These days, talking to a bot is commonplace. Think Siri, or your chatty banking app. But you wouldn't talk to your toaster like you talk to a friend -- unless your toaster had a great sense of humor. These days, talking to a bot is commonplace. Think Siri, or your chatty banking app.

In the past few years, advances in artificial intelligence have captured the public imagination and led to widespread acceptance of AI-infused assistants. But this accelerating pace of innovation comes with increased uncertainty about where the technology is headed and how it will impact society. One of the clearest areas of agreement, however, is that advancing the ability of computers to interact with us in a more natural way is critical for the AI-human relationship to reach its fullest potential. We spoke to 30 of AI's most knowledgeable scientists and thought leaders about the future of the technology, and most agreed that advances in human-computer interaction (HCI) will be both dependent on AI--and essential to progressing its applications. The consensus is that within three to five years, advances in AI will make the conversational capabilities of computers vastly more sophisticated, paving the way for a sea change in computing.

A revolution has been set forth. Rather one which aims to provide users with the best of times in order to make their lives much easier. This revolution is in terms of Artificial Intelligence which has become the talk of the town and is slowly settling itself into people's lives. In reality, Artificial Intelligence has been around for a long time. Greek mythology has references of mechanical men who were designed to mimic people's behavior.

The future of SEO involves artificial intelligence, machine learning and digital assistants. And also: voice search, irresistible content and personalized, really specific user experiences. In other words, we're seeing the rise of SEO that is intensely becoming both machine- and human-focused, in amazing, astounding ways. Then again, here's the thing: search is always in evolution mode. It's shaped and reshaped by the constantly shifting needs and wants of humans.

Just when you thought Amazon's virtual assistant knew enough already, WebMD – the hypochondriac's favorite website - has teamed up with the retail giant to give Alexa medical diagnosis capabilities. The integration will allow Amazon Echo, Echo Dot and Fire TV users to ask Alexa basic health queries, such as "Alexa, ask WebMD what are the symptoms of a heart attack", or "Alexa, ask WebMD how to treat a sore throat." Amazon's Alexa virtual assistant now answers your basic health-related questions In addition to providing answers via voice, the new WebMD integration gives users the chance to request additional information sent in text form to their Alexa app. If they opt to do so, a card containing the original answer to their question and a URL where they can find more information on WebMD.com will appear in the app. "Every month, nearly one-third of the total online US population turns to WebMD's websites and apps in search of answers to their health-related questions, but now they have another option - and it's as simple as asking Alexa," said WebMD Vice President Ben Greenberg.

Microsoft finally launched its promised overhaul of the Cortana app for iOS this Friday. The Redmond giant kept its word that it will put out a revamped version of its app, which will simplify the way people use its AI assistant. Other implementations included in the update are minor, but they are still conspicuous. Given these changes, does Cortana now match or even surpass Apple's native voice assistant Siri? Microsoft's new Cortana is version 2.0.

Microsoft gave its Cortana app for iOS a facelift Friday, replacing its old black and blue aesthetic with a new look that puts the assistant's key features at users' fingertips. The app now features Quick Actions, so that users can tap a couple buttons and get Cortana to create an alarm, set a reminder, or tell them a joke. That means users can get at key features without having to talk or type queries, and it also gives them a framework for what they can do with the app, without them having to discover it on their own. The virtual assistant market is a crowded one, between Cortana, Siri, Alexa and the Google Assistant all competing for users' time and interest. Microsoft's assistant is built deeply into PCs with Windows 10, but the company also needs to keep its apps for other mobile platforms up to date in order to meet users where they are.

In an economy where value is generated by digital efficiency, I believe that every organization should strive for digital flow. For an introduction to digital flow, see Digital Transformation Isn't A Goal. It's A Journey.There are three central forces of flow: Design Thinking, Platform Thinking, and Open Thinking. This article focuses on Design Thinking. Digital technology is complex, but users should never know it.

With the administration taking shape in Washington D.C., a lot of attention is being focused on how new policy initiatives will impact government agencies. One trend we expect to continue through the next four years is an increased emphasis on intelligent virtual assistants and AI.

The future of search is conversational assistance. Instead of typing in keywords to get back a set of results, users will converse with software agents using natural language to specify increasingly complex tasks. Now, truth be told, this has been "the future" for over 50 years, from the Star Trek computer to Iron Man's Jarvis. This Apple concept video depicts a helpful conversational assistant you can use for any number of tasks, complete with bow tie. Everyone knows the technology behind conversational assistance is hard.