Earlier today at CES, Google detailed how its Assistant would be available in more cars, headphones, speakers and other devices in 2018. Bang & Olufsen connected speakers are on that list. The Danish audio company already allows voice control through a Google Home speaker, but later this year the feature will be available directly on some of the company's gear. There's no word on exactly when the update will arrive or what models will be included, but due to the hardware upgrade needed to include voice, you will have to buy new devices to take advantage. The company says some existing models may be updated to accommodate Assistant, but future products will also offer it. If you've already committed funds to a pricey B&O speaker, you can employ the feature with an external device -- there won't be a software update to deliver it.

Artificial intelligence dominated CES 2018 in a big way on Monday with major announcements on connected car advances and home system technologies. Google all but declared war on Amazon with its Google Assistant voice technology making its presence known at nearly every turn on the showroom floor. LG rolled out a new lineup of high-end AI OLED and Super UHD televisions infused with its ThinQ AI technology and Alpha 9 technology, combining cinema-quality home entertainment with the ability to voice control the entire home. The ThinQ technology, which integrates LG's WebOS smart TV platform with Google Assistant, will allow customers to use hundreds of voice commands to search for specific content, control various functions on the television, and control home appliances. LG introduced a total of nine new 4K AI OLED televisions, ranging from 55 to 77 inches, and seven new AI UHD televisions ranging from 55 to 75 inches.

Consumers who own in-home digital voice assistant devices are using their smartphones less often for entertainment and online purchasing, according to an online survey of 21,000 consumers in 19 countries by Accenture. The survey revealed that two-thirds of consumers who own digital voice assistants – powered by early stage artificial intelligence – said they use their smartphones for fewer applications in the home since acquiring the devices. Nearly two-thirds of these owners said they use their smartphones less for entertainment, and more than half use them less for online purchasing and general information searches. "Digital voice assistant devices are challenging smartphones as the central hub for all activities in the home," said David Sovie, global managing director of Accenture's High Tech business. "These low-cost devices deliver valuable and practical benefits and are relatively easy to use, and their rapidly growing popularity is one of the most striking trends in the high-tech industry."

Using Alexa in your car is getting more ubiquitous. Ford, Hyundai and Volkswagen all have plans for Amazon's voice control tech, and third parties like Anker, Panasonic, Garmin and Logitech have their own strategy to help you use Alexa while you drive. Now, Toyota has plans to include Amazon's intelligent assistant in select Toyota and Lexus vehicles starting this year. The company also announced at CES that more models will include Alexa via the Toyota Entune and Lexus Enform in-car app systems in 2019. Once you've enabled Alexa in your Toyota or Lexus, you can ask it do to pretty much everything you might at home, including adjusting your smart thermostat, adding items to your shopping list and listening to music or audiobooks with a voice command.

Will.i.am's tech company i.am revealed to TechCrunch at CES today that it had recently purchased headphone maker Earin. The company didn't disclose how much it paid for Earin and Earin's name might not make it through the acquisition, but Earin's products fit with those of i.am for the most part and the purchase seems to be a more logical move than others recently made by the company. So far, i.am has come out with Buttons, its wireless Bluetooth earphones, and a couple of smartwatches, one of which, the Puls, was dubbed "a wearable nightmare" by Mashable. The Black Eyed Pea also produced a wild, high-end iPhone case back in 2012. However, last year, i.am purchased Wink, a maker of smart home hubs, and is said to be working on a virtual assistant called Omega.

Jennifer Jolly's coolest gadgets from CES you'll actually see in your home this year. Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda showed off the all-new 2018 Camry in January. Japanese automaker Toyota will integrate Amazon's Alexa voice assistant into some of its cars as the auto industry increasingly adopts the tech world's hottest offerings to improve the vehicle experience. The deal reflects a partnership between two of the world's largest companies, each of which can stake a claim to having revolutionized their industries. Toyota, whose efficient manufacturing techniques transformed the auto industry, is turning to Alexa to bolster its voice-recognition capability.

At first blush, the bathroom is the most boring possible spot smart-home technology could be applied, except maybe a closet. But consider a mirror that turns on motion-activated lights when you get up in the middle of the night, or tells you the weather in the morning. Consider setting the shower on to the perfect temperature just by asking, before you climb in. There are even "intelligent" toilets in the works though how intelligent they'll be remains to be seen. At an opening press event for CES Sunday, Kohler debuted a voice-enabled lighted mirror with dual-microphones and Amazon.com

Evolving consumer expectations, the rapid adoption of technology and new competitors entering the markets are placing new demands on today's wealth management firms. These trends are re-shaping the look and feel of the industry, and the change is happening across all aspects of the value chain, from client acquisition to advice to ongoing portfolio monitoring and decision-making. According to Ketan Samani, chief digital officer for APAC at UBS Wealth Management, the industry is just at the start of its digital journey. "Wealth management is taking the lead from the retail banks, which experienced high disruption by start-ups in payments, lending and other products," he said. "It is just waking up to the fact that the robo-advisers will do the same. There is a way to go, but the journey has begun."

Jimena Canales is a faculty member of the Graduate College at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and a research affiliate at MIT. She focuses on 19th and 20th century history of the physical sciences and science in the modern world. Her most recent book is titled The Physicist and the Philosopher: Einstein, Bergson and the Debate That Changed Our Understanding of Time. You can learn more about her here. Resolutions abound at this time of year: The close of 2017 and the start to 2018 presents a symbolic "fresh start."

Artificial intelligence was one of the most hyped up technologies in 2017, and 2018 doesn't look like being any different, with good reason – AI is creeping its way into every aspect of our daily lives, whether it's browsing social media or chatting to a smart speaker in the corner of our living rooms. We've heard a lot about AI increasing its presence on smartphones – recognizing objects in photos, powering digital assistants and so on – but plenty of other gadgets now come with built-in AI. Drones need to have some level of autonomy to stop them from falling out of the sky or ramming straight into a tree, and it's thanks to AI that drones like the DJI Phantom 4 Advanced can pilot themselves as and when needed. The Phantom 4 Advanced, like several other models, is smart enough to pick you out from a crowd and can take a selfie of you without you having to be at the controls. The same kind of intelligent tech enables it to identify a quickly approaching obstacle so it can swerve to avoid it – all thanks to the on-board image processing AI.