There are so many amazing ways artificial intelligence and machine learning are used behind the scenes to impact our everyday lives and inform business decisions and optimize operations for some of the world's leading companies. Here are 27 amazing practical examples of AI and machine learning. Using natural language processing, machine learning and advanced analytics, Hello Barbie listens and responds to a child. A microphone on Barbie's necklace records what is said and transmits it to the servers at ToyTalk. There, the recording is analyzed to determine the appropriate response from 8,000 lines of dialogue.

To reduce markdowns and break out of a lull in sales, H&M is turning to artificial intelligence (AI) and Big Data to tailor its merchandising mix in its brick-and-mortar stores. The fashion retailer is using algorithms to gain insights from returns, receipts and data from loyalty cards to improve its bottom lines, according to news source Retail Dive reports. H&M is utilizing the technology in a store located in an upscale section of Stockholm, Sweden. It has so far learned that women make up most of its customer base, and that fashionable items such as floral skirts have sold at better-than-predicted rates. Sales have improved with these insights, and H&M is moving away from the idea of stocking each location with a similar selection.

Today I'm excited to announce a new Machine Learning Competency for Consulting Partners in the AWS Partner Network (APN). This AWS Competency program allows APN Consulting Partners to demonstrate a deep expertise in machine learning on AWS by providing solutions that enable machine learning and data science workflows for their customers. This new AWS Competency is in addition to the Machine Learning competency for our APN Technology Partners, that we launched at the re:Invent 2017 partner summit. The AWS Competency Program helps customers find the most qualified partners with deep expertise. AWS Machine Learning Competency Partners undergo a strict validation of their capabilities to demonstrate technical proficiency and proven customer success with AWS machine learning tools.

Artificial intelligence is software that enables computers to emulate human intelligence, handling tasks such as recognizing and processing images or language in applications including autonomous driving. Experts view AI technologies as a big potential growth area for U.S. businesses. But it has raised concerns about the potential for job losses and other harms. It also has emerged as one of the areas at the center of intensifying competition between the U.S. and China for global technological supremacy. About 40 firms are expected to be represented at the meeting, including tech giants Amazon.com

When most investors think of artificial intelligence stocks, names like NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) come to mind -- and well they should. Nvidia's graphics processing hardware has proven an ideal way to complete the intensive number-crunching required by most AI applications, and Microsoft has arguably acquired a number of artificial intelligence companies, garnering some new and impressive technologies it has yet to turn into a practical product. Those products are in the works, though. Many more organizations have waded into artificial intelligence waters, however -- more than you might realize. A bunch of them are smaller and, perhaps, even unknown names. Indeed, many of these unknown names rank among the best artificial intelligence stocks available to investors today.

H&M is good at making amazing frocks for the Met ball, but it's less good at making money: The company's profits for the first quarter of this year were down 69 percent, and it effectively ran out of cash in 2017. The latest pitch from the fast-fashion retailer, covered as a "pivot" in the Wall Street Journal earlier this week, uses lots of trendy buzzwords like A.I. and big data. The general idea is that by "using algorithms to analyze store receipts, returns and loyalty-card data," H&M will be able to "tailor merchandise in each store to local tastes, rather than take a cookie-cutter approach." Stripped of its techno buzzwords, this is the old idea of localization, as laid out in a 2006 Harvard Business Review article by Vijay Vishwanath and Darrell K. Rigby. "The era of standardization is ending," they wrote.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is clearly making its mark on retail marketing, and it's having the biggest impact in the digital world due to the inherently trackable and quantifiable nature of activity on websites, in digital purchasing and within user accounts. The volume and cleanliness of the e-commerce data make this a perfect environment for leveraging AI. That's why it's no surprise that Amazon is one of the paramount AI powerhouses in the world. The volume of data generated by logged-in user accounts on their website -- such as information on purchases, add to cart actions, clicks and searches -- is huge and allows them to tailor and customize their offerings and grow the business. Brick-and-mortar businesses don't have the same advantages.

Later on Tuesday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao will unveil the winners for 10 drone projects involving cities, universities, an Indian tribe, counties and states. Reuters reported Tuesday that major technology and aerospace companies including Amazon.com Inc, Apple Inc, Intel Corp, Qualcomm Inc and Airbus SE are vying to take part in the new slate of drone tests.

Amazon.com has set up model'smart' homes across the United States for shoppers to experience what it's like for voice aide Alexa to dim the lights, turn on the TV or order more laundry detergent. The rollout underscores how Amazon aims to make Alexa and the company's growing list of services, from shopping and entertainment to home security, an everyday part of consumers' lives. It also steps up competition with retailers such as Best Buy Co Inc that focus on showcasing technology and advising shoppers. Inside the Amazon house: An Amazon Echo Spot is seen on a bedside table in a bedroom in an Amazon'Experience center' in Vallejo, California. The so-called'Amazon Experience Centers' are now open near 15 cities including Los Angeles, Dallas and Washington, with more to come Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, said it has partnered with Lennar Corp to convert some of the home construction company's model homes into showrooms for Alexa.

The 71-year-old fast-fashion chain is aiming to arrest a slump in same-store sales that has lasted 10 straight quarters as it faces problems bedeviling the industry: A spike in online shopping has led to fewer customers visiting stores, and digital startups are putting up fierce competition. H&M has repeatedly slashed prices to clear out $4 billion of unsold goods, and its shares are down 56% in the past three years. H&M, like most retailers, relies on a team of designers to figure out what shoppers want to buy. Now, it's using algorithms to analyze store receipts, returns and loyalty-card data to better align supply and demand, with the goal of reducing markdowns. As a result, some stores have started carrying more fashion and fewer basics such as T-shirts and leggings.