Amazon customers complained that their Echo devices stopped working this morning. People took to social media to complain about the Alexa virtual assistant just before 9am. Outage tracker Down Detector logged hundreds of reports about issues with the digital assistant. Alexa is still available on a range of Amazon devices - including the Echo speakers, Fire TV, and Amazon's range of Fire tablets too. Seb Hawker from Bath tweeted: 'That First World problem when Alexa goes down and can't stop the radio playing or turn the plugs on...' Another Twitter user from London said: 'My flat is broken!

The era of voice has finally taken off in vehicles. Accelerating this trend is the proliferation of consumer-brand, AI-powered digital assistants. However, I expect the future growth in this category will be driven more by enterprise-grade assistants. These assistant will be embedded in every type of connected device, including, of course, our cars. Ultimately, I believe that the enterprise AI assistant will be four times as large as the consumer market.

There are lots of buzzwordy technologies coming to the fore. We use many of them in our everyday lives whether or not we realize it, and they are making their way to corporate travel. Some real-world applications already are in play while other use cases are just now starting to emerge. Lumo chief commercial officer Michael Jacques provides a primer on the 21st Century tech that's helping to push innovation in travel. Artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, machine learning and chatbots are here in our lives and there's more coming.

Move over Bumble, you're not the only dating app that let's women exclusively start the convo. Buzz60's Mercer Morrison has the story. A link has been sent to your friend's email address. A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Move over Bumble, you're not the only dating app that let's women exclusively start the convo.

NEW ORLEANS – If you ask your Amazon Alexa device to tell you the difference between a heath savings account and a health reimbursement account, you're likely to get a response along the lines of "I don't understand." But is there a future where digital assistants like Alexa or Apple's Siri could replace a broker in the benefits selection process? If you're doing your job well, the answer is most likely a no, says Reid Rasmussen, co-founder and chief executive of benefits consulting firm freshbenies at the Benefits Forum & Expo, but if you can learn to leverage new technology to your advantage, it can help you be a better broker. "It isn't about finding a'techier' way to do something, but how do you use it to improve business and the way you interact with people," he says. Technology is getting smarter, particularly in the healthcare industry, he says, and big tech companies like Google and Apple are investing money in the space.

Google surprised everyone at CES last January when it announced partnerships with various companies, including computer builder Lenovo and home-audio stalwart JBL, to build Google Assistant-powered smart speakers with touchscreens. Lenovo, a company with no real experience building home audio gear, came to market first with the Lenovo Smart Display (we reviewed the 10-inch model and liked it--a lot). The JBL Link View is even better--at least from an audio perspective. The JBL Link View competes more directly with the 8-inch Lenovo Smart Display, which Lenovo was kind enough to loan for a look-see. It should come as no surprise that the biggest difference between the two speakers is that JBL provides true stereo drivers and a 5-inch, rear-mounted passive radiator that pumps the bass even when the speaker isn't placed against a wall (the better to bounce sound back toward you).

We mapped out where the top 10 US banks are investing in fintech across categories like blockchain, insurance, lending, and more. Since 2012, the top 10 US banks by total assets have participated in 81 deals to fintech startups, totaling nearly $4.1B in disclosed funding. In the last year, banks have homed in on the consumer, backing robo-advisors and companies offering easy-to-use money management apps. Goldman Sachs recently invested in Folio, a Tokyo-based company that allows consumers to invest in baskets of stocks based on themes like cybersecurity and anti-aging, in addition to offering a robo-advisory service. Goldman additionally added new alternative lending companies to its portfolio, with investments into Better Mortgage and Neyber.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning exist in our everyday lives, whether it be asking Siri about a new song, or Netflix suggesting what to watch next. Besides modern day conveniences, AI can play an important role in lead generation for businesses, especially when it comes to B2B marketing. In many companies, there is often a disconnect between the sales and marketing teams. This is usually due to a lack of shared focus or communication. Marketers may give sales a lead that they think is perfect, but sales do not.

Artificial intelligence is certainly emerging at the forefront of current technology, and recent advancements in the field have led some to say it's capable of taking over from humans in some regards. It's a question many people understandably still ask. Essentially, artificial intelligence is software, which has been programmed and "taught" to demonstrate behaviors we usually associate with human intelligence. AI can assist in areas such as planning, problem-solving and perception – and many advancements have been made in recent years which have pushed AI to new heights. Narrow AI is the most common and widely used form of the technology around the world.

Printers haven't really kept up with the times. Sure, you can print from your phone, but the devices aren't built for an always-connected world -- and let's be honest, more than a few of them are eyesores that can feel like '90s throwbacks. HP believes it can do better. Its newly unveiled Tango lets you print from wherever you are, and takes smart speaker commands from Alexa, Cortana and Google Assistant. If you'd like to print your calendar, you don't have to fire up an app or walk across the room. An Instant Ink service can automatically order new ink when you run low, too, potentially sparing you an unexpected trip to the office supply store.