Amazon has a new way to reel you into Audible now that smart speakers are a big deal: give you a freebie just by asking. As of this week, anyone who's new to Audible can ask an Echo speaker to read a full audiobook at no cost. You don't have to be picky about your choice of book, either, so you can ask for the hot new novel if that's your preference. Naturally, Amazon is hoping you'll be so enamored that you sign up on the spot -- if you aren't, though, you can at least say that it didn't take much effort to get that free book in the first place.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning permeated HIMSS18 such that the dynamic duo was just about everywhere in Las Vegas last week. From expected experts such as long-time Google executive Eric Schmidt to surprise speakers, notably White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner, discussing it on stage, the promise was palpable, the use cases more numerous than ever before. Add EHR vendors to that roster. Allscripts, athenahealth, Cerner, eClinicalWorks and Epic revealed big plans for adding AI into the workflow in forthcoming iterations of their electronic health records platforms. Anyone who hoofed it over to Microsoft's booth may have encountered a rendering of something at least conceptually similar in the form of a Surface monitor displaying Epic's EHR and AI running in conjunction with Microsoft's Azure.

A common problem for any scaling business is bringing on the right help at the right time. Small-business owners often find that the people they can afford don't have the skills or experience to do the job well, and the people they want cost too much relative to the business's current cash flow. Most of the work is labor intensive, repetitive, boring and must be done correctly. As luck would have it, that's exactly the kind of tasks we build computers to do. In the past 15 or so years, outsourcing to international assistants and part-time workers has been the go-to solution for entrepreneurs looking to grow on a budget.

In its relatively short existence, online dating has gone from being a highly stigmatized way to meet people to the default strategy for locating dates among younger, and even older, generations. Older models based on sites like eHarmony have given way to gamified systems like Tinder and its contemporaries, but the equation has remained mostly unchanged. Users create profiles intended to exhibit the best possible impression (sometimes to the point of exaggeration or lying) before other users make selections based on limited information if they are interested. The industry is undoubtedly in a boom after millions of new users flocked to join online dating services in recent years, but it is not without its headwinds. Most of the existing apps, including major names like Tinder and Bumble, create little incentive for honesty, rewarding those whose profile looks best, and not the most transparent.

Amazon CTO Werner Vogels told Axios in an interview that Alexa "will greatly improve by being exposed to different kinds of statements or conversations." This is because we have different kinds of conversations at work than we do at home. Exposing Alexa to this new type of environment will broaden the virtual assistant's skills and responses. The company has already gotten started on Alexa for Business. Challenges include finding a way for Alexa to integrate with enterprise software, as well as providing a framework for businesses to write custom skills for the voice assistant.

This is the year every voice assistant adds native iPad support, it seems. Hot on the heels of Microsoft's Cortana update, Google has released an iPad-friendly version of Assistant. The updated app takes full advantage of the tablet's larger screen, of course, but that also includes multitasking support in iOS 11 -- you can send commands to the AI companion while you're chatting with a friend or planning your day. The app is available now in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Brazilian Portugese and Spanish.

In the era of big data, unless one's portfolio is in tune with the evolving digital trend, making prudent investment choices can prove to be a daunting task. Millennials have started to recognize the increasing need of the emerging automation trend and subsequently robotics, IoT, 3D printing are becoming part of our daily life with the latest buzzword being Artificial Intelligence (AI). While Siri and Ok Google have made life easier, the latest version of Global Positioning System helps track almost anything and everything along with its intelligent route map. Also, not being a pro on social network sites like Facebook, Twitter or snapchat can be seen as primitive. According to investment giant Jim Cramer, AI along with big data will soon let companies to bat a thousand. Interestingly, the benefits of the same will not remain restricted to any particular industry but will be felt across all business segments and investment arenas.

This story was delivered to BI Intelligence Apps and Platforms Briefing subscribers hours before appearing on Business Insider. To be the first to know, please click here. Google unveiled a slew of new features for its ecosystem of Google Assistant voice apps, called "Actions," the company announced last week. Google Assistant actions are similar to Amazon Alexa skills. The new features -- Custom Device Actions, push notifications, and support for media playback -- could incentivize more developers to create actions for Google Assistantand drive consumer engagement, ultimately making Google Assistant a stronger competitor in the voice assistant landscape.

Data is now considered one of the most important commodities. An explosion of consumer data has enabled companies and brands to more easily forge one-to-one relationships by offering tailored experiences and recommendations to end-consumers. Now, these savvy consumers have come to expect this type of personalized interaction from consumer-facing companies. The internet, which is one of the most transformative innovations of the modern era, has been the catalyst for this. With respect to shopping, in particular, the internet has put more power in the hands of consumers.

Neato first unveiled the Botvac D7 Connected vacuum over six months ago and it has finally arrived in the US and Europe. The company's flagship robotic vacuum packs a lot of tech, including Amazon Alexa and Google Home voice control, a floor planner that lets you set no-go zones (pet and children's areas, for instance), and the LaserSmart system that can guide it in the dark. It supports IFTTT, Android Wear and Apple Watch, and using the iOS and Android Neato app, you can check coverage maps to see where it has cleaned.