Machine learning, artificial intelligence and augmented reality have been bubbling away in research labs for decades, but in recent years they have burst into business consciousness. For marketers, the rise in big data, programmatic advertising and marketing clouds have all coincided with the commercial emergence of cognitive computing -- the umbrella label for technologies that ingest data and then learn as their knowledge base grows. According to industry analyst Gartner, cognitive computing is a "disruptive platform with a shift more impactful than many other technologies in the past 20 years". For an industry which seems to reinvent itself every three years, this is a suitably bold claim. And yet, clearly, cognitive computing is already having a serious impact across a range of industry sectors.

It has been more than half a year since Google Inc. first revealed a piano-playing artificial intelligence that can take a few notes and turn them into a song. Now the search giant has decided to share the experience with the world with its AI Duet web app. Yotam Mann is the musician and coder behind the new AI, which he created with help from Google's Magenta and Creative Labs teams. In a video, Mann explained the process behind the AI and how it manages to play along with new music on the fly. "Making music using code isn't a new thing at all, but machine learning gives us a different way to go about it," said Mann. "If I was trying to make AI Duet with more traditional programming, I'd have to write out lots of rules."

The future of federal IT belongs to CIOs who can build flexible, nimble organizations able to maximize the advantage of existing technologies like cloud services and automated machine intelligence while laying the groundwork for a range of emerging technologies on the horizon. That's according to a new report on government technology trends for 2017 published Wednesday by Deloitte. Researchers identified eight technologies they believe have an opportunity to disrupt and change the way the federal government leverages information, data and software over the next two years. Some are a continuation of existing trends that are already established, like IT consolidation and greater reliance on cloud-based software and services. Others, like artificial intelligence, mixed reality and nanotechnology veer more into the outer edges of what is currently possible today, but may have far more relevance a few years down the line.

The technology industry is facing up to the world-shaking ramifications of artificial intelligence. There is now a recognition that AI will disrupt how societies operate, from education and employment to how data will be collected about people. Machine learning, a form of advanced pattern recognition that enables machines to make judgments by analysing large volumes of data, could greatly supplement human thought. But such soaring capabilities have stirred almost Frankenstein-like fears about whether developers can control their creations. Failures of autonomous systems -- like the death last yearof a US motorist in a partially self-driving car from Tesla Motors -- have led to a focus on safety, says Stuart Russell, a professor of computer science and AI expert at the University of California, Berkeley.

The retail space is changing drastically through the evolution of technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI), which can offer retailers better control over stock flows and better customer service. This technology, and in particular machine learning, can step in to help retailers cater to the needs of their customers in smarter ways. Retail goods, even the most niche products, are becoming more and more commoditised and price parity means retailers have to look continuously for more innovative ways to keep customers loyal. A high-end jewellery retailer, a sporting goods store and a grocer all have very different target markets and their customer's behaviour patterns are very different, but the beauty of machine learning, an emerging technology, is that it quickly adapts to any type of environment. Machine learning is a form of AI that allows computers to learn without being programmed.

DeepMind is now capable of teaching itself based on information it already possesses. In a significant step forward for artificial intelligence, Alphabet's hybrid system -- called a Differential Neural Computer (DNC) -- uses the existing data storage capacity of conventional computers while pairing it with smart AI and a neural net capable of quickly parsing it. "These models can learn from examples like neural networks, but they can also store complex data like computers," wrote DeepMind researchers Alexander Graves and Greg Wayne. Much like the brain, the neural network uses an interconnected series of nodes to stimulate specific centers needed to complete a task. In this case, the AI is optimizing the nodes to find the quickest solution to deliver the desired outcome.

We've created software that combines data from the car with AI / Machine Learning technology and uses those data signals to help auto dealers reduce overhead cost, make better decisions and create contextual messaging to better service their customers.…

You are parent and wish to teach your 8 year old boy how to play violin? But does this have anything to do with artificial intelligence (AI)? Recent scientific experiments have shown that very young babies -- as young as 9-month old -- that learn music can significantly improve many of their cognitive functions, such as their future language acquisition. Children who learn how to play music young get both better verbal and language learning skills than the ones who don't, because they gain enhanced sound representation abilities and modify their brain connectivity. For adults, learning language is a great example.

In a setting befitting the opening scene of a sci-fi thriller at the recently opened Leverhulme Center for the Future of Intelligence at Cambridge University, Professor Stephen Hawking cautions that the future of artificial intelligence could potentially be "either the best, or worst thing to ever happen to humanity." Reiterating his 2014 statement to the BBC, Hawking urges that if done wrong, "the development of full AI could spell the end of the human race" –– think Terminator, I, Robot, or WestWorld. But on the other hand, Hawking believes that amplifying our minds through utilization of artificial intelligence can transform every aspect of our lives. The overarching concern surrounding AI is machine morality and whether it is safe for society. If people do not have proper ethical guidelines or fully comprehend the risks AI could play on mankind, is the expansion of functionalities and the powering of complex self-evolving capabilities – as Hawking would put it – the'worst thing to happen to humanity?'

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being counted (pdf) among the hottest startup sectors in India this year, but the highly specialised space is struggling to grow due to the lack of a primary input: engineers. "Forget getting people of our choice, we don't even get applications when we advertise for positions for our AI team," said 25-year-old Tushar Chhabra, co-founder of Cron Systems, which builds internet of things (IOT)-related solutions for the defence sector. "It's as if people are scared of the words'artificial intelligence.' They start freaking out when we ask them questions about AI." India has over 170 startups focused purely on AI, which have together raised over $36 million. The sector has received validation from marquee investors like Sequoia Capital, Kalaari Capital, and business icon Ratan Tata.