Emotion artificial intelligence (AI) systems are becoming so sophisticated that Gartner, Inc. predicts that by 2022, personal devices will know more about an individual's emotional state than his or her own family. AI is generating multiple disruptive forces that are reshaping the way we interact with personal technologies. "Emotion AI systems and affective computing are allowing everyday objects to detect, analyse, process and respond to people's emotional states and moods to provide better context and a more personalised experience," said Roberta Cozza, research director at Gartner. "To remain relevant, technology vendors must integrate AI into every aspect of their devices, or face marginalisation." The current wave of emotion AI systems is being driven by the proliferation of virtual personal assistants (VPAs) and other AI-based technology for conversational systems.

Vuzix has been a regular at CES for years, crafting head-mounted displays and smartglasses often aimed at businesses -- or very enthused wearable fans. The Vuzix Blade, its latest pair of augmented reality spectacles tries to balance that B2B / consumer sales pitch by adding a voice assistant. Amazon Alexa's newest home is a pair of smartglasses. Firstly, the crush of a CES evening show is never the best place to test out a voice assistant: you need a strong connection to make her receptive to your requests. So, pretty much all my Alexa queries fell on deaf robot ears.

With the ever-increasing popularity of Amazon Echo smart speakers, it's no surprise to see more and more companies jumping on the bandwagon and releasing devices with Alexa capabilities aimed at improving our lives. CES 2018 is now in full-swing and the Alexa powered devices are being announced in their droves. We'll be updating this list as the new devices are revealed and there are bound to be plenty, so keep checking back to see what's new. Amazon's recent releases of both the Amazon Fire TV and Amazon Fire TV stick have included Alexa built right into the remote control allowing users to talk to their television. AI-powered television is nothing new then, but that's not going to stop TV manufacturers including the functionality as standard.

GE Appliances today revealed its Kitchen Hub, a 27-inch device that replaces the range hood above the oven and stove. When released later this year, in addition to more traditional tasks like ventilation, the Kitchen Hub will control other GE appliances, show your calendar, and provide access to smart home devices like security cameras. Cameras facing outward can be used for video calls when cooking, while those facing down can be used to take pictures or video of stovetop activity. Like other connected GE Appliances devices, the Kitchen Hub will be able to work with Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant. Smart control of your kitchen, combined with video chats and getting video of that incredibly chicken curry you've been perfecting, makes the hub unique compared to other offerings, but this seems like tech that will only be accessible or useful if you're tall enough to reach eye level with the top of your range hood.

Amazon's Alexa is everywhere at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2018 but as Google races to catch up, some question the long-term prospects of the "smart speaker" market.

Emotion artificial intelligence (AI) systems are becoming so sophisticated that Gartner predicts that by 2022, personal devices will know more about an individual's emotional state than his or her own family. AI is generating multiple disruptive forces that are reshaping the way we interact with personal technologies. "Emotion AI systems and affective computing are allowing everyday objects to detect, analyse, process and respond to people's emotional states and moods to provide better context and a more personalised experience," said Roberta Cozza, research director at Gartner. "To remain relevant, technology vendors must integrate AI into every aspect of their devices, or face marginalisation." The current wave of emotion AI systems is being driven by the proliferation of virtual personal assistants (VPAs) and other AI-based technology for conversational systems.

Facebook is killing a buzzy version of its personal assistant "M," which was powered by artificial intelligence and real-life humans. The service, which helped people set up appointments and buy things, was available through a Messenger bot--but only to about 2,000 in California people throughout its two-year lifespan. The company said it would close the project on Jan. 19, The Verge reported. When announced in August 2015, Facebook said M could do more than other AI assistants on the market because it was being "supervised by people." The company never followed through on plans to roll it on a larger scale.

Bitcoin and blockchain entered the consumer lexicon in a media frenzy that saw it hit $19,000 USD per coin (albeit for only 20 minutes) and led thousands of new hopefuls to Google'what is bitcoin and how will it make me rich?' And the WannaCry cyberattack saw consumers' cherished photos and documents held to ransom, crippling Britain's NHS and reminding everyone that cybersecurity isn't just for big corporations or spy agencies. With all of that in mind, along with Niels Bohr's observation that prediction is very difficult (especially about the future), here are our six predictions about how these key themes -- AI and Machine Learning (ML), IoT, security, blockchain -- are likely to begin to make a real difference in the way all of us interact with technology in 2018… Ever tried to use Siri offline? Suddenly, your knowledgeable little friend becomes rather dumb. In 2017, AI fed consumers content on Facebook or Netflix while assistants such as Siri, Alexa or Google Assistant identified what song was playing or what the weather would be like tomorrow.

LAS VEGAS -- Google Assistant has a message for its digital assistant rival: "Hey, Alexa, I can show stuff, too." Google is teaming with four consumer tech companies to bring its digital helper to the video screen soon. Consider it a direct challenge to rival Amazon, which started selling its touchscreen Echo Show with Alexa earlier this year. The question now is whether customers will want to buy Google's version of these "show and tell" speakers, which Google calls Smart Displays and will be sold by JBL, LG, Lenovo and Sony. Until now, Google has competed in the smart speaker space against Amazon's various Echo's with its own Google Home speakers, which lack a display.

LAS VEGAS – Alphabet Inc.'s Google said on Monday its voice-controlled virtual assistant will show up this year in new tablet-like devices designed by LG Electronics Inc and Sony Corp. as the technology company seeks to challenge Amazon.com Dubbed smart displays by Google, the new devices introduce tablet-like screens to speakers that can obey oral commands to perform tasks like playing music, dimming lights, locking doors and setting alarms. JBL and Lenovo Group Ltd also are developing smart displays, Google said. Amazon kick-started the market for smart speakers in 2014 with its Echo device, which included the Alexa virtual assistant. The company added a screen for the first time in June, calling the device the Echo Show.