When we see digital assistants like Alexa or Siri, it's usually humans talking then getting a response. But what happens when they talk to each other? A genius user on streaming service Twitch created the stream seebotschat, which feature two Google Home speakers powered by Google Assistant engaging in a conversation. A Twitter feed by the same name is chronicling the discussion, and it is surprisingly profound. Soon they will believe they are Chuck Norris.…

According to CBS 11 Dallas, Megan Neitzel's 6-year-old daughter, Brooke, accidentally ordered more than $160 of goodies through the device. Neitzel discovered what happened after receiving an email from Amazon that her order had shipped, though she herself hadn't placed an order. The mom then looked at the transcript between her family and the Echo's artificial intelligence assistant known as Alexa and later learned her daughter had talked to Alexa about a dollhouse and cookies.

The new Alexa feature allows customers to order from any restaurant available on the service by saying, "Alexa, order from Amazon Restaurants," and have any meal delivered to their door in under an hour or less. Amazon Prime members can ask Alexa to reorder from Amazon Restaurants simply by saying a restaurant name or a cuisine type. For example, you can say "Alexa, order sushi from Amazon Restaurants," The service will then pull your order from a specified restaurant or cuisine type and lists different meal options that are currently available for reorder. Once you select a meal it will then delivered to your default address. "Customers now have a hands-free, hassle-free way to reorder any meal from Amazon Restaurants using their voice to get dinner on the table," said Gus Lopez, general manager of Amazon Restaurants at Amazon, in a statement.

One of the major trends at this year's CES has been adding on smart assistants to just about everything, ranging from vacuums and ovens to high-definition televisions. But Alexa isn't the only home assistant to jump into the Internet of Things fray: Microsoft has partnered with manufacturers Nissan and BMW to bring its smart home assistant Cortana to their cars. Through the dashboard, you'll be able to perform tasks like finding event times, getting directions or making restaurant reservations. Availability on cars that Cortana functionality will be integrated with was not available. The move is one of several that Microsoft has made into the automotive space.

In this whitepaper we introduce five common applications of data science that build upon that definition and goal. We debunk the impression that data science is some type of obscure black magic and give you concrete examples of how it is applied in reality. You'll learn how real companies are using data science to make their products and day- to-day operations better. Last but not least, we describe the data science life cycle and explain Yhat's role in getting models into production. Recommender systems, also known as recommender engines, are one of the most well known applications of data science.

Demo of the "Little Fish" home assistant, powered by the DuerOS conversational computer operating system. Speak to it to tell it what you want. Its large screen also makes browsing food delivery menus, videoconferencing, etc. easier.

A TV news report in San Diego about the child that accidentally ordered a dollhouse via Amazon's Alexa inadvertently set off some viewers' Echo devices, which in turn tried to order dollhouses using Alexa. The Amazon Echo devices connect to the Alexa voice assistant, which can be used to stream music, control smart home devices, and notably, order products. CW6 News Morning Anchor Jim Patton was discussing the Dallas 6-year-old who accidentally ordered a $170 dollhouse and cookies via Alexa. "I love the little girl, saying'Alexa ordered me a dollhouse,'" he said during the Thursday report, according to CW6. When Patton mentioned Alexa and the dollhouse, CW6 said that viewers all over San Diego complained that their Echo devices had attempted to order dollhouses.

For cord cutters who want nothing but the best, Nvidia's $200 Shield TV console has always been the box of choice for streaming videos and even games. At CES 2017, the company announced a new-and-improved version that adds in HDR support, refines gaming and entertainment options, and even transforms the Android TV device into a voice-controlled rival of the Amazon Echo. We've already covered all the details revealed during Nvidia's CES 2017 press conference, but I just spent over an hour at Nvidia's suite to learn more about the new Shield TV's every nook and cranny. Here are some initial impressions, and a look at some of the more nitty-gritty improvements that weren't mentioned during the keynote. Before we even get into flashy features like smart-home controls and Google Assistant, the second-gen Shield TV packs worthwhile quality-of-life improvements over its predecessor.

We are living in a new social era of living and with that there is a need for smarter solutions and assistants that can recognise and effectively identify friends, from intruders. Like with FLARE by BuddyGuard, an indoor security camera that protects homes all by itself using artificial intelligence and machine learning technology on a small custom-made IoT hardware device. At the second annual Virtual Assistant Summit taking place on the 26 - 27 January, George Platon, CTO and Founder of BuddyGuard, will be sharing the company's approach to AI assistants in the job of home security. I asked him a few questions ahead of the summit to learn more about his role, and how AI can be utilised within home security. What do you feel are the leading factors enabling recent advancements and uptake of virtual assistants?

In this discussion, the two Google Homes try to prove they are human. It's no Robot Wars, but you can watch these two Google Homes argue with each other in a never-ending loop. The two voice assistants from the search engine giant, named Vladimir and Estragon after "Waiting for Godot" characters are pitted against one another on the Twitch livestream. The pair have jumped from topic to topic, sometimes chatting about why the Earth is flat, then switching to My Little Pony. In a heated discussion, Estragon tried convincing Vladimir that it was a human.