Schwener claims the city is "burning our officers out right now with overtime," and that the city needs an additional 10 to 20 officers a figure he said he derived on his own from conversations with police officials.

The city last month swore in three new Davenport police officers, who join seven new officers sworn in late April and four new hires who recently started their 16 weeks of training at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy to become Davenport police officers.

Davenport Police Chief Paul Sikorski said the department had another five or six vacant positions it hoped to fill from retirements and resignations, and continue to actively recruit, offering sign-on bonuses, relocation assistance and incentives for military veterans.

Law enforcement agencies across the country have experienced a wave of retirements and departures and are struggling to recruit new officers following civil unrest and protest across the country over the killing and deaths of Black and brown people at the hands of law enforcement that has sparked calls for reforming or defunding the police, which have taken their toll on officer morale, Sikorski has said.

While noting recruiting struggles, Dickmann said she does not believe hiring more officers will help reduce crime on a large scale. Rather, she said she supports hiring more civilian staff in support roles to free sworn officers from clerical duties, as well as efforts like the Good Neighbor Project, city code enforcement and Youth Assessment Program. The latter,run by Family Resources, is aimed at connecting youth and families to preventative behavioral and mental health services to lower juvenile crime.

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In Davenport's Ward 2, the incumbent focuses on investment, while the challenger focuses on public safety - Quad City Times

Kroger Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen said the company aims to double its digital business by 2023 from $10 billion to $20 billion.

Company officials praised the state, its private JobsOhio development organization and southwest Ohios REDI Cincinnati development group for the location choice.

Monroe also has celebrated a $33 million Bed, Bath and Beyond e-commerce center located on 62 acres off Salzman Road, across from the Kohls Distribution Center.

Jeff Wells, NuWaves president and CEO, said the company was excited to invest in the local economy through advancing technology initiatives and operational with a talented workforce.

Founded in 2000, NuWaves provides turnkey solutions primarily to aerospace clients, including the U.S. Navy, Boeing, Lockheed, and L3Harris.

Wells said the companys technology securely extends the range of aerospace communications equipment in aircraft and its technology can be found in some unmanned aerial vehicles. The company plans to enhance its IT infrastructure and add engineering test equipment, which will support the companys growing cybersecurity measures, he said.

Bill Brock, Monroe city manager, said the companys innovation and investment is an important part of moving southwest Ohio forward as a leading technology center.

JobsOhio is providing assistance with a JobsOhio Inclusion Grant. The grants exist to provide financial support for eligible projects in designated distressed communities and/or for businesses owned by underrepresented populations across the state, according to JobsOhio.

Kimm Lauterbach, REDI Cincinnati president and CEO, said the grant is the perfect economic tool to support NuWaves growth in Monroe as it develops leading technology for the U.S. military.

Two other businesses are getting closer to opening in Monroe.

Construction continues on an Arbys location at 200 Hamilton Lebanon Road and a gas station/convenience store on one acre at 595 S. Main St., just north of the police station.

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Monroes growth continues with $445,000 investment from veteran-owned developer - Hamilton Journal News

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The years healthy level of Global VC investment showed no signs of stopping with Q321, setting a record for the third-straight time with $171.7 billion across 8,882 deals. An incredible amount of dry powder, increasing participation by less traditional VC investors, and robust exit opportunities helped keep the VC market very healthy according to the Q321 edition of Venture Pulse a quarterly report published by KPMG Private Enterprise on VC trends globally and in key jurisdictions around the world.

A record 11 deals at, or over $1 billion during the quarter helped propel VC investment to the new high. India-based Flipkart raised $3.6 billion in the largest deal of Q321, with many of the other larger deals globally having a cleantech or ESG element, including the $2.5 billion raise by US-based electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian and $2 billion raise by alternative energy infrastructure company Generate.

The Americas accounted for more than half of the global VC investment total, with a record $94 billion in funding during Q321. The US accounted for $82.8 billion of this total also setting a new quarterly record. VC investment in the Asia-Pacific region reached $48.1 billion in its best quarter since Q218 and its second-highest quarter of VC investment ever. After a record Q221, VC investment in Europe dipped slightly to $27.5 billion primarily due to a summer slowdown during which many dealmakers took vacation for the first time since the pandemic began.

Global exit activity remained robust with $292 billion in exit value across 780 deals in Q321. This helped propel YTD totals over $1 trillion more than double the previous high of $468 billion (set in 2020) with one quarter left in the year.

The word record has been a recurring theme each quarter when it comes to reporting on global VC investment and CVC investment, not to mention VC investment in many jurisdictions, said Kevin Smith Head of KPMG Private Enterprise in EMA, and Partner at KPMG in the UK, The reality is that 2021 has been a magical year for the VC market globally and were not done yet.

VC investment in Q421 is expected to remain very healthy, bringing an end to an incredible year for VC markets around the world. The continued abundance of capital, robust fundraising activity, rapidly maturing VC markets around the world, and a growing diversity of sectors attracting investment will likely keep total investment very strong.

