As the old joke goes, on the internet nobody knows you're a dog. But thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence, not only do today's machines know you're a canine, they can tell what color dog you are -- and may treat you differently as a result. AI-driven algorithms impact our lives in countless ways, from the technology that identifies your voice when you call your bank to the algorithms that determine whether you're a good credit risk. It's expected to play an increasingly large role in designing products, identifying potential clients, diagnosing disease and preventing crime. An AI bot may troubleshoot your computer, offer legal advice or teach your kids Spanish.

Chinese tech titan Tencent has announced that it's opening a new artificial intelligence (AI) lab in Seattle, with speech recognition expert Dr. Yu Dong, formerly a principal researcher at Microsoft's Speech and Dialog Group, leading the initiative. The new lab, which was first rumored last month, will focus on both "fundamental research and practical application of artificial intelligence," according to a statement issued by the company, and will push to develop AI's "understanding, decision-making and creativity," while supporting Tencent's AI efforts across its range of businesses, which include gaming and social media. Tencent first launched an AI lab in Shenzhen, China last April, with a focus on machine learning, computer vision, speech recognition, and natural language processing (NLP). According to the company, a number of its products already use technology created in the lab -- including its wildly popular WeChat messaging app. The Seattle AI hub will focus more on speech recognition and NLP.

Mobvoi, a Chinese voice recognition startup, signed a strategic partnership to build a 50/50 joint venture targeting the automotive market with Volkswagen. The deal involved VW investing $180 million in a Mobvoi series D funding. Modvoi has developed an advanced Chinese speech recognition system, Chinese/English translation, semantic analysis and integrated vertical and proactive search, all adapted for and connected with a smart rear-view mirror that provides navigation, messaging and information through voice input. Prof. Dr. Heizmann, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group China said: "This partnership is a particular example of Volkswagen's determination to work with groundbreaking Chinese tech companies like Mobvoi to create new forms of people-oriented mobility technology. We are impressed by Mobvoi's innovative approach of AI technologies, and we are pleased to form this joint venture to explore the next generation of smart mobility."

Singapore has been hailed as one of the smartest cities in Asia. SINGAPORE has been getting a lot of positive press lately. In the last month alone, General Electric announced the opening of a high-tech service center in the city-state, while Proctor & Gamble launched a new digital innovation hub. While the tiny island nation has long been used by MNCs as a launchpad for Asia, it's clear Singapore has become the innovation cluster in the region to watch. The latest news from Tech in Asia confirms this, as Singularity University (SU) has officially launched a Singapore chapter last week.

While the rest of the world will have to wait a little longer, Samsung yesterday rolled out voice functionality for its new assistant Bixby to Galaxy S8 owners in South Korea – and it turns out the little virtual helper has some mad skills to show off. Though Bixby was mostly designed to perform simple voice commands like making calls, setting reminders and calendar appointments as well as launching apps, it turns out the assistant can also spit some fire raps for you. We've teamed up with Product Hunt to offer you the chance to win an all expense paid trip to TNW Conference 2017! South Korean residents are flocking to YouTube to upload videos showing Bixby rhyme over various beats – both old and new school – and it sounds surprisingly good, even though my Korean is practically non-existent. As you can expect from any voice-enabled virtual assistant, the lyrics hardly qualify as what you'd call quality hip-hop, but it's still entertaining to see your phone trying to rap.

Samsung is stepping up its plans for self-driving cars to rival former Google project Waymo, Uber and Apple, bringing the key players from the battle for smartphone dominance to the brave new world of autonomous vehicles. The South Korean electronics manufacturer, which is the world's largest smartphone maker and a chip giant in its own right, has been given permission to test its self-driving cars on public roads by the South Korean ministry of land, infrastructure and transport. The decision puts Samsung in direct competition with US technology firms, including Uber, Waymo and Apple, all of which are already testing self-driving vehicles on public roads. Samsung's smartphone rival, Apple, was recently granted permission to test its long-rumoured vehicles in California. Unlike Apple, Google and other US technology firms, which predominantly use modified Lexus SUVs for testing autonomous systems, Samsung is using fellow Korean firm Hyundai's vehicles.

