Artificial Intelligence has always been a hot topic. The problem of creating a machine that can think, make its own decisions and at the same time lacks human limitations, has always aroused controversies. We all remember what the infamous Skynet has done to our planet in Terminator series, right? We can also recall this nasty feeling of a cold shiver running down our spines when Neo has woken up from the Matrix. After watching such films, we can wonder why our scientists want to build intelligent machines in a first place. One would ask: why putting humanity at risk?

Gartner tracks emerging technologies in its annual Hype Cycle reports that enable organisations to increase this interconnection, allowing for the real-time exchange of vast quantities of data, and for increased intelligence, complex analysis and decision making in real time. To help IT leaders understand significant technology trends, Gartner analysts looked across all 109 Hype Cycles and noted four high-level megatrends trends that track the evolution of digital business technologies, services and business models. "New digital business models require ecosystems of people, businesses and technologies that must scale beyond the enterprise," said Betsy Burton, vice president and distinguished analyst. Since 2008, cloud, data, mobile and social (the Nexus of Forces) have dramatically affected people's lives, business interactions, social change and global economies. These massive collections of technologies and the resulting changes in business models and human behaviour have accelerated the interconnection of technology, business and humans, and given rise to digital business.

The latest version of Apple's mobile operating system which powers the iPhone and iPad, iOS 10, has suffered issues during its launch on Tuesday night. Millions of users were quick to access the free update when it became available, however there have been mixed reports on social media, with some users reporting their smartphones and tablets crashing, with only a connection to a computer via USB fixing the issue, some have claimed. Apple issued a statement confirming a "brief issue with the software update process affecting a small number of users during the first hour of availability", but this had now been fixed. The free upgrade includes a variety of new features, including an overhauled Messages app with more emojis and animations, a new notification system for the lock screen and virtual assistant Siri being able to integrate into more apps. Users of the iPhone and iPad in the UK with a compatible device - iPhone 5 and newer, or iPad mini 2 and newer - are eligible for the update.

Amazon is expected to confirm shortly that it is making its artificial intelligence-enhanced speakers available to the UK and select other countries in Europe. The Echo devices are controlled by their owner's voice and can be used to answer questions, control other smart home kit and buy goods from the US retailer. The tech is still fairly "clunky", according to the BBC's technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones, but it points the way to how virtual assistants could play a role in our lives beyond the smartphone.

By 2021, robots will have eliminated 6% of all jobs in the US, starting with customer service representatives and eventually truck and taxi drivers. That's just one cheery takeaway from a report released by market research company Forrester this week. These robots, or intelligent agents, represent a set of AI-powered systems that can understand human behavior and make decisions on our behalf. Current technologies in this field include virtual assistants like Alexa, Cortana, Siri and Google Now as well as chatbots and automated robotic systems. For now, they are quite simple, but over the next five years they will become much better at making decisions on our behalf in more complex scenarios, which will enable mass adoption of breakthroughs like self-driving cars.

SRI International, the Silicon Valley research lab where Apple's virtual assistant Siri was born, is working on a new generation of virtual assistants that respond to users' emotions. As artificial-intelligence systems such as those from Amazon, Google, and Facebook increasingly pervade our lives, there is an ever greater need for the machines to understand not only the words we speak, but what we mean as well--and emotional cues can be valuable here (see "AI's Language Problem"). "[Humans] change our behavior in reaction to how whoever we are talking to is feeling or what we think they're thinking," says William Mark, who leads SRI International's Information and Computing Sciences Division. "We want systems to be able to do the same thing." SRI is focused first on commercial partners for the technology, called SenSay Analytics.

As you may know, macOS Sierra (finally) brings Siri, Apple's voice assistant, to the Mac! Clicking either of those will play the familiar "I'm listening" beeps that you'll recognize from iOS, and you can then ask all sorts of questions, just like on your mobile devices. If you're feeling fancy, you can even ask macOS Sierra Siri about stuff on your computer, such as "find files created in the last five days," or even "find emails from Melissa Holt." You should know, though, that you can configure some things about how Siri works, and those options are available under System Preferences Siri. Within that pane, there are choices for which macOS Sierra Siri voice to use, the input source, and even a checkbox for whether to show Siri in the menu bar at all. What I find most interesting, though, is the "Keyboard Shortcut" drop-down.

Apple's tvOS 10 is officially out. With the release of the new Apple TV operating system, users can enjoy new features and improved implementations that will make TV viewing more seamless and enjoyable. Designed for the fourth-generation Apple TV, tvOS 10 was released on Tuesday along with iOS 10 and watchOS 3. And according to MacRumors, the latest Apple TV OS update comes with expanded Siri capabilities that can now enable users to search for content by topic with the help of Apple's virtual assistant. The new tvOS 10 also comes with Live Tune-In that allows users to command Siri to launch a supported app's live channel.

Apple created mass hysteria when it unveiled a handset paired with wireless headphones. Although users feel it will only be a matter of time before they lose the AirPods, Apple CEO Tim Cook says he'never personally had one fall out since using them' and has used them on treadmills. In an exclusive interview with Good Morning America, the tech tycoon suggests it is the weight of the wires that pull the headphones out of people's ears, and by cutting the wires, the earbuds should now stay in place. Although users feel it will only be a matter of time before they lose the AirPods, Apple's CEO Tim Cook says he'has never personally had one fall out since using them'. The tech tycoon suggests it is the wires connected to the earbuds that pull them out of people's ears Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke with Robin Roberts on ABC News' 'Good Morning America' about the concerns consumers might have about Apple's new AirPods.

Bots may already be old news for you if you are an investor or tech professional in Silicon Valley, where from what I hear they have already been a hot topic for at least the last year. The numbers bear this out: according to CB Insights, artificial intelligence start-ups (of which bots are a portion) raised about 1.6 billion in funding in the first half of 2016. If those involved in building and investing in bots are correct, that 1.6 billion will be peanuts compared to the changes that will come. For those of us not in that rarefied world of cutting edge tech and investors looking for the next thing they can preface with the word "disruptive," bots are (IMHO anyway, being in the relative tech backwater of Boston) only just starting to enter the conversation around how organizations employ technology solutions for improving customer experience management (CEM). CEM professionals therefore need to keep abreast of developments in the bots landscape, since this technology provides new ways that companies can identify, sell to, and service their customers.