Forget stealing your job... in the future, a robot may well steal your heart. Technology is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to the impact it is having on all aspects of modern life, including relationships. Long gone are the days of finding love in the traditional sense, with people opting to use apps like Tinder or websites like match.com, No more is the spontaneity of meeting someone over coffee or through friends something that rouses excitement of the unknown, where you have to invest time in finding out what someone is really like. Thanks to social media, you can find out more about your potential partner, their history and more before even meeting them!

Then one day I had my wisdom teeth pulled and my cheeks became grapefruits. Figuring this was not a great first-date look, I made no weekend plans. Lonely and alone on a Saturday night, I started scrolling through OkCupid and, out of boredom and curiosity, expanded my search options to include users anywhere in the world. I was drawn in by the profiles of some of these new, distant matches and messaged a few asking if they'd like to chat on the phone. That weekend I talked to a neuropsychologist from Milwaukee; a software developer from Austin, Texas; an improv instructor from Seattle; and an economics masters student from London.

According to the latest market research report "Artificial Intelligence Market by Offering (Hardware, Software, Services), Technology (Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Context-Aware Computing, Computer Vision), End-User Industry, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the market is expected to grow from USD 21.46 Billion in 2018 to USD 190.61 Billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 36.62% between 2018 and 2025. Major drivers for the market are growing big data, the increasing adoption of cloud-based applications and services, and increasing demand for intelligent virtual assistants. The major restraint for the market is the limited number of AI technology experts. Browse 67 tables and 48 figures spread through 205 pages and in-depth TOC on "Artificial Intelligence Market - Global Forecast to 2025" The market for services is expected to grow at the highest CAGR between 2018 and 2025. The adoption of AI is rapidly increasing in various applications.

LAS VEGAS, NV - JANUARY 04: Tim Baxter, President and Chief Operating Officer of Samsung Electronics America, speaks during a press event for CES 2017 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on January 4, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Almost 250 years after James Watt filed his first patent in 1769, we have reached a turning point in this new industrial revolution, as ecosystem evolutions enable a new wave of innovative products to come to life. Based on analysis of over 200 hardware startups, the HAX Hardware Trends Report has identified six key ways the world of connected devices has evolved and will impact our lives in the coming years. If Internet was a revolution, it was only the beginning: the physical world is being re-invented and every industry is being affected, from construction to insurance. Investment is booming with 36 startups having raised over US$100M (there were only 8 of them three years ago) and there are 18 unicorns (private companies with a valuation above US$1B), representing close to 10% of the global blessing.

Pinterest, the image sharing service, has billions of images, known as "pins," that millions of users organize, save and persuse. But with so much content, displaying interesting and useful pins for each user is a challenge. One of Pinterest's recent efforts in improving this experience illustrates Trend 1 of the Accenture Technology Vision 2017, "AI is the New UI." For years, Pinterest has been experimenting with artificial intelligence, and one of the most popular ways to find new images is through Related Pins – an AI-driven recommendation system based on what users have pinned before. This year, Pinterest is taking things a step further.

The company's first foray into smart tech adds Amazon's Alexa to a great wireless speaker to create a formidable combo Thu 15 Feb 2018 02.00 EST Last modified on Thu 15 Feb 2018 02.02 EST Having practically invented the multi-room wireless speaker category in 2005, Sonos has lagged behind in the race to become smart. Now the Sonos One is here, packing Alexa in the top and premium audio in the bottom. The Sonos One is very deliberately designed to look, feel and sound like the company's successful Play: 1 – a compact wireless speaker launched in 2013 at about £150 that was arguably the best for the money for years. Side-by-side they look identical apart from the top of the speaker, which is flat on the One, perforated by holes for the microphones that enable the voice assistant to hear you. The 161mm tall cuboid with rounded corners is available in black or white and is designed like a traditional bookshelf speaker.

The e-commerce players today exploit the Artificial Intelligence to "coach" their customers online. To what extent is this new model transferable to physical retail? There is no doubt that Artificial Intelligence technologies are set to take off considerably in retail, especially e-commerce. Like virtual coaches, conversational robots are now able to interact directly with the consumer on the net and respond to their requests via instant messengers such as Messenger or Whatsapp. From Amazon to e-Bay and Uber, most of the major players on the web use these chatbots to inform their customers, accompany them in their purchase journey or facilitate the take control.

Amazon wants to cut the lag time between your asking Alexa a question and the virtual assistant giving you an answer. According to a report by The Information, the online retailer is developing its own artificial intelligence chips to be used in Echo devices and other hardware. If successfully created and deployed, these AI chips would allow more voice-based requests to be processed on-device rather than going to the cloud. Currently, Alexa needs to contact the cloud to interpret commands. That's why there's a short delay after you ask the virtual assistant a question--she needs to analyze the command and gather an answer with help from the cloud.

In 2018, disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and computer vision are maturing, going from game-changing ideas to foundational tools for business. This year, we'll see these and other technologies drive how business gets done and what new products will launch in the near future. To get a sense of what's ahead for this year, we looked at the technologies experts say are most likely to affect a wide variety of organizations as they undergo digital transformations. Pros in these fields gave us their top picks for what should be on your radar, as well as some insight into the implications of adopting these new technologies. Last month, Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase announced a joint venture with a focus on using technology to offer their employees and their families "simplified, high-quality and transparent healthcare at a reasonable cost."

The war for your digital home is waging. Apple has finally followed Amazon, Google and Microsoft by launching a smart speaker with a voice-controlled artificial intelligence assistant. Yet even though the "HomePod" is another technological marvel, there's a chance Apple is already losing the battle. The competition isn't just through the sound quality of the speaker – but the other things that users can do with it. The most common requests to AI personal assistants such as Apple's Siri are reportedly to play music, read the weather forecast and set timers or reminders.