There's a special type of geekish delight that comes with a new Android phone. While it may sound trite, your options for phones are truly better than ever thanks to a new phone from Google and solid updates to other models. It's also less hassle than ever to switch from the iPhone or an older Android phone. Yet we still have some insider tips to pass along, as you can't have enough knowledge when it comes to setting up the optimal smartphone experience. The shining example here is the Pixel, which comes with a Quick Switch Adapter to help you move everything over.

This has been the year of artificial intelligence (AI). From the buzz around workplace automation at this year's World Economic Forum to Stephen Hawking's recent discourse on the potential windfalls and risks of AI, the future of machine learning is on everyone's minds. My recent attendance at a Shared Services Forum event only confirmed the fact. You couldn't walk five steps without hearing someone discussing the role that robotics and AI will play in the future of HR. These advanced technologies have been in use for some time, but their application in the field of HR is still in its early days. There is really only one aspect of HR where robotics and AI have begun to make a real impact--shared services.

A teary-eyed Mala Sharma felt vindicated as she stood outside a school for impoverished children in India. A student had snatched the Adobe Systems executive's iPad and had a go with the company's simplest video editing program. He nailed it, creating a quick video that Sharma said amused his teacher and peers. For years, Adobe has been the dominant provider of expensive editing tools to professional content producers. But the recent experience in India with her company's newer, consumer-oriented app showed Sharma firsthand the value of expanding efforts to make tools approachable to anyone.

Over the course of 2016, artificial intelligence made the leap from "science fiction concept" to "almost meaningless buzzword" with alarmingspeed. Period-tracking app Flo "uses a neural network approach" to deliver "high period forecast accuracy"; food delivery app Just Eat launched a chatbot that "sees AI integrated into the ordering experience to ensure that customers receive the best, round the clock support and service"; restaurant guide Borsch "uses artificial intelligence to help people discover the yummiest dishes around". But unlike many buzzwords before it, from "big data" to "blockchain", artificial intelligence's transformation into venture capitalist-catnip doesn't signify the end of anyone serious using the term themselves. In fact, 2017 looks like it could be the most important year yet for the technology: AI will butt up against not only what is possible, but also what is desirable for the first time. Like many futures, the AI revolution feels interminably slow to live through, and will feel like it happened in an instant in hindsight.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is going mainstream, captivating TV viewers, moviegoers and bookworms alike. One example of AI in pop culture is HBO's "Westworld." In the show, a futuristic amusement park allows visitors to live out their fantasies through AI-enhanced technology that personalizes each experience. For retail marketers, this idea should sound familiar – not because of the robot cowboys, but because the best retailers are taking a similar approach to customer engagement. Imagine a world where every interaction is tailored specifically to each unique customer, such as receiving a list of product recommendations through a simple retina scan. That's not as far off as it may seem.

Many animal species use vocal communication1, but the chaotic nature of the acoustics of these vocalizations often complicates their cataloging into clearly divided types and contexts2. Understanding the encapsulated information in animal vocalizations is central to the study of sociality, communication, and language evolution. Yet, in the research of nonhuman animals, the purpose and meaning of the vocal message often remain obscure. Researchers of animal communication, seeking homology to semantics, may relate behavioral observations to acoustic measurements, and thus reveal some of the information content of vocal expressions. Indeed, several studies have described cases of vocalizations as functionally referential, i.e. signals which are both specific to a certain context and elicit an appropriate response by a receiver3,4,5.

Apple has published its first academic research paper, and it's going to help A.I. get smart by exploring virtual lands. The breakthrough is all about making it easier to train computers to recognize the contents of a photo. Publishing research is a new approach for Apple, and it could help improve A.I. services like Siri that really struggle compared to its competitors. Starting with iOS 10, Apple scans your iPhone's images to make them easier to find, without using tags. Searching "dog," for example, will bring up all your pictures of dogs.

Expedia is the most recognisable brand in the world of online travel and owns several others, including Hotels.com and Trivago. Its companies operate more than 100 branded points of sale in over 60 countries. As a parent company, Expedia has made a steady flow of acquisitions over the past 15 years, and last year stepped up its M&A strategy with the takeovers of online travel agencies Travelocity and Orbitz, and holiday rental website HomeAway. A major goal in this M&A activity is to control and maintain Expedia's market-leading position in an increasingly competitive market for online travel booking, and is reflective of a general industry trend towards consolidation. Expedia was the first online travel giant and has been at the forefront of the transition in the way people book holidays, but that counts for little in the disruptive world of digital.

Robots are omnipresent in pop culture. Since the term was coined nearly a century ago, robots have played the role of sidekick, villain, and protagonist in some of the greatest science fiction works of all time. But there's a lot that books and movies get wrong about our mechanical companions. Here are 11 myths about robots that your favorite TV shows and films have helped spread. It's hard not to associate robots with visions of the future, but we've been building artificial helpers to complete tasks for us for thousands of years.

As we move into 2017 there is probably a long list of items that you are looking forward to tackling next year. In the past few months, we have witnessed some fascinating shifts in our national and global priorities and we are beginning to plan - as individual professionals, teams, leaders, organizations, and communities – how we will navigate the changing economic, social and political landscapes. Beyond the widely discussed political changes, there is also a host of technology trends and drivers that are working to redefine nearly every aspect of our lives. As we approach 2017, I wanted to share a few thought-provoking resources that I consider to be must-reads. Although there are many subjects worth exploring over the next few months, I wanted to highlight one area that is becoming exceedingly important.