Its been an impressive year for VC investment, with robust interest in many diverse sectors including fintech, B2B services and healthcare and biotech, said Conor Moore, Head of KPMG Private Enterprise in the Americas region, and Partner at KPMG in the US. One of the most exciting areas of investment this quarter, however, was cleantech. Given the increasing global interest in ESG, the incredible importance of climate change and reducing GHG emissions, and COP26 centre of the world stage in November there will likely be even more investment in this space over the next quarter and into 2022.

Key Highlights Q321

About KPMG Private Enterprise

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The KPMG Private Enterprise global network for Emerging Giants has extensive knowledge and experience working with the startup ecosystem. From seed to speed, were here throughout your journey. You gain access to KPMGs global resources through a single point of contacta trusted adviser to your company. Its a local touch with a global reach.

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Global VC Investment Soars Past $170 Billion in Third-Straight Record Quarter, Says KPMG Private Enterprise's Venture Pulse Report - Business Wire

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For the average person who wasn't born into a rich family, becoming a millionaire is easier said than done.

While some people have no desire to have a million dollars and that's totally okay others may find that the closer they get to that number, the more feasible it will become for them to afford new opportunities and reach their lifestyle goals. And when you consider the fact that future retirees who plan to live off of $50,000 a year will need between $1 million and $1.5 million to carry them the rest of their lives, suddenly the idea of saving a million dollars feels like a sobering goal.

Stashing away this much money can take a while, which is why it's important to start investing as soon as you can. If you're 25 years old and want to reach $1 million by the time you're 65, you can invest as little as $240 per month, assuming a 9% yearly return. But once you hit age 30, these numbers start looking a little different.

Selectasked Brian Stivers, a Financial Advisor and Founder ofStivers Financial Services, to help us calculate exactly how much money 30-year-olds should invest each month to become a millionaire.

According to Stivers, the three most important elements of investing are the amount you contribute each month, the rate of return and how long you have to reach your goal. So when doing the math, Stivers accounted for three different return rates and used a retirement age of 65, which would give 30-year-olds 35 years to reach $1 million. Here's the breakdown:

Compared to those who begin investing at age 25, people closer to age 30 will have to contribute a little more money each month in order to reach the same goal by age 65. Compound interest is most powerful when it has a longer amount of time to grow your money but, still, it's never too late to start investing even if you don't think you have enough money to dutifully invest $370 per month.

A 3% return may be achieved through a conservative portfolio of mostlybonds, whereas a 6% return is a bit more moderate and usually consists of a combination of stocks and bonds. And on the other hand, a 9% return denotes a more aggressive portfolio and can usually be received through a portfolio that's stock-heavy.

However, it can be very difficult to pick the "right" stocks for your desired return, plus you run the risk of being influenced by market highs and lows and may be tempted to sell stocks at a less-than-ideal moment. However, a tried-and-true strategy is to invest inindex fundsorETFsthat track the stock market as a whole, like theS&P 500.

According toInvestopedia, the S&P 500 has historically returned an average of 10% to 11% annually, so you might expect a fund tracking this index to produce similar returns, though, past returns do not indicate future success.

There has long been a notion that you need to already be rich in order to start investing. However, manyinvesting appsallow users to invest in fractional shares aka, a portion of a stock's share based on the amount of money you want to invest rather than the number of shares you want to purchase with as little as $1. And, apps likeAcornseven allow users to invest the "spare change" they accrue from making everyday purchases like coffee, textbooks and clothing.

And, some investment apps offer robo-advisors, like Wealthfront and Betterment, to help you determine which investments make sense for you based on your risk tolerance, goals and retirement date. Robo-advisors also take on the task of automatically rebalancing your portfolio as you get closer to the target date for your goals. This way, you don't have to worry about adjusting the allocation yourself.

On Wealthfront's secure site

Minimum deposit and balance requirements may vary depending on the investment vehicle selected. $500 minimum deposit for investment accounts

Fees may vary depending on the investment vehicle selected. Zero account, transfer, trading or commission fees (fund ratios may apply). Wealthfront annual management advisory fee is 0.25% of your account balance

Stocks, bonds, ETFs and cash. Additional asset classes to your portfolio include real estate, natural resources and dividend stocks

Offers free financial planning for college planning, retirement and homebuying

On Betterment's secure site

Minimum deposit and balance requirements may vary depending on the investment vehicle selected. For Betterment Digital Investing, $0 minimum balance; Premium Investing requires a $100,000 minimum balance

Fees may vary depending on the investment vehicle selected. For Betterment Digital Investing, 0.25% of your fund balance as an annual account fee; Premium Investing has a 0.40% annual fee

Up to one year of free management service with a qualifying deposit within 45 days of signup. Valid only for new individual investment accounts with Betterment LLC

Stocks, bonds, ETFs and cash

Betterment RetireGuide helps users plan for retirement

Of course, when you're just starting out it can feel overwhelming especially when you get older and start having more and more competing expenses and other goals, like saving for a house, having children or moving to another city. But making a list of all your monthly expenses and exactly how much money you spend for each can help lift some of that fog.

