The term'singularity' has many meanings. In theoretical physics, singularity refers to a one dimensional point in space where the gravitational field becomes infinity. An example of this would be at the centre of a black hole, where the laws of physics cease to hold true. Technological singularity on the other hand, a term first attributed to John Von Neumann in the 1950s, refers to the hypothesis that machine intelligence will one day exceed human intellect. What this means is that, someday, Artificial Intelligence (AI) that constantly improves on its own can surpass human intelligence.

Apple is launching a smart home speaker called HomePod to compete with the Amazon Echo and Google Home devices, the company revealed at its annual worldwide developer conference. The Cupertino company described the 7in device, which comes in white and "space grey", as a "breakthrough home speaker" designed to "rock the house". This means that Apple has placed an emphasis on audio quality, packing the speaker with an array of seven tweeters and a woofer as well as "spatial awareness" that detects its location in a room and adapts the output automatically. In announcing the HomePod, Apple CEO Tim Cook said there were many companies making products for enjoying music in the home but "none have nailed it yet". He mentioned wireless speaker systems such as Sonos that "sound good but are not smart" and "other smart speakers" (presumably a reference to Amazon Echo and Google Home) that "don't sound great".

Don't count Apple out even if it's late to the game in unveiling services based on artificial intelligence, one analyst says. CCS Insight analyst Geoff Blaber says time will tell how well Apple's smarter Siri digital assistant will compete with Google's Assistant and Amazon's Alexa. But he says Apple has an advantage given that it makes software and gadgets designed to work well together. On Monday, Apple previewed a Siri watch face on Apple Watch to offer reminders and other tasks people might be looking for. On the phone, Apple wants its digital assistant to be more helpful in navigating your digital life.

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.