To understand human consciousness, we need to know why it exists in the first place. New experimental evidence suggests it may have evolved to help us learn and adapt to changing circumstances far more rapidly and effectively. We used to think consciousness was a uniquely human trait, but neuroscientists now believe we share it with many other animals, including mammals, birds and octopuses. While plants and arguably some animals like jellyfish seem able to respond to the world around them without any conscious awareness, many other animals consciously experience and perceive their environment. In the 19th century, Thomas Henry Huxley and others argued that such consciousness is an "epiphenomenon" – a side effect of the workings of the brain that has no causal influence, the way a steam whistle has no effect on the way a steam engine works.

Companies have always been concerned that traditional enterprise software is slow and complex to install, often disrupting critical and time-sensitive operations during roll-out. With the growing need to integrate new digital technologies into the enterprise to transform business processes, this concern has become even more pressing. A 2016 Panorama Consulting Solutions study revealed that enterprise resource planning (ERP) projects took an average of 21 months to install, with 57 percent of these projects experiencing timeline overruns. A span of almost two years can be a long time when disruptive change comes in weeks or months rather than years. Any executive that has been around enterprise software implementations knows not only that new systems can take a long time to implement, but can take almost as long to change or update with new technologies.

Worldwide the critical question is becoming; what is the future of work in an era of exponential technology development? Artificial intelligence (AI) is arguably the big game changer. We already see narrow AI in use in internet searches, customer targeting applications, and in predictive analytics. But AI has much greater capability that will merge into every aspect of our lives in the future. Increasingly devices will learn more about us, provide an ever-increasing range of support and take on more of our tasks.

Mark Zuckerberg says he wants Facebook users to start playing a similar role to pastors in churches. He recently announced a new mission for the social network, which is set to focus on growing groups and communities to "bring the world closer together". He believes the site can be used to unite what he sees as a "divided" society, and make users feel like they are "part of something bigger". 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.

Businesses that successfully apply artificial intelligence could increase profitability by an average of 38% by 2035, according to a new report from Accenture. Furthermore, the introduction of AI could lead to an economic boost of $14 trillion in additional gross value added across 16 industries in 12 economies, the report suggests. "Artificial intelligence will revolutionize how businesses compete and grow, representing an entirely new factor of production that can ignite corporate profitability," explains Paul Daugherty, chief technology and innovation officer for Accenture. The research compared the economic growth rates of 16 industries in 2035 in a baseline scenario showing current assumptions of expected growth, to an AI scenario showing expected growth with AI integrated into economic processes--finding that AI has the potential to increase economic growth rates by a weighted average of 1.7 percentage points. "To realize this significant opportunity, it's critical that businesses act now to develop strategies around AI that put people at the center, and commit to develop responsible AI systems that are aligned to moral and ethical values that will drive positive outcomes and empower people to do what they do best – imagine, create and innovate," noted Daugherty.

Here's a novel thought: introducing artificial intelligence into insurance could actually create jobs, rather than stripping them away. That not just pie-in-the-sky daydreaming, that's the opinion of an artificial intelligence (AI) company chief executive heavily involved in the insurance industry. Alex Dalyac, co-founder and CEO of Tractable, says his company's AI for P&C auto claims could actually generate jobs – depending on what insurance carriers decide to do with the savings in accuracy and time his services generate for them. "We enable insurers to ensure their estimates are all accurate. With AI, all repairs are visually checked [and] many more inaccuracies are discovered," Dalyac said. "[As such], many more humans are required, to contact the shops to correct the inaccuracies."

Good news, Google Home owners: your smart speaker is now ready to get to know your family. The search giant has confirmed that UK Homes now support up to six users, allowing members of your household to train Google's Assistant to recognize their voices. It also means that their music playlists, schedules and appointments can be synced, ensuring everyone gets more use out of the tiny white speaker. The feature is actually pretty easy to set up. Simply make sure that you have the latest version of the Google Home app on your smartphone (iOS or Android) and then find the card that says "multi-user is available."

The mere presence of a smartphone reduces cognitive capacity, adversely affecting the brain's ability to hold and process data at any given time, according to a new study. Having a smartphone within reach, even if it's switched off or placed face-down, causes "brain drain", say researchers from McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas. They also found that the more reliant people are on their smartphones, the more they seem to suffer from their presence. 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.

Apple has released its iOS 11 beta to the public. That means everyone can get hold of the new software, months before it's released – but there's a big catch. Because the iPhone and iPad operating system isn't actually finished yet, it's full of plenty of bugs as well as not being as refined as it will be when it's officially unveiled. That means that using it comes with a huge warning: it might stop working properly at any time, and you can't really complain about it if it does. With that out of the way, it's worth getting to what iOS 11 does actually give you.

The elevator doors snap shut behind Otto Solis and his fellow ironworkers. With a quick shudder, gears kick in for a rattling 90-second ascent through the concrete structure rising at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles. The men huddle in the confined space. Wearing hard hats, bandannas, kneepads and gloves, they look like gladiators ready to fight. Foreman Solis and his crew of 10 belong to a class of ironworkers known as rod busters.