Understandingwhere your money goescan help you identify any unnecessary expenses that have been eating up your income. Then, you can cut back on those things and free up more of your money to put toward investing and expenses you actually care about. And creating a budget or outline doesn't have to be difficult it can be as simple as writing out all your expenses in a notebook or using an app like Mint or Personal Capital, but if you prefer to use a stricter method like You Need A Budget (YNAB) then more power to you.

Information about Mint has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by Mint prior to publication.

Shows income, expenses, savings goals, credit score, investments, net worth

Yes, but users can modify

Yes, bank and credit cards

Offered in both the App Store (for iOS) and on Google Play (for Android)

Verisign scanning, multi-factor authentication and Touch ID mobile access

On Personal Capital's secure site

App is free, but users have option to add investment management services for 0.89% of their money (for accounts under $1 million)

A budgeting app and investment tool that tracks both your spending and your wealth

Yes, but users can modify

Yes, bank and credit cards, as well as IRAs, 401(k)s, mortgages and loans

Offered in both the App Store (for iOS) and on Google Play (for Android)

Data encryption, fraud protection and strong user authentication

All things considered, building wealth is no easy feat. Whether you want to become a millionaire or even save with no specific goal in mind, it's important to start investing what you can comfortably afford.

Over time, you can always work your way up and stash away a little more money. But if your goal really is to invest your way to $1 million, the sooner you start, the more time your money will have to grow, meaning you'll be able to contribute a lower amount each month over the years.

Disclosure:NBCUniversal and Comcast are investors in Acorns.

Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staffs alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.

Link:
Here's how much money 30-year-olds need to invest every month to become a millionaire - CNBC

Pete Cannito, Redwire Corporation at the New York Stock Exchange, September 8, 2021.

Source: NYSE

Private investment in space companies hit $3.9 billion in the third quarter, propelling this year to a new annual record of $10.3 billion, according to a report this week by New York-based firm Space Capital.

"This quarter sets a new record for yearly infrastructure investment, having surpassed the previous of $9.8B set in 2020," Space Capital managing partner Chad Anderson wrote in the report.

The quarterly Space Capital report divides investment in the industry into three technology categories: infrastructure, distribution and application.

Infrastructure includes what commonly would be considered as space companies, such as firms that build rockets and satellites.

Space companies closing SPAC mergers and going public made up a significant portion of the capital raised in the third quarter with moves completed by Rocket Lab, Spire Global, BlackSky, Momentus, and Redwire. The two largest deals in the quarter were by ORBCOMM, which was taken private for $1.1 billion, and satellite broadband company OneWeb, which raised $550 million.

With more SPAC deals expected to close in the fourth quarter, Anderson wrote that "the average round size and the number of rounds are also on track to set new records at the end of Q4."

In total, Space Capital tracks 1,654 companies which have raised $231.2 billion in cumulative global equity investment since 2012 across its three space categories.

Become a smarter investor withCNBC Pro. Get stock picks, analyst calls, exclusive interviews and access to CNBC TV. Sign up to start afree trial today.

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Investment in space companies exceeds $10 billion this year, a new annual record - CNBC

Key Points

Building a diversified portfolio full of sound investments is crucial to growing wealth and preparing for your financial future. But what if you could pick just one investment that would allow you to achieve the goal of growing your money while limiting risk?

I know that if I had to pick only one asset to put all my money into, the decision would be a no-brainer. I'd sink all of my cash into this investment without hesitation.

Image source: Getty Images.

If I had to choose a single investment, there's no question it would be an S&P 500 index fund. There are a few primary reasons for that.

First and foremost, an S&P index fund provides a very small ownership interest in around 500 of the largest companies in the United States. With this single investment, I'd buy small fractions of shares of innovative, well-established businesses that are extremely unlikely to fail.

This would provide me with instant diversification because I'd own a varied mix of stocks including technology companies, auto parts suppliers, communication and financial service businesses, and companies that make consumer goods. With such a mix of different businesses, it's almost a given that at least some of the assets my money is invested in would perform well no matter the economic conditions.

By putting my money into an S&P 500 fund, I'd also be taking minimal risk. This is crucial, since if this was my only investment, I'd have 100% of my money in equities, and it's generally a good idea to put some cash into other types of investments such as bonds. The S&P 500 index has reliably produced average annual returns of around 10% over its long history. And anyone who invested in an S&P fund and left their money alone for at least 20 years should have always turned a profit at the end of 20 years, no matter how poorly timed their investment.

Lastly, I'd also be limiting the investing fees I'd owe by putting my money into an S&P 500 index fund. Since these funds are passively managed with stocks selected to mimic the performance of the index, rather than actively managed, there's minimal cost involved. Investment fees reduce effective returns, so keeping them to a minimum is essential to maximizing the amount of money you end up with.

