Retail banking is being attacked by both small fintech firms as well as the big tech giants like Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple and others. The best defense that traditional financial institutions can use against this invasion is a strong, personalized digital banking offense. Modest-sized fintech firms and large tech giants continue to make retail banking inroads worldwide, providing services that leverage the best in digital technology to deliver a customer experience that removes cumbersome steps from both routine and more involved banking engagements. Relative financial newcomers like AliPay (China), WeChat (China), Rakuten (Japan), Atom (UK), Monzo (UK), Starling (UK), N26 (Germany) and Revolut (UK) have joined household names like PayPal, Amazon and Google to disrupt the banking ecosystem, leveraging modern infrastructures and innovative cultures. According to Bain, "Many of the tech giants possess the ingredients of success: digital prowess, large customer bases, organizations well versed in improving the customer experience, and ample leeway to extend their corporate brands into banking." More concerning may be that some of these firms are generating a level of trust previously reserved only for traditional banks and credit unions.

Back at Google I/O, CEO Sundar Pichai outlined the company's vision as an "AI first" company, with a new focus on contextual information, machine learning, and using intelligent technology to improve customer experience. The launch of the Pixel 2 and 2 XL, the latest batch of Google Home products, and the Google Clips offer a glimpse into what this long-term strategic shift could mean. We'll get to Google's latest smartphones in a minute, but there's much more to explore about the company's latest strategy. As part of the Google I/O 2017 keynote, Sundar Pichai announced that the company's various machine learning and artificial intelligence efforts and teams are being brought together under a new initiative called Google.ai. Google.ai will be focusing not only on research, but on developing tools such as TensorFlow and its new Cloud TPUs, and "applied AI".

In the world we live in today, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere. Some of the places we experience it are very obvious, but sometimes AI is being used in ways we may not even realize. The question we face isn't when AI will begin to play a role in our everyday lives because the answer is that it already is. Rather, we should be asking whether or not we are using it to its full capacity. I had the opportunity to talk to Robert Weideman, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Nuance Enterprise.

A religion based around artificial intelligence is in the news again, this time helmed by Anthony Levandowski, a former member of Google's self-driving car team. His argument is that humans will eventually create AI that is more intelligent than we are, making it functionally god-like, so we might as well start planning for that eventuality. His thinking about the rise of super intelligent machines runs parallel to that of Elon Musk, who has been trumpeting the risks of artificial superintelligence on Twitter and in public appearances. But while talking about an AI god grabs headlines, we have more pressing problems to consider. The AI experts I get to speak with aren't concerned about an artificial superintelligence suddenly cropping up in the next few months and taking over the world. Meanwhile, there's plenty to be concerned about when it comes to immediate and unintended consequences of the machine learning techniques already available.

Can your digital assistant really be trusted with your home's security? Amazon and other major companies are betting big on it. Digital assistants, the core of your smart home's interface, leverage artificial intelligence to constantly build upon your user inputs -- "learning" how best to interact with you and your family. The newest crop of AI-powered home security devices use the same technology, and integration with the smart home technologies you know and love is right around the corner. Traditional home security systems are monitored by actual people, day and night, so there's someone standing by when you're asleep or away on vacation.

Did you realize how most appliances around you have become more adept and smart in doing their job? Well, it's all because of advancement in A.I. technology (Artificial Intelligence) that literally poured life in our humble machines. Ever wondered, how Google and commercial flights have become so impeccable? That is Artificial Intelligence, doing the job for you. From your daily commute to email spam filtration to banking security, everything is now facilitated by AI. As the name suggests, this technology works towards providing some degree of autonomy to a device/gadget/machine, so it can operate with the least amount of human interaction.

When Google revealed its new Pixels earlier this year, it made a tacit statement: the age of headphone jacks on smartphones is over. So, what's a diehard Google phone fan to do? Buy Google's new wireless earbuds -- in theory, at least. Several leaks ensured we knew they were coming, but the Pixel Buds were still a surprise because they emphasized functionality over convenience. Obviously, you can listen to music with them, but you can also sift through notifications and translate languages on the fly. Still, despite lots of potential, Google's Pixel Buds just don't live up to the hype.

Predictions about the economic impact of artificial intelligence swing from increased productivity to the complete annihilation of industries. Clearly, nobody really knows how the introduction of autonomous decision-making software is going to shape our world. But there are some early reasons for optimism: new jobs are already being created due to the AI boom, according to Nov. 16 research from Glassdoor Economic Research, a website that analyzes the labor market. The most common new AI-related job is AI software engineer, comprising 11% of Glassdoor's 512 AI-related job postings. However, new professions are also emerging, some less technical and more AI-adjacent.

How best to upgrade your lighting and electric devices to save money and cut your electric bill. From LED lights and Wi-Fi thermostats to water sensors and voice-controller personal assistants, the latest in-home tech could save you money. While buying the latest technology can cost a pretty penny, choosing the right gadgets could save you money. If you want evidence of this, look no further than your home. Between LED lights (that sip rather than gulp electricity) and smart thermostats (that can automate temperature when you're home or not), as well as many other "connected home" gizmos, you can reduce your monthly energy bills and reduce the odds of an expensive emergency situation, such as water damage.

The following post highlights how Venture Scanner categorizes the Artificial Intelligence (AI) startup landscape, and presents our Innovation Quadrant showing how those categories compare to one another. The data for this post is through July 2017. The above sector map organizes the sector into 13 categories and shows a sampling of companies in each category. Our Innovation Quadrant provides a snapshot of the average funding and average age for the different AI categories and how they compare with one another. Heavyweights: These categories are comprised of companies that have reached maturity with significant financing.