In this unique story, Maeve Alpin weaves the story of a newly created AI trying to figure out her place in the world. With a less-than-attentive writer as her owner, Em, as the AI calls herself, has to determine what her duties are and how best to serve her boss. But posting on social media, critiquing other writers' work and surfing the internet isn't enough to keep an advanced intellect occupied. Soon Em is pretending to be her boss on a dating site, flirting electronically with an unseen suitor. But she realizes there's no future for non-human in a human world.

The key takeaways from the AI Frontiers Conference, held on January 11–12, include "the central role that AI/ML [Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning] capabilities are playing within Internet/technology companies, emergence of voice/virtual assistants" and the significant capabilities of Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Facebook Inc (NASDAQ: FB) in these domains, Baird's Colin Sebastian said in a report. The AI Frontiers Conference focused on applications of deep learning, analyst Sebastian mentioned. Presentations by Alphabet highlighted how Google was using neural networks to "innovate and improve products, including Search, Ads, Photos, Translate, Gmail, Maps, Cloud, voice recognition, self-driving cars and robotics, among others." The teams or projects using deep learning have increased to 4,000, from 200 in early 2014, Sebastian noted.

Few industries can expect to remain untouched by the artificial intelligence revolution with automakers, healthcare giants and big banks all embracing AI technology. Consumers are now beginning to experience a whole new way of online shopping thanks to the launch of AI-powered digital assistants such as Amazon's Alexa and Google Home. Frank Palermo, executive vice president of global digital solutions at VirtusaPolaris, a provider of IT consulting and outsourcing services, believes the invention of dynamic AI solutions is a game changer for online retailers and consumers alike. "Responsive retail has peaked – the next step for the industry is predictive commerce," he says. "As AI assistants and machines begin to take over more of our purchasing decisions, retailers will have to become far, far smarter about their use of data to stay ahead of the pack."

Bankers are in a state of shock Not what they signed up for Buried in'busy' unable to cope with "change" Future is more frightening than the present The goal needs to be more than just great reports … need great experiences. Of our 10 Retail Banking Trends and Predictions, all are supported by data and analytics beyond what is used today. The consumer is in control. The ability to choose what, when, and how to transact. The mobile device makes location and context more important than ever. Banking no longer needs to be an independent activity, but can be integrated into everything we do in our daily lives.

I am brand new to learning algorithms, so I was worried about trying to read this book. First I tried reading some documentation on the Mahout website, but I felt like I was getting a run-around treatment there. Their website kept providing links to documentation that required already knowing how these learning algorithms worked. Eventually I gave this book a try. I was delightfully surprised, this book covers a lot of the learning algorithms in thorough detail.

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Jan 12, 2017) - Cloverleaf, a retail technology company for the modern brick-and-mortar marketer and merchandiser, today announced shelfPoint, the industry's first dynamic shelf solution with built-in emotional artificial intelligence (Emotion AI) capabilities. With shelfPoint, brands and retailers can now capture customer engagement and sentiment data at the moment of purchase decision -- something previously unavailable in physical retail stores. Despite the rise of online shopping in recent years, Forrester1 predicts that 88% of purchases in 2017 will still be made in physical stores. Yet, retailers lack the in-the-moment tools necessary to captivate shoppers and gain insights that lead to sales uplift. While advancements in e-commerce analytics have upleveled marketers' understanding of consumer behaviors, brands and retailers still have little-to-no insight as to what happens in-store.

MasterCard wants to use your face to help fend off fraudsters. Using a new system called MasterCard Identity Check -- or, colloquially, "selfie pay" -- the credit card company will use biometric methods like face recognition and fingerprint scans to better secure online shopping. Right now, Mastercard offers a feature that financial institutions can enable that lets customers set up a password for online payments to help prevent fraud. The new system will use the same principle, but instead of relying on a password that could be forgotten or stolen, it uses your face or fingerprint. Consumers will go through all the normal steps of filling out credit card information when making an online purchase, but this feature adds another step: The website will send a notification through an app on customers' smartphones that asks them to verify their identity.

Back in 2007, even before the iPhone was launched, giving us a powerful computer in our pockets or handbags, I started outlining a vision for Web 3.0. Tim Berners-Lee, a father of the World Wide Web, talks about the "Semantic Web," a way that computers employ the meaning of words -- not just pattern matching -- along with logical rules to connect independent nuggets of data and so create more context for information. The formula that makes the most sense to me is this: Web 3.0 results from combining content, commerce, community and context, with personalization and vertical search. Or, to put it in a handy phrase: Web 3.0 (4C P VS). Web 1.0 was all about driving online commerce and trying to find "anything" in the tangled jungle of the Web.

Online retailer Amazon (AMZN) is embracing its inner tech geek with the introduction of two new technology products, hoping to further capitalize on its surprisingly popular home-based voice-controlled Echo product that has been dubbed, Alexa. In this March 2, 2016 photo, David Limp, Amazon Senior Vice President of Devices, center, speaks behind an Amazon Echo in San Francisco. Amazon.com is introducing two devices, the Amazon Tap and Echo Dot, that are designed to amplify the role that its voice-controlled assistant Alexa plays in people's homes and lives. Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version incorrectly identified Amazon's Fire Phone. SAN FRANCISCO -- The Amazon Echo is turning out to be a sleeper hit.

NEW YORK -- This year you can purchase a bit more of the sci-fi future. Hoverboards aren't quite what the name implies, but there's bona fide virtual reality, a droid you should be looking for and a basketball that improves your free throw, all one shopping-click away. These tech gadgets make the pocket-sized computer that talks to you and dials your friends seem quaint. But don't worry, there are plenty of smartphones on sale, too. Sphero's new $150 BB-8 droid is expected to be one of the hottest Star Wars gifts this holiday season.