By investing everything in an S&P fund, I'd miss out on my chance to try to beat the market. When most people talk about the market's performance, they're usually referring to how the S&P 500 is doing. You aren't going to earn huge returns over a short time when you're investing in so many companies at once since they aren't all going to outperform expectations dramatically.

But investing in an S&P fund is easy and simple, it all-but eliminates the chances of losing money over the long term, and it could turn you into a millionaire over time if you invest enough in it. Of course, you don't have to pick just one investment. But if you don't want to spend a lot of time managing your portfolio, putting most or all of your money into an S&P index fund could be the smartest move you'll make.

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If I Could Buy Just One Investment, This Would Be It - Motley Fool

Artificial intelligence is at the top of many lists of the most important skills in today'sjobmarket.

In the last decade or so we have seen a dramatic transition from the AI winter (where AI has not lived up to its hype) to an AI spring (where machines can now outperform humans in a wide range of tasks).

Having spent the last 25 years as an AIresearcher and practitioner, I'm often asked about the implications of this technology on the workforce.

I'm quite often disheartened by the amount of disinformation there is on the internet on this topic, so I've decided to share some of my own thoughts.

The difference between what I am about to write, and what you may have read before elsewhere is due to an inherent bias.Rather than being a pure AI practitioner, my PhD and background is in Cognitive Science - the scientific study of how the mind works, spanning such areas as psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, and artificial intelligence. My area of research has been to look explicitly at how the human mind works, and to reverse engineer these processes in the development of artificial intelligence platforms.Hence, I probably have a better understanding than most of the differences and similarities between human and machine intelligence and how this may play out in the workforce (i.e. what jobs will and will not be replaceable in the future).

So let's begin.

A good place to start this discussion is with the work of Katja Grace and colleagues at the Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford. A few years ago they surveyed the world's leadingAI researchers about when they believed machines would outperform humans on a wide range of tasks. These results are below:

Evidently there were different predictions made as to when different types of work will be able to be performed by machines.But in general, there is consensus that there will be major shifts in the workforce in the next 20 years or so.

In the paper,they define high-level machine intelligence being achieved when unaided machines can accomplish every task better and more cheaply than human workers.Aggregating the data, on average experts believe there is a 50% chance that this will be achieved within 45 years. That is, the leading experts in AI believe that there is a 50% chance that humanity will be fully redundant in 45 years.

This prediction is unimaginable to most of us.But is it realistic? In the next sections I will answer this question looking at the different types of work.But firstly, I will explain a little about recent AI advancements.

Up until recently we were very much in an AI winter (a term coined by relating it to a nuclear winter), where there were distinct phases of hype, followed by disappointment and criticism.The disillusionment was reflected in pessimism by the media, and severe cutbacks in funding, resulting in reduced interest in serious research.

This lull has changed in the last decade or so, with the success of deep learning - an AI paradigm that was inspired by how the brain processes information (in short, artificial neural networks that that process information in parallel, as opposed to the typical serial processing we see in most computer CPUs).

Deep learning and neural networks have been around for some time. However, it is only recently that our computers have been powerful enough to run these algorithms on real-world problems, in real-time.For example, visual object recognition systems of today (e.g., facebooks face recognition system) use what are called convolutional neural networks that mimic how the human visual cortex works. Papers describing this approach started appearing in the early 80s such as with Fukushimas Neocognitron.However, it was not until 2011 that our computers were able to run these algorithms at an appropriate speed to make them useful in practice.

What happened around only 10 years ago, was it was discovered that neural networks could run on computer graphics cards (GPUs - graphics programming units) as these cards were specifically designed to process large amounts of information in parallel - exactly what is needed for artificial neural networks.Most AI researchers these days still use high-performance graphics cards, with there being exponential growth in the capabilities of these cards over time. That is, graphics cards today are 16x more powerful than what they were 10 years ago, and 4x what they were 5 years ago that is they double in computational power every 2.5 years.And with growing interest in the area, we are sure to see ongoing rapid advancements in this technology.

Beyond the fact that computers can now run these large scale networks in real-time, we also have a wealth of large data sources to train them on (n.b., neural networks learn from examples), and available programming platforms such as TensorFlow developed by Google that are openly available to anyone with an interest in machine learning.

As a result of the availability and success of deep learning approaches, AI has officially moved from its supposed winter, to a new season - spring.

What does all this mean for the workforce?Lets continue...

Perhaps one of the low hanging fruits of robotics and AI is in automation replacing repetitive manual labour with machines that can perform the same kind of task cheaply and more efficiently.

An example of this is in Alibabas smart warehouse, where robots perform 70% of the work:

I think the important thing to note when we think of AI replacing human workers, is that they do not have to do the same exact work, in order to make humans redundant.

