"With AI, we can really target and segment who gets what message and based on previous purchases and viewing habits. We can see how we can customize our messaging," Park said. An example of this AI-driven marketing approach is the way the chain -- which has some 2,000 locations in the U.S., Canada and Europe -- targets the 27 million loyalty rewards members who have downloaded its mobile app. Chipotle uses recommendation algorithms to send notifications to users of the app about deals tailored to the different foods they've ordered before, therefore improving their customer experience, according to the company. Chipotle also uses AI to improve customer service.

Stephanie Condon is a senior staff writer for Red Ventures based in Portland, Oregon, covering business technology for ZDNet. Retail -- and grocery in particular -- is a tough business. Grocers operate on razor-thin margins, and they're up against commercial giants like Amazon and Walmart. Increasingly, major grocery chains are turning to AI, edge computing and other innovative technologies to help them bring down costs. But along with Giant Eagle, Whole Foods and other big names in the industry, one small startup in the Atlanta area is betting that a tech-first approach to grocery shopping will help them expand their business across the US.

With over 150 million worldwide users, Airbnb is the one of the most popular sites when it comes to holiday rentals. And if you're struggling to book out your room, a new study suggests you may want to reassess your profile photo. Researchers from the University of York tested various profile photos to see which garnered the most bookings. Their findings suggest that profile pictures showing the host smiling and wearing sunglasses are the most successful – while female hosts also get more bookings. Researchers from the University of York tested various profile photos to see which garnered the most bookings.

Time flies when everything is always happening, so it's totally understandable if you forgot Mother's Day is this Sunday! We can't buy you more time, but we can help you find quality deals with quick shipping so you can still get a great gift. Moms are multifaceted marvels, and we've rounded up a variety of products, ranging from headphones and ebook readers to beauty goods and kitchen gadgets. Don't forget to check out our Mother's Day Gift Ideas guide for more recommendations. Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off).

Time flies when everything is always happening, so it's totally understandable if you forgot Mother's Day is this Sunday! We can't buy you more time, but we can help you find quality deals with quick shipping so you can still get a great gift. Moms are multifaceted marvels, and we've rounded up a variety of products, ranging from headphones and ebook readers to beauty goods and kitchen gadgets. Don't forget to check out our Mother's Day Gift Ideas guide for more recommendations. Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you'd like).

In the world of wine reviews, evocative writing is key. Consider the following: "While the nose is a bit closed, the palate of this off-dry Riesling is chock full of juicy white grapefruit and tangerine flavors. It's not a deeply concentrated wine, but it's balanced neatly by a strike of lemon-lime acidity that lingers on the finish." Reading the description, you can almost feel the cool glass sweating in your hand and taste a burst of citrus on your tongue. But the author of this review never had that experience--because the author was a piece of software. An interdisciplinary group of researchers developed an artificial intelligence algorithm capable of writing reviews for wine and beer that are largely indistinguishable from those penned by a human critic.

A robot chef has been trained to'taste' food at different stages of the chewing process – just like humans do. The machine, created at the University of Cambridge, consists of a probe that can detect salt levels in food attached to the end of a robotic arm. Experts used the robot to taste scrambled eggs during different stages of mastication, including a runny liquid as it would appear just prior to swallowing. According to the scientists, robotic chefs that'taste test' dishes instead of humans could be a fixture of busy restaurant kitchens of the future. A robot'chef' has been trained to taste food at different stages of the chewing process to assess whether it's sufficiently seasoned. The perception of taste is a complex process in humans that has evolved over millions of years.

A team of researchers recently developed an algorithm that generates original reviews for wines and beers. Considering that computers can't taste booze, this makes for a curious use-case for machine learning. The AI sommelier was trained on a database containing hundreds of thousands of beer and wine reviews. In essence, it aggregates those reviews and picks out keywords. When the researchers ask it to generate its own review for a specific wine or beer, it generates something similar to previous reviews.

For the first time since February, Amazon has discounted the Echo Show 8 to $90. We gave the second-generation model a score of 87 when Amazon released it midway through last year. We liked the Echo Show 8's vibrant 1,280 by 800 resolution display and handy video calling functionality. It comes with a digital pan-and-zoom face-tracking feature that follows you while you move around. Best of all, that feature works with every video chat platform available for the device, including Skype and Zoom. In addition to discounting the Echo Show 8, Amazon has also put the Echo Show 15 on sale.

Machine Learning is playing an important role in hospitality management with major focus on food and accommodation. It is because these two sectors are rapidly changing with time, challenging the industry to be proactive and meet the demand of users with minimal efforts. With the applications of ML the hotel owners are now able to deliver superior services. The implementation of ML in food industry and accommodation businesses is moving the industry to a new level, enabling lower costs for storage and transportation and more importantly producing less waste. The costs for storage and transportation is nowadays reduced to a significant level followed by happy customers, quick service, voice searching, and more personalized orders.