The 2017 Voice Report is a look ahead at what to expect in the coming chat wars between companies like Microsoft, Samsung, Google, and Amazon. It's also a survey of Google Assistant and Alexa users, and a look into why some startups make more successful Alexa skills than others. The report was put together by VoiceLabs, a voice analytics startup tapped by Google for the launch of its Actions on Google, a platform for the creation of Google Assistant actions. VoiceLabs works with developers making Google Assistant actions and Alexa skills. The company was created last year by Alexandre Linares and Adam Marchick shortly after Marchick stepped down as CEO of mobile marketing company Kahuna, which he cofounded in 2012.

Hold on to your phones Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P owners. There isn't a need for a hardware upgrade on your end, because a software update is bringing some of Google Pixel's features to your handsets including Google Assistant. As of late, voice-activated AI assistant Google Assistant is exclusive to Google's Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones. But things are about to change because Google is rolling out the feature to the Nexus devices as well. Though it's a remarkable feat for Google Assistant to reach out to other handsets, it won't be the first Pixel-exclusive feature to make it to the Nexus devices.

Anticipatory Design is possibly the next big leap within the field of Experience Design. "Design that is one step ahead" as Shapiro refers to it. This sounds amazing, but where does it lead us? And how will it affect our relationship with technology? I've dedicated my Master thesis to this topic to identify both ethical as design challenges that come with the development of predictive UX and application of Anticipatory Design as design pattern.

On the Stanford University campus, you could practically throw a rock and hit 100 graduate students who are building apps that enable people to communicate more effectively. But Terry Winograd is particularly enthusiastic about the app one of his graduate students, Catalin Voss, is working on. Voss, a native of Germany who completed his bachelor's and master's degrees last June at the age of 21, is working on an app that deploys Google Glass, linked to a smartphone, to help autistic children recognize human emotions through facial expressions. Venture capitalists weren't interested, even though Voss had created and sold a startup that used eye-tracking technology to monitor attentiveness to a Toyota subsidiary while still a freshman. But Terry Winograd was interested. "It runs, it has AI [artificial intelligence]," says Winograd, who 20-odd years ago advised another graduate student on the then nascent field of searching the World Wide Web. "It's at a stage where we've actually put 30 devices into homes. Our goal is to have 100 in the trial." Voss says his objective is to build a medical product that insurers will be willing to pay for. "We want to prove the investors wrong, who didn't believe in it, and build an aid for people with autism, and other mental disorders as well," he says. "We believe we've built a fairly holistic system for mental health." Winograd was Voss's first choice for an advisor even though the 70-year-old professor retired from teaching three years ago.

More and more of the devices in our homes come with an internet connection, hooked up to your wifi to do various "smart" things. And while the smart-home dream where everything just magically does your bidding without you having to lift a finger is still a long way away, even the most mundane devices will soon be able to do something to make your life easier. Right now, the internet of things is still a bit of a mess, but with the right gear you can make you home work more efficiently to fit in with your daily routines. Perhaps you just want the lights to come on when you're getting close to home. Maybe you want the heating to fire up so it's not burning gas unnecessarily but it's still toasty when you get in the front door.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced machine learning (ML) are made up of technologies and processes like deep learning and neural networks. What began as algorithms to automate manual tasks, borrowing from advanced statistical techniques has developed into a broader framework and architecture that learns like a human might, and can use historical data to predict the future. These systems will become more adaptable and potentially operate autonomously. Cearley noted, "Applied AI and advanced machine learning give rise to a spectrum of intelligent implementations, including physical devices (robots, autonomous vehicles, consumer electronics) as well as apps and services (virtual personal assistants, smart advisors). These implementations will be delivered as a new class of obviously intelligent apps and things as well as provide embedded intelligence for a wide range of mesh devices and existing software and service solutions."

Microsoft is gearing up to launch a new Cortana beta program for iPhone users. This new program shall enable users to have early access to a few of the new enhancements and features. Cortana which is akin to Siri and Google Now is Microsoft's own voice-activated digital assistant that was a part of the Windows 8.1 update. The company has now come up with an enhanced Cortana for iPhone users, albeit in the beta stage. For the unfamiliar, Cortana has a beta program for Android users.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) has made a number of acquisitions as well. Saffron specialized in cognitive computing, combining data analytics with deep learning; this relates directly to Intel's efforts in the same area. Indisys provided natural-language recognition, gesture recognition, and virtual-assistant technologies, but also created user interfaces for unmanned drones. Itseez focused on software for the Internet of Things (IoT), cameras, drones, and autonomous driving. Movidius brought computer-vision hardware for drones and cameras; it also provided system-on-a-chip (SoC) technology for accelerating computer vision, as well as deep-learning capability.

With intelligent digital assistants invading the home, it's becoming fairly normal to have a conversation with an Amazon Echo, Siri or Google Now. You might not think it, especially when you're in the middle of an argument with your supposedly clever digital friend, but artificial intelligence is starting to outpace us in certain areas. It might not quite have the hang of a human conversation or understand the subtle nuances in our language and meanings, but it is getting better and better at making computations and calculations. With "automation" being a big buzz word in IT, there's a huge push to make complex and human-centric tasks more streamlined and intelligent with the help of decision-making scripts, computers and artificial intelligence. It's becoming possible to perform a complicated and traditionally long-winded task with a simple click, but there's always the worry that these "intelligent" processes may have a little too much control if checks aren't built in.

AI feels like this kind of scary, uncertain, futuristic thing, but it's not. It's right here today and many of us are already benefiting from it without even knowing it. Here's a mix of things AI can do for you, right now, today. Seriously, you might already be using them. Repetitious tasks are ripe for AI disruption, and nothing is more repetitious then the predictable back-and-forth of scheduling a meeting.