My Google Assistant is many things, but it's mostly a meteorologist. I work 40 miles from my apartment, and the Bay Area's many microclimates mean I'll experience several weathers between my door and my desk. The questions come in the same order every morning: Hey Google, what's the weather in San Jose? Google's latest smart speaker emphasizes smart over speaker: it's a small pebble of a thing, about the size of a crosswise slice of a softball. Unlike, say, the Home Max, which Google built to sound great, the Mini's just supposed to be so small, so cheap, and so simply designed that you'll put it somewhere and never notice it again.

AI and Machine Learning are constantly used together as one, but is this correct? Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are terms that are currently filling the air in the tech world and across a range of industries, as plans for massive disruption begin to take shape. Both technologies are set to be central to the future, particularly in critical fields such as cybersecurity, and the financial services. Technology is developing at a gallop, and an ever widening skills gap is causing concern, driving the need for technology to fill in for the lack of human skills. However, it is common that the two terms are haphazardly thrown together under the banner of automation, or simply used together without distinction.

The Echo Show currently costs $200, down from its original asking price of $230. Amazon is hoping the temporary sale price will convince you to overlook the fact that the device no longer supports YouTube. Google removed its popular video service from Amazon's touchscreen smart speaker late last month, and it may never return. At the time, the search giant claimed the Echo Show violated its terms of service by creating a "broken user experience." But, just days later, news broke that Google may be mulling a similar product of its own (to add to its expanding Home line-up).

If you're really, really awkward in Skype text conversations, or you just want someone to think you're paying attention without all that pesky human interaction, you can now get help from Cortana. All you need do is add Cortana as a Skype contact – currently, only if you're in the USA, running Skype on Android and iOS – and Redmond's not-at-all creepy service will scan your text conversations, run it through its AI and offer its suggestions. As shown in Microsoft's FAQ for the service, once you've okayed Cortana to access your texts and location she'll suggest appropriate responses in chats … How does Microsoft describe this plastic-pal-who's-fun-to-be-with stuff? With Cortana's in-context assistance, it's easier to keep your conversations going by having Cortana suggest useful information based on your chat, like restaurant options or movie reviews. Cortana also suggests smart replies, allowing you to respond to any message quickly and easily--without typing a thing.

Those who are worried about the technology rising up and enslaving us can sleep easy for the moment; the average six-year-old has a higher IQ.

You can already count on a dash of AI assistance in some mobile messaging apps, whether it's Google Assistant in Allo or the smart replies you find across iOS. But what if Skype is your chat app of choice? You're covered: as of today, Microsoft is rolling out its Cortana assistant to the Skype apps for Android and iOS. You can talk directly to Cortana if you want to ask about directions, flights or the weather, but it promises to be the biggest help inside your normal conversations. Skype now has smart replies that pop up based on what your contacts are saying as well as event-related activity.

AI assistant Cortana is now available on Skype, Microsoft announced today. Cortana on Skype can chat either one-on-one, like you would with any friend, or be summoned into conversations to handle tasks like scheduling events, finding nearby restaurants, or sharing IMDB movie reviews. Cortana for Skype will begin to roll out today for iOS and Android users in the United States, according to a blog post. Cortana will now appear as a permanent contact in every Skype user's contact list. When chatting one-on-one, Cortana can answer questions the same way she can elsewhere: Ask for things like directions or a weather forecast and Cortana will deliver answers via visual cards.

When we come across the term Artificial Intelligence (AI), most of us imagine robots and talking computers from movies, prepping for a revolution to overthrow the human race and take over the world. A comprehensive definition by Gartner, explains AI as, "Technology that appears to emulate human performance typically by learning, coming to its own conclusions, appearing to understand complex content, engaging in natural dialogs with people, enhancing human cognitive performance (also known as cognitive computing) or replacing people on execution of nonroutine tasks." Studying our choices and behavior helps Netflix recommend movies and shows, while Amazon uses that information to help us shop. Using AI To Improve Customer Experience Artificial Intelligence in business and chatbots can greatly improve customer experience, and having realized this, companies are harnessing their power to create more personalized experiences for customers.

You've done it and you've certainly received them: accidental calls from a cell phone that's shoved into a purse or pocket. Why in this age of great tech advance is this so common -- and how can you stop it? Butt dials and pocket dials: Here's why they keep happening. It happens a few times every week. And while their butt-dials are mostly sweet -- I get to eavesdrop on a tiny snippet of their day -- I can't help but wonder why this still happens as often as it does.

Artificial Intelligence is a term we've been hearing for the past few decades. From its humble beginnings towards the end of the 20th century via depictions in movies such as Terminator and Robocop, to its more recent manifestations via chatbots and shopping recommendation engines, AI and Machine Learning techniques are now well-poised to wipe out redundancy and disguised unemployment at the workplace. Let's take a closer look at understanding AI, its disruption capability, and how you can future-proof yourself. So, what is AI, and how does it work? Data forms the backbone of any organisational decision today.