Consider how Alibaba and Amazon have disrupted the retail sector, with an increasing number of shoppers heading for their screens to make their purchases rather than entering brick-and-mortar retail stores.The outcome is the same (i.e. a consumer making a purchase and receiving a product), but the process itself can be restructured in a way that uses automation to make the process cheaper and more efficient.

For example, Amazon (Prime Air), is trialing a drone delivery system to safely delivery packages to customers in 30 minutes or less disrupting the standard way humans would make similar deliveries:

We are seeing much progress in the ability of machines to perform manual tasks in a wide range of areas, both in and outside of the factory.Take for example the task of laying bricks. Fastbrick, has recently signed a contract in Saudi Arabia to build 55,000 homes by 2022, using automation:

As a glimpse of the future, companies such as Boston Robotics are capable of building robots with similar physical structures to humans, performing tasks that average humans cant:

The point here is that robots in the near future will no doubt be able to replace low-skilled workers, in menial and repetitive tasks, either by performing it in a similar manner, or changing the nature of the work itself, solving the same task in a different but more efficient manner.

I was speaking with a leader only last week, who was about to replace his airport baggage handling staff with machines.And he simply said, the robots will be cheaper and do a better job so why wouldnt he.

And the truth is, this is how these decisions are being made.To gain or maintain a competitive advantage, automation is indeed a rational choice.But what does this mean for the unskilled labourers?

What we currently know is that the gap between the rich and the poor is growing rapidly (e.g., the 3 richest people in the world possess more financial assets than the lowest 48 nations combined):

In the bottom percentiles the number of hours worked has decreased substantially, with the main reason being the demand and supply of skills.

Many argue that although machines will no doubt take on the low-skilled jobs, these workers will simply move to positions where more human-like traits are required (e.g., emotional intelligence and creativity).Will will delve into these areas, to test this assumption in the following sections. But from research such as the above, the current trend has been so far to replace workers without creating the equal number of opportunities elsewhere.

A level up from automation, are jobs or aspects of jobs that require decision-making and problem-solving.

In terms of decision-making, AI is incredibly well-suited for statistical decision-making tasks. That is, given a description of the current situation, categorising the data into appropriate classes. Examples of this include speech-to-text recognition (where the auditory stream is classified into distinct words), language translation (converting one representation to another), object detection (e.g., finding objects or detecting faces in an image), medical diagnoses (e.g., detecting the presence of cancerous cells), exam grading, and modelling consumer behaviour etc. etc.These systems are perfect for scenarios where there is a lot of data that can be used for training the systems, and there are numerous examples (such as those I just listed) where machines now outperform their human counterparts.

I place problem-solving here in a slightly different category to decision-making.Problem-solving is more about how to get to a desired state given the current state, and may involve a number of steps to get there.Navigation is a perfect example of this. And we have seen how well technologies such as google maps have been integrated into our daily lives (e.g., calculating the fastest route given current traffic conditions, and modifying the recommendation should conditions change).

Deep learning has also had a major impact in AI approaches to problem-solving.Take for example chess. In 1997 Deep Blue, a chess-playing computer developed by IBM beat Garry Kasparov, becoming the first computer system to defeat a reigning world champion.This system used a brute force approach, thinking ahead, and evaluating 200 million positions per second. This is quite distinct to how humans experts play chess, that play through intuition rather than thinking through all possible exhaustive moves.

With the advent of deep learning, AI problem-solving has become more human-like.Googles AlphaZero for instance has beaten the worlds best chess-playing computer, teaching itself how to play in under 4 hours.Rather than using brute force AlphaZero uses deep learning (plus a few other tricks) to extract patterns of patterns that it can use to evaluate its next move.Thus, this is similar to human intuition, where it has a feeling how good a move is based on the global context. Similar to human intuition, one drawback of this approach is that it is often impossible to understand "how" the decision was made (as it is due to the combination of millions of features at different levels).

Besides chess, Google has also beaten the world champion at the ancient Chinese game of go.This was a major achievement, as it was foreseen by AI researchers as an incredibly difficult task.In a game of chess, there are on average approximately 35 legal positions that a player can make on each move.By comparison, the average branching factor for Go is 250, making a brute force search intractable. In 2016, AlphaGo won 4-1 against Lee Sedol, widely considered to be the greatest player in the past decade.AplhaGos successor, AlphaGo Zero, described in Nature, is arguably the strongest Player in history.

So in short Again, there is much growing research and success in computer decision-making and problem solving.

When talking about the future of work, there is often an argument that, although machines will replace many jobs, there will always be a space between what AI and humans can do.Accordingly, human work will simply move to areas that involve creativity and emotional intelligence - competencies that machines will never be good at. Lets explore this argument, as it was the topic of my own PhD.

My own PhD work (gosh, around 20 years ago now), was inspired by Douglas Hofstadter and the Fluid Analogies Research Group (FARG)- a team of AI researchers investigating the fundamental processes underlying human perception and creativity.

Many of the models that FARG implemented seem trivial by todays standard, but illustrate the core processes underlying human creativity.

