In a recent speech, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that whoever reaches a breakthrough in developing artificial intelligence (AI) will dominate the world.[1] Chinese government has made AI development a priority by investing billions to get ahead in its development and application. Our future will be transformed in ways we don't yet fully comprehend with application of AI. AI is a broad science and recent developments have been focused on machine learning and deep learning. It is clear that leveraging AI and the Internet of Things (IoT) can solve problems and unlock new opportunities, saving time and money in consumer, commercial and industrial environments.

When you're selling an accessory to a microphone made by a company that wants access to customers' homes and an electronic eye in their bedrooms, maybe think long and hard about what name you give it. Or don't, and just call the damn thing "DOX." That appears to have been the approach of electronics manufacturer Ninety7, which this fall introduced the newest addition to its lineup -- a battery pack for the Amazon Echo Dot. Unfortunately, whoever decided on the name appears to not have done a simple Google search first. If they had, it would have revealed all the unflattering connotations that come along with the three-letter moniker.

Google is pushing an Assistant upgrade that lets you broadcast your voice to every Home speaker in your house using either another speaker or your phone. If you need to gather the household, you just have to say "OK Google, broadcast" and whatever you want to deliver. It'll even ring a dinner bell if you say "it's dinner time." And you don't have to be at home, either -- you can tell the family you're on your way without having to make a phone call or send a text message. The intercom feature works on all devices signed into the same Google account.

Amazon wants people to have much longer conversations with artificial intelligence (AI) systems in the future. Alexa is a smart voice assistant, which features on a wide range of products including speakers, phones, TV remotes and cars. However, it's currently suited to short interactions, such as straightforward questions and simple requests. Al Lindsay, the vice president of Amazon's Alexa Engine, wants the voice assistant to be capable of holding 20-minute conversations with people in the future, reports Yahoo Finance. "To truly realise that vision, you'll want a number of things," he said.

I'm a big fan of Amazon's Echo line of smart speakers when it comes to smart home control, and the second-generation Echo is a big improvement over the first. But the Alexa-powered Fabriq Chorus delivers more bang for the buck and it sounds better, too. Where the Echo requires an AC outlet to operate, the Chorus features a 2200mAh rechargeable battery that Fabriq says can deliver up to 6 hours of performance, so you can take the speaker with you. The Chorus also comes with a contact-based charging cradle, so you don't need to bother with plugging and unplugging a USB cable to run the speaker--or charge its battery. The 6.3-inch tall cylindrical speaker is wrapped in wooly fabric (you can choose from four designs), with a thin LED ring around its base.

Want to try Alexa in your home? The Dot is on sale right now! (Photo: Amazon) What happens when the computers around you all but disappear? Tiny sensors built into walls, household products, what you're wearing, and perhaps your own body will make computers invisible to the eye, but responsive to a gesture, voice, and perhaps your movement as you walk into a room. It is still very early, but the era of ambient computing is slowly taking shape, whether in the form of the voice-driven smart speaker on your kitchen countertop, or via the IoT (Internet of Things) devices and appliances that are designed to blend into the background. Stakeholders include the giants of tech: Amazon, Apple, Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Samsung, among them.

The Chicago Tribune reports that prosecutors accuse 25-year-old Stephen Jackson and 28-year-old Trenell Kirkman of arranging to meet and rob six different men through the app. Prosecutors say they would take their victims' wallets and phones, as well as demanded their phone passwords.

From giving you flight reminders and airport maps, to tracking traffic on your usual commute, to keeping an eye on weather conditions, the Pixel 2 XL is constantly working in the background to ensure you're seeing what you want to see without you needing to ask for it. While this might sound creepy on many levels, I've long gotten used to the idea of having the big companies crunch my data into meaningful material that helps me. I quite enjoy the thrill of having my phone work for me without my needing to tell it what to do, and the Google Pixel 2 XL is quite possibly the best phone on Android that will do that. There are plenty of other subtle touches in the software that I found incredibly useful. One of these is the ability to unlock the phone with a simple'OK Google' command that recognizes your voice specifically, and won't unlock the phone if it's anyone else's voice. And just like the squeezable functionality on the HTC U11, the Google Pixel 2 XL also brings up Google Assistant with a quick squeeze, a feature it calls the'Active Edge'. Additionally, if you turn on the'Now Playing' feature, the phone can identify songs playing in the background and show them right on your lock screen. The function works offline on a small set of pre-programmed tracks, so it won't always work.

Echo Plus is one of the latest Alexa-enabled devices. You'd like to say "Alexa, turn off the lights," or "Alexa, lock the door," and have it all happen without you having to get up out of your lounge chair. No question, but it will cost you. Based on the costs of purchasing items, trying to install them and then giving up and then paying someone else for installation, USA TODAY estimates a figure of at least $2,200 to get started with smart lighting, doorbell, lock, thermostat and security. Compared to the options a few years ago, that's a bargain.

Artificial intelligence is strategically important for driving enterprise strategies. Every day, new examples are coming out of new problems being solved and old markets being disrupted by what is collectively called "Artificial Intelligence." Enterprises that do not have an AI strategy would be wise to start working on one straight away. Unfortunately, managers often lack understanding when it comes to AI and it started with the term itself. Artificial General Intelligence is what people think of and see destroying the world in apocalyptic summer blockbuster movies.