It wasn't done in a day or a week or over a few months. Almost since the day Apple introduced its voice assistant on October 4, 2011, Siri has undergone an almost continual series of brain transplants that shifted its silicon-powered mind from pure Artificial Intelligence to AI powered, in part, by machine learning. SEE ALSO: Here's how to use apps with Siri in iOS 10 Apple recently shared with me its perspectives on artificial intelligence, where it fits in the Apple ecosystem, which is, apparently, everywhere, and how it can be grown while respective users' privacy. In particular, though, they focused on how the introduction of machine learning transformed its now five-year-old digital assistant. Machine learning is considered a toolset within AI.

Artificial intelligence can thank Hollywood for its bad rep. Movies like "Ex Machina" and the "Terminator" series conjure up futuristic doomsday scenarios where intelligent machines wreak havoc on humans. However, in real life, humans are already surrounded by artificial intelligence. Amazon and Netflix recommendation engines suggest books or movies based on previous selections, Google Now reroutes drivers around traffic accidents on the commute home, and smartphone digital assistants like Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana answer questions about the weather and sports scores. Brands are using artificial intelligence to build better customer experiences and they're just getting started.

Did Artificial Intelligence Just Make a Major Advance? Are the Experts Worried About the Existential Risk of Artificial Intelligence? Humans does A.I. better than Westworld without resorting to nudity and orgies Here's how close AI is to beating humans in different games'Nightmare Machine' is an AI project that uses our own fears against us Stay up-to-date on the topics you care about. We'll send you an email alert whenever a news article matches your alert term. It's free, and you can add new alerts at any time.

Mastercard has announcedplans to launch an artificial intelligence (AI) bot platform that allows consumers to transact, manage finances, and shop via messaging platforms. The Mastercard bot for banks will extend Mastercard services to customers on messaging platforms and make financial information and decisions part of consumers' everyday lives. In the pilot phase, Mastercard is partnering with Kasisto, the company that powers branded virtual assistants and smart bots for financial services and is a current participant in the Mastercard Start Path Global program. The Mastercard bot is powered by KAI Banking, a conversational AI platform with deep knowledge in financial services. It can fulfill customer requests and solve problems on messaging platforms such as Facebook Messenger and SMS, enabling financial institutions to create entirely new consumer experiences – ones that are as easy and natural as texting a friend.

Synxi, a ManyWorlds brand, discovers content and expertise across your organization most relevant to you. Delivered as apps for collaborative platforms including Microsoft SharePoint, Yammer and Tibbr, Synxi uses patented machine learning and behavioral inferencing technologies to anticipate and adapt to your context and needs.

Others have a more positive approach and say that AI is just an extension of human thinking that can make intelligent decisions faster than us regular people. Just some days ago, Tieto nominated an AI member on the leadership team of a business unit, called Alicia T. And most of us are already familiar with personal AI assistants such as Siri, Cortana, Alexa, and Google Now. IT security has often been described as a game of cat and mouse. The bad guys try to devise attacks that cannot yet be detected, while the good guys try to figure out beforehand where the next attack could be coming from and hitting to. This is also a playing field where AI is going to play an important role.

BOT TO THE FUTURE: Mastercard wants to make commerce'more conversational' Mastercard has unveiled plans to launch artificial intelligence (AI) bots for its merchant and bank partners, allowing consumers to use chat, messaging and natural language interfaces to shop and manage their finances. Mastercard KAI, the payments giant's bot for banks, will allow consumers to ask the bot questions about their accounts, review purchase history, monitor spending levels and receive contextual offers. Meanwhile, the Mastercard Bot for Merchants will allow consumer to shop and transact on messaging platforms and then check out with the Masterpass global digital payment service. According to research firm Gartner, nearly US$2bn in online sales will be performed exclusively through mobile digital assistants by the end of 2016. Kiki Del Valle, SVP at Mastercard, explained to NFC World the company was aiming to make commerce "more conversational by combining secure digital payments and artificial intelligence technology".

As of last month, Google, Facebook, Amazon, IBM and Microsoft are all joining forces to create a new AI partnership called the Partnership on Artificial Intelligence to Benefit People and Society. The collaboration, aside from having a lengthy name, will advance public understanding of AI, and agree on a list of standards for future development. Although there's currently a clear domestic trend, AI has uses that stretch beyond analysing the traffic. A number of companies involved with AI research are looking well beyond family applications. Right now, though, the immediate aim seems to be to get consumers to adopt AI as part of their everyday lives.

For many people, the first name that comes to mind when you say "Artificial intelligence" still isn't Siri, Alexa or Google. They all talk like us, or look like us. We just can't resist defining AI, an abstract and potentially revolutionary concept, in terms of ourselves. All we can see and hear is the interface -- the way we interact with AI is what makes it intelligent to us. Not what it knows, what it can do or the choices it makes.