Comments from Microsoft President Brad Smith - “Facial recognition: It’s time for action”; researchers from Google, Microsoft and New York University - “AI Now Report 2018” and U.S. Department of Homeland Security - “Privacy Impact Assessment for the Facial Recognition Pilot”

Observations on commercial uses of blockchain technology, some challenges it faces and new offerings. 

Air quality has improved significantly since the worst fire in California history, and the worst U.S. fire since 1918. The fire’s impact: 1) about 160,000 acres burned, 2) over 17,000 structures destroyed, 3) at least 84 fatalities, 4) over 600 people are still missing and 5) over $7.5 billion in insured damages.

Views from “Winds of Change: The Case for New Digital Currency” by IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde and the IMF’s report “Casting Light on Central Bank Digital Currency.”

China’s state-owned Xinhua News Agency introduced automated news anchors that combine the images and voices of their human counterparts with artificial intelligence technology.

Tim Berners-Lee (inventor of the Web), Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and the report “The Rise of Digital Authoritarianism" present views on the current state of the Internet.

As the use of cash in Sweden declines (replaced by digital payment alternatives) other countries are considering their digital options.

Bill Gates, Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Kristalina Georgieva, CEO, World Bank launched the Global Commission on Adaptation "to bring scale and speed to climate adaptation solutions”.

Comments at “Exploring the Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Ecosystem” a hearing by the U.S. Senate Banking Committee

Comments for the report “Rise of the Machines: Artificial Intelligence and its Growing Impact on U.S. Policy” by the U.S. Congress.

Comments from J.P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle and  White House national security adviser John Bolton.

Comments for the Brookings Institute report, “The role of corporations in addressing AI’s ethical dilemmas” and Justin Kan, CEO of the legal services firm Atrium.

Comments Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey at a U.S. Senate Intelligence committee hearing.