Google Assistant is already a great help in the kitchen when we need to convert something from pints to cups or remember to buy eggs on our next shopping trip. In a feature rolling out to users just in time for Mother's Day, Google Home will now provide step-by-step instructions to more than 5 million recipes from Bon Appétit, the New York Times, Food Network, and more. And you can even listen to music while doing it. The new system isn't quite as simple as saying, "OK, Google, tell me how to cook coq au vin," but it's pretty close. To find a recipe, you'll need to use Google Assistant or Google search to find what you want to cook.

Devices like Google Home are great for use in the kitchen. They're powered by artificial intelligence-backed smart assistants that can help with simple queries like how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon or even provide full recipes for delicious meals. Google Home is now much better at helping out in the kitchen. Google today announced that it has increased the number of recipes available on Google Assistant, which powers Google Home, to more than 5 million. Google Home users can access this massive library of recipes which coves more than 5 million meals by simply issuing voice commands to the device.

Driving long distances (or using New York City's subway system) used to be a much more complicated affair, generally requiring maps, a sense of direction, some luck and the occasional stop to ask questions of strangers. Turn-by-turn navigation apps have changed all that: You may still take a wrong turn along the way, but the apps usually get you back on track with little fuss. Self-service integration specialist SnapLogic is turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to help its customers achieve that sort of turn-by-turn navigation when it comes to enterprise integration. Citing GPS navigation and digital home assistants like Amazon's Alexa, SnapLogic Founder and CEO Gaurav Dhillon says the company's new technology, Iris, will eliminate the integration backlog that stifles so many technology initiatives through the use of AI to automate highly repetitive, low-level development tasks. "Companies can't innovate and transform their businesses if they're bogged down in rote, repetitive tasks that don't do much for the organization," Doug Henschen, vice president and principal analyst at Constellation Research, said in a statement last week.

Amazon has unveiled the Echo Look, a new voice-controlled selfie camera pitched as the ultimate bedroom companion that allows AI assistant Alexa to give you fashion tips and tell you what to wear. The camera, which is available by invitation only in the US costing $200 (£156), stands on a shelf armed with four LEDs for lighting, a depth-sensing system and a microphone array to receive commands just like Amazon's other Alexa-powered Echo and Echo Dot. The camera uses the depth information to produce "computer vision-based" blurred backgrounds so you can apparently look your best in full-length selfies. It will also capture video, so you can give your audience a twirl in your finery. But Echo Look is more than just a glorified Echo Dot with a camera, says Amazon.

Google has been rapidly adding new features to its Home connected speaker recently, and the latest will be handy for chefs. Google Home can now read out recipes step-by-step -- but it sounds like you'll need to kick off the process using your smartphone. According to a blog post that went up today, Home will be able to read back more than 5 million recipes from sites like All Recipes, Food Network, Bon Appetit, the New York Times and more. First, though, you'll need to find the recipe you want on your phone using either the Google Assistant on Android or Google search on your iPhone. From there, you'll find a new "send to Google Home" button, provided you have one set up of course.

Amazon's Echo smart speakers just went in an unusual (but potentially very helpful) new direction. Meet Echo Look, an Alexa-powered camera designed around taking your own fashion photos and videos. If you want to show off your daily wardrobe, you just have to ask the Look to take a snapshot -- you don't have to take a selfie in front of a mirror to get a full-length picture. And since it includes a depth-sensing camera, it can blur the background to make shots pop. The real party tricks come when you're not sure about your outfit, however.

Amazon just added a new device to its family of voice-enabled speakers: the Echo Look, which includes a built-in camera for taking photos and recording video. The new device is available through Amazon's website on an invitation-only basis for $200. The company is pushing the Echo Look as a fashion tool that can help users choose their outfits. The depth-sensing camera is capable of taking full-length images and can blur the background of a photo to place more emphasis on clothing choices. Since it includes a microphone array and speaker just like Amazon's other Echos, owners will be able to capture a shot just by saying, "Alexa, take a photo."

From ATMs and mobile wallets to chatbots and robo-advisors, technology relentlessly transforms how we store, transfer, and manage money. Capital One moves at the forefront of this transformation -- one of the largest and among the first banking institutions in the U.S. to make serious investments in digital technology and artificial intelligence. Several major financial services firms have publicly announced ambitious plans for AI, including consumer-facing chatbots. Months later, they still haven't shipped. Capital One is one of the few exceptions to the rule.

With the appearance of intelligent personal assistants (IPA) supported by machine learning such as Siri on iOS or Alexa for Amazon, the above scene does not sound like science fiction anymore. If we also consider how Cognitoys support the cognitive development of small children with the help of AI in a fun and gentle way, personal health assistants on our phones suddenly become definite responses for certain needs. They can make our lives more comfortable and they could pay attention to our very personal wishes through constant learning – which might also have some downsides. Remember the movie entitled Her? The main protagonist, Joaquin Phoenix falls completely in love with the voice of a digital assistant capable of learning at astonishing pace as well as fulfilling his every need.

From ATMs and mobile wallets to chatbots and robo-advisors, technology relentlessly transforms how we store, transfer, and manage money. Capital One moves at the forefront of this transformation -- one of the largest and among the first banking institutions in the U.S. to make serious investments in digital technology and artificial intelligence. Several major financial services firms have publicly announced ambitious plans for AI, including consumer-facing chatbots. Months later, they still haven't shipped. Capital One is one of the few exceptions to the rule.