Google has launched its new mobile messaging app Allo today in a bid to challenge Facebook's stronghold in instant messaging. Allo differs from Google's previous attempts with Hangouts, Google Talk and Google Chat, as its main power lies in artificial intelligence, apparently. Users will be introduced to a preview edition of the company's AI dogsbody, Google Assistant, which does a job similar to that of Apple's Siri, but isn't yet voice powered in Allo. Typing @google in a chat will wake up Google Assistant to answer any questions or perform a specific job, such as sending a link to a Youtube video without having to close the chat and open a new app. A feature known as Smart Reply pops up with suggestions users can reply with quickly while on the move, sending messages such as "Are you on your way?" or just "yup" with a single tap.

Samsung needs something big next year. After all, it's precisely that line that put the company in its current position, up against the ropes during the time of year that ought be its most profitable. In a number of ways, the Note 7 fiasco couldn't have come at a less opportune time, heading into the holidays, just prior to the launch of a new iPhone, and as countless newcomers are vying for the public's attention/affection with low price/high-speced takes on Android. And then it went and recalled 2.8 million washing machines. But the company has clearly been thinking big for the next generation.

In celebration of Echo's 2nd birthday, Amazon has discounted their popular Echo device 22%. This discount is good for today only, Monday, November 7th. Amazon Echo is a hands-free speaker you control with your voice. Echo connects to the Alexa Voice Service to play music, automate your home, provide information, news, sports scores, weather, and more. All you have to do is ask.

Banking has come a long way from its roots in 2000 BC when merchants were using grain as currency for loans (Davies 1994). During the Italian Renaissance, the banking process became more sophisticated as services such as deposits and withdrawals were added (Varadarajan 2014). With the continued modernization of commerce, the industry progressed at an exponential rate. This progress eventually tapered off when the 2008 Financial Crisis hit, effectively tarnishing consumer trust in financial institutions. In the aftermath, it was apparent that in order for banks to remain profitable, a new model was needed – one that focused specifically on the experience of the customer.

By 2030, technology will have made banks and banking invisible to customers, hidden by Siri-like personal assistants that cull data from our connected lives to fulfil daily personal and financial obligations, claims KPMG.

They are planning our days, making our reservations, ordering our cars. We talk to Alexa, Siri, Cortana and Google like we would a human assistant. But how do these AI systems compare? Here's a look at what they do, how they're marketed and what they'll do next. Origins: Siri was perhaps the first virtual personal assistant to enter the mainstream, debuting on the iPhone in 2011. Functions: Siri only widely opened to third-party apps this year with the arrival of iOS 10.

Forget Black Mirror, nothing screams'we are headed towards the singularity' like a Big Mouth Billy Bass that responds to voice commands. The early 2000s Christmas present has long terrified us, even nearly provoking a panic attack in Tony Soprano. Today, a video is doing the rounds of an altered Billy who essentially has the brain of Alexa - Android's digital assistant answer to Apple's Siri. The fish even mimics the speech pattern of the disembodied voice, and is perhaps most chilling when initially springing to life to acknowledge its creator's weather request. Big Mouth Billy Bass is an enduring toy oddity much like the Furby, which is soon to be the subject of a big screen live-action/CGI adaptation for some reason.

Set to take on Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana, Samsung has said it will launch its own artificial intelligence digital assistant service for its upcoming Galaxy S8 smartphone. The announcement comes shortly after the Galaxy Note 7's collapse, which is expected to hit Samsung's profit by £4.4 billion ($5.4 billion). It is unclear what types of services will be offered through the AI assistant that will be launched on the Galaxy S8, which is expected to go on sale early next year. Set to take on Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana, Samsung has said it will launch its own artificial intelligence digital assistant service for its upcoming Galaxy S8 smartphone (artist's impression of what the device may look like) New renders of what could be Samsung Galaxy S8 have surfaced and they suggest the device will incorporate a dual-lens camera design and remove the home button for an edge-to-edge screen. It's speculated that Samsung could design a fingerprint-sensing display or place the feature behind the tempered glass.

As recently as two weeks ago, Samsung still hadn't figured out what made the explosion-prone Galaxy Note 7 go "boom," but on Sunday the smartphone maker announced an exciting new feature that will (hopefully) make you forget about all that: a digital assistant that might work better than Siri but who knows? In October, Samsung acquired Viv Labs, an artificial intelligence startup built by the creators of Siri and designed to work with third-party apps. According to Reuters, the company said this weekend that developers can expect "Viv" to ship with its upcoming Galaxy S8: Samsung did not comment on what types of services would be offered through the AI assistant that will be launched on the Galaxy S8, which is expected to go on sale early next year. It said the AI assistant would allow customers to use third-party service seamlessly. "Developers can attach and upload services to our agent," said Samsung Executive Vice President Rhee Injong during a briefing, referring to its AI assistant.

SEOUL Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Sunday it would launch an artificial intelligence digital assistant service for its upcoming Galaxy S8 smartphone, seeking to rebound from the Galaxy Note 7's collapse and differentiate its devices. The world's top smartphone maker in October announced the acquisition of Viv Labs Inc, a firm run by a co-creator of Apple Inc's Siri voice assistant program. Samsung plans to integrate the San Jose-based company's AI platform, called Viv, into the Galaxy smartphones and expand voice-assistant services to home appliances and wearable technology devices. Samsung is counting on the Galaxy S8 to help revive smartphone momentum after scrapping the fire-prone Galaxy Note 7, which will hit its profit by $5.4 billion over three quarters through the first quarter of 2017. Investors and analysts say the Galaxy S8 must be a strong device in order for Samsung to win back customers and revive earnings momentum.