Smart assistants already have the potential to make our lives much easier. Why, then, are a significant number of people are still using Amazon Alexa as just a kitchen timer? Like them, I bought Alexa full of expectations, excited by the opportunity to try out my first personal AI assistant. Now, a year later, Alexa has become little more than a media player for my son. Though we do use it every now and again as a kitchen timer.

There are so many amazing ways artificial intelligence and machine learning are used behind the scenes to impact our everyday lives and inform business decisions and optimize operations for some of the world's leading companies. Here are 27 amazing practical examples of AI and machine learning. Using natural language processing, machine learning and advanced analytics, Hello Barbie listens and responds to a child. A microphone on Barbie's necklace records what is said and transmits it to the servers at ToyTalk. There, the recording is analyzed to determine the appropriate response from 8,000 lines of dialogue.

When you picture a personal assistant, you probably envision a celebrity -- or at least someone very wealthy -- walking around with a "shadow" who takes her messages, makes her travel plans, helps her pick out the perfect outfit, and eliminates other daily tasks from her lengthy to-do list. If you've ever wished you could have a personal assistant of your own, then you're in luck. Personal assistants are quickly becoming accessible to the masses -- thanks to AI and other emerging tech. In fact, technology really has been an equalizer when it comes to providing everyday people access to personal concierge services. Besides Siri or Google on your smartphone, Amazon's Alexa and Google Home may be some of the first digital "personal" assistants that come to mind.

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There are many components to cognition, what humans consider "thinking". There are parts scattered around research areas and markets. Too many times, people are focused on one specific branch. What's more interesting to see is how the parts are interacting. Manufacturing is a clear area where the integration of different parts of artificial intelligence (AI) is happening.

Apple has updated its MacBook Pro laptops with new processors, keyboards and display technology, and hands-free Siri. The update is slightly more than an expected specifications improvement for Apple's popular "Pro" laptops. Both the 13-inch and 15in MacBook Pros with Touch Bar will now come equipped with the latest eighth-generation Intel Core i5, i7 and i9 processors, bringing them into line with competition from Windows PC manufacturers such as Huawei, Dell and others. The 13in laptop gains quad-core versions of the i5 and i7 processors, up from the dual-core versions used until now, which Apple says will be up to twice as fast. The larger 15in laptop gains 6-core i7 and i9 processors, replacing the quad-core versions, which Apple says will be 70% faster.

If you have an Amazon Echo in your home you already know how useful it can be. Whether you want to play music, turn on your lights, or just check the weather, Amazon's Alexa-powered smart speakers can pretty much do it all. And that includes making calls. That's right, you can use your Echo devices to call people in your contacts, even if they don't have an Echo device of their own. Here's how it all works: The first thing you need to do is give Alexa access to your contacts.

Earlier this year Google unveiled Google Duplex -- a human-sounding robot able to have a conversation with a person on a telephone In many cases, the person couldn't distinguish that they were talking to a robot. It is, as Google explained, technology that is meant to carry out real world tasks over the phone, such as scheduling certain types of appointments. It is not meant for everyday conversations, Google also said -- rather Duplex has been trained in a specific domain, such as taking restaurant reservations, and can only hold a conversation in that domain. There is a school of thought that all of the current research and advancements in personal assistants, in artificial technology and in robotics are heading for a convergence of these technologies -- say a walking, talking robot that is able to run errands for you. This development is not here yet but as creations such as Duplex show, they are coming closer to reality.

Mr. Giannandrea assumes control of Siri as it tries to fend off rising competition from rivals such as Alphabet Inc.'s Google Assistant and Amazon.com Those voice assistants have outperformed Apple's product in independent tests on its ability to accurately answer questions, forcing the iPhone maker to play catch up in a category it pioneered. Apple officially shifted responsibility for Siri to software chief Craig Federighi last September. It had been overseen by senior vice president Eddy Cue since 2012. Voice-driven virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa, powered by artificial-intelligence technology, are gaining popularity by making it simpler for people to perform computing tasks like searching for information, shopping, and switching on lights.