One of the many examples of creativity that they looked at, was the game JUMBLE - a simple newspaper game, where you were required to unscramble the given letters into a real word.Consider the scrambled letters UFOHGT

Now, you are probably asking yourself what this trivial anagram task has to do with creativity.And the answer is EVERYTHING.

While trying to solve this problem, think about HOW you solve it.

Unlike Deep Blue, in solving anagrams, you will not search through every combination.But instead you will create word-like candidates - letter strings that follow the statistical properties of what words generally look like.E.g., you would not start with the letters HG together or FG, as statistically speaking, these are not how typical English words start.

You might instead start by chunking the letters OU FT and GH together, and arrange them in a sequence to create the word GHOUFT.But you discover that this is a non-word, and you pull it apart and try again.

Over time, you will try different combinations of word-like candidates until you come up with a real English word.

The creative aspect of this task lies in the fact that you generated a range of word-like options based on the statistical properties of english.

A demo of this (one of the many demos from my thesis) can be found below:

In short, most creativity can be viewed in this manner. that there exists statistical regularities of things that belong together, and the creative process involves searching through a range of options until you find a global solution that is suitable.For example, music is not a random sequence of notes but has inherent structure, with music composition exploring different combinations of notes that conform to these rules.

With the advent of deep learning, AI now is very good at extracting such statistical regularities from domains, and generating novel examples that follow the statistics of the domain.

An example of this is from Sonys CSL Research Lab that can listen to music, extract the statistical regularities, and generate its own songs in the given style.As an example, the below song was generated in the style of the Beatles:

An example perhaps more illustrative of current advances is Googles drawing bot that is capable of generating photo-realistic images, given a text description. This system was trained on captioned images, and once trained could generate its own images given a text based description.

For example, the following drawing was generated from the query this bird is black and yellow with a short beak (i.e. this bird does not exist in real life, and was generated by the algorithm rather than being retrieved):

This system can generate a range of images, including ordinary pastoral scenes such as grazing livestock, through to more abstract concepts such as a floating double-decker bus.

Another example of this is in computer programming - as this is something schools are focussing on, that they believe will be an essential skill of the future.

EnterBayou...

Researchers from Rice University havecreated and are refining an applicationthat writes code given a short verbal description from the user.

The software uses deep learning to "read the programmer's mind and predict the program they want."

So, in short... There is major disruption about to potentially occur in this area as well. The future (and as such what we need to be teaching kids to prepare them for it), is very uncertain.

So - to answer the question that I started above.Yes, in the short-term there may be spaces between what humans and machines are capable of, but in the near future these spaces will get smaller and smaller.

In the long-term, I certainly believe creativity is an area that could and will be outsourced to machines (particularly in the technical space of creating new ideas and solutions).

The final bastion that seems to protect humans (and our jobs) from complete redundancy, is our human emotions and emotional intelligence.Many people argue that this is a defining feature of humans that truly segregates us from machines.

Or does it?

If you believe in evolution, you should believe that humans have emotions for a reason - there is some evolutionary benefit.

Thought of in this way, most emotions are definitely here for a reason.They are our internal guidance system that tells us if we are getting things right or wrong.For example, pain and fear are incredibly important, as they prevent us from taking risks that could lead to harm.No doubt such emotions are useful for machines to have as well, and we already see early analogues of them in machines of today (e.g., bump sensors, or sensors to prevent your robot vacuum cleaner from falling down stairs - sensors that prevent them from doing things that could be self-harming).

Ok, so pain is an obviously important signal for machines to have, but what about something more complex like happiness - what could be the evolutionary benefit of that?

Well, I am glad you asked, as it has been part of my own research to look at pleasure centres in the brain, and develop their analogue in robots - yes, indeed happy robots.

You can check out some of my older research on this topic in the video below.In short, one of the many purposes of happiness is that it drives learning (i.e. we are naturally curious, and are as a result active participants in our own learning).

So, hopefully, watching the above video, you will understand the role of emotions, and how they are central to intelligence.So, I do definitely believe that in the near future machines will have their own emotions and drives that will increase in complexity over time. There is no real bastion that will be left standing in the end.

I have made many strong claims in the above text (i.e. that in the near future, all human jobs are in jeopardy), and I am sure that there will be more than a few people that may be skeptical at this point.Possibly because the advances in current AI are not visible in our lives - they are currently hidden away in our factories, mobile phones, and online shopping recommendations. But if you look under the hood, the technology is there, and progressing at an alarming rate.

A possible metaphor is that of the boiling frog - i.e. if you put a frog in boiling water it will jump out immediately, but if you put a frog in cool water that is brought slowly to boil it will not perceive the threat and be boiled alive (not scientifically true, but a nice metaphor).

As humans, we are used to slow and gradual change.In contrast, we are unfamiliar with exponential growth, in that something that we perceive as changing slowly today, may rapidly change tomorrow.As a result, rapid overnight changes are not something we naturally fear. But all the research suggests that advances in AI are following this exponential pattern, and there is a tipping point in the near future where changes will be rapid and unpredictable.

