Experimentation with voice-activated assistants and text-triggered chatbots blossomed in 2016, enabling users to order from Taco Bell using Slack's messaging interface, check the status of UPS packages and order office supplies from Staples. In 2017, some of these tools won't make the cut while others will proliferate across consumer and enterprise sectors, creating new workflows, operational efficiencies and opportunities for improved customer service. Alexa, though positioned as a home product, is poised to become the go-to platform for voice-based assistants for consumers and businesses. Wynn Hotels plans to equip nearly 5,000 rooms with Amazon.com's Echo device, which will allow people to query Alexa for room and hotel information.

The wealth management industry is facing a wave of digital disruption. Developments in finance, science and technology have led to a new generation of financial technology start-ups. Most "fin-techs" focus on automated investment services, or so-called'robo-advisers'. Betterment, the pioneer of automated investing, recently surpassed $5 billion in assets under management, only 8 years after it was founded. And what can we expect from the automated advisers of the future?

Now with pillows, dog beds and even luxury pool floats, Casper is pushing itself as a business based around the entire culture of sleep rather than just a mattress startup. And for its latest project, Casper has even tapped into artificial intelligence to help us, well, stay awake. Casper recently launched insomnobot3000, a bot you can text to keep you entertained when you can't sleep. The project is the result of months of secretive development by a 10-person team spanning Casper's tech, design, data and creative departments, which actually looked to SmartChild, the infamous bot popular with tweens in the AOL Instant Messenger days, for inspiration. It's been a few months since insomnobot3000 officially launched, and while it doesn't use machine learning to grow smarter on its own, the development team is supposed to be constantly updating it based on the conversations it's having.

To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely. There's a kindergarten I walk past on the way to work, and I can't help but peek inside everyday. The classroom -- packed with toys and puzzles, music and books, flower planters and even an occasional cat -- was obviously crafted to be a rich and bustling world for kids to interact and play in. Contrary to its meaning, child's play is far from simple. Playing in a diverse, exciting universe is how we nurture a child's budding intelligence.

From stopping cyberattacks to operating autonomous vehicles to visually searching through a wine database, 140 startups using AI as a core part of their products raised $1.05B in funding in Q3'16. Since 2012, deals and dollars to AI startups have been on a rise, and this year is extending that trend. Our AI category includes companies applying AI solutions to verticals like healthcare, security, advertising, and finance as well as those developing general-purpose AI tech. Our list excludes robotics (hardware-focused) and AR/VR startups, which we've analyzed separately here and here. Our analysis includes all equity funding rounds and convertible notes.

Machine learning and data mining are research areas of computer science whose quick development is due to the advances in data analysis research, growth in the database industry and the resulting world construction market needs for methods that are capable of extracting valuable knowledge from large data stores. Here are some of the examples of machine learning being applied in the construction industry. It's important to note that machine learning techniques apply mostly on a business side, less so in the actual construction. At the same time, the construction industry is currently experiencing explosive growth in its capability to generate and collect data. Advances in data storage technology, such as faster, higher capacity, and less expensive storage devices, better database management systems, and data-warehousing technology, have allowed the transformation of an enormous amount of data into computerized database systems. These data, however, have no use until they are processed and interpreted.

Will AI make construction industry, civil engineering, and design more efficient? How will it benefit these industries? Starting from the 1980s professors and researchers from all over the world published an enormous amount of articles about use cases of artificial intelligence in the field of construction. We analyzed those articles and compiled a list of 10 most interesting examples, where AI technology used for construction performance diagnostics, intelligent planning of construction projects or creating construction robot fleet management systems. In 1994 professors Tarek Hegazy and Osama Moselhi published a technical paper, which presented a methodology for deriving analogy-based solutions to a class of unstructured problems in civil engineering.

The hype around artificial intelligence is ramping up, especially as big tech companies like Amazon, Facebook, LinkedIn and Microsoft are trying to commercialise it. Artificial intelligence is now playing integral part in many industries, including marketing. Marketing agencies are also starting to figure out how to use AI in order to their clients' marketing and advertising efforts more effective. We found 10 examples to show you how artificial intelligence is changing marketing industry. Although AI still has limitations, forward-thinking brands are starting to harness its power to enhance the customer experience.

Site-Layout Modeling: How AI Can Help Construction Industry? The efficient planning of site space through the construction project is referred to as site layout planning. Due to its impact on safety, productivity and security on construction sites, several site layout planning models have been developed in the past decades. These models have the common aim of generating best layouts considering the defined constraints and conditions. However, the underlying assumptions that were made during the development of these models seem disparate and often implicit.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicks off in Las Vegas this week, with technology companies from around the globe descending on "Sin City" to showcase their latest gadgets and offer a glimpse into our digital future. From the camcorder and the CD player to the Xbox and the plasma TV, some of the best-known technologies of all time have debuted at CES, and some of the most famous industry figures have given keynotes, including Bill Gates, Michael Dell and Elon Musk. This year marks the show's 50th annivarsary. The first CES kicked off in 1967, with 250 exhibitors and 17,500 attendees gathered in New York City. Since then, CES has grown by more than 10-fold, and now encompasses both traditional and non-traditional tech industries.