The internet of things has certainly become an essential part of Big Data. It will also be a key trend in 2018 and beyond. For example, it can be utilized by retailers to establish their competitive edges, such as store location, stock and store management and customer relationship. A company has to be flexible enough to turn the data into valuable business insight and action. Artificial intelligence caught increased market attention last year.

The rise of artificial intelligence in the workplace poses a little-discussed question – wouldn't it be better if the HR department, not the programmers, oversaw robots? Rob Mettler suggests the idea is not as bizarre as it sounds. Is HR ready for the robot revolution? The view that robots should report to the head of HR might sound absurd, but when the CIO of a major online retailer talks about his warehouse robots working in teams, when companies introduce "AI board members", and robots start being trialled in social care, it's time to reconsider lines of responsibility. Of course, many will be of the opinion that robots and artificial intelligence (AI) aren't human and we shouldn't even entertain the idea.

The three new concept robots from LG Electronics are aimed at the services industry, in areas like hotels, airports and supermarkets. Here come our new robot overlords. A Korean tech giant has announced three new robots that take aim at the vast and fast-growing global service industry sector. Technologists and economists have long predicted that artificial intelligence and automation would one day sync up to eliminate millions of mostly low-wage jobs in the future. South Korea's LG Electronics is planning to sell robots to solve tasks currently completed by humans.

Earlier this year, Loup Ventures found that Amazon has a early market share lead in the virtual assistant space. Loup reported the Amazon Echo controls about 70 percent of the smart speaker market, while Google Home accounts for 24 percent. A potential wildcard in the space could be the Apple (AAPL) HomePod. The Siri-powered HomePod is expected to be available in early 2018.

Profits and gross margins are under pressure for fashion retailers. But could Artificial Intelligence hold the key to optimising markdowns and unlocking value in the supply chain? Fashion retailing is a dynamic, complex and highly competitive business – and it's not getting any easier. Margins are coming under increasing pressure as a number of factors play-out: Consumers are becoming more demanding, rising inflation coupled with stagnant pay-growth is impacting buying power, costs are going up and online competition continues to gather pace. A particular challenge for bricks & mortar retailers is the incessant growth of online sales. According to the IMRG Capgemini Online Retail Sales Index for August 2017, clothing sales grew by 17.9%, year on year, and figures from the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) indicate that 15.3% of all retail spending is now conducted online.

As consumers flit between smartphones, web pages, call centres and stores, retailers struggle to keep track of them. Eight out 10 retailers say a single view of the customer is an issue for their current or future agenda, and only 8% have successfully achieved it, a study from SAP and PwC has found. Customer relationship management is a vital focus for many organisations. In this buyer's guide, Computer Weekly looks at co-ordinating data for effective CRM, how to reduce the risk of Salesforce, and what to choose in CRM software. You forgot to provide an Email Address.

Business leaders are understandably overwhelmed by artificial intelligence due to its complexity and disruptive workplace implications. Some estimates suggest that 50% of jobs in existence today, regardless of industry, will vanish over the next 10 years. The job of a retail sales associate has been given a greater than 90% chance of being automated. As a business leader, the appeal to leverage machines is obvious. They can work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

LG is showcasing a lot of new products and inventions at CES 2018 next week. In a new update, the South Korea tech company has revealed that it is going to expand its robot lineup this year by launching three new work robots at the big Las Vegas event. On Thursday, LG announced via its online newsroom that it is pushing the envelope this year by unveiling three more work robots at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The new concept robots are specifically designed to cater to consumers' needs when they are at hotels, airports and supermarkets. The three new robots that LG is showing off next week are part of its CLOi (pronounced KLOH-ee) robot brand, which the company introduced a year ago.

There should be zero separation between an enterprise's business objectives and its AI implementation,... You forgot to provide an Email Address. This email address doesn't appear to be valid. This email address is already registered. You have exceeded the maximum character limit.

It's hard to believe there's anything to look forward to in 2018, but as the ecommerce wars heat up, there's at least plenty to pay attention to. During these pivotal moments, artificial intelligence and augmented reality continued to shake up how people--and the ecommerce industry--use their phones and the experiences they seek. Most of the trends coming in 2018 are pointing towards making the consumer happier than ever. You probably think this section is about you, don't you? Well it is, as another trend expected to pick up in 2018 is personalization, some of it driven through AI and mobile.