Eight Great Technologies' identified by the UK Government in 2012. A national strategy for RAS innovation from a'RAS Special Interest Group' has been published by Innovate UK. "Robots are now beating humans at even the most complex games, like Go. Artificial intelligence will play an increasing role in our lives over the coming years. From navigation systems to medical treatments and from new manufacturing techniques to unmanned vehicles, new applications are rapidly being developed that involve robotic decision making. It is important that the UK is ready with the research, innovation and skills to be able to fully take advantage of the opportunities and manage any risks. The global market for the AI sector is expected to grow to 2-6 trillion by 2025."