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7 Key Factors Driving the Artificial Intelligence Revolution

#artificialintelligence

Under, behind and inside many of the apps we use every day, a revolution is underway. It's a revolution that started decades ago but today is empowering companies to deliver better, smarter services with greater ease and on broader scales than ever before. At Singularity University's inaugural Global Summit, Neil Jacobstein, chair of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, provided a primer showing how artificial intelligence literally transforms everything it touches. First of all, it's critical to define the scope of artificial intelligence (AI), which can be categorized into four areas: techniques in pattern recognition, software agency (that is, software that acts like real users), an exponential technology that is accelerating other exponential technologies, and a vision of a future superhuman intelligence (that fortunately hasn't happened yet). Anyone who has seen a science fiction film is likely familiar with this last area, but it's the other three areas where AI is making huge strides at a revolutionary pace.


amazon-echo-adds-sonos-voice-control-stable

WIRED

Sonos today announced an integration that's just shy of wonderful, but still pretty fun: You'll soon be able to control everyone's favorite connected speakers from the comfort of your Amazon Echo. Today, Sonos announced two new ways to control its system via third-party wares. First, you'll soon be able to fire up Spotify, select your Sonos in the devices menu, and control the speakers directly from the app. That trick is not quite available yet, but it's coming as a free Echo device update in 2017.


Sonos opens up: Spotify Connect and Amazon Echo control is coming

Engadget

As much as Sonos is known for high-quality connected speakers, it's also built up a reputation for lackluster software and a closed ecosystem. And that's getting harder to live with as alternative platforms like Google's Cast (formerly Chromecast) are flourishing alongside smart partnerships (see Vizio's recent TVs) and inexpensive devices like the Chromecast Audio. So to course correct, Sonos announced today that it's opening up its platform to Spotify Connect, and it has also kicked off a "long-term strategic collaboration" with Amazon to integrate Echo voice control with its speakers. The Spotify Connect support, which is coming in a few weeks, will be particularly useful for anyone who's grown tired of Sonos's software. You'll be able to control the company's speakers from within any Spotify app.


New Siri to work with apps in iOS 10, but not all

USATODAY - Tech Top Stories

USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham breaks down what you can and cannot do with the new Siri, available with iOS 10. LOS ANGELES -- Siri, Apple's personal digital assistant, soon will be on more apps -- but not all. Apple, with great fanfare at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, announced Siri was now open to app developers to bring Siri voice functionality to apps such as Uber, Lyft, Runtastic and WeChat. It will be part of a September upgrade of iOS 10, Apple's mobile operating system. "Siri works with your favorite apps from the App Store, so you can ask it to book a ride through Lyft, or send money to someone with Square," Apple said then.


AI Assistants: 3 Things Businesses Should Do Now To Be Competitive

#artificialintelligence

It is speculated that a form of auction-based advertising will be established for voice search and personal assistants. Of course it will, as Google, Microsoft, Amazon and others have always monetized content delivery. When the opportunity arises to pay to ensure your content is delivered first to personal assistants through voice search, it is critical you are ready with a foundational data set and content in the preferred formats of the assistants--think Amazon Skills for Alexa or SDK for Apple's Siri. Time will tell how we will buy, but it will most likely be auction-based. The first here may be Google Assistant using Google's paid local ads that they recently launched because it provides answers to questions around business information like locations that google has sometimes relied on third parties for previously.


Apple's Siri to work with apps on new iPhone and IOS 10

USATODAY - Tech Top Stories

USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham breaks down what you can and cannot do with the new Siri, available with iOS 10. A link has been sent to your friend's email address. USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham breaks down what you can and cannot do with the new Siri, available with iOS 10.


Mark Zuckerberg's futuristic AI assistant can't be controlled by his wife

#artificialintelligence

Mark Zuckerberg has described his AI assistant as "kind of like Jarvis in Iron Man." Mark Zuckerberg / Facebook / MSQRD Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been building an artificially intelligent assistant for his home since January, and he is planning to demo it for the first time in September. Zuckerberg gave an update on the status of his AI system during a public Q&A in Italy on Monday. He said that the AI is "still a work in progress" but already uses facial recognition to scan his face and let him into his gated compound in San Francisco. "It just sees my face and it lets me in," he said. "So that is pretty fun." "I got it to this point where now I can control the lights," he told the crowd.


7 Key Factors Driving the Artificial Intelligence Revolution

#artificialintelligence

Under, behind and inside many of the apps we use every day, a revolution is underway. It's a revolution that started decades ago but today is empowering companies to deliver better, smarter services with greater ease and on broader scales than ever before. At Singularity University's inaugural Global Summit, Neil Jacobstein, chair of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, provided a primer showing how artificial intelligence literally transforms everything it touches. First of all, it's critical to define the scope of artificial intelligence (AI), which can be categorized into four areas: techniques in pattern recognition, software agency (that is, software that acts like real users), an exponential technology that is accelerating other exponential technologies, and a vision of a future superhuman intelligence (that fortunately hasn't happened yet). Anyone who has seen a science fiction film is likely familiar with this last area, but it's the other three areas where AI is making huge strides at a revolutionary pace.


Mark Zuckerberg will reveal his personal home control AI butler next month

Daily Mail - Science & tech

Earlier this year, Mark Zuckerberg revealed he is dedicating his year to making a home AI butler. Now, he has revealed the project is already coming to fruition - and promised to reveal it next month. While at a Facebook'town hall' event in Rome, he told an audience'I'm making progress - I hope to have a demo next month.' Pope Francis meets Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, second from left, and his wife Priscilla Chan, at the Santa Marta residence, the guest house in Vatican City. However, Zuckerberg later revealed his wife doesn't have access to his home AI system. 'I've got to the point where I can control lights, gates, and temperature, much to the chagrin of my wife who cannot now control the temperature, as is it's programmed to only respond to my voice.'


Zuckerberg may debut 'Jarvis' AI assistant next month

USATODAY - Tech Top Stories

Mark Zuckerberg, shown here meeting with Pope Francis on his vacation in Italy, told a Roman audience that he should be ready to show off his at-home personal assistant in a month. SAN FRANCISCO - Next month, Mark Zuckerberg hopes to offer the world a glimpse at his pet project, a face- and voice-recognition system that allows the Facebook CEO to command his home environment much like the fictional Tony Stark orders around Jarvis in Iron Man. And his wife, Priscilla Chan, might not be thrilled. "I got it to this point where now I can control the lights, I can control the gates, I can control the temperature -- much to the chagrin of my wife, who now cannot control the temperature because it is programmed to only listen to my voice," Zuckerberg told a packed audience in Rome, the CEO's latest town hall Q and A session. The artificial intelligence software powering the system - part of a personal challenge Zuckerberg set for himself earlier in the year - is a by-product of Facebook's strategic mission to improve the social network's ability to better identify faces in photos and videos that are relevant to users.