For Amzon founder and Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos, artificial intelligence (AI) isn't something to be feared. Instead, it's to be celebrated. Speaking at the Internet Association's annual gala in Washington D.C., the renowned tech entrepreneur told the audience that AI is now enjoying a renaissance, as it helps to solve problems previously seen only as science fiction. "It is a renaissance, it is a golden age," Bezos said. "We are now solving problems with machine learning and artificial intelligence that were … in the realm of science fiction for the last several decades. And natural language understanding, machine vision problems, it really is an amazing renaissance."

Amazon revealed the Echo Show Tuesday, and with coverage of the Alexa gadget came rumors about Apple's upcoming Siri speaker. Apple employees have been testing the Siri speaker in their homes for several months, sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. So far, it's unknown whether Apple's upcoming Siri speaker will come with a built-in display, like Amazon's Echo Show. Marketing chief Phil Schiller said last week in an interview he thinks voice assistant devices are beneficial, but that doesn't mean you'd never want a screen. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously said there's a more than 50 percent chance Apple could announce its Siri speaker at the Worldwide Developers Conference this June.

While artificial intelligence continues to become a part of everyday life for consumers, the technology has gathered a pretty impressive collection of critics and fear mongers. The Amazon founder and CEO paints a fairly rosy picture when it comes to A.I.--and he thinks there should be much more of it. The comments came at a gala Friday put on by the Internet Association, a Washington, D.C.-based lobbyist group. During a fireside chat with the group's CEO, Michael Beckerman, Bezos said we are currently in the "golden age" of machine learning. "We are solving problems with machine learning and artificial intelligence that were in the realm of science fiction for the last several decades," he said.

While artificial intelligence continues to become a part of everyday life for consumers, the technology has gathered a pretty impressive collection of critics and fear mongers. The Amazon founder and CEO paints a fairly rosy picture when it comes to A.I.–and he thinks there should be much more of it. The comments came at a gala Friday put on by the Internet Association, a Washington, D.C.-based lobbyist group. During a fireside chat with the group's CEO, Michael Beckerman, Bezos said we are currently in the "golden age" of machine learning. "We are solving problems with machine learning and artificial intelligence that were in the realm of science fiction for the last several decades," he said.

Amazon's Echo is getting a touchscreen. The online retailer introduced the Echo Show on Tuesday, and it looks exactly like the images that popped up online last week. The $230 Echo Show features a 7-inch touchscreen and dual 2-inch stereo speakers. It can do everything that an Alexa-powered device can do right now, including access third-party skills, tell you the forecast, set a timer, and play music. On top of that it's added some screen-centric tricks, such as voice and video calls and the ability to broadcast images from Ring and Arlo cameras around the home.

Amazon wants Alexa to be able to show as well as tell. On Tuesday, the Internet's powerhouse retailer announced the aptly named Echo Show, a new speaker where Amazon's increasingly popular digital assistant can lend a voice--and helping hand. As with the original Echo speaker where Alexa got its start, Echo Show contains an array of microphones that are always listening for the "Alexa" wake word. What sets Echo Show apart is the addition of a 7-inch color touch screen, coupled with a front facing (5-megapixel) camera. The product, which comes in black or white, resembles an old kitchen counter-top TV set.

Think back to the best shopping experience you ever had. Chances are it involved a well-informed and upbeat salesperson who engaged with you, asked about your needs and guided you through the purchase. You left knowing you made the right decision. This kind of conversation-driven sale--high on empathy and knowledge, low on price and haggling--has long been a staple of successful retail loyalty. It focuses on understanding the needs of consumers and delivering an exceptional experience.

Mother's Day is this week, and we've compiled a list of tech gadgets you could gift this year. Apple released a list of suggestions for Mother's Day a month ago that included the iPad Pro and Apple Watch. Amazon and Best Buy recently listed tech gifts you can give out this year, including sales on the Amazon Echo and Google Home. Amazon released a list of gifts "for the mom who loves tech time." The list includes the Fire HD 8 Tablet, Kindle and other gadgets.

Amazon (AMZN) CEO Jeff Bezos owes a thank you to consumers between the ages of 17 and 36 for the incredible lead its Echo device has in the voice-enabled speaker market. While using devices like the Echo or Apple's (AAPL) voice assistant Siri is still not the norm in the U.S. in 2017, their popularity is growing, according to a new study from eMarketer. When looking specifically at voice-enabled speakers that can provide everyday help by telling you the weather forecast or the day's top headlines, Amazon's Echo claims 70.6% of the market, followed by Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google Home, which claims just 23.8% of the market. The remaining 5.6% of the pie is shared by smaller players, such as Lenovo, LG, Harmon Kardon, and Mattel. Apple and Alphabet are holdings in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio.