Amazon's Alexa team is beginning to analyze the sound of users' voices to recognize their mood or emotional state, Alexa chief scientist Rohit Prasad told VentureBeat. Doing so could let Amazon personalize and improve customer experiences, lead to lengthier conversations with the AI assistant, and even open the door to Alexa one day responding to queries based on your emotional state or scanning voice recordings to diagnose disease. Tell Alexa that you're happy or sad today and she can deliver a pre-programmed response. In the future, Alexa may be able to pick up your mood without being told. The voice analysis effort will begin by teaching Alexa to recognize when a user is frustrated.

Stock emojis are fun, but they lack any originality to make them feel personal. One startup, Mirror AI, is looking to change that. The company announced on Dec. 13 that iOS and Android users can download the beta version of Mirror Emoji Keyboard, an app that turns selfies into a custom emojis. Mirror Emoji uses facial recognition technology to build a keyboard of emojis and stickers that look like you. Using artificial intelligence, the app looks for unique characteristics from a photo, then turns those features into emoji.

December 21, 2017: Business Wire India NVIDIA brought together the best minds in research, academia and industry across Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi and Bangalore 42 speaker sessions from leading experts in fields such as computer vision, sensor fusion, software development, regulation and HD mapping provide expertise NVIDIA today completed its first edition of Developer Connect 2017 in Bangalore. The six-city developer roadshow witnessed over 5,000 attendees who experienced some of the highest quality workshops and demonstrations of AI and deep learning tools, designed to meet the challenges big data presents. Attendees got a closer look at NVIDIA's DGX systems, as well as the opportunity to learn more about its new Volta architecture. Both the DGX-1 and DGX Station were on display to demonstrate the full power of these AI supercomputers. The concluding segment witnessed prominent speakers from organizations such as Ola, Cognitive Computing, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Labs, Shell India, Sony India and Aditya Imaging Information Technologies provide their views.

Cashier-less ordering kiosks are becoming more and more commonplace at fast food restaurants like Wendy's and McDonald's. But Golden State burger chain CaliBurger is taking that one step further: its new self-ordering kiosks use AI and facial-recognition technology to order, pay and log into the chain's loyalty/rewards program. It'll even remember your crazy custom order to boot. "Our goal is to replace credit card swipes with face-based payments," parent company CEO John Miller said in a press release (PDF). Security and the underlying recognition tech are being handled by NEC Corporation.

TYSONS, Va., December 12, 2017 – DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC), the world's leading independent, end-to-end IT services company, today unveiled key trends that will shape enterprise technology in 2018. The six technology trends will be critical guideposts to drive enterprise disruption, agility and productivity. "For global enterprises to lead in the new digital world, 2018 is decision time for transformation planning, preparedness and execution," said Dan Hushon, senior vice president and chief technology officer, DXC Technology. "It's a transition year for most companies as they commit to their digital strategy and begin to execute more broadly. The technology and platforms are much more robust, and DXC brings its global capabilities and experience with scale to help enterprises accelerate their digital transformation journeys."

Through this challenge Iridescent aims to demystify artificial intelligence through hands-on design challenges and family engagement events across the country. Google will support these events with volunteers and mentors using everyday materials – like rubber bands, paper cups and batteries – to teach underserved families about engineering and computational thinking. "Over the next few years, artificial intelligence will change our economy and the way we work. It's vital that we train parents and their children to adopt a new mindset - one of lifelong learning," said Tara Chklovski, CEO and Founder, Iridescent. "We are excited to be working with Google – one of the leading experts on artificial intelligence – to help underserved families and communities engage with the most cutting-edge innovations."

NASA has called a press conference to reveal a breakthrough discovery from its alien-hunting Kepler telescope. The discovery was driven by Google's machine-learning artificial intelligence software. The announcement will be live-streamed on NASA's website, according to a press release. It will take place Thursday, December 14, at 1 p.m. EST. NASA's Kepler space telescope has been searching for habitable planets since 2009.

Microsoft hopes to use artificial intelligence to help the globe. Microsoft is looking to artificial intelligence to save the planet. The company has announced that it's committing $50 million to fighting climate change with AI. The investment is a part of a five-year plan from Microsoft, with the hope of using data on the Earth's air, water, wildlife and land conditions to help. To do that, the company said, robust AI is needed that can convert the massive amount of data into useful information.

LG first laid the foundation for its AI efforts at CES 2017 when it announced DeepThinQ followed by the initiative to include Wi-Fi in its entire line of premium appliances launched this year. Advancing the company's innovations in AI, LG opened the Artificial Intelligence Lab in Seoul in June under company's CTO to tie together all its diverse AI research in technologies that recognize, deduce and learn from voice, video and sensors. LG's AI Lab has contributed to the development of the world's first space-learning air conditioner as well as intelligent refrigerators, washing machines and robot vacuum cleaners. "Our new ThinQ platform for LG's intelligent products is the latest way that LG is delivering innovations that make consumers' lives easier and more enjoyable," said David VanderWaal, vice president of marketing for LG Electronics USA. "LG ThinQ enables deep learning technology and connectivity across household products, delivering even greater capabilities and convenience." In the United States, LG already offers the most extensive range of Wi-Fi enabled appliances available* today featuring its LG SmartThinQ Wi-Fi connectivity.

Open any business publication or digital journal today, and you will read about the promise of AI, known as artificial or augmented intelligence, and how it will transform your business. The fact is: AI will not only transform your entire business -- whether you are in healthcare, finance, retail, or manufacturing -- but it will also transform technology itself. The essential task of information technology (IT) -- and how we measure its value -- has reached an inflection point. Instead, insight is the new currency. The speed with which we can scale that insight and the knowledge it brings is the basis for value creation and the key to competitive advantage.