AI has been kicking around for a while now, though many associate the concept with Alan Turing, who introduced what we know as the "Turing Test" in a 1950 paper, "Computing Machinery and Intelligence." What is new is the ability to scale human to machine conversations -- once the realm only of humans -- where the machine provides relevant answers to specific questions at an individual context. We see this scale in the mass market thanks to entrants from large consumer electronics brands such as Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa, but this capability has yet to reach the corporate market. AI-enabled search promises to transform the way people interact with information and digital assets, driving new efficiencies and creating value from information that has been all but lost in the "digital junk drawers" that are our corporate information management systems. For AI to deliver on its promise, these junk drawers need preliminary organizing structures before the vision of conversational interactions can be realized.

In the era of ambient computing, AI, bots, and humans will need to interact seamlessly with each other across platforms, devices, and tasks. Take Clara, a virtual assistant bot that completes tasks by communicating with other people's bots: If Clara gets into a battle with another bot, then her abilities become null. In an interconnected world run by voice-operated interfaces, having customer service exist in siloed products doesn't make sense. As users become accustomed to fewer and fewer barriers between products, customer service will need to become more fluent at mediating the relationships between products as well.

There has been a tiny, yet fierce, war raging behind our technology: the bot brawls. For years, bots on Wikipedia have been staging fierce incursions against each other, undoing each other's work in a continuous cycle of competing raison d'êtres. These skirmishes went widely unnoticed by humans until a few months ago. Anyone can submit a bot on Wikipedia, and if approved it can go out and edit 40 million articles all on its own. If its tasks are in opposition to another bot's tasks, only their creators can call off the warring bots.

Along with Machine Learning and Semantics technology, Cognitive Computing has given renewed impetus to Artificial Intelligence processes and has brought unique advantages to the business world and the general user. Cognitive computing can recognize human language and speech to make sense of human behaviour and offer intelligent solutions for businesses of any kind. AI personal assistants, for example, use cognitive processes to extract meaning out of phrases in text or even via facial and speech recognition and enhance the process of data mining to suggest recommendations for customers (based on an analysis of their search engine history) and of course businesses that cater to consumers. The Cognitive processes of AI mimic the neural pathways of the human brain and help businesses predict fluctuations in customer demand, anticipate future mass trends, and also detect a crisis before it can occur; they can thus also optimize the company infrastructure and realign it along with business policy to discover previously unknown strategies that can attract multiple audiences from different demographics, help company levels collaborate more efficiently (also thanks to the Cloud), or diversify to explore new avenues of opportunity, and thrive to be one step ahead of competitors (big or small). Cogito is an excellent example of a cognitive technology software offered by companies such as Expert System, and comprises all the necessary algorithms and application modules that have a high degree of technological compatibility with various systems.

The Essential phone, designed to take on the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy, has gone into full production, according to its creator. Android inventor Andy Rubin took to Twitter to make the announcement, fuelling speculation about when it might be ready for release. New pictures appear to show the assembly lines, where the titanium body of the handset is being milled. An announcement on where and when fans can buy the firm's first model, the PH-1, is expected next week. A new handset designed to take on the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy has gone into full production, according to its creator. Startup firm Essential says it has raised raised over $300 million (£231 million) in new funding and signed up retailers to sell its first device.

We live in fascinating times. For decades we have seen an explosive exponential growth of technology, and the effects of this growth are only now beginning to surface. As a result, what seemed like science fiction even just a few years ago is rapidly becoming reality. Particularly when it comes to artificial intelligence, which has recently hit a new level of sophistication and usability, as seen in highly capable "digital assistants" like Siri, Cortana, and Google Now. It is an age of technological miracles, and the repercussions for the future are only beginning to make themselves known.

Artificial intelligence means many different things to many different people. One thing that is certain is that it is coming and with it, it brings both opportunities and threats. Understanding both is essential, because already, artificial intelligence is working its way into many aspects of our lives, from search engines and personal assistants, to algorithms monitoring and controlling everything from energy consumption to traffic. Simply put, artificial intelligence is a computer capable of exhibiting intelligence. This is done through processes such as learning and problem solving.

In 1977, the Eagles released "Hotel California", a song about drugs and the effects an addiction has on people. Putting "We are all just prisoners here, of our own device" in the context of our today's digital lifestyle we find a lot of truth. There is a reason why Google provides most of its services for free or why Amazon wants us to have an Echo in every home or why Facebook has become our directory of "friends". What looks pretty convenient is a threat. It is a threat to the end consumers but also a threat to the established economy. And even if we have the choice to check out any time – we will never leave.

In terms of its adoption of robo advice the US got the drop on Europe and the early arrivals at the robo advisors ball are now looking ahead at a whole raft of ways in which to engage an audience in cyberspace. Start-ups such as Wealthfront and Betterment were the pioneers in the robo advice space aiming to democratise investment by offering simple, low cost automated investment advice. More recently, big banks there including Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley have joined the fray, attracted by the ability to serve customers at a lower cost than with human wealth advisers. Whereas one of the key challenges facing the start-ups is the cost of customer acquisition, incumbents already have a large client base to market additional services to, and the advent of cyborg or hybrid advisers has breathed new life into the financial adviser sector that many feared could be wiped out by automated advice. Robo-advisers account for a small piece of the US wealth management industry, currently overseeing roughly $200 billion of client assets; however, it is predicted that figure will mushroom to $2.2 trillion by 2020, with a supportive regulatory environment and cost pressures on traditional advice.

August 12, 2017 Wishful Thinking Artificial intelligence means many different things to many different people. One thing that is certain is that it is coming and with it, it brings both opportunities and threats. Understanding both is essential, because already, artificial intelligence is working its way into many aspects of our lives, from search engines and personal assistants, to algorithms monitoring and controlling everything from energy consumption to traffic. Simply put, artificial intelligence is a computer capable of exhibiting intelligence. This is done through processes such as learning and problem solving.