Maybe Ed Doran really does like to listen to Jamaican-infused Nordic metal bands, maybe he doesn't. Either way, there are times he wants to crank the music up to 11, and times it's better muted. Unfortunately, artificial intelligence can't always tell the difference, and that missing context ranks among the key challenges developers face as they try to craft a smoother and more-useful interaction between humans and machines, the principal program manager at Microsoft Research AI said at South by Southwest earlier this month. Despite the occasional bold prediction or prophesy of doom, the discussions about AI at this year's SXSW festivities took a more pragmatic tone this year than in the past. While several panels still contemplated our long-term future -- one, for example, considered the possibility of consciousness in machines -- most of the researchers, developers and pundits set their sights on the challenges AI faces in the here and now. They talked about improving human-machine interactions, reducing bias in data sets and developer teams and, as Doran noted, enhancing an AI system's sense of context and human environment.

Google on Thursday announced a new Google Assistant feature: the ability to transfer money to your friends as well as request cash using voice and Google Pay. The feature will work not only on Android smartphones and tablets, but also on iPhones -- as long as Google Assistant is installed on your iOS device, courtesy of the Google app. In the future, smart speakers will also get the functionality. Obviously, to make voice-based money transfers work via Google's Assistant, you need to set up Google Pay on your Google account. That's the actual part that handles the money changing virtual hands.

The virtual personal assistant for MSC Cruises guests is a conversational, voice-enabled Artificial Intelligence innovation that can communicate, learn and intelligently predict guests' needs to make relevant suggestions.

Brad Smith is Microsoft's President and Chief Legal Officer. Harry Shum is the Executive Vice President of Microsoft AI and Research Group. They've teamed to write this foreword for the company's new book. Twenty years ago, we both worked at Microsoft, but on opposite sides of the globe. In 1998, one of us was living and working in China as a founding member of the Microsoft Research Asia lab in Beijing. Five thousand miles away, the other was based at the company's headquarters, just outside of Seattle, leading the international legal and corporate affairs team. While we lived on separate continents and in quite different cultures, we shared a common workplace experience within Microsoft, albeit with differing routines before we arrived at the office. At that time in the United States, waking to the scent of brewing coffee was a small victory in technology automation. It meant that you had remembered to set the timer on the programmable coffee maker the night before. As you drank that first cup of coffee, you typically watched the morning news on a standard television or turned the pages of the local newspaper to learn what had happened while you slept.

You've no doubt heard the buzz about smart speakers. Why else would you be reading this article? A few years ago, if you wanted a smart speaker with a hands-free digital assistant, there was only one option. The Amazon Echo was one-of-a-kind when it debuted in November 2014, and it launched into uncharted waters unsure if it would find a home with consumers. But it was a smash hit, and was quickly followed up by the Google Home and a slew of third-party devices with Alexa or Google Assistant built in. Even Apple finally joined the party with the HomePod in early February.

CDs and vinyls are outselling digital downloads for the first time since 2011 thanks to streaming services, industry figures reveal. Apps like Spotify and Apple Music have seen an astronomical rise in popularity in recent years and this has all but destroyed the digital download market. As more people choose to stream music rather than own it, sales of physical media are now falling at a slower rate than their digital counterparts. This has been driven, in part, by a resurgence in vinyl sales among audiophiles, who prize the format's unique sound. CD's and vinyl copies of music are outselling their digital counterparts for the first time since 2011.

Welcome to your living room, the latest battleground for tech companies vying for your allegiance. What started as Amazon staking its claim with the Echo line of smart speakers now includes competition from Google and Apple, too. It's not just tiny smart speakers, either -- all three companies have launched Hi-Fi systems in the past few months in an attempt to appeal to audiophiles. But while the Sonos One with Alexa and the Apple HomePod have mustered a ton of press since their debuts, the Google Home Max hasn't picked up quite as much traction. It's not that the Home Max is underwhelming -- it's just that the Sonos One is surprisingly affordable, while the HomePod launched to much fanfare because it's Apple's first foray into the smart-speaker space.

Digital banking has not only gone mainstream but in many cases, it has become the only point of contact between banks and their customers. While financial services delivered through digital channels have brought the convenience of anywhere, anytime banking to consumers, what is the cost? And, are banks living up to the expectations of their customers? One of the main challenges the financial industry faces is the risk of diminished customer relationships as we make the shift to digital. Let's face it, online banking sites can be pretty impersonal.

Years ago, AI specialists worked at universities; now they are raffled in Silicon Valley. While large companies, such as Apple, Google or Facebook, are making significant investments in research and the acquisition of specialized startups in this field. On the other hand, words such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning or big data, appear more and more frequently in the media. Listed in this article are 5 large companies that already use artificial intelligence. Surely, the best known artificial intelligence product of Apple is Siri, its virtual personal assistant, included in the iPhone and the latest iPad.

Connected home monitoring company TruSense has just released a new smart personal emergency response pendent (PERS) that, when combined with TruSense home, integrates its sensors with Amazon Echo and Alexa. The company's latest technology also uses GPS to notify caregivers when the pendent isn't being worn. "Anyone who has ordered a PERS wearable device for their loved ones knows the biggest issue is getting them to wear it," Rob Deubell, senior vice president for TruSense, said in a statement. "Seniors are often at risk with single-solution products, as they have a false sense of security when they forget to charge or wear their pendants. The TruSense GPS Smart Pendant works in concert with TruSense Home, and can detect and alert caregivers, as well as the senior, via automated phone call or text messages in the event they leave home without their pendant. Through integration with leading consumer products, including the Amazon Echo, family members now have a new way of being supportive anytime simply by asking Alexa where their loved one is and how they are doing. TruSense delivers multiple layers of protection, providing a 24-7 safety net, and therefore additional peace of mind for families."