People are rushing to trade in their iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus devices before the iPhone X releases on Nov. 3. Decluttr, a site that buys electronics from consumers, said iPhone 8 trade-ins are "unusually high" as Apple gears up to launch the 10th anniversary device. Decluttr said it has seen more trade-ins of the 8 and 8 Plus received than any other previous new iPhone launched. The iPhone 8 was released last month and was revealed alongside the iPhone X. The iPhone X has more features than the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, like the Face ID and Animoji.

Are we doing enough to get ready for the emergence of artificial intelligence as a major driving force for transformation in our economy? Forget the apocalyptic concerns of people like Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking for a moment and consider the very real and practical ways AI is already changing the way we do things, from chatbots for customer service through to driverless vehicles in industries like mining and agriculture. This stuff is already here and it's only going to accelerate as we start to understand and apply AI, machine learning and automation technologies across our industries. A new report from the UK government which looks into growing the AI industry is taking its potential as an economic driver very seriously. Are we doing the same here in Australia?

Acquisio released a report (PDF) this month that argues machine learning algorithms can dramatically improve paid-search marketing performance vs. accounts that don't use them. Acquisio calls its suite of machine learning tools "Acquisio Turing," after British computer scientist Alan Turing. The company looked at thousands of campaigns over a two-year period, comparing results from machine learning-supported accounts with those not utilizing machine learning. Acquisio concluded, "Across all business types and budget sizes globally, the accounts using Acquisio's machine learning technology are outcompeting those that aren't, giving advertisers an advantage." This is especially true at low budget levels.

Driverless robotic pods are being tested on Cambridge busways in the hope they could solve Britain's traffic problems. The futuristic vehicles, which can carry four people at a time, could pave the way for an evening public transport service in Cambridge. But anyone in a hurry may need to brace themselves – the futuristic vehicles have a top speed of just 15mph (24km/h). Driverless robotic pods called Podzeros are being tested on busways in Cambridge in the hope they could solve Britain's traffic problems The futuristic vehicles, which can carry four people at a time, are being trialled as an alternative method of public transport. It's hoped they would ease congestion by offering an automated service to make around 100 journeys a day - away from pedestrians and cyclists.

China and the US are becoming the world's biggest rivals in artificial intelligence: it's Luke vs Darth Vader, Alien vs Predator, Rocky vs Ivan Drago. The Chinese government's pivot to become the leader in this technology has created plenty of hype, but how are China's ambitious AI aspirations playing out on the ground? Research by startup database IT Juzi and Tencent News offers a new view of China's AI industry's strengths and weaknesses. The US is currently the definite champion in AI development, according to the data. There are 1.82 times more American AI companies than Chinese.

Seeing Machines (AIM: SEE), an industry leader in computer vision technologies which enable machines to see, understand and assist people, announces the automotive production debut of its FOVIO driver monitoring technology in the 2018 Cadillac CT6. The FOVIO based driver monitoring system (DMS) forms an integral part of General Motors' industry leading Super Cruise hands-free driving system for the highway, ensuring safe and confident vehicle operation. Overcoming the challenges of reliable driver monitoring is critical in hands-free driving systems to address the need for keeping drivers engaged and prepared to re-take control of the vehicle when required. The Cadillac Super Cruise system uses FOVIO vision technology, developed by Seeing Machines, to enable a gumdrop-sized infrared camera on the steering wheel column to accurately determine the driver's attention state. Determining driver attention state is accomplished through a precise measure of head orientation and eyelid movements under a full range of daytime and night-time driving conditions including the use of sunglasses.

Two artificial virtual assistants called Rosie and Maggie are set to become more ubiquitous after artificial intelligence start-up Flamingo raised $5.1 million last month to fund their rollout. Chief executive Catriona Wallace, who founded Flamingo in 2014, says she is "super pleased" with the raise after it was opened and closed within 12 minutes with $10 million bid on the book. "We were well oversubscribed," she says. "It was one of the fastest capital raises that [lead investment partner] Bell Potter had ever conducted, which I believe is testament to Australia's growing interest in artificial intelligence and machine learning." Flamingo is headquartered in Sydney but also has offices in the US with 30 staff across the two countries. The start-up's flagship technology is its artificial virtual assistants Rosie and Maggie.

Operators in the travel industry in the Asia-Pacific region should prepare themselves to maximise business from voice searches online, one of Australia's leading tourism strategists has cautioned. Simply optimise your digital online presence by building reputation, trust, authority and relevance and the voice recognition algorithms of Google, Apple, Amazon and others will do the rest for you – mostly. That was the recommendation by Bronwyn White, co-founder of MyTravelResearch.com, when she was addressing an audience of tourism marketers at the Tourism Marketing Rockstar Convention in Sydney last month. Ms White explained that voice search and chatbots were the latest digital marketing outcomes of the artificial intelligence revolution currently transforming the travel industry by stealth. Apple Siri, Google Now, Windows Cortana and Amazon Alexa are the leading voice activated chatbots helping consumers search without typing," she said. "They all use artificial intelligence algorithms to drive voice search.

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From smartphones to drones, the evidence is in our pockets, in the sky, at the office, and in the streets. The pace of technological evolution, though, can be even harder to keep up with than the Kardashians. When asked to think about cutting-edge tech, I'll be the first to admit that vending machines aren't the first innovation to come to mind. However, the technology behind today's most advanced vending machines is some of the most disruptive in the book. Like today's smartphones, which barely resemble the clunky, tethered machines of yesteryear, vending machines have undergone massive upgrades since holy water dispensing in the first century and their official debut in the 1880s.