Virtual advisors are helping meet the demands of investors who want data-driven insight and a rich, personalized experience akin to Netflix. Cognitive software platforms, which provide the tools to analyze, organize, access, and provide advisory services based on a range of structured and unstructured data, are set to attract investment of nearly US$2.5 billion in this year alone. Additionally, spending on intelligent and cognitive applications is forecast by IDC to grow at an impressive 69 percent compound annual growth rate from 2017 to 2020. Driving this explosion is the fact that more data will be created in 2017 than in the last 5,000 years. And it's expected to increase three-fold from this year until 2021.

The "plus" in the Amazon Echo Plus is an integrated ZigBee smart-home hub. It's a feature that boosts this smart speaker's price tag by a third compared to the $100 second-generation Echo, and by a factor of three compared to the $50 second-generation Echo Dot. Having one smart appliance do the job of two sounds like a good idea, but most people will be happier with a more powerful smart-home hub that works in conjunction with Alexa, even if the combination costs more. Amazon is way out in front when it comes to enabling voice control of the smart home, thanks to partnerships with all the major players--DIY platforms like Samsung SmartThings and the Wink Hub 2 as well as big installers such as Vivint Smart Home and ADT Pulse--and a deep commitment to helping any and every interested third-party manufacturer tap into its Amazon Voice Service (i.e., its Alexa digital assistant). I can recommend any Echo model--except this one.

The Echo Show is the first of Amazon's Alexa-enabled devices to feature a screen, and to be honest, it's pretty darn cool. While the Show may be the most expensive* of the Echo lineup, ringing in at $229.99, it includes a slew of features and skills you can't get from the other Echo devices, thanks to the 7-inch touchscreen and camera. So why would you want to choose the more expensive Show over the new Echo ($99.99) or the more affordable Dot (on sale for $29.99)? There are several Show-specific skills that are both fun and functional. From watching HD movie trailers to making video calls, these are our picks for the top 10 skills you definitely need to try with your Amazon Echo Show.

We have heard terms like'artificial intelligence' and'machine learning' bandied about often, but do we really know what they hold for us in the coming days? Data Science may have become hot in this decade, but its existence can be traced back to more than a couple of decades ago. A lot of academic research took place in data science (data mining) then, but there was no application in the market; it was all theoretical and mathematical. Kirk Borne, Principal Data Scientist and Executive Advisor at Booz Allen Hamilton, shared some nuggets of wisdom in the field of data analytics and prediction, at the recently concluded DataHack Summit. Given his experience in the field of astrophysics, he emphasised the need for companies and individuals to be inspired and illuminated in the world of analytics.

There's nothing like cosying up in front of a roaring fire during the Christmas holidays, but you can't exactly stoke the embers from your smartphone on the way home from work. Turning your central heating up to tropical temperatures from afar is something you can do with Tado's smart heating system, though. This week, we're giving away one of Tado's connected thermostat starter kits, two smart radiator valves for creating specific heating zones, and free installation for the lot. The smart thermostat also works with Alexa, Siri and Google's Assistant, so there are plenty of ways to fiddle with the dial without taking your hands out of those toasty pockets. Go ahead and get your entries in via the Rafflecopter widget below, but make sure to familiarise yourself with the giveaway rules first.

Saudi Arabia recently declared a robot to be a citizen, which shows just how deep the misunderstanding of where we're at with AI really is. Real talk: we don't have an AI that can come close to a human level of intelligence. Personal assistants like Siri, Alexa, Cortana and Google Assistant all try to give the illusion of intelligence, with jokes and all the knowledge of the internet on tap, but there's a lot of smoke and mirrors going on. The jokes are pre-written by humans, and past the speech interface, it's pretty much a dressed-up internet browser. As the AI hype shoots up into the stratosphere, it gives the public an increasingly unrealistic view of the true applications and progress of the research.

By 2019, about 40% of retailers will develop a customer experience architecture supported by artificial intelligence, with such platforms providing up to a 30% conversion increase and a 25% revenue bump due to hyper-micro personalization, according to IDC Retail Insights' list of 10 retail predictions. Among other predictions, IDC speculated that by 2021 10% of chain retail sales will be created and managed via voice-enabled digital assistants, which will accelerate the predominance of marketplaces for buying everyday goods. Also, in the midst of rapidly evolving cyberthreats, 75% of retailers are expected to adopt AI-based cyber-defense technologies by 2020, according to IDC. AI is mentioned repeatedly in IDC's predictions, and for good reason. AI and voice-driven virtual assistants have already shaken up the retail scene in a number of ways, so the notion that they will now redefine things like customer experience and cybersecurity isn't coming out of left field.

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While dating has resorted into more of a swiping situation these days – and your image on social media and pixels account for more than the person you are face to face, relief comes in the form of knowing exactly what you can rely on to amp up your match-game. For all those wondering how Tinder knows exactly the kind of person you're most likely to "superlike" – that is a feature that represents greater interest than your regular right swipe – Tinder has revealed that it is all powered by artificial intelligence. Also read: Let's do polygamy: Married men can now look for another wife with Tinder-style dating app As told to Tech Crunch, the app uses a history of one's interaction to figure out a person who would possibly be "of special interest to you." They didn't get into extensive details about their choice making process, but broadly, it's an AI behind it all. "At Tinder we are focused on creating simple, fun and useful experiences for our users around the world," says Brian Norgard, Chief Product Officer at Tinder.

Q: I have an Amazon Echo and I am really concerned that Amazon is listening all the time. Does the Echo have any privacy settings? A: Ever since Echo hit the market, people have wondered how much the little glowing tower hears -- and remembers. Is Echo silently eavesdropping on our conversations, even between "wake phrases"? So far, Echo hasn't caused any mass hysteria, and most people are pretty content with the performance of their virtual assistant.