Rob May is the CEO and Co-Founder of Talla, a platform for intelligent information delivery in Slack and Hipchat. Previously, Rob was the CEO and Co-Founder of Backupify, (acquired by Datto in 2014). Before that, he held engineering, business development, and management positions at various startups. Rob has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a MBA from the University of Kentucky. He is also a well known angel investor, a venture partner at Pillar, and is the creator and writer of the widely-read and highly-regarded AI newsletter, Technically Sentient. Rob May will be speaking at the Gigaom AI Now in San Francisco, February 15-16th. In anticipation of that, I caught up with him to ask a few questions.

Only a few short years ago, healthcare organizations were wondering what exactly "big data" was and why they had to care about it. As the industry moves into 2017, they might have similar questions about the definitions of terms like "blockchain," "the Internet of Things," and "artificial intelligence" – but the use cases for these cutting-edge technologies are rapidly becoming crystal clear. From precision medicine and business intelligence to data security and patient engagement, the IoT, AI, and blockchain hold exciting promises for providers, patients, and researchers looking to move their big data hoards from repositories to real results. The healthcare sector must join its peers in other industries to leverage these new applications for big data, according to a pair of reports fromthe White House and Gartner, Inc., in order to take advantage of the nearly-limitless opportunities for lowering costs, improving outcomes, and achieving quality goals. Artificial intelligence will soon "improve the world" While android physicians and self-driving gurneys are likely still several decades away, basic artificial intelligence programs are already making an impact on everyday society.

The term "artificial intelligence" historically refers to systems that attempt to mimic or replicate human thought. This is not an accurate description of the actual science of artificial intelligence, and it implies a false choice between artificial and natural intelligences. That is why IBM and others have chosen to use different language to describe our work in this field. We feel that "cognitive computing" or "augmented intelligence" -- which describes systems designed to augment human thought, not replicate it -- are more representative of our approach. There is little commercial or societal imperative for creating "artificial intelligence."

He's a lightning-fast learner, he speaks eight languages and he's considered an expert in multiple fields. He's got an exemplary work ethic, is a speed reader and finds insights no one else can. On a personal note, he's a mean chef and even offers good dating advice. Named after IBM's first CEO, Watson was born back in 2007 as part of an effort by IBM Research to develop a question-answering system that could compete on the American quiz show "Jeopardy." Since trouncing its human opponents on the show in 2011, it has expanded considerably.

Whether you're an avid Starbucks, coffee, or just a tech fan, this new upgraded Starbucks App will make your day. As one of the most loved coffee providers, there is, Starbucks just found another new and funky way to keep their customers both entertained and satisfied, and that's by adding a barista chatbot to their app. It's simply another excellent example of the good things that AI has to offer and how it will make our lives that little bit better. This new feature is aptly named My Starbucks Barista and is "an innovative conversational ordering system." There will be a limited beta version of the feature that's expected to be released in early 2017 that will enable customers to place their orders via a chatbot interface or simple voice command.

SAN FRANCISCO: Mark Zuckerberg envisions a software system inspired by the "Iron Man" character Jarvis as a virtual butler managing his household. The Facebook founder's dream is about artificial intelligence, which is slowly but surely creeping into our daily lives, no longer just science fiction. Artificial intelligence or AI is getting a foothold in people's homes, starting with the Amazon devices like its Echo speaker which links to a personal assistant "Alexa" to answer questions and control connected devices such as appliances or light bulbs. Analyst Carolina Milanesi of the research firm Creative Strategies said that "2016 was the year about raising awareness, and exposing consumers to the idea of AI in a more mass market way." Milanesi said it may take time for the technology to fulfill its potential, noting that companies need "a strong hook" to bring large numbers of consumers into this world.

Machines may soon be trying to master just about anything you can do on a computer. Open AI, a nonprofit dedicated to pursuing big advances in AI and making that progress freely available to anyone, has released Universe, a platform that will let AI programs learn, through experimentation and positive reward, how to do all sorts of things on a computer. Universe will include more than a thousand games, but also desktop programs such as Web browsers. It will make it possible for AI researchers to train programs to do all sorts of new tricks, including potentially useful tasks like filling out online forms, responding to e-mails, and updating spreadsheets. But Ilya Sutskevar, cofounder and research director at OpenAI, says the motivation for developing and releasing Universe is a lot bigger.

Artificial intelligence is everywhere, from autonomous cars made by Google and Tesla to Siri the virtual assistant.

Has Deep Learning Made Traditional Machine Learning Irrelevant?

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