Consider a personal assistant bot, a machine or application that you could ask to organise a meeting or arrange bookings just as you would a live, human assistant. As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more prevalent and approaches advance, such a scenario is becoming increasingly realistic. This is according to DataProphet managing director, Frans Cronje who highlights that there will be a number of exciting developments and new approaches to AI in the short- and long-term future as the application matures and continues being explored. Machine learning extends AI "A subset of AI, machine learning has driven the majority of advances in recent years, many of which are improvements on or augmentations to existing processes." Cronje explains that there are multiple cases where improved machine learning models have extended the capability of AI.

Apple Inc. hired a prominent artificial intelligence researcher from Carnegie Mellon University as it seeks to regain lost ground against competitors such as Google, Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com He posted a link to an Apple job application page seeking machine learning specialists. Apple is seeking scientists with "experience in Deep Learning, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Reinforcement Learning, Optimization, and/or Data Mining," it said in the job listing. Machine learning has gained mounting importance for tech companies to improve their research and enable virtual assistants such as Siri to better anticipate and predict users' needs. Siri is competing with the Google Assistant, Microsoft's Cortana and Amazon's Alexa to become the virtual assistant of choice and the access point for users seeking online services.

Major technology firms are racing to infuse smartphones and other internet-linked devices with AI software that help them think like people. Other than Amazon and Google, here are some other digital assistants on the market for both home and away. The South Korean electronics giant may be under fire for its faulty Note 7s, but it's hard at work to push for new tech, including purchasing the US start-up Viv Labs, launched by the creators of Apple's Siri. Samsung says the acquisition announced this month is part of its effort to provide AI-based voice assistance services its customers can use across all Samsung devices and products, from smartphones to televisions to washing machines. Apple's next challenge is to make Siri smarter as it plays catch-up with rivals' artificial intelligence Samsung is the world's leading maker of smartphones powered by Google's Android software, but also has its own Tizen mobile operating system, so how it may field its own virtual assistant technology remains to be seen.

Something quite concerning is happening right now that threatens to cause a monumental rift in the American public... and ultimately the world at large. Contrary to what you might be thinking, I'm not referring to our current election cycle, or anything else having to do with the common, petty politics of today. What I'm talking about is something far more consequential than any modern political squabble. It's something that promises to shake the foundations of society in a way we have never seen before. It is an event that virtually everyone in my field of study agrees is coming.

In 2013, a new dating app called Hinge was launched, which like Tinder, used the swiping feature. But while users were swiping a lot, the app found that only 15 per cent of matches were turning into conversations. To get millennials talking again, Hinge has re-launched a new version of the app, which replaces swiping with the ability to like and comment on other users' pictures, in the hope of sparking conversation. Hinge has re-launched a new version of the app, which replaces swiping with the ability to like and comment on other users' pictures, in the hopes of sparking conversation Rather than swiping through profiles, users can now interact by commenting on each others' photos, or responding to their'story card' – which contain information such as favourite music, and life goals. Unlike other swipe apps, where two users have to like each other to interact, users have the freedom to comment or like any other user's page.

The iPhone 7's AirPods wireless headphones have divided analyst opinion: Is the W1 chipset – Apple's first-ever wireless chip – a game changer or does it lack originality? "The new AirPods are a wholly new product," says Paul Erickson, IHS Markit Senior Analyst for the Connected Home, citing the W1 chipset and its groundbreaking functionality. The AirPods' W1 chipset is important, because it enables Apple to move iOS-based accessory purchases from third parties and industry standards to Apple's product families. But the larger importance of the AirPods could be in how they help accelerate Apple's artificial intelligence (AI) push. "With respect to Apple's push into AI, I think their strategy is part of a larger industry shift towards ubiquitous computing," says IHS Principal Analyst for wireless communications, Wayne Lam.

Apple CEO Tim Cook hinted that Japan has a big part to play in the company's ongoing development of AI, as he continued his travels around the country via bullet train on Monday. Speaking to Nikkei Asian Review, Cook revealed that Apple's new advanced R&D center in Yokohama, currently scheduled for completion in December, would focus on "deep engineering" and would be "very different" from the R&D base Apple is building in China, without giving away specifics. Photo via Tim Cook However, Cook intimated that one of its main focuses would be on developing Apple's artificial intelligence services – which recently drew some criticism in the press – and emphasized that the company wanted to leverage specifically Japanese expertise in the field. "AI is horizontal in nature, running across all products, and is used in ways that most people don't even think about," said Cook. "We want the AI to increase your battery life, to recommend music to Apple Music subscribers... [to] help you remember where you parked your car."Japan's robotics heritage is legendary, coming on the back of years of successfully building industrial robots, however the state of its AI research remains ambiguous, given its relative lack of investment in deep learning from large amounts of analyzed data, which U.S. companies like Facebook and Google are already heavily researching. To improve on this front, Japan has just opened a Center for Advanced Integrated Intelligence Research in Tokyo (RIKEN), which specifically aims to develop systems of AI that will be able to solve problems using "Big Data".

As any veteran of online dating knows, photos can make or break your chances on Tinder. Tinder has pointed out that not smiling, covering a part or all of your face, being in a group photo, and wearing hats or glasses are deal-breakers. With the popular dating app's latest feature, it's analyzing the effectiveness of individual users' photos and adjusting what's shown in their profiles based on which of their photos get more people to swipe right. A new feature called Smart Photos launched Thursday (Oct. Tinder is using machine learning to identify which photos work and which don't.

We think the next era will belong to "the conversational layer" -- both text- and voice-driven -- that will use chat, messaging, or natural language interfaces to interact with people, brands, services, and bots. This interaction will occur at the exact time the user demands a product or service, and in the exact terms she thinks of that product or service, in the language and communication methods she typically uses (intent, words, shortcuts, emojis, etc.). In order to reach user conversations today, brands will need to decide which platforms to target and build on. Many of the tools that are provided by the messaging and bot platform providers are from the open-source space, and companies can perform low-cost experiments with a reduced set of users to learn more about conversational interactions and use cases that yield the desired results.

Mobile devices have changed the dating climate for people such as Adam Diamond, who edits movie trailers for a living. Finding a date in a society where people hardly ever speak to each other is tough. Dating apps work to make the process a little easier, but how do you know which one best suits your needs? Major sites such as Match and eHarmony are not app-based and have been known for their ability to find potential matches based on common interests. They've also been known for their appeal among users in the market for a serious relationship.