A lot of the most high-profile applications of deep learning technology involve aspects of computer vision, such as cutting-edge facial-recognition technology. However, an innovative artificial intelligence startup from Israel is looking to apply those same neural networks and smart algorithms to another area -- acoustics. Better yet, they are doing so to help users spot early warning signs that machines, such as cars, may be about to fail. "I was on a train about three years ago, going back to my hotel after a business meeting," 3DSignals CEO Amnon Shenfeld told Digital Trends. "The train suddenly started making strange noises. These weren't the usual sounds that trains make, but something out of the ordinary. It was the same week that a train had overturned in Spain, injuring a lot of people. Everyone stopped talking and was getting very worried. I had the thought that maybe if there was a train mechanic or engineer sitting on the train, they could tell us if the noise was normal and, if not, where it was coming from and whether it could be safely ignored."

The once stable world of banking faces serious competitive threats from technology companies large and small. This is happening as the very notion of what consumers expect from a bank is changing. In order to overcome these challenges, traditional banks need to undergo a period of radical change. They'll have to adapt to a complex environment in which financial service providers have different backgrounds, strengths and operating models. A number of technology giants already offer services that challenge traditional financial service providers.

Amazon remains an e-commerce company at its core, but like any tech giant, it's put its fingers in many other pies over the years. Some of its attempts have been disasters. Others are bona fide smash hits. The biggest surprise, though, continues to be the Amazon Echo -- the family of smart speakers that, along with its Alexa voice assistant, has steadily put Amazon in a leading position within the Internet of Things and the burgeoning consumer market for artificial intelligence. As this chart from Statista shows, the Echo only gained momentum in 2016.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming the biggest issue on the agenda for many businesses. The current speed of development, the sheer range of possible applications, and the potential impact of AI suggest that it's time for CEOs to pay attention. So, what are the questions every CEO should be asking? Futurist Rohit Talwar, CEO of Fast Future Publishing believes there are ten questions that need to be asked in order to assess and invest in AI's transformative potential: 1. AI will change the philosophy, practice and management of business. It is beginning to transform businesses and replace even senior management and leadership roles.

In the face of AI exerts repeatedly predicting the rise of sex robots, it's increasingly difficult to insist that such machines strictly belong to a far-off, dystopian future. But some robotics experts predict we'll soon be doing far more than having sexual intercourse with machines. Instead, we'll be making love to them--with all the accompanying romantic feelings. At this week's "Love and Sex with Robots" conference at Goldsmith University in London, David Levy, author of a book on human-robot love, predicted that human-robot marriages would be legal by 2050. Adrian Cheok, computing professor at City University London and director of the Mixed Reality Lab in Singapore, says the prediction is not so farfetched.

Will technology at last help us to feel richer in 2017? The prevailing concern for several years now has been that despite rising GDP most people are not feeling any richer, and some people attribute the success of populist politicians to this sense of resentment. But we will hear a lot more about the clutch of technologies that potentially can transform our living standards, and accordingly give a practical response to populism by showing that things can and will get better. The core set of these technologies goes under the umbrella term Artificial Intelligence. The New York Times Magazine has just run a piece by Gideon Lewis-Kraus, under the title "The Great A.I. Awakening", which sums up what is happening.

Ambar presses her hand to her forehead, nose crinkled in concentration as she considers the question on her screen: how many sevens in 91? The ten-year-old has been grappling with it for about a minute when she smiles: "13!". Her tutor responds by posting a large smiley cat picture on her screen – the virtual equivalent of a pat on the back. He is sitting on the other side of the world in an online tutoring centre in India. Ambar, who attends Pakeman primary school in north London, is one of nearly 4,000 primary school children in Britain signed up for weekly one-to-one maths sessions with tutors based in India and Sri Lanka.

People's homes could soon be listening in on them in case they commit a crime. Devices like the Amazon Echo are being used by police as a way to potentially gather information when investigating murders, according to new reports. Police have already requested the data from an Amazon Echo speaker that was in the house of a man being investigated for murder, according to a new report from The Information. Investigators believed that the speaker might have captured important data about what happened the night of the attack. In its facilities, JAXA develop satellites and analyse their observation data, train astronauts for utilization in the Japanese Experiment Module'Kibo' of the International Space Station (ISS) and develop launch vehicles 36/43 The robot developed by Seed Solutions sings and dances to the music during the Japan Robot Week 2016 at Tokyo Big Sight.

A truck is a means to get cargo from point A to point B. A truck is a home, a job, a frequent guest in small towns that straddle highways, a way of life, and the beating heart of several supporting industries, all designed to keep the truck and its human pilot running. A truck is expenses, a breakable machine controlled by a fallible human, subject to labor laws and rules about interstate commerce. A truck is all of those things, and it may soon be a robot, too. Uber, the technology company (which, because of its ride-hailing app, functions a lot like a transportation company) launched Uber Freight on Monday night. The minimalist website features a gentle clip, filmed from above, of an 18-wheeler driving on a green hillside.

And upon that sand a new God will walk." It may not quite be that bad. But a wall won't keep them out, a new work permit scheme won't stop their freedom of movement. The rise of the robots could be next year's big story. Ever since the Luddites smashed their first loom, mechanisation has been putting people out of work. But the process is speeding up, accelerating all the time and the next wave could be crashing down, near you, soon.