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.

Paid-search campaigns running on desktop and laptops are estimated to decline 3.7% to $14.7 billion by 2021, but the combined share of total Internet advertising held by wired and mobile search will be much higher -- at more than 50% of the total revenue, according to data released Wednesday. PwC's 18th annual Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2017-2021 details the free fall of paid search delivered through fixed-line broadband and the rise of paid search on mobile devices. Paid-search advertising for desktop fell 34.4% to take 24.5%, or $17.8 billion, of total U.S. Internet advertising revenue in 2016. Google dominates in most global markets, but in the U.S. the company faces more competition, notably from Microsoft's Bing, according to the report. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) to better anticipate users' search will become another area of focus in the next five years and make players like Apple more sophisticated in search.

Its main AI and HR analytics product is Cornerstone Insights, what CTO Mark Goldin called "machine learning in a box." The dispassionate analysis that AI brought to Expedia's recruiting practices can also be applied to performance management, which Holger Mueller, vice president and principal analyst at Constellation Research, considers talent management's core function -- and the part that's most broken. "The applications of AI basically are analytics applications, where the software is using history and algorithms and data to be smarter and smarter over time," Bersin explained. HR is a good target for AI because many HR practices are "handcrafted," cultural in nature and could be better at handling data, according to Josh Bersin, principal and founder of consulting firm Bersin by Deloitte.

AI, as a true change agent, is coming, and in many ways, its early rumblings are already being felt. It's clear that some people will eagerly adopt and integrate the new tools and ways of working it makes possible, while others will be more cautious or even oppose the changes it brings to their life or work. An open mind will be the biggest asset in the near future, as the technology advances and we continue to experiment with how to use AI to solve problems--in our personal lives, professional lives, and society at large. Those who think practically and critically will ride the waves of these advancements instead of being left behind.

The global text analytics market size is estimated to grow from $3.97 billion in 2017 to $8.79 billion by 2022, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 17.2%. The customer experience management (CEM) is expected to hold the largest market share during the forecast period. Among the various applications in the text analytics market, the CEM application is expected to hold the largest market share during the forecast period. Text mining is the most traditional application in customer service and is frequently utilized to improve customer experience through various information sources. Today, text analytics is implemented to offer quick, computerized feedback to the clients, which significantly reduces dependency on executives for resolving issues.

It was identified by PwC as one of the key developments businesses need to plan for and has found its way into the innovative strategies of KPMG and Deloitte. Banks are increasingly getting in on the game with technologies such as customer-facing chatbots, robotic process automation and predictive data analysis becoming commonplace. Eleanor O'Neill takes a look at some of the ways AI is being adopted by the banking sector. Banks are increasingly using big data to analyse and predict consumer behaviour. Consultancy firm McKinsey cited the case of a bank that used local telecommunications data to improve their underwriting.

Smart systems can be combined to do a variety of tasks on different levels, with capabilities of comprehension (NLP and inference engines are an example), sensing (computer vision and audio processing have made unprecedented progress in the past year) and following through on actions (predictive analytics engines and auto-pilot software in autonomous vehicles are just the surface of the future). As emphasized by Daugherty and other researchers and executives in the field, a central component of "true" AI systems is the ability to learn and adapt over time, with repeatability of these systems at scale, processes that are being explored through fields like reinforcement and continual learning.

Artificial intelligence (AI) will become the primary way banks interact with their customers within the next three years, according to three quarters of bankers surveyed by consultancy Accenture ACN.N in a new report. Four in five bankers believe AI will "revolutionize" the way in which banks gather information as well as how they interact with their clients, said the Accenture Banking Technology Vision 2017 report, which surveyed more than 600 top bankers and also consulted tech industry experts and academics. Artificial intelligence -- the technology behind driverless cars, drones and voice-recognition software -- is seen by the financial world as a key technology which, along with other "fintech" innovations such as blockchain, will change the face of banking in the coming years. More than three quarters of respondents to the survey believed that AI would enable more simple user interfaces, which would help banks create a more human-like customer experience. "The big paradox here is that people think technology will lead to banking becoming more and more automated and less and less personalized, but what we've seen coming through here is the view that technology will actually help banking become a lot more personalized," said Alan McIntyre, head of the Accenture's banking practice and co-author of the report.

Freedom to innovate THOSE THAT DO EXPECT MORE: Opportunity to develop standards that others follow Expanded opportunities for trusted partnerships 6. www.accenture.com/bankingtechvision DESIGN FOR HUMANS CUSTOMER JOURNEYS NOW RUN INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE BANK Digital banking models, such as ecosystem platforms and channels not owned by banks, will bring consumers from outside the sphere of the bank's knowledge. WORKFORCE MARKETPLACE ON-DEMAND TALENT AS A TRUE BANKING INNOVATION Create an agile workforce to access sought-after skills, knowledge and experience as-needed for more flexible ways of working. DESIGN FOR HUMANS CUSTOMER JOURNEYS NOW RUN INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE BANK Digital banking models, such as ecosystem platforms and channels not owned by banks, will bring consumers from outside the sphere of the bank's knowledge. WORKFORCE MARKETPLACE ON-DEMAND TALENT AS A TRUE BANKING INNOVATION Create an agile workforce to access sought-after skills, knowledge and experience as-needed for more flexible ways of working.

TECHNOLOGY FOR PEOPLE Digital disruption is taking a new direction with people now shaping technology to fit our need. By amplifying people and putting the power into their hands, banks can deepen their role in consumers' lives, and firmly establish their place as partners in the new digital economy. HELP WRITE THE NEW RULES OF ENGAGEMENT OR RISK BEING REGULATED OUT THE UNCHARTED BANKERS SAY: • Industry regulations have not kept pace with technology advancement (66% globally, 82% in US). THE UNCHARTED TAKE THE LEAD TO SHAPE THE NEW RULES 75% of bankers agree they have a duty to be proactive in writing the rules. Freedom to innovate THOSE THAT DO EXPECT MORE: Opportunity to develop standards that others follow Expanded opportunities for trusted partnerships 6. www.accenture.com/bankingtechvision