A new podcast series from the McKinsey Global Institute explores how technologies like automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence are shaping how we work, where we work, and the skills we need to work. The future of work is one of the hottest topics in 2017, with conflicting information from various experts leaving plenty of room for debate around what impact automation technology like artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics will have on jobs, skills, and wages. In the first episode of the New World of Work podcast from the McKinsey Global Institute--which is being featured in the McKinsey Podcast series--MGI chairman and director James Manyika speaks with senior editor Peter Gumbel about what these technologies are, how they will change work, and what new research says we can expect. This is our new series on work, the world of work, and the changing world of work. Today, for our first podcast on this issue, I'm with James Manyika, who is the chairman and director of the McKinsey Global Institute; he's also a senior partner at McKinsey and is based in the San Francisco office. James, this issue of work and the future of work is one that you have been looking at for some time, with work on automation and with the latest report on jobs, Jobs lost, jobs gained. Perhaps, you can start off by telling us about the broader issues, and which ones you're focusing on. James Manyika: Well, I think we're having an interesting time in our history and our economy around the future of work. It comes up in almost every conversation with students, workers, CEOs, and policymakers.

An upcoming update for dating app Tinder will allow women to initiate all conversations with potential matches. During an interview with Marketwatch, Match Group CEO Mandy Ginsburg said it plans to add a "women-talk-first setting" to Tinder, where any time a woman is matched by swiping right, she starts the dialogue. The setting is similar to one found on rival dating app Bumble. The key difference is Tinder users can choose to flip this setting on or off. On Bumble, women always initiate the conversations.

In Phoenix, cars are self-navigating the streets. In many homes, people are barking commands at tiny machines, with the machines responding. On our smartphones, apps can now recognize faces in photos and translate from one language to another. Artificial intelligence is here -- and it's bringing new possibilities, while also raising questions. Do these gadgets and services really behave as advertised? How will they evolve in the years ahead?

Then one day I had my wisdom teeth pulled and my cheeks became grapefruits. Figuring this was not a great first-date look, I made no weekend plans. Lonely and alone on a Saturday night, I started scrolling through OkCupid and, out of boredom and curiosity, expanded my search options to include users anywhere in the world. I was drawn in by the profiles of some of these new, distant matches and messaged a few asking if they'd like to chat on the phone. That weekend I talked to a neuropsychologist from Milwaukee; a software developer from Austin, Texas; an improv instructor from Seattle; and an economics masters student from London.

There's no shortage of topics to discuss when we're talking about artificial intelligence (AI). It's hot for a good reason: AI changes the game for the future of everything from social marketing to search. It's particularly well-suited to change the latter, as search engine results placement (SERP) is already a science rooted squarely in a series of algorithms, some more understood than others. Because it thrives in this algorithmic space, AI is about to shake up search--and SEO--as you know it. If you want your business to succeed in this digital world where Google alone processes over 40,000 searches per second, optimizing your website and content is not a choice; it's a business imperative.

The real face of Saint Valentine may have finally been revealed thanks to new 3D scans of the Patron Saint of Love's skull. Digital reconstructions reveal the Italian Saint had a strong jawline and died a young man when he was killed on February 14, 269 AD. The new scans contradict previous reconstructions of the Patron Saint of Love, which have typically suggested he was an older man of affluence. The real face of Saint Valentine may have finally been revealed thanks to new 3D scans of the Patron Saint of Love's skull. Little is known of the clergyman, but it is believed he was executed after he secretly defied a Roman Emperor's strict ban on marriage, helping soldiers to pair off with their wives illegally.

Siri, we need to talk. You were the Neil Armstrong of voice assistants. When you arrived on the iPhone in 2011, Alexa wasn't a glimmer in Amazon's eye. Google's Assistant didn't get a voice until 2016. But what did you do with that lead?

I have a thoroughly delightful chance today to interview Vinod Khosla, who many years ago started Khosla Ventures, one of the most successful venture capital firms in the world. Vinod, I think you started out in engineering in India at one of the most prestigious institutes of technology, then you went to Carnegie Mellon, and then Stanford. But engineering wasn't where you landed long-term, because at some point you started Sun Microsystems, right? When I started out, there wasn't a thing called computer science. That tells you how old I am. In those days, you could pursue any new area if you created your own program because there were not a lot of programs. At the Indian Institute of Technology, we started the computer science program, and then I moved to biomedical engineering. I went on to get a master's degree in biomedical engineering at Carnegie Mellon. That was also a tiny program in the basement.

Valentine's Day is a time to get close to the ones you love. And, just as importantly, not to get close to scammers. The loving feeling that abounds in February, and the sadness it provokes in many single people, are being exploited by fraudsters who use it to steal people's money and infect their computers. Hundreds of millions of fake emails are being sent out that appear as if they are coming from admirers. But if people follow them up they'll just be subject to scams and frauds, or being sent viruses. Bride Amornrat Ruamsin (L), 27, who is a transgender, holds up her five-month-old daughter with her groom Pitchaya Kachainrum (R), 16, during their wedding ceremony organised by a local TV show, in Bangkok, Thailand, February 9, 2018. The ceremony is not legally-binding as Pitchaya in under 17, the legal age for marriage in Thailand.

The evolution of artificial intelligence is empowering technology companies to evolve the user experience. Conversational AI, chatbots, and virtual assistants are a key way that artificial intelligence has been implemented. Michael Tjalve (below left), principal product manager of Conversational AI at Microsoft, spoke to TechX365 about his position, personalization, and the capabilities of AI. Can you tell us a bit about your experience and your position at Microsoft? I work on building new interfaces to technology and to learning.