By nature, tech companies tend to be possessive about their features: Amazon wants to keep its Alexa virtual assistant on its devices, Apple devices will feature Siri exclusively and so on. But if Amazon has its way, the virtual assistants could work alongside each other. At the Wired Business Conference Wednesday, David Limp, senior vice president of devices at Amazon, said the company believes there should be more openness among competing virtual assistant platforms, USA Today reported. Read: Apple's Siri Is More Popular Than Amazon Alexa For Virtual Assistant Users, Report Says Limp said Amazon would be willing to work alongside partners like Apple or Google to ensure their competing virtual assistants would be compatible. "You should be able to tell'Alexa, ask Siri X,' " Limp said.

Experts from the likes of Microsoft and Audi are gathered with UN leaders and academics to debate the pros and cons of Artificial Intelligence in Geneva this week, reports Euronews' Jeremy Wilks. Artificial Intelligence is "probably the most significant technology we will ever create," says Peter Diamandis in his opening video address to the ITU's AI for Good summit. The X Prize founder always speaks with the zeal of the finest Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, and here he is in his element. Taking up the baton on stage is Marcus Shingles, X Prize CEO, who with the tone of a motivational speaker expounds the huge unleashed potential of the smartphones in the pockets of 3.6 billion people today. Artificial Intelligence, say its proponents, can heal healthcare, make travel safe, and boost your wealth.

Driven by the rapid progress in Artificial Intelligence (AI) research, intelligent machines are gaining the ability to learn, improve and make calculated decisions in ways that will enable them to perform tasks previously thought to rely solely on human experience, creativity, and ingenuit y. As a result, we will in the near future see large parts of our lives influenced by AI. AI innovation will also be central to the achievement of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and will help solving humanity's grand challenges by capitalizing on the unprecedented quantities of data now being generated on sentiment behavior, human health, commerce, communications, migration and more. With large parts of our lives being influenced by AI, it is critical that government, industry, academia and civil society work together to evaluate the opportunities presented by AI, ensuring that AI benefits all of humanity. Responding to this critical issue, ITU and the XPRIZE Foundation are organizing AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, 7-9 June, 2017 in partnership with a number of UN sister agencies.

This AI will tell people when theyre likely to die -- and thats a good thing. Thats because scientists from the University of Adelaide in Australia have used deep learning technology to analyze the computerized tomography (CT) scans of patient organs, in what could one day serve as an early warning system to catch heart disease, cancer, and other diseases early so that intervention can take place. Using a dataset of historical CT scans, and excluding other predictive factors like age, the system developed by the team was able to predict whether patients would die within five years around 70 percent of the time. The work was described in an article published in the journal Scientific Reports. The goal of the research isn't really to predict death, but to produce a more accurate measurement of health, Dr. Luke Oakden-Rayner, a researcher on the project, told Digital Trends.

The security of peoples' finances is as important as the protection of their personal data (87%) by their bank A lack of understanding and trust in technology is stalling mainstream adoption of innovative new services which could make millions of people's daily lives simpler and more secure, new HSBC research reveals. The HSBC research report, Trust in Technology, shows that technologies such as fingerprint recognition, voice recognition and robo-advice hold enormous potential for uses from bank security to mobile payments and investment advice, yet millions of people who could benefit do not trust them because they do not understand them well enough. HSBC has commissioned a study of more than 12,000 people in 11 countries and territories looking at their perceptions and use of technology. The study of more than 12,000 people in 11 countries reveals four in every five people (80%) believe that technology makes their lives easier but less than half (46%) trust fingerprint recognition to replace their password, despite it being recognised to be at least five1 times more secure and significantly more convenient than traditional passwords. Eighty-four per cent of respondents say they would share their personal data with their bank if it meant getting a better service, underlining the need to educate consumers about the specific benefits of new technologies.

Machine learning may be a buzzword now, but what could it actually mean for business and sales down the line? Will salespeople be replaced by Rosie from The Jetsons, or a more frightening HAL? Doubtful. But the ability to automate sales tasks could mean big changes on the horizon. We accept that data is the key to designing successful, personalized engagements with our customers. SAP recently commissioned a research report by Aberdeen, which discusses the importance of a "data-driven understanding" of our customers on a granular level.

While some people are innately tuned into the emotions of those around them, others struggle to tell what they are thinking simply by looking at them. And a new study suggests that these differences could be in our DNA. Researchers pinpointed specific genetic variants that influence our ability to read a person's emotions, by asking people to compete a test first derived 20 years ago. And the findings suggest that women are better at reading people's thoughts than men. If you want to test how good you are at reading emotions, scroll through the pictures below and choose which expression you think the eyes are displaying.

A four-part look at how robots are changing the way we work. About 180 robots here are doing work that humans used to do at a GE Aviation plant that makes parts for jet engines. But they haven't replaced the humans. Indeed, the opposite is true. Since a new, automated section of the plant ramped up at the start of the decade, the number of people working here has risen to more than 900 from 600. "A machine is not replacing three jobs," said Eric Bouchard, senior operations manager at the Bromont plant.

Artificial intelligence is on a roll, especially in the marketing domain. The same report indicated a significant shift in investments by Chinese VCs, particularly in the Artificial Intelligence domain. It is believed that in five years' time, every company should be prepared to compete in the AI domain to survive. So are you aware that artificial intelligence can actually help marketers thrive? The power to understand customer needs, emotions, and preferences globally is a big boon of this emerging technology. Paradoxically enough, AI's greatest strength may be in creating a more personal experience for your customer.

Each lesson page includes links to course notes, forum discussion, and (most importantly) a wiki page. Nearly all the participants in the original in-person course said that they found these resources very important for successfully completing the course. So be sure to make the most of them! And be sure to carefully read the Getting Started page to find out how this course is designed and how to get the most out of it.