WhatsApp is set to add a new feature to make it easier to keep an eye on important chats. The Facebook-owned app is adding a new feature to let people pin certain conversations to the top of their list. The change will also mean that less important chats can be more easily ignored, since they can be pushed down to the bottom – even if people are talking in them incessantly. The I.F.O. is fuelled by eight electric engines, which is able to push the flying object to an estimated top speed of about 120mph. The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session A man looks at an exhibit entitled'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Electrification Guru Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart talks about the electric Jaguar I-PACE concept SUV before it was unveiled before the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S The Jaguar I-PACE Concept car is the start of a new era for Jaguar. Japan's On-Art Corp's CEO Kazuya Kanemaru poses with his company's eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot'TRX03' and other robots during a demonstration in Tokyo, Japan Japan's On-Art Corp's eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot'TRX03' performs during its unveiling in Tokyo, Japan Singulato Motors co-founder and CEO Shen Haiyin poses in his company's concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China A picture shows Singulato Motors' concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China Connected company president Shigeki Tomoyama addresses a press briefing as he elaborates on Toyota's "connected strategy" in Tokyo.

New leaks suggest the upcoming HTC U could be more powerful than the excellent Samsung Galaxy S8. A purported specs sheet for the unusual handset has been posted online, and points to a smartphone designed to take on the best on the market. HTC has struggled to compete with Apple, Samsung and Google's flagships over recent years, but appears to be pulling out all the stops with the Android-running U. The I.F.O. is fuelled by eight electric engines, which is able to push the flying object to an estimated top speed of about 120mph. The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session A man looks at an exhibit entitled'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Electrification Guru Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart talks about the electric Jaguar I-PACE concept SUV before it was unveiled before the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S The Jaguar I-PACE Concept car is the start of a new era for Jaguar. Japan's On-Art Corp's CEO Kazuya Kanemaru poses with his company's eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot'TRX03' and other robots during a demonstration in Tokyo, Japan Japan's On-Art Corp's eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot'TRX03' performs during its unveiling in Tokyo, Japan Singulato Motors co-founder and CEO Shen Haiyin poses in his company's concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China A picture shows Singulato Motors' concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China Connected company president Shigeki Tomoyama addresses a press briefing as he elaborates on Toyota's "connected strategy" in Tokyo.

Microsoft is set to launch a low-cost laptop running a new version of its Windows operating system later today. The Surface Laptop is reportedly being lined up as a direct competitor to Chromebooks – cheap, slick laptops running Google's web-focused desktop operating system. The device is expected to run Windows 10 S, a new version of Windows 10. The I.F.O. is fuelled by eight electric engines, which is able to push the flying object to an estimated top speed of about 120mph. The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session A man looks at an exhibit entitled'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Electrification Guru Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart talks about the electric Jaguar I-PACE concept SUV before it was unveiled before the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S The Jaguar I-PACE Concept car is the start of a new era for Jaguar. Japan's On-Art Corp's CEO Kazuya Kanemaru poses with his company's eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot'TRX03' and other robots during a demonstration in Tokyo, Japan Japan's On-Art Corp's eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot'TRX03' performs during its unveiling in Tokyo, Japan Singulato Motors co-founder and CEO Shen Haiyin poses in his company's concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China A picture shows Singulato Motors' concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China Connected company president Shigeki Tomoyama addresses a press briefing as he elaborates on Toyota's "connected strategy" in Tokyo.

Samsung has identified the auto industry as a new source of growth as the market for its key products such as smartphones matures. It completed the $8 billion acquisition of Harman International Industries earlier this year, a move that analysts say may help Samsung scale up quickly by taking control of an automotive parts maker with a proven track record.