From Apple s Siri to Google Allo, we are in the age of artificial intelligence, and it is getting integrated into our daily routines. Similar trends can be seen in the way we do our sales. Yes, you heard it right -- artificial intelligence is shaping our sales strategy. Right from sales prospecting to closing deals automatically, it has brought about a transformation. There is no need to fear for your jobs, however; artificial intelligence is only going to help those in sales focus on chasing the right customers and closing deals faster.

SAN FRANCISCO: Major technology firms are racing to infuse smartphones and other internet-linked devices with software smarts that help them think like people. The effort is seen as an evolution in computing that allows users to interact with machines in natural conversation style, telling devices to tend to tasks such as ordering goods, checking traffic, making restaurant reservations or searching for information. The artificial intelligence (AI) component in these programmes aims to make create a world in which everyone can have a virtual aide that gets to know them better with each interaction. Google is making a high-profile push into AI, with the internet titan's chief referring to it as a force for change as powerful as powerful as smartphones. Google Assistant software is being built into new Pixel handsets - aiming to outdo Apple's Siri - enabling users to organise and use information on the devices and in the cloud - to check emails, stay up to date on calendar appointments, news or ask for traffic and weather data.

I really enjoy my TurtleBot. I haven't programmed it to do anything very useful, like bringing me coffee, but it's still a lot of fun: It lets even a n00b like me explore and learn a bit about ROS, or Robot Operating System, the influential software platform used by a growing number of robotics researchers and companies around the world. My kids seem to like the TurtleBot, too. It's now decorated with "Frozen" stickers and a drawing of what I assume is Elsa's face. Now, after nearly three years, ElsaBot needs an upgrade.

Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your Automaton bloggers. We'll also be posting a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next two months; here's what we have so far (send us your events!): Let us know if you have suggestions for next week, and enjoy today's videos. "Current and previous single-legged hopping robots are energetically tethered and lack portability. Here, we present the design and control of an untethered, energetically autonomous single-legged hopping robot. The thrust-producing mechanism of the robot's leg is an actuated prismatic joint, called a linear elastic actuator in parallel (LEAP). The LEAP mechanism comprises a voice coil actuator in parallel with two compression springs, which gives our robot passive compliance. An actuated gimbal hip joint is realized by two standard servomotors. To control the robot, we adapt Raibert's hopping controller, and find we can maintain balance roughly in-place for up to approx. If you have a robot that runs ROS and makes maps, you've likely been using GMapping, which gives you very GMapping-y results. Google has just released its own open source ROS-based real-time 2D/3D SLAM library called Cartographer, and it already has support for PR2, TurtleBot, Revo LDS (aka Neato's lidar), and even TRI's HSR: POW! For more details, read this 2016 ICRA paper. "Toyota Motor Corporation plans to launch sales of its compact and cuddlesome'Kirobo Mini' communication partner through Toyota vehicle dealers across Japan in 2017.

Enterprise applications trending to adopt Machine Learning as their strategic implementation and performing machine learning deep analytics across multiple problem statements is becoming a common trend. There are variety of machine learning solutions / packages / platform that exist in market. One of the main challenges that the teams initially trying to resolve is to choose the correct platform / package for their solution. Based on my limited experience with different machine learning solutions I thought to write this blog to list out the points (features in machine learning term) to consider while choosing a specific ML platform and list pros and cons of each of the solutions in market. Let's look at feature set to be weighted before deciding a ML solution Now let's look at the different machine learning solutions / platforms available in the market and where they stand with respect address the feature requirements.

We're excited to announce the launch of the Insight Artificial Intelligence Fellows Program. This free, seven-week professional fellowship program will help scientists and engineers with machine learning experience to learn cutting-edge techniques in deep learning and join top AI teams in Silicon Valley and New York City. There are rapid advances being made in intelligent system design and many companies are looking to implement the latest techniques in their products and businesses. As a result of the incredible progress in this field, there is a shortage of researchers and engineers who are able to take the latest academic advances and translate them into applied products and systems. The Insight AI program will focus on bridging the gap between academic machine learning and applied product development.

This is one egg you don't want to break. Branded as the "first smart assistant designed especially for the kitchen," this cute little gadget is a voice-operated culinary helper that boasts both a display and personality. Brought to market by Internet of Things-focused company RnD64, HelloEgg wants to put a whole team of cooking helpers in your kitchen by way of one electronic device. The egg-shaped piece of technology depends upon both artificial intelligence and a group of real humans to help you cook and improve your kitchen skills. With step-by-step cooking videos and the ability to ask specific questions when a person on a screen just won't cut it, HelloEgg might just be how you wean yourself off Seamless.

"Jase, I've been told all the money is in AI now so I'm off to go and create a company….." And said with all the same eager puppy excitement when chatbots were going to take over the world, literally the week before. So my natural reaction, with humility and grace has been the same…. I'm not going to sit here and say, "don't do it", it's not my place to. I do have my opinions though. Yes, I'm sorry to say that the big companies have been working on this for a long long time already but because it wasn't in the tech press no one really took much notice.

Julia Krauwer, artificial intelligence expert at ABN Amro, discusses how advances in machine learning are increasingly being applied to an array of business-to-consumer interactions, including banking.