As part of a series of news announced today by Google, wireless headphones made to work especially with Google Assistant are on the way from brands like JBL, Sony, and LG. Up until today, some of the only headphones optimized for Google Assistant were the Bose QuietComfort 35 II and Pixel Buds, Google's first-ever wireless headphones. Also announced today: Google Assistant is coming to a series of new smart speakers -- including some with visual touchscreen displays -- and Google Assistant will become the assistant for Android Auto. Google Assistant can be accessed through any pair of wired or wireless headphones connected to an Android device, but headphones with this kind of integration allow access the AI assistant without the need to open your phone. With the touch of a button on the side of the headphones, you can speak directly with Google Assistant to do things like create calendar events, make phone calls, and receive auditory push notifications.

Google is at CES in a big way this year -- no, seriously -- and it's mostly centered around one product: Google Assistant. The search giant is incorporating its personal assistant AI into more devices than ever. They run the gamut from smart speakers (some of which have displays), smart earbuds and yes, even cars. If CES 2017 was the Alexa show, then CES 2018 just might very well be the Google show. "We think Assistant is more useful if it's available across all devices and contexts," said Scott Huffman, Google's VP of Engineering in charge of Google Assistant. "It's not just phones or speakers or laptops; it's all kinds of things."

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) – owner and producer of CES - today announced a new CES 2018 SuperSession featuring IBM executives Bridget Karlin, Chief Technology Officer & Vice President, GTS Technology, Innovation & Automation, Donna N. Dillenberger, IBM Fellow, Enterprise Solutions, and Beth Smith, General Manager, IBM Watson. The session – Turning AI into New Ways of Doing Business on Jan. 10, 2-3 PM, Tech East, LVCC, North Hall, N257 – will discuss how professionals are putting the technology to work to better serve customers through increased engagement and accelerated research and the future of AI. "AI has the power to change the world, and companies such as IBM are using the CES platform to share their latest breakthroughs and insights," said Karen Chupka, senior vice president, CES and corporate business strategy, CTA. "I am proud and excited to add these leaders to our long list of exemplary speakers using the CES stage to share their vision. This panel will provide great insights into how companies across all industries around the world are putting IBM Watson to work, managing workflows, data sets and insights all through AI." CES 2018 will feature a new Marketplace and conference track on the future of AI, a key ingredient technology over the next decade that is being folded into consumer tech applications across all industries including automotive, health, home, robotics and agriculture. And CES 2018 will showcase AI innovations with an increased focus on user value and that has the power to improve the world.

Nvidia has partnered with Uber, Volkswagen and China's Baidu in driverless cars, as the chipmaker looks to expand its presence in the autonomous driving space. Ride-hailing service Uber will use Nvidia's chips for its artificial intelligence (AI) computing system in its fleet of self-driving cars, the companies said at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on Sunday. Nvidia makes graphics computing chips which are key components of the autonomous cars setup. Its stock was up s percent in morning trading. Uber began working with self-driving technology in 2015 and has since launched trials in Pittsburgh, PA, and Phoenix, Arizona.

Uber and Volkswagen have signed a deal to use microchip-maker Nvidia's AI technology in their self-driving fleets. The chips help autonomous vehicles read their surroundings and make split-second decisions. Uber says its driverless cars have now completed more than 50,000 passenger trips across trials in Pittsburgh, PA, and Phoenix, Arizona. VW has previously said autonomous driving and artificial intelligence will become'new core competencies' for the company. Uber and Volkswagen have signed a deal to use microchip-maker Nvidia's AI technology in their self-driving fleets.

SkySpark automatically analyzes building, energy and equipment data to identify issues, faults and opportunities for improved performance and operational savings. The new Machine Learning Tools provide support for supervised learning for prediction and forecasting through regression-based approaches, and classification using Support Vector Machine (SVM) techniques. "We have been working with select customers for almost a year as they tested our new machine learning tools. Their feedback helped us optimize the tools to make application as easy as possible. The results have been excellent and we are excited to announce their availability to the entire market. These tools further extend the capabilities of SkySpark and the range of solutions our partners are delivering to customers around the globe," said John Petze, Principal at SkyFoundry.

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Today's analytical workloads require faster query performance, advanced analysis methods, and more frequent data updates. For real-time analysis of massive data sets, particularly for use cases where time and location matter, enterprises are turning to new next-generation databases to explore data faster and uncover new insights. "Based on its enormous potential, investments in AI can be expected to increase in 2018, while investments in IoT will need to show measurable return," said CTO and Cofounder of Kinetica Nima Negahban. "The ability to operationalize the entire pipeline with GPU-optimized analytics databases now makes it possible to bring AI and IoT to business intelligence cost-effectively. And this will enable the organization to begin realizing a satisfactory ROI on these and prior investments."

One of our favorite smart locks is getting even smarter. Schlage announced today that Google Assistant control is coming to its Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt. Using Google Assistant on Google Home or iOS or Android smartphones, you'll be able to lock the deadbolt by saying, "OK Google, lock my door." If your OCD kicks in and you can't remember if you locked up, you can ask "OK Google, is my door locked?" The Google Assistant capabilities will require the Schlage Sense Wi-Fi Adapter ($70) to get remote access to the lock.

Most technology companies are betting that artificial intelligence (AI) will lead to big changes for their businesses. For some, it should make their operations more efficient. For others, it may improve how they deliver content to their users, make their devices smarter, or enhance their hardware and software. But beyond those improvements that will be widely enjoyed across the sector, a handful of companies are actually leading the way. So what are these companies doing in AI, and is there more room for investors to benefit?