Berlin - 03 Sep 2016: at IFA Berlin – one of the world's leading trade shows for consumer electronics – IBM (NYSE: IBM) was joined by some of the biggest names in the industry to highlight how Watson IoT technologies are poised to drive a new wave of innovation in the home and play a key role in one of the biggest technological transformations in the history of the world. According to Harriet Green, Global Head of IBM Watson IoT: "millions of sensors are giving appliances and devices eyes and ears, increasing their inbuilt intelligence and enabling them to interact with us better." "The challenge is that over next few years, the Internet of Things will become the biggest source of data on the planet. That's where IBM's Watson cognitive computing system comes in. Watson uses machine learning and other techniques to understand this data and turn it into insight, which can help automate tasks, enable manufacturers to design better products, innovate new services and enhance our overall quality of life – especially in the home. And with cognitive technologies, interactions with'things' through natural language and voice commands will dramatically improve," added Green during her keynote at IFA. Examples of companies tapping IBM's Watson IoT platform include: Whirlpool is using Watson technologies to help deliver superior customer service and enhance people's lives at home by enabling its home appliances to connect with and interact with one another and their users.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The North American automation industry has set new records to begin 2016, according to the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), the industry's trade group. The advent of more automation in North American manufacturing promises increased efficiencies in production and the ability to compete globally. A3, whose mission is to advocate and promote automation technologies and ideas that transform the way business is done, tracks the robotics, machine vision and motion control markets for its three daughter associations, Robotic Industries Association (RIA), AIA - Advancing Vision Imaging, and Motion Control & Motor Association (MCMA). A3 is at its highest membership level ever, welcoming 119 new member companies year to date. A3, with its daughter organizations, now represents 965 member companies directly involved with robotics, vision, motion control and motors.

In less than a month since launching their powerful new website (http://www.2016tweets.live) In addition to this epochal milestone, the company recently began tracking and reporting on the number of bots that follow, like, and retweet the two major accounts. As bots can confuse and often mislead voters into thinking one party has more support than the other, this analysis allows the public to see the competing candidates on a more even playing field. So far Aicial has analyzed over 109,000 unique Twitter accounts that are engaging with Clinton and Trump. Aicial Co-Founder and CEO, Troy Kelly said the company is committed to further development of the social engine and is quite interested in discussing potential partnerships with news and media outlets.

Earlier this week, Google announced that its popular Waze app, which offers crowd-sourced navigation and has 65 million active users, plans to explore a carpooling feature in the Bay Area sometime this fall. Drummond's departure ends a three-year stint with the company that began in 2013, when Google invested 360 million in Uber. Both companies released statements attesting to their continued collaborative spirit. "I wish David and Alphabet the best, and look forward to continued cooperation and partnership," Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said. Drummond said that Google Ventures "remains an enthusiastic investor and Google will continue to partner with Uber."

Electric utilities across the U.S. are wasting no time to take advantage of FAA rules authorizing use of drones for commercial purposes. Electric utilities across the U.S. are wasting no time taking advantage of new FAA rules authorizing use of drones for commercial purposes. "We've certainly heard from our members that they're excited about this technology," said Chris Hickling, the director of government relations for the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the trade group for investor-owned utilities in the U.S. "They see it as part of building a smarter infrastructure. We see it as an area that's going to continue to grow." More than 20 utilities have already tested unmanned aerial vehicles for inspecting transmission and distribution lines for damage from storm and normal wear and tear, using temporary rules from the Federal Aviation Administration, and are now ready to demonstrate them even more.

Salesforce has spent over 4 billion on acquisitions in the past year alone, and it's making some investors grow concerned about the company's spending strategy. According to a note by Macquarie Research on Tuesday, Salesforce may have some explaining to do during its earnings call on Wednesday to ease the investors worried about the company's record-high buying spree over the past year. That includes the 2.8 billion Demandware acquisition, which was the largest deal Salesforce has made to date, and the 750 million deal for the 40-person startup Quip. Still, Piper Jaffray noted that most of the acquisitions make sense because they've been in the artificial intelligence and machine learning space, in which Salesforce is launching its new product Einstein.

As much as Sonos is known for high-quality connected speakers, it's also built up a reputation for lackluster software and a closed ecosystem. And that's getting harder to live with as alternative platforms like Google's Cast (formerly Chromecast) are flourishing alongside smart partnerships (see Vizio's recent TVs) and inexpensive devices like the Chromecast Audio. So to course correct, Sonos announced today that it's opening up its platform to Spotify Connect, and it has also kicked off a "long-term strategic collaboration" with Amazon to integrate Echo voice control with its speakers. The Spotify Connect support, which is coming in a few weeks, will be particularly useful for anyone who's grown tired of Sonos's software. You'll be able to control the company's speakers from within any Spotify app.

Startupbootcamp InsurTech has announced that the FastTrack tour will be coming to Cape Town on 11 October and Johannesburg on 13 October 2016. Exponential Ventures, the innovation unit of JSE listed financial services group, MMI Holdings, partners with Europe's leading accelerator programme to showcase South Africa's entrepreneurial talent in the global market FastTracks are open to innovative early stage startups specialising in insurance related areas: virtual and augmented reality; Blockchain; artificial intelligence and machine learning; Internet of Things and wearables; drones and robots; cyber security; data analysis and big data; life science and genome; MedTech and digital health; and customer experience. Exponential Ventures, the disruptive innovation unit of JSE listed company, MMI Holdings, has continued with its relentless pursuit of innovation by becoming an investor partner in the insurance incubator programme, Startupbootcamp InsurTech managed by Startupbootcamp a leading international startup accelerator. Startupbootcamp InsurTech has announced that the FastTrack tour will be coming to Cape Town on 11 October and Johannesburg on 13 October 2016. FastTrack days (or pitch days) are sessions where startups are given an opportunity to present their insurance related business idea to the Startupbootcamp InsurTech team and industry experts.

An umbrella term that refers to information systems inspired by biological systems, AI encompasses multiple technologies including machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, natural language processing (NLP), machine reasoning, and strong AI. These technologies have use cases and applications in almost every industry and promise to significantly change existing business models while simultaneously creating new ones. In sizing and forecasting the total global AI market, Tractica has created a taxonomy of 191 real-world use cases for AI, organized into 27 different industry sectors and corresponding with six major technology categories, plus multiple combinations of technologies. Some use cases – such as image recognition, algorithmic securities trading, and healthcare patient data management – have huge scale potential, while others are niche applications. Likewise, a few key industry sectors including consumer products, business services, advertising, and defense applications will drive significant revenue for AI software implementations in addition to AI-driven hardware and service sales, but during the coming decade the technologies will have an effect on almost every conceivable industry sector.

The market for artificial intelligence in the US is projected to grow at a CAGR of around 75% during 2016-2021. United States is the largest market for artificial intelligence solutions, globally. Continuous research and development in healthcare, autonomous vehicles, security and access control, cyber security, etc., are expected to fuel growth in the United States artificial intelligence market. Rising penetration of smart wearables, burgeoning head-up display screen market in luxury car segment and growing venture capital investments are also propelling adoption of artificial intelligence solutions in the country. United States government is also playing a proactive role in the country's artificial intelligence market by organizing workshops in association with leading solution providers.