Vodafone has begun using artificial intelligence to help recruit call-centre and shopfloor staff. Candidates submit videos of themselves answering a standard questionnaire. Computer algorithms then assess their suitability for a role based on subtle facial cues and voice intonation. Only those who pass this screening are put forward for interview by human beings. About 50,000 applicants have gone through the AI procedure so far.

Nothing in these materials is an offer to sell any of the components or devices referenced herein. References to "Qualcomm"; may mean Qualcomm Incorporated, or subsidiaries or business units within the Qualcomm corporate structure, as applicable. Materials that are as of a specific date, including but not limited to press releases, presentations, blog posts and webcasts, may have been superseded by subsequent events or disclosures. Qualcomm Incorporated includes Qualcomm's licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of its patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of Qualcomm's engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of its products and services businesses.

Softbank has upped its investment in security firm Cybereason, as the focus on artificial intelligence (AI) continues, writes Banking Technology's sister publication Telecoms.com. Back in July 2016, Softbank acquired chipmaker ARM in what was believed to be a jostling move to prepare the telco for the upcoming IoT/AI euphoria; this investment adds to the armoury as Cybereason uses the power of AI to not only detect gaps in the perimeter, but claims to collate all the data from applications or users which would be deemed out of the ordinary. It allows security professionals to make more accurate responses to current or potential threats. The additional $100 million investment from Softbank now makes the firm the largest investor, with CRV, Spark Capital, and Lockheed Martin also involved. Cybereason has now raised a total of $189 million in capital since being founded in 2012. Although specific figures haven't been released, the team claims to have increased revenues by 500% and employee numbers by 200% in the last 12 months alone.

Softbank Group Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Masayoshi Son said that he will pick his successor from executives at group companies. At a general shareholders meeting in Tokyo, Son said his successor "will be a person who plays an important role with me in the group's management for five to 10 years, is compatible and leads the management in the same direction as I do." In 2014, Softbank Group invited former Google Inc. executive Nikesh Arora to succeed Son. But in June last year, Son said he intended to stay on for 10 more years, citing his interest in leading the telecommunications and technology group's artificial intelligence business by himself. Arora left the group as a result.

SDN, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are all making a big difference in AT&T's network operations, but what has been the biggest game changer for the communication service provider is really a lot simpler than that -- learning how to share data. While the algorithms have greatly improved over the years, the real challenge of AI and ML -- technologies that underpin AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T)'s software-defined network -- was gaining access to the right data and having the ability to act on it, according to Chris Volinsky, AT&T's assistant vice president of Big Data Research. He says that necessitated a change in culture at AT&T to one that was powered by data and in which silos between divisions came down to allow for data sharing. "With the big-data revolution over the last five years, enterprises in AT&T realize the value of unlocking data and making it available for analysis," he says. "In my early career, I had to beat down doors for access to data. It'd take months of escalations. Now there's a real data-powered culture in the company whereby people realize the value in letting others have access to data and the benefit to the company's efficiency and customer experience."

Our powerful call tracking software will work for any business. Our unique abilities are to sync calls with existing customer data, and provide more actionable, detailed data. Before you even pick up the phone, you will already know if the caller is a potential new prospect, which marketing source they came from, and what the caller is likely looking for. When is comes to reviewing the calls, your existing customers are automatically filtered out, so we only listen to the calls that matter to your marketing efforts: new customers and new leads. Tracking your calls enables you to go back and reference them whenever you'd like.

Owners of a Samsung Galaxy 8 or Galaxy S8 can now try the smartphones' much-awaited virtual assistant, Bixby -- if you sign up. Bixby has not been officially launched in the United States, but Samsung announced Galaxy 8 owners can now sign up on its site to try a preview version of the feature. "New voice features are coming to Bixby and we're inviting you to get access first," the webpage says. Samsung touted Bixby as a part of the company's Galaxy S8 and S8 smartphones, but it didn't release the virtual assistant in time for the devices' April launch. Bixby's full version was reportedly set to launch to Galaxy users in the U.S. later this month.

Perhaps the most photographed individual at the AI for Global Good Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, last week was not a human but a humanoid called Sophia. Cyber protection: Have you received the data call? "As I get smarter, I hope to understand people better -- help you, work with you as a friend, to imagine and build a better future for us all," Sophia, an uncannily human-like robot, said in a Facebook Live interview. In that interview and onstage at the summit, her eyebrows lifted, she smiled gently, and her eyes lit up as she answered questions from the audience, with moments where only the glimpse of cords behind her face revealed that she is a machine. Hanson Robotics developed Sophia as part of its mission to "create genius machines that live and love," and work together with humans to build a "a smarter and better future."

The smart speaker trend started with Amazon's Echo, and now includes Google Home and Apple HomePod, but it could get a lot more crowded thanks to Qualcomm. It has just unveiled a reference "smart audio" design, including microphone, speaker and voice recognition tech that OEMs can use to build their own products without starting from scratch. What's more, it includes support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, so OEMs will be able to add those voice assistants to a wider variety of audio products. On top of the "smart" aspect of smart audio, Qualcomm is also taking care of the "audio" part. It showed off new DDFA audio amplifier tech and an audio development kit (ADK) that will help companies build wireless Bluetooth speakers, headphones and other products. The aim is to get manufacturers building smarter speakers or headphones "without significantly increasing integration time or cost," Qualcomm VP Anthony Murray said in a statement.

A screen shows information on 5G during a keynote address by CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group Richard Yu at CES 2017 at The Venetian Las Vegas on January 5, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CES, the world's largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs through January 8 and features 3,800 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to more than 165,000 attendees. Every product in today's social media-driven world is, in a sense, overhyped. But even taking that into consideration, consumer electronics probably take the cake for most shameless overpromising, and none more than the brouhaha surrounding AI and VR the past couple of years. Every commercial for VR headsets, whether it's by LG or Samsung or Sony, want you to believe that putting on the device is to step into a truly immersive experience, except no, the pixels are clearly visible, there's a bit of lag, and the headsets are not comfortable to wear more than 15 to 20 minutes at a time.