The artificial intelligence assistant Google Home is scheduled to debut in the U.K. on April 6, according to Google's blog post Tuesday. The hands-free assistant and speaker, similar to its rival Amazon Echo, was launched last year in the U.S. in an attempt to make artificial intelligence readily available in homes. Google's new product, Google Wifi, would be released simultaneously, as well. The U.K. can look forward to new features not yet released elsewhere. "We know the U.K. has been patiently waiting for Google Home to arrive and we've been working with our favorite partners to give you the best possible experience," director of Product Partnerships and Planning at Google, Suveer Kothari said in the blog post.

Not too long ago, robots were considered a possible but surreal feature of a distant future. But take stock for a moment and it's clear that artificial intelligence and machine learning has already pervaded our lives. From high-frequency trading in financial markets to customised playlists on Spotify, machines are able to receive, process and act upon data intelligently. Machine learning and artificial intelligence are at the forefront of drastic change, and the world's largest technology companies, from Google and Amazon to Dyson, are focussed on harnessing artificial intelligence to revolutionise business and consumer services. Recognising its sea-change capabilities, the British Government is also committed to advancing artificial intelligence, predicting it could add £654 billion to the UK economy by 2035.

Tinder is joining the earliest electronic dating services and adding support for web. The app is designed to virtually introduce users to others in a set radius around them via photos and a short biography. Based on that limited information users swipe right if they're intrigued or left if they're not. If both users swipe right, they're matched and can begin a conversation. Tinder originated as an app, but soon it will be available in web browsers on any device.

Chinese technology giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. has bought a 5% stake in electric car and solar firm Tesla Inc., according to a regulatory filing submitted Tuesday. The $1.8-billion investment gives one of China's most valuable companies another foothold in a growing industry and provides Elon Musk's Tesla a much-needed infusion of cash as it prepares to introduce its first mass-market sedan, the Model 3. Tencent now owns 8.17 million shares of Palo Alto-based Tesla, making it the company's fifth-largest shareholder, according to Nasdaq. Tencent's emergence as a major shareholder could strengthen Tesla's position in China, where it has seen its car exports surge to 11,839 vehicles in 2016, nearly four times more than in 2015, according to JL Warren Capital. "A Chinese shareholder such as Tencent could well improve the potential for marketing in China," said Daniel Rosen, a partner at the Rhodium Group. The investment comes weeks after Tesla said it needed to raise up to $1.15 billion by selling new stock and convertible securities to shore up its balance sheet for the Model 3. The $35,000 vehicle represents Tesla's biggest attempt yet to shed its status as a luxury-only brand, but questions linger about the company's ability to ramp up production into the hundreds of thousands by the end of 2018.

Uber has announced that it is shuttering operation in Denmark in April as a result of new taxi laws, marking the latest setback for the US-based ride hailing company. The Danish government in February, passed a reform changing regulations for taxis, following pressure from local taxi driver unions. The new law requires mandatory fare meters in cabs and seat occupancy detectors to activate the airbags. Uber, which says it has 2,000 drivers and 300,000 people using its app in Denmark, said it would not be able to operate unless the regulations were changed. It will officially end its activities in the country on 18 April.

Artificial intelligence will be the main way that banks interact with their customers within the next three years, a report from consultancy Accenture has suggested. Banks such as Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) are increasingly using chatbots to answer customer queries. The report examined the views of 600 bankers and other experts. Many, perhaps ironically, felt that AI would help banks create a more human-like customer experience. "The big paradox here is that people think technology will lead to banking becoming more and more automated and less and less personalised, but what we've seen coming through here is the view that technology will actually help banking become a lot more personalised," said Alan McIntyre, head of the Accenture's banking practice and co-author of the report, Banking Technology Vision 2017.

FCC rules require TV stations to provide closed captions that convey speech, sound effects, and audience reactions such as laughter to deaf and hard of hearing viewers. YouTube isn't subject to those rules, but thanks to Google's machine-learning technology, it now offers similar assistance. YouTube has used speech-to-text software to automatically caption speech in videos since 2009 (they are used 15 million times a day). Today it rolled out algorithms that indicate applause, laughter, and music in captions. More sounds could follow, since the underlying software can also identify noises like sighs, barks, and knocks.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is slowly becoming a bigger part of our lives, including our personal finances. Over the past few years its importance has grown behind the scenes, where AI is deployed in administration and even fraud detection. Dominic Baliszewski, director of consumer strategy at financial wellbeing company Momentum UK, says: "It is already used in a number of sectors, from banking and advisory to mortgages and pensions, and in many cases, it's led to a quicker, more streamlined customer experience, while easing employee workloads." RBS, for example, has rolled out a virtual assistant called Luvo for call centre staff: when a customer asks a question, the staff member can ask Luvo. In the past year, however, its presence has moved from the back office to the front line, and we have started to see AI serving customers.

The push over the last decade by international maritime ports to fully automate operations has sparked the ire of many U.S. longshoremen whose high-paying jobs and way of life are at stake. The trend also sets up a battle between their unions and companies and governments who see automation as a cleaner, more efficient and more cost-friendly alternative to the current system. "This may be the most difficult and complex challenge we've ever undertaken,'' Dan Sperling, professor of civil engineering and environmental science at the University of California, Davis and a member of California's Air Resources Board, told Bloomberg. "We're trying to change the entire freight system.'' California is on the frontlines in the battle over automation as the ports of Long Beach, Los Angeles and Oakland handle 40 percent of U.S. container traffic and that number is expected to increase with the expansion of the Panama Canal.

The 2017 European Robotics Forum in Edinburgh brought together over 800 people from robotics academia and industry. In an effort to bridge the two, euRobotics hosted an Entrepreneurship and TechTransfer award. Startups from around Europe competed for top prizes in front of a panel of experts. The euRobotics Technology Transfer Award, now in its fourteenth year, showcases the impact of robotics research and puts the spotlight on successful technology transfer between science and industry. Innovations in robot tech and automation -- through the result of research and industry working together -- are eligible for the prize.