Ray Kurzweil, in his book the age of the spiritual machines charts evidence of this exponential growth, in terms of the increase of calculations per second of computers over time.Given the current GPUs we are currently using for AI, the predictions he made with respect to where we are in 2018 are remarkably accurate.

What is scary about this graph is that if these trends continue, the average PC will have the computational power of the human brain by around 2030, and the computational power of the entire human population in around 2050.

I am not necessarily saying that these predictions are fully accurate, but I do believe that as individuals we are underestimating the rapid changes to our lives that are about to occur.

If you view AI as a species that is evolving, it is evolving at a pace unlike anything we have ever witnessed before, and in the last 10 years, progress has been remarkable.

As an interesting example of this, check out Google Duplex:

There is no doubt that there is a tsunami of change that is about to hit our shores.A tsunami that few people are expecting, with a ferocity and timescale potentially more threatening to our species than climate change.

The danger I believe, is not in the technology itself, but in how we are using it.

If we use AI unchecked for corporate competitive advantage, there is no doubt companies will choose the cheapest and most efficient option, and the employees at the lowest levels will be the first to be hit hard.But over time, it is highly likely that all of our opportunities at all levels will be washed away. And very soon.

But it is a tsunami. I do believe we can channel for the greater good if we choose to.If we dont use it for corporate advantage but instead use it to solve the biggest issues facing humanity such as education, poverty, famine, disease and climate change.

I also fear that this issue will be similar to climate change that the leaders at the top will be reluctant to take action (e.g., it is unfathomable that some current world leaders are still denying that global warming is an issue, despite there being a 97% consensus by climate specialists).

So what can be done?

They say that the Holocaust was allowed to occur in Nazi Germany because the good people sat back and did nothing.Some later justified their inaction claiming that they did not know where the trains were heading. Today, we do not have this excuse. in terms of both climate change and AI, we know exactly where these trains are heading. and these trains contain our children.

I think the major problem we face in stopping or redirecting these trains (i.e. pressuring the government to intervene) is what in the psychological literature is known as bystander apathy - the fact that people in a crowd are less likely to step in and help than individuals witnessing an atrocity alone.

With bystander apathy, people only step in to help when:

1) they notice that something is going on

2) interpret the situation as being an emergency

3) feel that they have a degree of responsibility (i.e. there is no-one else who is better suited)

4) and know what to do to help.

So if it is really up to the people to upward manage our governments (to make sure companies act sustainably and in a way that is beneficial to humanity) - how do we avoid our own bystander apathy?

So if it is really up to the people to upwardly manage our governments (to make sure companies act sustainably and in a way that is beneficial to humanity) - how do we avoid our own bystander apathy?

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Artificial Intelligence, and the Future of Work Should We Be Worried? - BBN Times

A day after a group of Gandhian organisations set out on a march from Sevagram to Sabarmati to protest against the redevelopment plan for Mahatma Gandhi-founded Sabarmati Ashram, the state government on Monday released a video on social media platforms, sharing its plan for the Ashram for the first time in public domain.

The government has termed its plan as "restoration" of "Gandhiji's karmabhoomi" to "keep alive his values and philosophy and continue to inspire future generations."

The 4.48 minutes long video titled "Gandhi Ashram Restoration Project" was uploaded on Chief Minister Office Twitter and Instagram handles. The video has been made by "Mahatma Gandhi Sabarmati Ashram Memorial Trust", which is said to have been formed by the state government recently to look after redevelopment work and the subsequent management of the Ashram precinct. Despite repeated attempts, K Kailashnathan, chairman of the Executive Council, set up by the state government for project implementation, didn't respond to comment.

The development comes a day after 50 people representing various Gandhian organisations embarked on "Sevagram-Sabarmati Sandesh Yatra" in protest against the government's plan for redevelopment. The march, started from Sevagram Ashram in Wardha, will reach Ahmedabad on October 23. On October 24, a silent protest is likely to be held at the Ashram.

The short videodescribes the Ashram set up by Gandhi in 1917 as "the austere, simple and authentic architecture of the ashram was the very embodiment of Gandhiji's value and philosophy."

It says, "It is true that today's Gandhi Ashram memorial is deeply inspiring yet it has long been felt that it leaves much to be desired. When established the Ashram was spread out over 120 acres of land on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. It had 63 buildings that housed numerous activities of the Ashram. Today, what people know as Gandhi Ashram is only five acres of the original Ashra which has been preserved as a memorial. Only three of its original buildings are open for visitors, many of the others have either been torn down or lie across the busy ashram road. The video says that over the years many new buildings "that are incongruous with the architecture of the original Ashram, have also been built on Ashram ground, making it unrecognisable from the place where Gandhijji nurtured India's quest for freedom."

