When asked, which businesses are most likely to benefit from artificial intelligence, UK consumers agreed the top three industries to be benefiting are engineering (45%), administration (40%) and customer service (31%.) Finance (29%), sales (26%) and marketing (22%) followed closely behind; each deemed'admin heavy' and therefore apt to benefit from automation. Project management and human resources close the list, with 20% and 16% respectively.

As companies increasingly turn to artificial intelligence to communicate with customers, make sense of big data and find answers to vexing questions, some say it's time to think about hiring a chief A.I. officer. A chief artificial intelligence Officer – or CAIO -- could round out your C-level execs, sitting at the big table with your CIO, CFO, CTO and CEO. "A.I. is going to be really important to some companies – enough to have top officers who will focus on just that," said Steve Chien, head of the artificial intelligence group for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "And beyond that, you'll want every employee thinking about how A.I. can improve what they do and you'll want a chief A.I. officer overseeing all of that. They should be constantly thinking about how A.I. can improve things."

The two largest semiconductor companies in the world, Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) and Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), share a long rivalry, even though they specialize in and dominate different areas of the global processor market. So let's examine Qualcomm and Intel in three important areas to find which stock looks like the better buy today. Through the power of their business franchises, Intel and Qualcomm each earn a clean bill of financial health. The companies excel in these measures of financial fortitude in different regards. When it comes to net cash -- financial shorthand for cash and investments minus debt -- Qualcomm's $17.1 billion in net cash is miles ahead of Intel's $8.4 billion in net debt.

Three of the most notable technological innovations facing enterprises today are artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain. And while many organizations are awakening to these (and other) technological concepts and capabilities, few implementations are focused on the convergence between them. How will the convergence of emerging data analytics techniques, connected devices/infrastructure, and distributed database architectures manifest? What follows are four examples of companies exploring applications involving the intersection of these technologies. IBM is currently working on the intersection between AI, blockchain, and the IoT in projects and experimentations that combine these three areas for comprehensive device lifecycle management.

Jeff Heepke knows where to plant corn on his 4,500-acre farm in Illinois because of artificial intelligence (AI). He uses a smartphone app called Climate Basic, which divides Heepke's farmland (and, in fact, the entire continental U.S.) into plots that are 10 meters square. The app draws on local temperature and erosion records, expected precipitation, soil quality, and other agricultural data to determine how to maximize yields for each plot. If a rainy cold front is expected to pass by, Heepke knows which areas to avoid watering or irrigating that afternoon. As the U.S. Department of Agriculture noted, this use of artificial intelligence across the industry has produced the largest crops in the country's history. Climate Corporation, the Silicon Valley–based developer of Climate Basic, also offers a more advanced AI app that operates autonomously. If a storm hits a region, or a drought occurs, it adjusts local yield numbers downward. Farmers who have bought insurance to supplement their government coverage get a check; no questions asked, no paper filing necessary.

How's it gone so far? Microsoft's big annual conference kicks off today, and we've sniffed out what you can expect. We also get the full reveal of Amazon's Echo-with-a-screen. It's not pretty, but it does sound pretty smart. What to expect at Microsoft's Build 2017 conference While it's a mobile computing world, Microsoft has no shortage of projects we need to be updated on.

Tech pundits and government sources alike are encouraged by the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance many aspects of cybersecurity, especially its ability to perceive and learn, which should finally allow for some proactivity. However, those keeping an eye on the dark side of the internet are deeply concerned that, seeing the benefits, cybercriminals are already fully invested in AI and are hard at work incorporating machine learning into their malware platforms. The 2016 Business Insider article Artificial intelligence-powered malware is coming and it is going to be terrifying offers insight into how AI will benefit cybercriminals. In the article, columnist Rob Price interviews Dave Palmer, a seasoned cybersecurity expert and director of technology at Darktrace, a company known for its AI-based cybersecurity platforms. Palmer seems convinced that it is only a matter of time--if it hasn't already happened--when AI-supported malware makes it debut.

Accenture Becomes Founding Sponsor of Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Toronto Institute Supported by Canadian, Ontario governments, Industry, and University of Toronto TORONTO; Mar. 30, 2017 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) announced it is a founding sponsor of the new Vector Institute for artificial intelligence (AI) in Canada. The relationship is based on a shared mission to identify new business models for artificial intelligence and to position Canada as a global leader in the digital era. The goal of the new Vector Institute – a non-profit enterprise funded by industry and the federal and Ontario governments – is to help build and maintain Canada's position at the scientific forefront of the global shift to artificial intelligence (AI). Together with industry and educational organizations including the University of Toronto, the Vector Institute will promote and nurture Canadian talent and research excellence in deep learning and machine learning, and actively seek ways to enable and sustain AI-based economic growth in Canada. Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau wears Accenture's AI-enabled DAQRI Smart Helmet during the launch of the Vector Institute for AI at the MaRs Discovery District in Toronto, Ont.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by, and welcome to Nuance's Second Quarter Fiscal 2017 Conference Call. At this time, all lines are in a listen-only mode. Later, there'll be an opportunity for your questions, and instructions will be given at that time. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. With us today from Nuance are Chairman and CEO, Paul Ricci; CFO, Dan Tempesta; EVP of Corporate Strategy and Development, Bruce Bowden; and Director of Investor Relations, Christine Marchuska. Now, I would like to turn the call over to Ms. Marchuska. Before we begin, I remind, everyone, our discussion this afternoon includes predictions, estimates, expectations, and other forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause material differences in our actual results. Please refer to our recent SEC filings for a discussion of these risks.

At age 8, Audrey Tang wrote a computer game for her 4-year-old brother to help him learn fractions. At 14, she dropped out of school to start a search-engine company. At 19, she had left Taiwan to work as an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. Now, at 36, she is Taiwan's youngest government minister, charged with jump-starting the island's stagnating, $130-billion high-tech sector. She is also Taiwan's first transgender Cabinet minister and, perhaps most remarkable, the only one who describes herself as an anarchist.