Having started my career in the pre-technology era, I am very accustomed to talking rather than texting. Plus, being from New York City, I frequently use my hands to communicate, gesturing to add emphasis or other emotions. All of this means that this new era of intelligent devices--objects you can speak to and wave at--is a very comfortable one for me. Voice-recognition technologies are among the top trends of 2018. Most of us are familiar with Siri, Google Home, and Alexa.

With Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods, the rise of subscription meal kits, and new competition from pureplay grocery delivery services, it seems like everyone is trying to build a better grocery store. But what if the supermarket of the future is the one right around the corner? When we think about artificial intelligence and its potential to transform the retail industry, it is easy to overlook how it could affect one of the most fundamental shopping experiences around: the grocery store. Right now, the conversation and real-world applications of AI are limited to voice assistants and chatbots. But the potential goes much farther than that.

As e-commerce goes mainstream, more product searches take place on Amazon every day than on Google or Facebook. The online economy is growing and growing but more evidence shows that Amazon's intricate engine, which now includes voice AI interfaces such as Echo, is threatening traditional retailers. The most recent study by digital marketing agency Wolfgang Digital has found that e-commerce transactions are up 32pc on last year and traffic is up 14pc. 'Amazon is now actively listening to you in your home so it can sell you more things next time you log on to Amazon on a screen. What's more, consumers are paying for the privilege of welcoming this 21st-century Trojan horse into their home' – ALAN COLEMAN It estimates that Ireland's online economy is worth €12.3bn, or 6pc of GDP in 2017.

Geeky has never been so glamorous. To help shoppers find fashions that fit their bodies, budgets and styles, more retailers are turning to artificial intelligence (AI). As one of today's hottest technology trends, AI translates vast volumes of retail big data into rich, actionable insights, so executives can make smart decisions faster. AI has evolved into a strategic asset in retail, as the sector faces overwhelming upheaval. Amid the blistering pace of innovation, and empowered consumers who expect omnichannel excellence, affordable fashions and personalized marketing, AI guides retailers by delivering fact-based intelligence to delight shoppers.

In-store robots could take some jobs but also create others. The smell of mall food staples such as pretzels and teriyaki chicken fill the air. Passing by you in every which way are hundreds of patrons, carrying bags of goods with smiles on their faces. What makes a mall so convenient, and what makes many of these individuals go from store to store so cheerfully? However, despite their personable natures and friendly suggestions that add to the retail experience, new breakthroughs in the world of AI technology could replace many retail workers – but could this actually be a blessing in disguise? To understand why big companies such as Starbucks and Lowe's are making the switch to AI, we must first recognize exactly how this technology is being used, why it is more efficient, and what this means for the retail industry as we creep even closer to the new year.

Convenience store chain Lawson Inc. might use artificial intelligence to help it make decisions about opening new stores, company officials said Sunday. Lawson aims to enhance the capability of stores to fulfill particular needs in each region by using AI to collect and analyze marketing data, including household distribution patterns and traffic volumes, to predict the profitability of new stores in each target area. It would be the first such attempt to incorporate AI technology in Japan's retail sector, the officials said. Demonstrations of the technology began at the end of last year, when the firm opened new Lawson Store 100 shops that sell fresh foods. The retailer plans to expand the introduction of AI to other stores, including its conventional Lawson and high-end Natural Lawson outlets.

The Mohammadi Group's automated knitting machines leave little for humans to do. The Robots Are Coming for Garment Workers. That's Good for the U.S., Bad for Poor Countries Automation is reaching into trades that once seemed immune, transforming sweatshops in places like Bangladesh and bringing production back to America The Mohammadi Group's automated knitting machines leave little for humans to do.

Convenience store chain Lawson Inc. might use artificial intelligence to help it make decisions on opening new stores, company officials said Sunday. Lawson aims to enhance the capability of stores to fulfill particular needs in each region by using AI to collect and analyze marketing data including household distribution patterns and traffic volumes, to predict the profitability of new stores in each target area. It would be the first such attempt to incorporate AI technology in the Japanese retail sector, the officials said. Demonstrations began at the end of last year, when it opened new Lawson Store 100 shops that sell fresh foods. It plans to expand the introduction of AI at other stores, including its conventional Lawson and high-end Natural Lawson outlets. An Lawson executive said the company is hoping that "AI will be able to search for places suitable for the opening of new stores" in the future.

But for those who have already got some basic ideas about the concepts of ML and the motivation for the theoretical justification of the algorithms, this is definitely should be the next book to read: it provides the rigorous proofs and presents the concepts and algorithms in clear mathematical language. There is no need to be scared though: the presentation of the stuff is excellent, the chapters are short enough in order to enable the reader to advance in reasonable steps (the book is derived from the lectures presented by both of the authors), there are excellent exercises.

Walmart may be grabbing headlines for its embrace of cutting-edge technologies, but at the heart of those changes are companies like Bossa Nova. The San Francisco-based robotics firm created the robots now roaming the aisles in 50 Walmart locations around the US. Bossa Nova's robots are able to perform tasks such as identifying when items are out of stock, locating incorrect prices, and detecting wrong or missing labels. We spoke to Martin Hitch, chief business officer at Bossa Nova, about the technology behind the machines and how they are being received by shoppers and employees. This article is part of a weekly series paired with our newsletter Clocking In, which covers the impact of technology on the future of work.