nexxworks’ Best of the Web - week July 3 to 9

The World May Be Headed for a Fragmented ‘Splinternet’

WIRED

“The way the trend is going, there is a lot of pressure directed at breaking the internet, this global network, into a national network with interconnections," says Vivek Krishnamurthy. "It could change what the internet looks like in five or ten years.” If internet users, tech companies, governments, and advertisers want to keep that from happening, now's the time to come together and conceive a plan.

The Self-Driving Project That Could Help China Leapfrog the West

WILL KNIGHT - MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

The CEO of Baidu, Robin Li, arrived at his company’s first AI developer conference, held in Beijing this week, in a vehicle that has the potential to reshape the world of self-driving cars. “Apollo is an important milestone for the automotive industry,” Qi Lu, vice chairman of Baidu, told conference attendees. “It is in essence the Android of the autonomous driving industry, but more open and more powerful.”

3 Ways Cognitive Computing Can Transform Banking

JAMIE TOLENTINO - THE NEXT WEB 

Cognitive computing has the potential to transform personal banking, wealth management and trading. Consumers can expect benefits to quality of information, products and services and speed of service if the banks choose to utilize AI enhanced digital services like bots.

Ray Kurzweil: There’s a Blueprint for the Master Algorithm in Our Brains

DOM GALEON - FUTURISM 

Ray Kurzweil, Google's chief engineer, is a famous futurist who's always banked on the coming of the singularity — when artificial intelligence overcomes human intelligence. For that to happen, however, we need to figure out the master algorithm.

Society Is Destroying and Rebuilding Itself for the Networked Age

AARON FRANK - SINGULARITY HUB 

Whether it’s a political leader, a toaster, or a Tesla, everything is being wired up to networks. And the connecting of something to a network changes the essence of what it is. A new era is dawning, and our society is destroying and rebuilding itself for the networked age.

Steven Has Even More News For You 

STEVEN VAN BELLEGHEM - YOUTUBE 

Every Friday, Steven Van Belleghem spoils you with a Weekly in which he presents a selection of news you cannot miss out on. In last week's episode Steven revealed stories on Google, Apple AR acquisition, new Facebook milestone and much more. Enjoy!