Google wants to do more than just organize the world's information. It wants to infuse itself into our lives and replace several of our daily tasks robotically. That, clearly, is the goal, as outlined this week. Forget about those shiny new Pixel phones, tablets and speakers that Google announced this week at a splashy event in New York. Or a new talking video speaker that takes on Amazon's Echo Show with a focus on Google visuals like mapping, calendar, and, of course, all that YouTube content.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the latest in a long line of technologies to play a part in the digital transformation of the financial services industry. The potential of this technology is vast: it can cut costs, provide human and systemic efficiencies, boost customer experience, promote loyalty and boost returns. According to business research firm Gartner, the two key components of AI – machine learning and deep learning – will be adopted as the norm within the next two to five years. There is real impetus and enthusiasm for organisations to adopt these technologies. Andy Pardoe, principal director of AI at Accenture Digital UK&I, says: "AI can be used across the entire value chain, from first contact with a potential new customer all the way to providing additional services to long-term customers. This is happening across the front, middle and back office functions."

Artificial Intelligence has taken every industry by storm. The market size of AI software is expected to reach up to $36 million by 2025. The opportunities this presents has caused retailers to pay attention to AI. Thus, more and more retailers, big and small, are applying AI tools in new ways across the entire product and service cycle- right from the assembling stage to the post-sale customer service interactions. As AI evolves further, the customer experience will only get better and so will improved outcomes through sales and customer experiences.

Within the search marketing space, there has been a lot of talk about voice search. Many are projecting voice search as the next big thing – in fact, as the next marketplace disruptor. But the truth is, voice search probably isn't going to be the next big thing. Yes, voice search is disrupting text-based searches, and this is causing a few raised eyebrows. However, voice is only a small part of the disruption that's happening today.

The Internet of Things is slowly permeating every aspect of our lives. If you don't already own an IoT device, you've surely heard of them. From smart thermostats to smart coffee makers, IoT devices are slowly but surely garnering mainstream adoption. In addition, virtual assistants (such as Siri, Cortana, and Alexa) are only making this technology easier to adopt. But, these devices are far from perfect.

Carmel-based MJ Insurance, one of the nation's largest privately-held insurance agencies, has partnered with Chicago-based HealthJoy, a healthcare guidance platform that helps employees make informed healthcare decisions and provides a variety of cost containment strategies to help lower employer healthcare costs. Together, the partners will be offering an artificial intelligence guidance system to healthcare coverage seekers. HealthJoy advances current telemedicine offerings by providing an artificial intelligence virtual assistant along with a team of live doctors and healthcare professionals to help employees navigate the complexities of the healthcare system and decisions surrounding their employer-sponsored health plans. Unlike other health engagement apps, HealthJoy offers a direct line of communication between the employer and the user by connecting directly to the employee's smartphone device. HealthJoy integrates with any employer benefit plan and has shown a positive ROI for companies within 90 days.

People really love their virtual assistants -- so much so, in fact, that over a million people asked Amazon Alexa to marry them in 2017 alone, the retailer confirmed to Business Insider. And that's not even including customers who might have proposed to their Google Assistant, or Apple Siri, or Microsoft Cortana. It seems that more than a handful of the estimated 600 million people who regularly use virtual assistants were inspired by the romance between Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansen in "Her." Unfortunately, Alexa has rejected all those curious consumers faced rejection. Asking Alexa to marry you gets a response along the lines of: "We're at pretty different places in our lives. I mean, you're on Earth and I'm in the cloud."

Within the search marketing space, there has been a lot of talk about voice search. Many are projecting voice search as the next big thing – in fact, as the next marketplace disruptor. But the truth is, voice search probably isn't going to be the next big thing. Yes, voice search is disrupting text-based searches, and this is causing a few raised eyebrows. However, voice is only a small part of the disruption that's happening today.

Artificial intelligence is not the future anymore since this technology is already widely used in our lives. Most sci-fi movies predict rather tragic outcome of using the artificial intelligence. You probably remember the plots of Matrix and Terminator – quite depressive vista is shown in these masterpieces of cinema. However, it is the fantasy of scriptwriter and film directors. In reality, the AI has already gained its supporters.

Looking at clothes to buy online can be therapeutic, but sometimes you just want to quickly find something to wear for an impromptu event without having to wade through thousands of choices. Asos is giving you a way to do that using Google Assistant -- you simply have to say "Hey Google, talk to Asos" to summon its shopping bot Enki through your smart speaker or the Assistant app on Android or iOS. You can then tell Enki what listings you'd like to see, like say, fleece cardigans for layering or the newest additions to the store. Asos says it will use what it learns from this initial launch to continue improving and refining the feature. You can use the feature right now by talking to Assistant on your phone or speaker or taking the the Action for a spin right here.