The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has come up with some crazy ideas in the past, and its latest idea is to create computers that are always learning and adapting, much like humans. Mobile devices, computers, and gadgets already have artificial intelligence features, with notable examples being Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana, and Amazon's Alexa. But these devices can only learn and draw conclusions within the scope of information pre-programmed into systems. Existing machine-learning techniques don't allow computers to think outside the box, so to speak, or think dynamically based on the situations and circumstances. The goal of a new DARPA project is to create computers that think like biological entities and are continually learning.

They were largely unheard of a few years ago, but robo-advisers are on the rise in the financial services industry, with OCBC Bank entering the fray. The lender on Saturday started a trial of an online platform that will use computers to offer portfolio management advice. The pilot is aimed at accredited investors - those with net personal assets of more than $2 million. It will eventually be open to all investors. Mr Aditya Gupta, OCBC's head of e-business for Singapore, said a fixed timeline for the pilot has yet to be determined.

There was a point in time when brands were the aspiration, but in our new world, brands have become entirely subservient to people. The explosion in data availability and advances in AI are changing the relationship brands have with their customers. In the past, deregulation and access to marketing tools gave way for the proliferation of commoditized services. A hyper-competitive world, where choice is abundant, was born. Surviving meant optimizing quality for a lower cost.

There's so much hype surrounding artificial intelligence you'd think the technology was remarkably advanced. Sure, there are home automation systems that use AI, but really that's all the technology is good for right now: making our lives more convenient. Most AI systems cannot solve complex problems or even make appropriate decisions. Alexa and Siri, for example, may jest a bit with you but they can't actually help you make up your mind -- you still need to do that on your own. It sounds funny to complain about the fact that AI can't solve complex problems or truly take control, but it shows just how "dumb" the technology is currently.

Amazon touts Alexa, Google has its Assistant, Microsoft has Cortana. But at Adobe, an often overlooked player in this contest, it's all about Sensei. Launched last fall, Sensei is a series of AI services and a voice-powered virtual assistant being added to Creative Cloud (formerly Creative Suite) apps and services like Photoshop and Premiere. Some Sensei services are already available, like the ability to change a facial expression with Face Aware Editing in Photoshop, while others, like the ability to control Photoshop with your voice, are still prototypes. Sensei will be able to talk you through how to edit photos and videos like a pro because Adobe has tracked millions of photo and video editing sessions.

If you were to ask your device with an AI voice assistant a random question, what gender would respond to you? Female most likely, and that's because only female artificial intelligence assistants have been developed. Microsoft's Cortana, Amazon's Alexa, and Google's Assistant all have female voices. Apple's Siri also started as female only, but added a male voice option three years ago, even though the female voice is still the default. It might be easy to think that female AI voices have been the go-to because of sexism -- lots of men in leadership and developer roles at Silicon Valley -- and that may be at play, but there's more to it. Two studies recently cited by The Wall Street Journal show that men and women prefer a female voice assistant because they believe it's more welcoming and understanding.

TL;DR: Machine-driven communications tools are a reality now and artificial intelligence enabled tools will soon dominate the online information space. This paradigm shift isn't limited to artificial personal assistants like Siri and recreational chatbots like Xiaoice. It refers to machine-driven communication overwhelming Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Match, Reddit, chat rooms, news site comment sections, and the rest of the social web. All of it will be dominated by machines talking. This machine communication will be nearly indistinguishable from human communication. The machines will be trying to persuade, sell, deceive, intimidate, manipulate, and cajole you into whatever response they're programmed to elicit. They will be unbelievably effective. Machine-driven communication is here now. Advances in artificial intelligence will radically increase the efficacy of machine-driven communication tools. A machine-dominated information environment is a rational extrapolation of current technology trends into the near future.

The idea of thinking machines may evoke thoughts of a Terminator-esque era, but the fact is that artificial intelligence, to an extent, is already a part of our lives and its presence is only set to grow. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science that deals with making computers simulate human intelligence. However technical and geeky that may sound, AI is a far less mundane technology than you might believe. Right from medical diagnoses to driverless cars, AI has fundamentally improved the way people consume a product, which is why marketers bet on it big time. A 2016 survey by Demandbase pointed out that over 80 percent of marketing executives believed that AI would revolutionise marketing by 2020.

Jefferson Graham shows how to change your security settings on Facebook, Twitter, Google and Microsoft for two-factor authentication, which security experts say is your best, quick defense against a hack. LOS ANGELES -- Maybe your Yahoo account got hacked. Or your preferred presidential candidate didn't get elected, in part due to damaging information revealed by a hack of an official's Gmail account. How about that McDonald's Twitter hack this week--now, do we have your attention? No story generated bigger tech headlines this week than news related to what's thought to be the largest hack on the books: The Yahoo hacks.

It's no joke that Artificial Intelligence is turning the technology industry (and others besides) on its ear. The latest advances in AI are regularly making headlines and either inspiring thoughtful dialogue or dramatic entertainment. This truly is the stuff of science fiction. But there are also a lot of misconceptions, requiring much-needed myth-busting around the topic. We recently spoke with AI aficionado (and author of Disruptive Marketing) Geoff Colon for some clarification on the subject.