Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is reportedly working on an Amazon Echo like device. The space for these kinds of devices is about to heat up as companies such as Google also announced intentions to enter it. A report from The Information revealed that the iPhone maker will open up Siri by releasing a Software Development Kit (SDK) at the Worldwide Developers Conference 2016. This will allow developers to develop and integrate apps with Siri, which should help in increasing the personal digital assistant's skills. While Siri is connected to some apps, the interactions involved are highly limited.

'Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the science of mimicking human intelligence inside a computer.' In that case, if AI computers are being used in manufacturing, there's a need to protect those assets, right?

Power BI is the self-service BI engine of Microsoft, this service provides ability for business users to work with data with easier tools and be able to do changes or build their own models on top of one or more data sources. This is a full day of Power BI with many live demos. Training starts with Power BI and its components (Power Query, Power Pivot, Power View, Power Map, and Power Q&A). Course continues with real world demos of fetching data and transforming it with Power Query, loading and Modeling in Power Pivot and DAX, Visualizing it in Power BI Desktop and enhanced usage of Power Q&A. Many tips and best practices for using each component will be explained as well.

Google Brain, the search giant's machine learning arm, is setting up a new group to see if it can teach AI to make its own, original works of art. The company, named Magenta, will be announced more officially at the beginning of June, but was referenced to in a talk given by Douglas Eck, a Google Brain researcher, at Moogfest. This new group has been founded specifically to find out if computers can actually create their own works of art. Whether that be more traditional pictures, videos or even music, Magenta wants to find out if it's possible. The aim may sound familiar to other Google Brain projects, but its direction is completely different.

China plans to expand its artificial intelligence (AI) products market to over US 15 billion by speeding up the manufacturing of products like robots, home appliances and mobile phones as part of efforts to develop new technologies to reorient its sluggish economy. China will speed up the development of its artificial intelligence sector and create a market worth more than 100 billion yuan (US 15.26 billion) over the next three years, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement. By 2018, China shall build platforms for fundamental AI resources and innovation and make breakthroughs on basic core technology, the three-year implementation programme for'Internet Plus' artificial intelligence said. Under the plan, China will cultivate and develop emerging artificial intelligence industries, promote innovation in intelligent products and enhance the intelligence level of terminal products. The programme will involve key projects such as intelligent home appliances, smart automobiles, intelligent unmanned systems, intelligent wearable devices and robots.

This IR Magazine interview explores how artificial intelligence, including machine learning and natural language processing, is affecting investor relations. Darrell Heaps, founder and CEO of Q4, a market intelligence and investor engagement firm based in Toronto, is joined by Adam Frederick, Q4's senior vice president, intelligence. Frederick also covered the topic in a recent webinar with Matt Danziger, director of IR at LinkedIn. Look for part two of the video interview, in which Heaps and Frederick discuss the consumerization of IR teamwork.

Dr. Abdalla Kablan is an entrepreneur and academic specialising in machine intelligence, big data analytics and computational Finance. He is the founder of Scheduit – a business oriented social network that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to match relevant business professionals with each other. Abdalla is also a lecturer and researcher of Computational Finance at the University of Malta. He obtained his PhD degree in Computational Finance from University of Essex, UK where he was a candidate at the Centre for Computational Finance and Economic Agents (CCFEA). His PhD thesis title was (The Use of Fuzzy Logic Applications for High frequency Trading).

Despite the altogether likely Robot Apocalypse that's looming, it's fun to pretend that we -- the humans -- are in control of the machines. As robotics bleed further into the mainstream with autonomous cars and low-cost Arduino kits, we're seeing an influx of laboratories designed to incubate ever more astonishing things. Though most sit on the campuses of universities, many technology firms are investing in labs of their own. Below, we've rounded up five that are changing the world in the here and now. Enjoy, and keep your head on a swivel.

Goodbye to the days when you had to be affiliated with a university or research institute in order to access awesome, cutting-edge scientific research. GotScience.org is a digital publication that delivers comprehensible science to the public--for FREE. GotScience.org is a project of Science Connected, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing public understanding of science. In our work to increase public understanding of science, we uphold the highest possible standards of scientific and journalistic integrity. We do not sensationalize, cherry-pick, or misrepresent the research reports.

This story was delivered to BI Intelligence IoT Briefing subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here. Switzerland-based agricultural tech Gamaya announced yesterday that it had raised 3.2 million in funding to combine drones and artificial intelligence to improve farmers' yields, according to Fortune. Gamaya was spun out of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, a research university in Switzerland, and received funding from Nestle's Chairman, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Swiss venture capital firm VI Partners, and others. The startup uses drones equipped with hyperspectral cameras that can capture changes in water and fertilizer use, crop yields, and pests.