There are two conflicting visions of where artificial intelligence will take humankind. Some people worry that when robots become capable of programming themselves, they’ll realize that humans are useless and do away with us. Others think that on the day when robots become sentient — that is, the moment of the singularity — humans will be one with the ...

  This summer, Bill Winters completes two years at Standard Chartered Plc, the emerging-markets lender whose share price is still 32 percent below where it was when the former JPMorgan Chase & Co. executive took over as CEO. While the bank’s drop in first-quarter impairment costs is making investors optimistic about asset quality, further upside will depend on Winters becoming ...

  Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be moving ahead for plan to establish safe zones in Syria backed by peacekeepers with a high degree conviction. And to achieve this, there is marked change in the interaction between major powers supporting rivals in the Syrian conflict. Putin secured the US backing for the proposal to create safe zones in Syria ...