I like Gartner's concept of the technology hype cycle. It assumes that expectations of new technologies quickly ramp to an inflated peak, drop into a trough of disillusionment, then gradually ascend a slope of enlightenment until they plateau. Of course, not all technologies complete the cycle or transition through the stages at the same pace. Artificial intelligence (AI) has arguably been in the trough for 60 years. I am thinking of Kubrick's HAL and Roddenberry's "computer" that naturally interact with humans.

It's 2050 and the world revolves around you. From the contents of your fridge to room temperature -- digital assistants ensure your home runs smoothly. Your screens know your taste and show channels you want to see as you enter the room. Your car is driverless and your favourite barman may just be an android. Predictions for an AI-dominated future are increasingly common, but Antoine Blondeau has experience in reading, and arguably manipulating, the runes -- he helped develop technology that evolved into predictive texting and Apple's Siri.

Corporate versions of Siri and Alexa may soon be coming to an HR service center near you. Industry vendors continue to refine and introduce these conversational agents, which use natural language processing to field and answer questions from employees on a range of human resource topics. Rather than having to navigate websites, send e-mails or make phone calls--and often wait for responses--employees can use these artificial intelligence (AI) tools to get quick, voice- or text-delivered answers to questions about paid time off, benefits eligibility, retirement savings, work schedules, and even career planning or performance coaching. For organizations, these "virtual agents" can reduce labor costs, enhance customer service and free up HR staff for strategic initiatives. These applications are part of the growing AI movement in HR.

Google has opened up its Home smart speaker in a big way. Today the search giant has added Bluetooth audio to the device for everyone, after teasing it back at I/O in May and slowly rolling out to select users after that. This is perfect if your app of choice doesn't support Google Cast. You know, like Apple Music, or maybe a legacy piece of audio gear. And here you probably thought that the recent music-related Google Home news would stop with Spotify.

I had been in a years-long relationship with Siri when my affair with the Google Assistant began. Assistant made me laugh with some silly jokes, and we played a cute game she made in the Allo chat app called "Emoji Movie." Soon, Assistant popped up in more places in my life -- whether it was a smartwatch I was reviewing or the Assistant app on my iPhone. Then, for a week, I was tasked with using Assistant exclusively for all the things I would normally ask Siri to do. I thought it would be a fun change, but committing to Assistant required some big adjustments.

Hardly a day goes by that we don't cover virtual assistants. Perhaps a new player, like Samsung, is wading into the space. Even Android creator Andy Rubin is considering building an assistant of his own. And his company probably isn't the only one that thinks there's room for another AI helper. With virtual assistants becoming such an integral part of our lives (or at least our tech-news diets), we felt it was time to stop and take stock of everything that's happening here.

In today's edition of companies making it all too easy for us to spend money, Barclays has added a feature to its iOS app that will debit your account after hearing you utter but a few words. Or, less sinisterly put, Barclays' mobile banking app now lets you make payments with Siri commands. Provided you've granted Apple's assistant access to your account in the app, you can transfer money to any previously known payee, or anyone in your iPhone's contact list. And you needn't worry about that annoying friend saying "Hey Siri, pay Jamie £15 with Barclays," as you still need to tap your finger to the Touch ID sensor to confirm the transfer. Siri integration has been live in the app for a few days now, and is meant for smaller payments like your share of the dinner bill, with single transfer and daily limits to keep spending in check.

The global artificial intelligence market is expected to reach USD 35,870.0 million by 2025 from its direct revenue sources, growing at a CAGR of 57.2% from 2017 to 2025, whereas it is expected to garner around USD 58,975.4 million by 2025 from its enabled revenue arenas, according to this new report. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is considered to be the next stupendous technological development, alike past developments such as the revolution of industries, the computer era, and the emergence of smartphone technology. The North American region is expected to dominate the industry due to the availability of high government funding, the presence of leading players, and strong technical base. Advances in image and voice recognition are driving the growth of the artificial intelligence market as improved image recognition technology is critical to offer enhanced drones, self-driving cars, and robotics. The AI market can be categorized based on solutions, technologies, end use, and geography.

AI technology is increasingly becoming more commonplace and available. From self-driving cars to personal assistant software such as Siri, AI will soon be a much more relevant part of our daily lives. On the surface, with all of the potential that AI has to offer, it may seem that it is in everyone's interests to continue its development and advancement. However, there are growing concerns and the over looming sentiment that the arrival of AI will surely usher in the day where us humans will be rendered obsolete – superseded by machines whose intelligence far exceed our own. How rational is this fear, though?

You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time. While many historians continue to debate whether Abraham Lincoln was really the original author of this well-known adage, there couldn't be a more pertinent expression to describe the most advanced AI bots that you interact with today. They are designed and trained to address a finite number of specific use-cases as effectively as an intelligent human would, or at least should, but they cannot always trick everyone into believing that it is a human on the other side. Technologists call it Weak AI or Applied AI, and it covers the whole spectrum, from your grandfather's pocket calculator to your most trusted personal assistant Siri. If we have been arrogant enough to name the present AI as Weak, then why do we fear it?