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The first wave of robots taking over human jobs is upon us. Apple Inc. AAPL, 0.79% supplier Foxconn Technology Co. 2354, 0.14% has replaced 60,000 human workers with robots in a single factory, according to a report in the South China Morning Post, initially published over the weekend. This is part of a massive reduction in headcount across the entire Kunshan region in China's Jiangsu province, in which many Taiwanese manufacturers base their Chinese operations. In a statement to MarketWatch, Foxconn Technology Group confirmed that it has been automating its manufacturing facilities throughout China, including Kunshan, for "many years," which it says has freed up its employees to focus on higher value-added elements of the manufacturing process, such as research and development, process control and quality control. "Across all of our facilities today, we are applying robotics engineering and other innovative manufacturing technologies to replace repetitive tasks previously done by employees," Foxconn said.

This week around 33,500 visitors flocked to the Jacob K. Javits Centre in New York City for the annual National Retail Federation (NRF) Convention and Expo. Held from January 17 – 20, the event is an opportunity to take stock following the busy holiday season and get a sense of how 2016 will shape up for retail. Much to this journalist's disappointment, nobody announced their plans for a hostile takeover of Amazon at the event, however several key themes emerged. "Tech has untethered customers dramatically and therefore we think that loyalty in itself has shifted dramatically over the past years, over this era of very powerful consumer empowerment," Bousquet-Chavanne said. In response, organisations will have to invest in their operations and systems to make them more agile.

The first wave of robots taking over human jobs is upon us. Apple Inc. AAPL, 1.76% supplier Foxconn Technology Co. 2354, -0.41% has replaced 60,000 human workers with robots in a single factory, according to a report in the South China Morning Post, initially published over the weekend. This is part of a massive reduction in headcount across the entire Kunshan region in China's Jiangsu province, in which many Taiwanese manufacturers base their Chinese operations. Roughly 600 companies are reportedly looking to reduce headcount with robots, as part of an effort to accelerate growth and reduce costs, according to the Chinese newspaper, which cited data from the Kunshan government. Last year, 35 Taiwanese companies, including Foxconn, spent a total of 4 billion yuan ( 610 million) on artificial intelligence as part of this initiative, according to the report.

The puck-shaped Nexus Player is no longer available for sale from Google, as The Verge first reported. Other retailers haven't stocked the device for months. If you count the ill-fated Nexus Q, the Nexus Player was Google's third run at creating a set-top box, following a run of over-priced devices powered by the now defunct Google TV. The Nexus Player was first introduced in late 2014 as one of the first devices running Android TV. At the time, we said the player was a "fine first draft."

An Amazon Prime package awaits pickup by its customer. SAN FRANCISCO -- Amazon says it hasn't stopped price matching -- because it never had such a policy in the first place. Over the last several days, news stories and online forums reported the retail giant had ended its policy of reimbursing customers if the price of an item on its site drops within seven days of delivery. Amazon (AMZN) spokeswoman Julie Law said the company does not do what's known as "price matching" or "price protection," though its customer service associates are empowered to make decisions on behalf of the customer when it seems appropriate. "We've always had a no price matching policy, because we believe we're always making the best pricing decisions on behalf of our customers," she said.

An Amazon Prime package awaits pickup by its customer. SAN FRANCISCO -- Despite multiple news stories over the past several days that Amazon has ended its policy of reimbursing customers if the price of an item on its site drops within seven days of delivery, the company says it hasn't -- because it never had such a policy in the first place. Amazon (AMZN) does not do what's known as "price matching" or "price protection," though its customer service associates are empowered to make decisions on behalf of the customer when it seems appropriate, said spokeswoman Julie Law. "We've always had a no price matching policy, because we believe we're always making the best pricing decisions on behalf of our customers," she said. Because there's no actual policy and because customer service associates have broad freedom in what they offer customers, it's possible customers have in the past, and still are at times, getting price matching, Law said.

Thanks to machine learning, the page you see when you log-on to Amazon.com is likely very different from the one I see. Advertising, product recommendations, and special deals are all tailored to our unique customer profiles based on historical browsing trends and buying behavior. Online retailers like Amazon were among the first users of customer data collection and analysis for improving services and personalizing the shopping experience, and they've become so skilled some sites might even be able to predict what we will purchase before we even know what we're looking for. Advancements in digital technologies have driven a paradigm shift in the way businesses interact with their customers, with touchpoints increasingly moving to digital mediums. Because of the limited opportunities to satisfy customers on a person-to-person level, machine learning is now in widespread use by a variety of modern enterprises as a way to enrich customer experiences, create more personalized and customer-centric interactions, and offer seamless omnichannel communications. Machine learning goes a step beyond Big Data analytics, where machines employ advanced algorithms to autonomously adapt and learn from previous experiences, and therefore emulate the thought process behind human decision-making.

Chatbots already have a little bit of a bad name. Early reviews for the ones on Facebook Messenger have been rough due to apparent malfunctions, and Microsoft's Tay has been an utter disaster, at least on a couple of occasions. But a startup called ReplyYes, which offers a text-to-buy system for retailers, provides a glimpse into the potential of automated messaging. Interestingly, the company has a pair of e-commerce ventures. One sells vinyl records, the other graphic novels.

At the Stanford shopping center in Palo Alto, California, there is a new sheriff in town – and it's an egg-shaped robot. Outside Tiffany & Co, an unfortunate man holding a baby finds himself in the robot's path. It bears down on him, a little jerkily, like a giant Roomba. The man dodges but the robot's software is already trying to avoid him, so they end up on a collision course. "I've seen Terminator," the man says, half to himself and half to the amused crowd, "and that is some Skynet-ass shit."