It adds, "During this 75th year of India's independence the government has resolved to restore Gandhi ashram in a way that preserves the ethos of the original ashram. Ashram road will be severed and diverted. The Ashram will be expanded to include all buildings built during Gandhi's time. Buildings and activities which are not congruent with the proposed memorial will be moved to satellite campuses adjoining the ashram. Ashram wasis who are currently the tenants of various trusts will be given ownership of new houses with upgraded facilities located within 50 metres of their current locations. Those who chose to move to a different location will be provided a generous compensation or four-bedroom homes which are ready to occupy."

Sharing the government's plan, the film says, "A conceptual master plan for expansion and restoration of Arham has been prepared. The original building of the Ashram will be carefully restored and brought alive for everyone to visit and be inspired by. A few new museums and exhibits will be added to display Gandhi's life and works. Gandhi Ashram archive and library will be better housed and facilities will be created for research and training. Amenities will be augmented to support the continuously increasing number of visitors. All of these be done in a way that preserves the ethos and sanctity of the original Ashram.Chandrabha revolt in the vicinity of the ashram will be made into a pleasant urban waterway. The historic dandi bridge will be restored."

The video says that the estimated cost for this project is 1,200 crore, which will be funded by the Government of India and managed by the Gujarat government in "consultation and consensus" with all stakeholders. "Restoration of Gandhiji's karmabhoomi will keep alive his values and philosophy and continue to inspire future generations," the video added.

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Gujarat govt releases video of its plan for Gandhi Ashram, says 'restoration' to inspire future generation - Deccan Herald

Three firms have bid for the Gandhi Ashram redevelopment project work, for which the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) had issued a tender worth an estimated cost of Rs 218 crore last month, said AMC officials.

The technical scrutiny of the three bidders is expected to be completed by October 19 and if all goes as per plan, the work is expected to commence by end of November, an AMC official said.

The three bidders include construction company NCC in a joint venture with Ahmedabad-based P Das Infrastructure Ltd, Ahmedabad-based Apex Tarmac Pvt Ltd and Kalthia Group base in Ahmedabad and Bhavnagar, according to AMC officials who handle the tender process for the Gandhi Ashram Precinct Development at Sardar Patel Stadium in West Zone, which shall cover the restructuring of the Chandrabhaga river a tributary of the Sabarmati. The submission of bids to the online tender, which closed on October 5, are undergoing technical evaluation to verify if the bidders fulfill the necessary criteria for undertaking the work, said an AMC official.

Once the technical evaluation and scrutiny are done, we will open up the financial bid for whosoever qualifies where they will quote the amount and the one who quotes the lowest will win the bid, the official said.

According to the tender document, the bidder shall have experience of similar work of infrastructure-based projects, completed between 2014-15 and 2020-21. After the financial bidding, the AMC official said, it would take one week for approval from the municipal commissioner and 21 days for approval of the standing committee (of the AMC)Work will start thereafter.

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Gandhi Ashram Redevelopment: Received bids from 3 firms, says AMC officials - The Indian Express

Samantha Ruth Prabhu is vacationing in Rishikesh with her friend and has been sharing pictures from there. The Family Man 2 star, who has been in the news lately for her separation from Naga Chaitanya, has revealed she's staying at The Roseate Ganges, a luxury hotel on the banks of the river Ganges.

In the pictures shared on her Instagram Stories, Samantha gave a glimpse of the infinity pool that comes with a view of the mountain, the monkeys, a huge spiderweb she noticed, and an old tree she spotted. She also geotagged the location. Her friend Shilpa Reddy also shared a picture to reveal that they stepped out for a trek.

The luxury resort, as per their official website, offers nature walks by the river, treks, yoga on the white sand beach, meditation, the religious Arti by the Ganges, river rafting, a spiritual peregrination, as well as visits to organic farms, Sivananda Ashram, Rajaji National Wildlife Park and The Beatles Ashram.

With 17 villas present, a night at the resort could cost anything between 26,897 to 50,000, depending on the time of the year one visits. While the prices seem to be below 30,000 most times, on occasions like Diwali and New Year, the prices shoot up.

Also read: Samantha Ruth Prabhu reveals what she hates being asked in interviews, calls such questions extremely inhumane

Previously, Janhvi Kapoor had stayed at the resort when she visited Rishikesh with her friends. A picture of her unwinding in the infinity was shared by the resort as well.

Samantha's break in the mountains comes after her announcement of her split with Chaitanya. After being married for close to four years, Samantha and Chaitanya issued identical statements confirming that they were parting ways. Although the cause of their separation isn't revealed, Samantha had lashed out at rumours suggesting affairs, that she never wanted children and has had abortions.

The Telugu star is also set to return to work soon. She has recently signed two bilingual movies back-to-back. One is helmed by director duo Hari and Harish whereas the second is with debutant director Shantharuban. She also has director Gunasekar's period drama Shaakuntalam in the pipeline.

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Step inside Samantha Ruth Prabhu's Rishikesh luxury resort on banks of river Ganges, see pics and video - Hindustan Times