Well, it was bound to happen. Over the past several months, smartphone manufacturers have been hungering for a new hook -- a new way to make mobile devices seem fresh, exciting, and wallet-worthy at a point when last year's models still seem perfectly fine to most people. It's a cycle we've seen in AndroidLand plenty of times before. In the early days, each new iteration of a phone was faster than the last. Then came the display resolution phase.

In her recently published 2018 trends report, Mary Meeker discussed how the combination of accelerated data gathering due to computer adoption and the declining cost of cloud computing, have enabled Artificial Intelligence (AI) to emerge as a service platform. There are many definitions of AI, from machines that work and think like humans, through to "any device that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximise its change of successfully achieving its goal". Whilst the specifics of the definition are still discussed, what is now unequivocal is the power AI has to shape our lives, with intelligent assistants such as Siri and Alexa understanding our spoken commands, predictive maintenance algorithms that can optimise equipment repair, and cars that can drive themselves. However, even as AI creeps deeper and deeper into our everyday lives, serious questions remain about artificial responsibility. In an interview with Newsweek, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google said:"AI is one of the most important things that humanity is working on. It's more profound than, I don't know, electricity or fire. They learn to harness fire for the benefits of humanity, but we will have to overcome its downsides, too. My point is AI is really important, but we have to be concerned about it," AI uses existing data to make predictions, such as taking logs of previous service centre calls to automatically predict the correct response to give to customer questions.

The last ten years have been a rough time for many bank employees in Spain. The country's lenders have laid off 89,500 workers on the back of narrowing margins, industry consolidation, mass closures of branches and gathering digitization. In 2008, when the financial crisis struck, Spain was home to some 278,000 banking professionals; today there are just 195,000. Another 3,000 redundancies are expected in the coming months, as Santander and Bankia plan to further streamline their businesses, pushing the total number of layoffs close to 95,000. The job losses are unlikely to end there. In fact, they could accelerate, especially if a potential new threat to traditional branch and front-office jobs materializes: artificial intelligence (AI).

Last year, Dish launched an Amazon Alexa skill for its Hopper and Wally set-top boxes that allowed users to change the channel, search for shows or control playback with their voice. Now, the company is expanding its Alexa capabilities with the ability to set recordings, launch apps such as Pandora or Netflix and navigate Home, Guide, DVR, On Demand, Settings and Help menus on Hopper boxes. You can see full list of Alexa integrations over on Dish's website, along with setup instructions to connect your Alexa-capable device to your box. It's always nice to see functionality added to our existing devices, and hands-free voice control is never a thing we're going to complain about.

Google Home speakers can already perform two commands at the same time. But what if you live in a particularly connected household, where you may need to juggle more tasks? The company has an answer: support three simultaneous requests. So long as you form full queries with "and" in between, you can multitask like a pro using only the spoken word. This could be particularly helpful if you want to turn on the lights, increase the temperature and play some tunes without having a Routine in place.

Apple will offer more ways for people to limit the time they spend on iPhones. Features introduced Monday at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference aim to address criticism that devices are becoming increasingly addictive and distracting. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) released new guidelines for its iOS devices, which ultimately will outlaw "mining" cryptocurrencies. These new rules will restrict apps that drain battery, generate excessive heat, or put unnecessary strain on the device. Tech giant Apple has updated its developer guidelines to explicitly ban "mining" cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. The new rules restrict apps that drain battery, generate excessive heat, or put unnecessary strain on device resources -- all of which take place in bitcoin mining.

Hinge made a name for itself in the crowded dating app market by suggesting matches with friends of your Facebook connections. However, now it looks like the service is swiping left on the social network. Starting today, users on both Android and iOS will no longer be required to use Facebook to log into Hinge. Instead, they can use phone number verification. The rollout (which has been underway since June 5th) is a product of what Hinge users wanted.

There have been reports about Dish and Amazon discussing a partnership to enter the wireless business. Dish has been buying up spectrum, or radio frequencies that carry the data flowing through devices.

It's undeniable that robots are part of our future; they already play huge roles in numerous facets of our everyday lives right now. But should you rely on robo-advisors to control your finances? In a new piece for CNBC, Eric Jansen, the founder, president and chief investment officer of AspenCross Wealth Mangement, breaks down the pros and cons of employing a robo-advisor. It sounds like something out of sci-fi, but yes, it's now a reality thanks to recent AI and FinTech developments: you can now hand your cash to robots so they can apply their cold, calculated machine efficiency to make it grow into more money. Go to any FinTech hub like New York City or San Francisco and you'll find numerous companies specializing in this service.

Driving a car is one of the most fun things to do, well, not so much when you're stuck in hours of traffic. Still, one has to realize that despite the fun aspect, driving is not as safe as we would like due to our constant need to grab our smartphones. Additionally, most vehicles on public roads today lack the built-in smarts to aid drivers during their daily commute. That's where Chris comes into play, a device designed to help drivers enjoy their journey without having to sacrifice safety. Chris is a digital assistant for drivers that allows them to enjoy apps and other features on their mobile device without the need to for physical interaction.