The AI battle on our Android phones is getting serious. After Google added Assistant to millions of handsets running Marshmallow and Nougat, Amazon followed by adding Alexa to the Mate 9. And now Microsoft is looking to enhance its new position on the lock screen. Microsoft added Cortana to the Android lock screen earlier this month, but it was little more than a feed of information with news, calendar appointments, and weather. With the latest update, Cortana on the lock screen has been enhanced to allow lock-screen interactions, giving Google Assistant a serious run for its money.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is slowly becoming a bigger part of our lives, including our personal finances. Over the past few years its importance has grown behind the scenes, where AI is deployed in administration and even fraud detection. Dominic Baliszewski, director of consumer strategy at financial wellbeing company Momentum UK, says: "It is already used in a number of sectors, from banking and advisory to mortgages and pensions, and in many cases, it's led to a quicker, more streamlined customer experience, while easing employee workloads." RBS, for example, has rolled out a virtual assistant called Luvo for call centre staff: when a customer asks a question, the staff member can ask Luvo. In the past year, however, its presence has moved from the back office to the front line, and we have started to see AI serving customers.

Police agencies across the US are warning iPhone users of a potentially dangerous viral social media prank. Pranksters are tricking people into saying'Hey Siri, 108', which prompts the digital assistant to contact emergency services – the number is India's equivalent of 911. The prank is said to be spreading through Facebook and Twitter'like wildfire' and although it may seem harmless, it could tie up emergency lines and delay legitimate 911 calls. Police agencies across the US are warning iPhone users of a viral social media prank. Pranksters are urging people to say'Hey Siri, 108', which prompts the digital assistant to contact emergency services – the number is India's equivalent of 911 Pranksters are sharing a trick on Facebook and Twitter, urging people to say'Hey Siri, 108'.

Google has launched its voice-activated Wi-Fi speaker, Google Home, in the UK. The device, around the size of a pint glass, can respond to questions, play music and control smart home technology, all by using speech recognition. The device is a challenger to the Echo, Amazon's smart speaker, which went on sale in the UK last year. The Echo has been seen as a pioneer but Google, which sees itself as a leader in voice recognition and artificial intelligence, hopes its software will give it an edge. The Google Home, which will cost £129 and go on sale next Thursday, April 6, runs Google Assistant, the same virtual assistant software that features on the Google Pixel phone, and is activated by speaking the words "OK Google", followed by a command.

Google Home, the search giant's smart assistant that rivals Amazon's Alexa, will be launched in the UK in April. Google said it had "hidden a few British treats" in the device. The speaker and assistant, which launched in the US in November, is part of a growing trend to make artificial intelligence available in homes. The firm is also launching its own wi-fi service in the UK, in an attempt to solve the "frustration when wireless connectivity fails at home". Like Amazon's Echo, Home can answer basic queries as well as control smart home devices, such as lights.

The Home launched at Google I/O almost a year ago, but has been only available to US customers since November. However, in the time between launches, the company has localised the smart speaker, integrating a number of services and sources tailored specifically for Britons. The BBC, The Guardian, The Financial Times, The Sun, The Telegraph, Huffington Post, Sky News and Sky Sports are available from launch, with more being added over time. The launch of the Home in the UK sees Google go up against one of its biggest rivals: Amazon. The Echo and Echo Dot has largely had the smart speaker market to itself until now, but the Home -- with its intelligent Assistant -- builds on top of Google's existing search and AI expertise.

Google is launching its rival to Amazon's Echo, the Google Home, in the UK as the battle for the living room hots up. The smart speaker, which can play music, control Internet of Things devices, and answer questions, will cost British customers £129, some £20 more than Amazon's Echo, when it launches in Britain on 6 April. Google first launched the Home in the US in November, alongside the introduction of the Pixel phone and Google Assistant AI. Google Assistant is a voice-controlled digital assistant that runs on phones, Google Home and even smart TVs, and can provide context-aware assistance, knowing what sort of environment it's in. Since the initial launch, Google Assistant has gradually come to more Android phones, as well as Android Wear-based smartwatches.

There is no doubt the search industry has evolved. Just one look at how search engine results pages are currently laid out shows how things have changed. We have come a long way from 10 blue links. But have we gone far enough? At SXSW earlier this month, information access was a hot topic.

The relationship between humans and robots is a tricky thing. If the latter looks too much like the former, but is still clearly a machine, people think it's creepy, even repulsive--a feeling that's become known as the "uncanny valley." Or, as is sometimes the case, the human, with "Star Wars" or "The Jetsons" as his or her reference points, is disappointed by all the things the robot can't yet do. Then, there is the matter of job insecurity--the fear of one day being replaced by a tireless, unflappable, unfailingly consistent device. Human-robot interactions can be even more complicated for one group in particular--older adults.

There is no doubt the search industry has evolved. Just one look at how search engine results pages are currently laid out shows how things have changed. We have come a long way from 10 blue links. But have we gone far enough? At SXSW earlier this month, information access was a hot topic.