Microsoft is witnessing a skills gap for companies to take advance Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies and implement it in real commercial applications. Speaking exclusively to TechRadar Middle East, Kevin Dallas, Corporate Vice-President for AI and Intelligent Cloud Business Development at Microsoft, said that from a technology point of view, AI is obviously the most "transformational technology for our generation". However, he said that there are three foundation elements needed in order to create powerful AI solutions. "The compute power may be sitting in the cloud, or it could be locally on your edge device. It really starts to get complex when you look deep into it. You need to be a data scientist to understand the data. You need to understand cloud computing, advanced computing, and also need to understand advanced algorithms" "It's really important for us as an industry to make sure that we get this right in terms of delivering work benefits to our society. It starts from the top where the executives see the opportunities, and we have consumers who believe that the world is going to be a better place with AI. But in the middle, we have this capability gap in terms of delivering these new AI infused applications and services," he said.

Recent years have seen the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in the marketing and media industries. While often a buzzword for marketers to make their work sound more exciting, the real benefits to brands center on the use of machines to carry out deep learning and make humans' jobs easier. AI is certainly growing in notoriety, with up to 85% of UK businesses said to be set to invest in the field by 2020. In addition, studies have shown the gradual uptake of soft robotics in the home – 23-32% of households in the US and 18% of households in the UK have at least one voice assistant, the most popular models being either Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant. Moreover, Apple claimed in 2018 that a staggering 500 million of its users now frequently make use of Siri, its pre-installed voice assistant.

A MailOnline investigation into how much personal information Alexa is recording and storing on its users has revealed the smart assistant eavesdrops on housemates' gossip, private conversations about insurance policies - and even the family dog. Amazon insists Alexa can only be activated when the allocated'wake word' is uttered - being Alexa, Computer or Echo. The tech giant - along with Apple's Siri and, until recently, Google's Assistant - says it saves every single interaction a person has with the device to improve the service - with some'unintentional' snippets also being recorded if it mistakes another noise for a'wake word'. However, evidence seen by MailOnline shows this cannot be the case, or the process is fundamentally flawed, as a host of sounds and conversations were recorded without a clear or legitimate wake word being uttered - some when there was not even a human nearby. A MailOnline investigation into these'secret' archives has revealed an eerie snippets of users' friends, families and children being recorded while they were completely unaware - and without a clear or legitimate wake word being uttered.

Google is launching a larger 10in version of its smart display as it attempts to supplant Amazon's Alexa as the top smartspeaker maker. Announced at Google's I/O developer conference in California on Tuesday, the new Google Nest Hub Max, which will launch on 15 July costing £219 in the UK. It spearheads the firm's new push to combine its Nest and other smart home products into one brand. The Nest Hub Max is a larger version of the popular Google Assistant-powered Home Hub, launched in October last year. Like other smart displays it answers questions and accepts commands via voice, but can also show information and video on its 10in 1080p screen providing more detail and allowing non-verbal interaction.

Following warnings from the FTC, both Apple and Google have removed several dating apps from their platforms that they say allowed children to join. According to a letter sent by the FTC to Ukraine-based Wildec LLC, which owns FastMeet, Meet24 and Meet4U, the trio of dating apps allowed children as young as 12 to participate in the service and communicate with adults. In an FTC investigation of the app, the organization says they were also able to identify and confirm multiple children within the service using a built-in age filter that allows users to search by age. A trio of dating apps was removed by Google and Apple for allowing children under 13-years-old to participate. The FTC says the apps have already been used by sexual predators.

Even after all these years, the first thing that likely comes to mind when you think Google is search. Google has long been about way more than that, of course, and the annual Google I/O developer conference, now underway in Mountain View, California, is where the Alphabet-subsidiary previews new hardware, software and other products. Google didn't ignore search during I/O and showcased 3D and augmented reality effects to make search that much more meaningful; it brought a virtual shark onto the I/O stage during one demo. What's more, using the Google Lens tool, the company showed how you could point a camera at a sign in a foreign language to not only translate that sign but to read aloud its contents. And it announced the next generation of the Google Assistant (coming later in the year) that Google says is 10 times faster than today's Assistant.

Imagine that your team is meeting to decide whether to continue an expensive marketing campaign. After a few minutes, it becomes clear that nobody has the metrics on-hand to make the decision. You chime in with a solution and ask Amazon's virtual assistant Alexa to back you up with information: "Alexa, how many users did we convert to customers last month with Campaign A?" and Alexa responds with the answer. You just amplified your team's intelligence with AI. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Today's intelligent assistants are full of skills. They can check the weather, traffic and sports scores. They can play music, translate words and send text messages. They can even do math, tell jokes and read stories. But, when it comes to conversations that lead somewhere grander, the wheels fall off.

The BBC is developing a voice-activated electronic assistant in an attempt to rival Amazon's Alexa or Apple's Siri. It will similarly be styled as a character – currently dubbed'Auntie' by insiders in a nod to the BBC's longstanding nickname – but will be renamed before launch to make it more'modern-sounding'. The assistant would be available to download free on smartphones and smart TVs in the UK. It would allow users to seek information across the internet by issuing a verbal instruction. The BBC is developing a voice-activated electronic assistant in an attempt to rival Amazon's Alexa (pictured) For example, users could ask the app to get weather reports, play the most recent episode of The Archers or work out the quickest route to work.

Apple's latest feature might allow you to unlock your phone using your ears or cheeks. Q: I am a freelancer working from home, and I want to record calls with my clients. How can I record calls on my smartphone? A: Android makes it much easier to record calls, depending on the device, of course. Android 9 Pie, for example, disabled the ability for third-party apps to record calls. Some smartphone apps require you to set up calls like a conference call, so it may take a few extra steps to get going.