I wanted to give a bit more detail to the concept of five levels of AI assistants. We've been talking about it at Rasa for some time, and recently wrote about this on the O'Reilly blog. This is our way of quantifying the path that AI assistants have been following, and will travel over the coming years. This is your guide to understanding the path to true conversational AI. We are still in the early days in the development of AI assistants, as most chatbots can only handle simple question and answer pairs.

Current commercial robots generally contain hard parts that represent a risk to the security of their administrators or there is a point of confinement for their usability. Because of this, soft robots have as of late pulled in impressive consideration, in spite of the fact that their absence of structural inflexibility intensely restricts their utilization in numerous practical applications. In the course of recent years, analysts have tried to make mechanical robotic personal assistants and bionic limbs or prosthetics that consolidate the strength of regular robots with the flexibility of soft robots. More recently, combinations of cellular structures have demonstrated intriguing advancement toward the enhancement of non-trifling abilities, for example, getting a handle on exceptionally shaped articles. In any case, tuning the mechanical properties of the robotic body for custom applications is still exceptionally challenging.

Looking to make the most of current AI technologies and solutions in your business? Register now for the O'Reilly AI Conference in San Jose, September 9–12, 2019, and learn how to leverage AI in your work today. What can artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) do to improve customer experience? AI and ML already have been intimately involved in online shopping since, well, the beginning of online shopping. You can't use Amazon or any other shopping service without getting recommendations, which are often personalized based on the vendor's understanding of your traits: your purchase history, your browsing history, and possibly much more.

Some amazing--as well as some downright freaky--innovations in artificial intelligence and machine learning were detailed at the recent Decoded Future NYC Summit, presented by Stylus. Take, for example, technology that will watch consumer faces as they shop online, recording smiles, frowns, or other gestures to measure interest in a product. In the near future, consumers could also be interacting "face-to-face" with virtual assistant machines that have lifelike personalities, emotional responses and character. While those advances may be a few years away, AI and machine learning have already become customary among brands and retailers who are looking to track the right trends in style, color, and pricing. The major players have been taking advantage of this technology for years.

Nationwide Building Society, a finance firm based in the United Kingdom, has just announced they will be investing in a "behavioral analytics startup," known as Scaled Insights. According to Nationwide, Scaled Insight's speech analysis AI will be used to build individual profiles for their clientele, in order to tailor the bank's communications to fit each customer's needs -- or "linguistic personality," as they're calling it. The mainstream media is reporting on how a hospital in Leeds is already using this technology to help patients, perhaps in order to present this new AI technology as benevolent. But the truth is that no large corporation ever makes a large investment without expecting an even larger return. Nationwide is expected to pump $5.31 billion into new technologies over the next five years.

Now that Siri and Alexa have moved from guest to family member at home, the next frontier for artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistants is the office. KPMG analyst Traci Gusher thinks that these assistants will soon move out of the basic "What's the weather going to be?" phase to take on more work-specific tasks. In the next stage of artificial intelligence (AI) development, humans will be able to use virtual assistants as notetakers. These assistants will need coaching along the way just like any junior employee. Gusher predicts the technology will reach the ideal state of "virtual keepers of wisdom" by 2030.

A new iOS update may be quietly patching up a software flaw that sent some of Apple's smart speakers spiraling out of commission. As reported by MacRumors, Apple has introduced yet another update to its iOS - the third update since it was release in September. Notably, however, the only change appears to be relating to software for the its Homepod, the company's only smart speaker. Apple hasn't said outright that this new software will correct the issue, but as noted by The Verge, it's unlikely the company would roll out any updates without correcting flaws in previous software. Apple's Homepod encountered an update issue that rendered the device unusable.

Commerce moved beyond brick-and-mortar stores, seized the online space, and is steadily crippling into mobile. Modern online shopping offers unparalleled flexibility of access and selection of available interfaces. You can shop away while on a bus. You can buy your next favorite gadget while relaxing on a lawn on a beautiful sunny day. That's why mobile commerce is such a fast-growing niche that caters specifically to smartphone users and their respective app ecosystems.

Homes and cars are two major everyday spaces undergoing digital disruption. Smart home digital platforms will soon be a standard feature of most houses. Major advancements in the internet of things make it not just possible but affordable to control security, heating, cooking and lighting remotely. The Google Home Mini and Amazon Echo also answer questions and order products, all operated easily by voice. Cars are becoming just as easy to control with smart devices.

Protesters and activists from UltraViolet stormed the NBC headquarters in New York City demanding Comcast and NBC executives take action and responsibility for allegations made in Ronan Farrow's book'Catch and Kill.' NBC News Digital employees have formed a union, accusing management of mishandling "serious incidents of sexual misconduct" that have created an onslaught of negative attention for the Peacock Network. "We love working at NBC News Digital. But no organization is perfect, and there are serious issues that keep the company from being as great as it can be," the NBC News Digital employees said in a statement Wednesday announcing their partnering with the NewsGuild of New York. But the digital employees aren't solely fed up with management botching sexual misconduct scandals. "A company with such incredible resources can and should do more to close gender and race wage gaps, address chronic understaffing, meaningfully prioritize diversity, promote transparency, and offer job protections," the statement continued.