Machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence tools are receiving a lot of attention in the analytics world these days, and industry experts and experienced users say the plaudits are well-deserved. "These models are making a big difference, and if you're not considering how to use them in your product, you probably should," said Jeff Dean, a senior fellow at Google who helped lead development of TensorFlow, the company's open source machine learning platform. Machine learning has come to play a central role in the majority of new products Google develops, Dean said in a presentation at Spark Summit 2016 in San Francisco. For example, it's at the core of training speech-recognition tools used in the Android mobile operating system. Machine learning technology also helped Google create a tool that automatically tags photos uploaded by users by examining what's happening in the photo.

Artificial intelligence has shown what it can do when facing off against humans in ancient board games, with Deep Blue and Alpha Go already proving their worth on the world stage. While computers playing chess is nothing new, an online version of the ancient game lifts the veil of AI to let players see what the AI is thinking. You make your move and then see the computer come to life, calculating thousands of possible counter moves. Thinking Machine 6 is an AI-based concept art piece created by Martin Wattenberg. Rather than making players into chess champions, it shows the AI thinking process.

The importance of algorithms in our lives today cannot be overstated. They are used virtually everywhere, from financial institutions to dating sites. But some algorithms shape and control our world more than others -- and these ten are the most significant. Just a quick refresher before we get started. Though there's no formal definition, computer scientists describe algorithms as a set of rules that define a sequence of operations.

Retailers and technology firms are experimenting with chatbots, powered by a combination of machine learning, natural language processing, and live operators, to provide customer service, sales support, and other commerce-related functions. Chris Messina of Uber recently coined the term "conversational commerce" to describe this movement, which he defines as: The net result is that you and I will be talking to brands and companies over Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, and elsewhere before year's end, and will find it normal. While messaging and voice interfaces are central components, they fit into a larger picture of increasing infusion of technology into our daily lives, which in turn is unlocking new potential for brand-to-consumer interaction. The fact is, technology overall is becoming more deeply woven into our lives, and the entire ecosystem is enjoying tighter cohesion through the increasing availability and sophistication of APIs. Smart companies are finding new and innovative touch points with consumers that are contextual, relevant, highly personal, and, yes, conversational.

His cursory description of the role -- "with the task to make machine learning as easy to use and widespread as it could possibly be" -- echoes Google's stated strategy. Both companies are competing for businesses to pay for their cloud services and for researchers with AI expertise. My favorite nugget of Smola's announcement: He only posted his full statement, intended just for CMU, because it leaked on Weibo, the social network in China, where machine learning is the rage and where Silicon Valley biggies want to be. CNBC's parent NBCUniversal is an investor in Recode's parent Vox, and the companies have a content-sharing arrangement.

ROOBO, a fast-growing hardware and AI startup headquartered in Beijing, today unveiled a prototype of its newest product, a "pet robot" called Domgy. For the unfamiliar, ROOBO is the company behind Pudding, a voice-controlled, educational robot for kids. Pudding is used to teach kids vocabulary, geography, jokes and more. The company also makes the Idealens virtual reality headset, Skyseries drone and Runbone earbuds. Since its founding in 2014, ROOBO has grown to 300 employees, with 7 worldwide offices, including one in Seattle. The company previously raised a Series A round of venture funding, but declined to say how much capital they raised, who their investors are, or how much revenue they have generated to-date.

In the future, people - certain people - may be able to download information directly into a device embedded in their skull and linked to their brain. These people will also be capable of improved physical performance, courtesy of pods embedded in their bodies and controlled by a link to the brain that can release chemicals or hormones to enable performance of all kinds of tasks, even in extreme conditions. That's what awaits us as biology and technology blend together, says business software developer MYOB Group in its latest Future of Business report entitled, appropriately, 'The Augmented Human'. MYOB chief technical officer and futurist Simon Raik-Allen says technology will move from mobile, wearable technological devices such as Fitbits to tiny embeddable devices that can provide real-time data or move parts of the body. Artificial intelligence (AI) will enable people to enhance their brain or personality.

Wal-Mart could finally end the frustration of not being able to find the final food item on your shopping list - and becoming completely bewildered the second you set foot in one of their stores. It is working with a robotics firm to develop'driverless' shopping carts that allows customers to scan in their shopping list - and then guides them to the right aisle and shelf. This new innovation is a way for Wal-Mart to compete with the convenience that Amazon and other online stores offer consumers. Wal-Mart is working with a robotics firm to develop'driverless' shopping carts that will help customers find items on their lists. Wal-Mart is working with a robotics firm to developing'driverless' shopping carts that help customers find items on their lists. It has implemented tools that allow consumers to scan and purchase items using their mobile phones –without ever having to step foot in a checkout line.

So Watson might then suggest, "'If you save your dry cleaning and do it tomorrow, you can avoid traffic," says Greenstein. Or along similar lines, "The weather is worse tomorrow, so I'll pick you up 10 minutes early." But for all of the natural language possibilities in this Local Motors project, a car's AI might soon be able to do a lot more than converse with you and check traffic. In fact, Greenstein tells us that IBM is currently working with major automobile manufacturers in North America, Europe, and Asia, developing technologies that are anywhere from one to four years out from market. "Some [work] is voice interface, hands-free driving, simpler user experience," Greenstein says. "There are also some car companies who are talking to us about how to make maintenance and diagnostics better, so if something happens, you don't just get a red light."

A robot escaped from a science lab and caused a traffic jam in one Russian city, it's reported. Scientists at the Promobot laboratories in Perm had been teaching the machine how to move around independently, but it broke free after an engineer forgot to shut a gate, says the local edition of the Argumenty i Fakty newspaper. The robot found its way to a nearby street, covering a distance of about 50m (164ft), before its battery ran out, the daily says. An eyewitness video posted online shows a vaguely humanoid machine standing in the middle of a busy road, guarded by a traffic policeman. It is then wheeled off by a human, presumably an engineer from the company that developed the robot. Russian Channel 5 TV also showed footage of the incident, and said that the robot spent about 40 minutes at large.