Google Assistant hasn't been quite so... assistive lately. Numerous users reported that Google Assistant notifications have been broken on Android, preventing reminders and other important alerts from getting through. The problem appears to have started with updates to the Google app over the past several days, particularly the most recent (9.0.6). Some had success by uninstalling updates or clearing their app cache, but it didn't appear to have been truly fixed until a server-side update arrived on January 28th. We've asked Google for comment, although the bug didn't appear to affect iOS or other platforms.

Is voice technology going to become the next big opportunity for brands to engage with consumers? As we enter an era where voice assistants are becoming more popular (Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomePod, among others), new doors open for marketing and communications professionals. Experts say voice assistants can become the first interactive tool at home that provides brands the capability to dynamically offer up ads in the future that could be user controlled. In this interactive Master Class, we will understand voice technology as part of artificial intelligence, discuss real business examples, and conclude with a discussion on the future of this technology and the marketing field as we know it.

We've been sharing a lot of information about why we're really excited about HiveManager Shortcuts with Amazon Alexa. While we don't think IT Managers are going to replace 100 percent of browser-based management with voice, we do think it can be a great addition to help simplify a number of tasks. Let's watch a video to see some of the ways HiveManager Shortcuts with Amazon Alexa can simplify a project for IT departments. One of the aspects of IT management that HiveManager Shortcuts with Amazon Alexa integration simplifies is onboarding of new access points. Instead of manually typing in serial numbers of new access points, you can use an Alexa-enabled device to add it verbally.

File photo: Youtube logo is seen on an android mobile phone. YouTube is again claiming it'll tweak its recommendation system to promote fewer conspiracy videos. The Google-owned service announced the change after BuzzFeed published a report detailing how YouTube's recommendation systems can lead you down a "rabbit hole" of misinformation and politically charged content. "We'll begin reducing recommendations of borderline content and content that could misinform users in harmful ways--such as videos promoting a phony miracle cure for a serious illness, claiming the Earth is flat, or making blatantly false claims about historic events like 9/11," the company said in a Friday blog post. What will be different this time isn't clear.

Of all the ways IoT (Internet of Things) technologies promise to change lives and businesses in the next century, the idea that any and all machines could obtain human-esque intelligence through AI (artificial intelligence) is among the most exciting. No longer the realm of science fiction, AI powers many everyday processes and increasingly common devices and services--from Netflix's personalized content recommendations to smart speakers with voice-activated personal assistants. In 2019, innovative minds and companies will continue to push the envelope, enabling new and/or more advanced applications of AI in business and consumer realms. Drust, a French automotive-technology company founded in 2014, is one example of how a group of innovators can help drive AI-enabled solutions forward--pun intended. Drust designs, develops, and markets software and AI solutions that aim to enhance the value of data from connected vehicles.

A new trend emerges in every industry yearly. In the BPO industry, for instance, the artificial intelligence or AI got the center stage. Experts even believed that it is going to be the next big thing -- and it is quickly happening in the present. For this year, there are also trends in the call center industry. Most of them talk about the different ways to appease consumers and clients. What we are going to list down is more on the technology side.

We were trying to get in touch with our internet service provider. I can't remember the reason. But we contacted the company through its website chat system. My partner was typing, and I noticed his language was unusually clipped, devoid of the words "please", or "thank you". "You don't have to be so rude," I said.

Dreams spring from reality and are realized in it. IN 2017, with an almost imperceptible ripple, a story broke out in the French media reporting on the bizarre case of a young Danish proto-fascist who had become a kind of "alt-right" data miner. The misguided racist was using information harvested from one of IAC's biggest Match Group relationship websites, OkCupid, to support a fake-science argument in favor of an apparently new form of white supremacist eugenics. The story picked up little attention, and those who commented on it -- in the progressive media at least -- saw the attempt as a deliberate and gratuitous misuse of data to support a dangerous political agenda, which in some ways it was. Although part of a wider rise in dangerous right-wing "race science," which Jordan Peterson can be seen as the soft edge of, there is something particularly important about data drawn from the realm of love.

Hardly half a decade ago, digital marketing professionals were not interested to implement artificial intelligence tools in their strategies. But, in 2017 and 2018, they gained more confidence and are using AI tools to get the perfect results. The AI tools keep on improving day by day. In the future, Facebook ads and other digital marketing campaigns will be spearheaded by AI tools and algorithms. A survey by business experts has indicated that 51 percent of digital marketers are already making use of AI tools to generate reports.

Google might soon have an alternative to voice matching when you want to use Assistant to get personalized results. The latest beta for Android's Google app includes code references to a previously hinted-at Face Match feature that, as the name implies, would scan your visage to provide tailored commands on camera-equipped devices. While there isn't a detailed description, you'd have to both train the system and could add multiple devices. Your face profile wouldn't be limited to one gadget, which some companies do in the name of security. You could also invite other people to create profiles.