The once-futuristic predictions about how artificial intelligence (AI) will impact the world are becoming reality. Legendary futurist Ray Kurzweil has imagined advanced technology delivering everything from computerised brain chips to near-total automation of industries, and we already see the signs that AI will ultimately change the way we live and work. AI, where computers behave like humans, is no longer the stuff of science fiction. In many respects, AI is like a freight train racing down the tracks. Steady advances in hardware and software are sparking immense progress in how machines help interact with customers.

Note the similarities between this business model and an online supermarket (online retailers). Discounting other factors, such as distribution logistics and differences in regulations, the fundamentals are the same: a commoditised online offering with no'human touch' at the point of sale. Even consumer demographics are similar – young, tech-savvy professionals, looking for cheaper, easy-to-use and anytime/anywhere self-service options. Online supermarkets use extensive segmentation analysis and branding to acquire and retain customers. A seamless integration of data, analytics and technology enables a personalised shopping experience.

The use of artificial intelligence, which has been growing in fits and starts for years, is starting to play a much bigger role in business. The worldwide market for AI platforms and applications is expected to grow to 16.5 billion in 2019 from 1.6 billion in 2015, according to the International Data Corp. Faster and cheaper computing is helping fuel today's AI revolution. But while many large tech firms and startups have been able to build new AI-influenced business models, many organizations, with access to much of the same computing power, are still grappling with how to best employ AI, CIO Journal's Steven Norton writes in CIO Explainer: What is Artificial Intelligence? A host of issues, from executive confusion over AI capabilities to concerns over the effect intelligent machines will have on a human workforce, could slow deployment. "The number one issue for CIOs is how can I invest anything in artificial intelligence without having clear visibility into real business results," Gartner Inc. fellow and research vice president Tom Austin, tells CIO Journal.

A specially programmed AI can'think' about cybersecurity in a more complex detail than a human can. It's not unreasonable to suggest the cybersecurity battle is being lost - and on more than one front. Not only are more efficient and organised cybercriminals winning the security arms race against their corporate targets, there's also a shortage of cybersecurity professionals equipped with the skills required to fight hackers. Some claim the fight against online crooks will be bolstered not by hiring more people but rather by machines using techniques based around artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning. This doesn't mean self-learning machines will be outright replacing cybersecurity professionals, however, but rather augmenting what they're able to do and taking care of the most basic tasks.

There's a high-stakes race under way in Silicon Valley to develop software that makes it easy to weave artificial intelligence technology into almost everything, and Google has sprinted into the lead. Google computer scientists including Jeff Dean and Greg Corrado built software called TensorFlow, which simplifies the programming of key systems that underpin artificial intelligence. That helps Google make its products smarter and more responsive. It's important for other companies too because the software makes it dramatically easier to create computer programs that learn and improve automatically. What's more, Google gives it away.

For more than a decade, Silicon Valley's technology investors and entrepreneurs obsessed over social media and mobile apps that helped people find new friends, get a lift home or crowdsource a review of a product or a movie. Now Silicon Valley has found its next shiny new thing. The new era in Silicon Valley centres on artificial intelligence (AI) and robots, a transformation many believe will have a payoff on the scale of the personal computing industry or the commercial internet. Computers have begun to speak, listen and see, as well as sprout legs, wings and wheels to move unfettered. The shift was evident in a Lowe's home improvement store this month, when a prototype inventory checker developed by Bossa Nova Robotics silently glided through the aisles using computer vision to perform a task humans have done manually for centuries. The robot, which was skilled enough to autonomously move out of the way of shoppers, alerted people to its presence with soft birdsong chirps.

The tool, which the nation's largest department store chain calls a "mobile companion," can be accessed for now through a browser and will accept questions in 10 U.S. locations about products, services and facilities. It uses natural language and offers feedback in seconds. It's developed by IBM Watson -- the Jeopardy-winning "cognitive computing" service and is designed to keep learning more about the store's customers. That's a key element as Macy's seeks to spur sluggish sales, make being at the store more enjoyable and distinguish itself from online portals and specialty retailers. "We want to improve the shopping experience. We want the customers to shop at Macy's and come back," Serena Potter, Macy's group vice president of digital media strategy told The Associated Press.

Is Honda's walking robot Asimo marrying Pepper, the chattering robot from SoftBank? Automaker Honda Motor Co. and internet company SoftBank said Thursday they will work together on artificial intelligence to develop products with sensors and cameras that can converse with drivers. Asimo, first shown in 1996, walks, runs, dances and grips things. Pepper, which went on sale last year, doesn't have legs but is programmed to recognize mood swings in people it interacts with. Major automakers and technology companies are interested in robotics to improve driving safety and comfort.

The brain looks like a featureless expanse of folds and bulges, but it's actually carved up into invisible territories. Each is specialized: Some groups of neurons become active when we recognize faces, others when we read, others when we raise our hands. On Wednesday, in what many experts are calling a milestone in neuroscience, researchers published a spectacular new map of the brain, detailing nearly 100 previously unknown regions -- an unprecedented glimpse into the machinery of the human mind. Scientists will rely on this guide as they attempt to understand virtually every aspect of the brain, from how it develops in children and ages over decades, to how it can be corrupted by diseases like Alzheimer's and schizophrenia. "It's a step towards understanding why we're we," said David Kleinfeld, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Diego, who was not involved in the research.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based equipment will increasingly become standard in both infotainment and in advanced driver assisted systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicle applications, according to a recent Automotive Electronics Roadmap Report from IHS. The report indicates that "…unit shipments of artificial intelligence (AI) systems used in infotainment and ADAS systems are expected to rise from just seven million in 2015 to 122 million by 2025." It explains that the attach rate of AI-based systems in new vehicles was a mere 8% in 2015, but is set to rise to 109% in 2025, as multiple AI systems are routinely installed. The use of AI in cars has important implications for building Smart Sustainable Cities. As city leaders aim to streamline transportation, they are studying how AI-equipped vehicles can help to increase road safety, reduce commuting time, eliminate traffic bottlenecks, and lessen reliance on parking spaces – among other applications.