Apple's annual developer conference, WWDC, is generally the stage used to preview the new Mac OS and iOS operating systems, but at WWDC 2017 not only was iOS 11 debuted Apple also unveiled a brand new device not already in the Apple ecosystem; a Siri speaker called HomePod. Apple's HomePod, is a sleek looking smart speaker powered by Siri that in theory should quickly rival Google Home and Amazon Echo. Apple said the HomePod has a December release date. The exact launch day for the HomePod is not set. "Apple reinvented portable music with iPod and now HomePod will reinvent how we enjoy music wirelessly throughout our homes," Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, said at WWDC. "HomePod packs powerful speaker technology, Siri intelligence and wireless access to the entire Apple Music library into a beautiful speaker that is less than 7 inches tall, can rock most any room with distortion free music and be a helpful assistant around your home." The HomePod has room-sensing technology that allows the Siri speaker to learn where it is in the room.

Look out Alexa and Echo, here comes the HomePod. Apple is stuffing its beloved Siri into an Internet-connected speaker in what is the digital giant's first new product in more than two years. The HomePod speaker was unveiled at a conference for software programmers on Monday, and will go head-to-head-to-head with Amazon and Google's popular digital home assistants. But of course Apple says its siri-based system tops them all because it's giving more emphasis to sound quality, not just smarts. Besides playing music, HomePod will help people to manage their lives and homes.

Apple nodded to several up-and-coming technology trends, unveiling a new "smart" home speaker and device features touching on virtual reality, online privacy and a form of artificial intelligence called machine learning. The "HomePod" speaker unveiled Monday is similar to devices from rivals, some of which have been on the market for years. Like the Amazon Echo and Google Home, the HomePod will play music while also helping people to manage their lives and homes. Siri will be voice activated to respond to requests for information and other help around the house. It is the first new device Apple has announced in almost three years.

Drinking even small amounts of alcohol when pregnant seems to have subtle effects on how a baby's face develops – including the shape of their eyes, nose and lips. "We don't know if the small changes in the children's facial shape are connected in any way to differences in their development," says Jane Halliday of the Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Victoria, Australia, who led the research. "We plan to look at this as the children grow." Heavy drinking during pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol syndrome, which is characterised by distinctive facial features, such as small eye openings, a short up-turned nose, and a smooth philtrum over the upper lip. Children with this condition are likely to have attention and behavioural disorders, as well as a lower IQ, says Halliday.

AUCKLAND 30 May 2017 – Accenture is today releasing research – Why Artificial Intelligence is the Future of Growth – which shows New Zealands growth rate could double between now and 2035 if emerging technologies are embraced. Artificial Intelligence could double New Zealand's growth rate in the next 20 years AUCKLAND 30 May 2017 – Accenture is today releasing research – Why Artificial Intelligence is the Future of Growth – which shows New Zealand's growth rate could double between now and 2035 if emerging technologies are embraced. Accenture New Zealand Technology Lead, Mary-Anne McCarthy says New Zealand could use innovative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies as a tool to transform our thinking about how growth is created, and significantly boost labour production. "AI has the potential to boost labour productivity, driven by innovative technologies enabling people to make more efficient use of their time. There has been a marked decline in the ability of increases in capital investment and in labour to propel economic progress, yet long-term pessimism is unwarranted. AI has the potential to overcome the physical limitations of capital and labour and open up new sources of value and growth."

Letz is a productivity tool that will help you to be more disciplined. The chat-bot won a Best Technology Product award on Product Hunt. Its AI, Lucy, will connect with you on phone and desktop, to entertain and help you during the day. Founder Nino Karas explains on The Next Web why Lucy is the digital, personal assistant you'll love. Karas and Martin Anchevski, co-founded CodeWell, a software development company before they started Letz.

The artificial intelligence revolution is gathering pace and no part of legal practice will be left untouched, writes legal commentator Morry Bailes. When South Korea's reigning Go master was beaten by artificial intelligence last year I published a column about the future of law. While a computer defeating a gaming champion seemed innocuous enough, the gravity of that event, given the complexity of Go, was significant. It has flow-on effects for all businesses, including law firms. Little over a year later, a Google-powered AI has just defeated China's best Go player, Ke Jie, who is also the world's No.1 player.

Another big part of the food supply comes from ranches and farms that raise and slaughter various livestock. While ranching is sometimes bundled with agriculture, I discussed farming in Big Data in Agriculture, so we'll focus on ranching this time around. Somewhat surprising is that big data usage in ranching appears more limited than in farming. That said, there are a number of novel uses of technology and data in animal husbandry. At a high level, the goals of ranching and farming are the same as any business: increase yields and lower costs. Production maximization has long played a role in large operations.

Globally, the native digital assistant installed base is set to exceed 7.5 billion active devices by 2021, which is more than the world population according to the US Census Bureau on May 1, 2017. But fear not – Skynet, from the popular Terminator movies, does not feature among the leading digital assistants. Instead, Google Assistant will dominate the voice AI–capable device market with 23.3% market share, followed by Samsung's Bixby (14.5%), Ovum's Digital Assistant and Voice AI–Capable Device Forecast: 2016–21 found that smartphones and tablets clearly lead the voice AI–capable device market, with 3.5 billion active devices in 2016, most of which use Google Now and Apple Siri. However, the use of AI in conjunction with other devices greatly increases consumer engagement and is set to unlock new opportunities, particularly in the home. Ovum expects an exponential uptake of voice AI capabilities among new devices, including wearable, smart home, and TV devices, with a combined installed base of 1.63 billion active devices in 2021, a tenfold increase on 2016.

This 3D rendering of a lionfish harvester robot was developed by Robotics in Service of the Environment (RISE). The prototype uses a robot arm with two metal electrodes on the end to electrocute invasive lionfish, which are then collected in a central chamber for use as food. The America's Cup sailing race kicked off this week in Bermuda, but a month ago, a different type of competition was held in the island's lucid waters. It was a contest that pitted chef against chef and robot against beast. Last August, NewsHour broke the story of a robot being developed to stop lionfish, an invasive species that has decimated Atlantic coral reef ecosystems due to their insatiable appetites for other fish.