Asking about the benefits of artificial intelligence and machine learning reminds me a little of the transition to suitcases with wheels. Do you remember lugging around those old suitcases? If not, good for you - this original advertisement from US Luggage will take you back! Thank Bernard Sadow for persistence with his idea to add wheels, because when he pitched his idea people thought he was crazy. Surely no one would want to pull their own suitcase?

Many business leaders recognise that developments in robotics and AI are coming and that they will bring significant changes for business and society. These developments are not happening slowly and are all around us. Take my friend for example. When I called him recently, he was in his Tesla, driving up the A3, having a bowl of cereal. This shows how quickly technology is moving.

Jana Eggers will be speaking on "How to Scope an AI Project" at the upcoming O'Reilly Artificial Intelligence Conference. Subscribe to the O'Reilly Data Show Podcast to explore the opportunities and techniques driving big data and data science. Find us on Stitcher, TuneIn, iTunes, SoundCloud, RSS. In this episode of the O'Reilly Data Show, I spoke with Jana Eggers, CEO of Nara Logics. Most recently she has been helping companies across many industries adopt AI technologies as a way to enable a range of intelligent data applications.

Firefighters have only their wits and five senses to rely on inside a burning building. But research developed in part by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, may change that, introducing artificial intelligence (AI) that could collect data on temperatures, gases and other danger signals and guide a team of first responders safely through the flames. AUDREY, the Assistant for Understanding Data through Reasoning, Extraction, and sYnthesis, has received the Undersecretary's Award for Collaboration from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in recognition of its joint development by JPL and DHS. It's part of the Next Generation First Responder (NGFR) program, a DHS initiative to innovate new ways to keep firefighters, police, paramedics and other first responders safe in the field through increased awareness of their surroundings and communication abilities. But the big picture is even more exciting: AUDREY can track an entire team of firefighters, sending relevant signals to individuals while helping to make recommendations for how they could work together.

What do you see when you think about artificial intelligence? With a new competition, XPRIZE and IBM Watson challenge us to think slightly more pragmatically (or at least less apocalyptically dystopian) about the implications of artificial intelligence research on the future of humanity. To date, more than 1,000 people have registered to form teams with plans to tackle such issues as health, climate, transportation, space travel, robots, city planning, surgery, education and even civil rights. Because the competition is an open challenge, teams are expected to come up with criteria on which they will ultimately be judged in 2020. Some teams may be backed by corporations or angels, while others may go it alone as a team.

SEO is moving away from general optimization practices and focusing on user engagement data. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't be optimizing websites with the traditional tactics, but we need to start thinking about the bigger picture. At the end of the day, make your website serve the purpose of your customers. Create an experience that will bring them back by creating a fluid user experience and content that is readable. After all, Google wants what is best for the user, not something that is optimized.

Argentinian goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea used to urinate on the pitch, certain French rugby players like to headbutt each other and Serena Williams apparently never changes her socks during a tournament--but as athletic rituals go, listening to music composed by a robot has got to be up there. In an effort to get one up on their rivals, the U.S. Olympic wrestling team has been listening to songs written by artificial intelligence to prepare for matches. The music, created by Brain.fm, Speaking to Newsweek, team coach Matt Lindland says he came across Brain.fm after actively seeking a sleep-based solution for his athletes. Lindland approached science journalist Steven Kotler, who recommended the AI-composed music as a safe and healthy performance-enhancing technique.

There is no question that artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are entering the workplace in many graduate level jobs, and this trend is likely to continue and quicken. Times Higher Education recently asked whether universities needed to rethink what they do and how they do it, given that artificial intelligence is beginning to take over many post-university careers. The implications and – most importantly – the potential benefits for education are significant, and perhaps not yet appreciated by higher education leaders. With that in mind, here are four examples of how AI can benefit universities. First, there is a new role for higher education, which is to equip graduates to work effectively alongside artificially intelligent systems.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been around for decades, but only recently has it begun to emerge as a viable field with massive commercial opportunity. Data is the fuel that feeds AI and is opening opportunities that we can only have imagined until now. And, large enterprises are waking up to this opportunity. Findings from our newly published research report, "Outlook on Artificial Intelligence in the Enterprise 2016" indicate major changes as to the perception and use of AI-powered solutions. The survey results clearly speak to the power of the partnership.

Apple has acquired a machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) startup called Turi, which is based in Seattle, according to reports. Apple on its part has not commented on the deal, and its statement only said the company does make these acquisitions from time to time, which is the standard Cupertino-line on such report. The deal was first reported by GeekWire, which said Apple is paying close to 200 million for the company. According to a report on ReCode, Turi was earlier known as both GraphLab and Dato, and is used by companies like Pandora used to power recommendations. The company was founded was Carlos Guestrin, a University of Washington professor, but he too refused to comment on the deal.