"Ryan Gosling is my favourite actor so I'm going to look like him," says the Asos chief executive, Nick Beighton. "Here's a picture of Ryan looking cool so I'd like something to make me look like just like him. There we go, a printed T-shirt, add it to bag and away we go." Beighton is not waving a magic wand, he's demonstrating new technology that promises to change the way we shop. From seeing something you like to having a parcel winging its way to your home is now possible within seconds as new technologies reboot retailers' websites for the smartphone age.

According to IDC, artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to become pervasive across customer journeys, supply networks, merchandizing, and marketing and commerce because it provides better insights to optimize retail execution. One thing is clear: new analytic technologies are expected to radically change analytics – and retail – as we know them. AI is defined broadly as the ability of computers to mimic human thinking and logic. Machine learning is a subset of AI that focuses on how computers can learn from data without being programmed through the use of algorithms that adapt to change; in other words, they can "learn" continuously in response to new data. We're seeing these breakthroughs now because of massive improvements in hardware (for example, GPUs and multicore processing) that can handle Big Data volumes and run deep learning algorithms needed to analyze and learn from the data. Ivano Ortis, vice president at IDC, recently shared with me how he believes, "Artificial intelligence will take analytics to the next level and will be the foundation for retail innovation, as reported by one out of every two retailers globally.

For more than 250 years the fundamental drivers of economic growth have been technological innovations. The most important of these are what economists call general-purpose technologies -- a category that includes the steam engine, electricity, and the internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine, for example, gave rise to cars, trucks, airplanes, chain saws, and lawnmowers, along with big-box retailers, shopping centers, cross-docking warehouses, new supply chains, and, when you think about it, suburbs. Companies as diverse as Walmart, UPS, and Uber found ways to leverage the technology to create profitable new business models. The most important general-purpose technology of our era is artificial intelligence, particularly machine learning (ML) -- that is, the machine's ability to keep improving its performance without humans having to explain exactly how to accomplish all the tasks it's given. Within just the past few years machine learning has become far more effective and widely available. We can now build systems that learn how to perform tasks on their own. Why is this such a big deal? First, we humans know more than we can tell: We can't explain exactly how we're able to do a lot of things -- from recognizing a face to making a smart move in the ancient Asian strategy game of Go. Prior to ML, this inability to articulate our own knowledge meant that we couldn't automate many tasks. Second, ML systems are often excellent learners.

While HTC U11 owners have known Amazon's AI assistant was on its way ever since the phone launched back in May, they can now finally install Amazon's AI assistant on their phones. And it's already learned a big new trick for its second Android phone: voice recognition. To get Alexa on the HTC U11, you'll need to update your system to the latest version (1.13.651.6) and download the app from the Play Store. It's a little tricky to find, but you can either follow this link or search for "HTC Alexa"--it should be the third or fourth result. Then, launch the app, sign into your Amazon account, enable the microphone, recording, and location services, and Alexa will be ready to go. The impact on AI: Amazon is making a major push to put Alexa within earshot wherever we are.

"A new coat, please," you say to the store robot, in a bit of a hurry. It notices that you're in no mood for chit-chat and already knows that you have little time to spare on Thursday nights. The robot immediately presents three stylish coats, of course in your perfect size. Yes, in 2030 you'll even be comfortable shopping in an actual brick-and-mortar store. And all of that will be made possible thanks to artificial intelligence. Ten years ago, we were very impressed with Siri, but now it's become quite common to communicate with devices and programs.

Ikea, the major furniture retailer, has been dabbling in augmented and virtual reality. Recently the company launched a survey to gauge how their consumers really feel about artificial intelligence. This indicated that Ikea is looking to AI and virtual assistant capabilities, to improve customer experience. The survey, called "Do You Speak Human?," was created by Ikea's Space10 innovation and design lab. Questions included asking respondents whether consumers want AI to be human-like, male, female or gender-neutral, and even if it should be religious, among other questions.

Amazon Prime Day (APD) was a huge success, they say. At an estimate 60 percent increase in sales over 2016 and nearly $2 billion in revenue, it's hard to argue otherwise. If you want to talk numbers though, let's consider this. What would you say if you were told that Amazon could lose nearly 5 percent of that revenue, or $100 million, due to fraud? And it's not just Amazon on its Prime Day, it's every online retailer that is exposed to online fraud every single day.

E-commerce retail is abuzz about artificial intelligence (AI), and for good reason. The artificial intelligence market is projected to be worth over $16 billion by 2022, and the retail sector is one of the main drivers of growth. Some of the largest retailers have entered a tech arms race -- acquiring startups and building their own tech stacks. It's official: Retail has gone all in on marketing technology. AI-powered assistants and beyond, how will e-commerce marketers and consumers benefit from artificial intelligence?

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Pokemon Go released in 2016 was the most successful game to use AR to superimposePokemon on physical background and all children and adults were mad chasing them in real world. Recent innovation, Heads-Up Display (HUDs) glass with AR superimpose crystal-clear driving directions on top of the real world so you can easily navigate without taking your eyes off the road. It's like Pokemon Go but all the adorable monsters have been replaced by driving directions. Digital Marketing will get a boost with AR. A new augmented reality campaign from Pepsi Max have stunned people in London, giving experiences like a prowling tiger, a meteor crashing, an alien tentacle grabbing people on the street, the bus stop window serves as a scarily realistic screen to bring these scenarios to life.