The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicks off in Las Vegas next week, with technology companies from around the globe descending on "Sin City" to showcase their latest gadgets and offer a glimpse into our digital future. From the camcorder and the CD player to the Xbox and the plasma TV, some of the best-known technologies of all time have debuted at CES, and some of the most famous industry figures have given keynotes, including Bill Gates, Michael Dell and Elon Musk. This year marks the show's 50th annivarsary. The first CES kicked off in 1967, with 250 exhibitors and 17,500 attendees gathered in New York City. Since then, CES has grown by more than 10-fold, and now encompasses both traditional and non-traditional tech industries.

Looks like many people had a talkative present this Christmas. According to conversational user interface analytics company VoiceLabs, Echo sales spiked over 400% versus last year, and both Google Home and Alexa usage saw third-party developer growth of over 1500%. "This holiday season saw one of the biggest jumps in terms of units sold, which equates to a lot more Echos in the wild," says CEO Adam Marchick. "We also saw a spike in Google Home activations and usage." Last year Amazon sold north of one million units; this year the number should be north of four million. Google Home sales are harder to estimate, since the product has no comparable year-over-year history, and Google has not released sales figures.

GE was still essentially a startup when its managers hired young MIT chemistry professor Willis Whitney to open the company's first laboratory in 1900. Unlike Thomas Edison's Menlo Park "invention factory" in New Jersey, the place was a modest affair. It was located in a wooden barn behind the house of GE's resident polymath and engineering wizard Charles Steinmetz in Schenectady, New York, where GE co-founder Edison moved in the 1880s. The lab -- dedicated to "fundamental research" -- went up in flames the next spring, but Whitney's career and momentum continued. He rebuilt the lab and brought in researchers such as Nobel Prize-winning chemist Irving Langmuir.

Authorities in Bentonville, Arkansas, issued a warrant for an Amazon Echo device powered by Alexa to see if the gadget has any information linked to a 2015 murder case, according to The Information. The device belongs to James Andrew Bates, who is on trial for killing his friend Victor Collins. Police want to know if the Echo heard anything that has to do with the murder of Collins, who was found dead in Bates' hot tub. Bentonville issued a warrant for Amazon to release any audio or records from an Echo belonging to Bates. The company reportedly declined to give authorities data that the Echo device logged on its servers.

The AI revolution has begun. Artificial intelligence will begin to completely transform every industry and every company within the next few years. And if we dig deeper, we can see that within each company there are many areas this will impact. AI will transform the way business does business. This is both an incredible opportunity and a huge risk.

Samsung's Galaxy S8 is expected to include the debut of a new voice-based digital assistant. Following on from the South Korean company's acquisition of Viv Labs, the technology from this artificial intelligence platform will be baked into Samsung's software on the upcoming flagship. Previous Galaxy handsets have supported voice interaction using its S Voice application, but the inclusion of a new voice-powered digital assistant (that many are calling'Bixby') should give Samsung an AI presence in all of the Galaxy S8's own applications (reports SamMobile). It also gives Samsung a stronger foothold into the world of digital AI alongside the likes of Microsoft's Cortana, Apple's Siri, and Google's imaginatively named Google Assistant. And it is the latter which could raise some eyebrows in Mountain View.

Amazon's Echo devices and its virtual assistant are meant to help find answers by listening for your voice commands. However, police in Arkansas want to know if one of the gadgets overheard something that can help with a murder case. According to The Information, authorities in Bentonville issued a warrant for Amazon to hand over any audio or records from an Echo belonging to James Andrew Bates. Bates is set to go to trial for first-degree murder for the death of Victor Collins next year. Amazon declined to give police any of the information that the Echo logged on its servers, but it did hand over Bates' account details and purchases.

Google has had a good run in 2016 as far as its hardware offerings are concerned. The company launched a range of hardware in October including the Daydream View VR headset, Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones, Google Home Speaker, Chromecast Ultra and Google Wi-Fi router, all of which were met with good market response. So what does the company have in store for 2017? Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches: The company is expected to launch two new flagship Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches in the first quarter of 2017. The upcoming smartwatches might not come with Google or Pixel branding, but instead have the name of the manufacturer.

Mark Zuckerberg envisions a software system inspired by the'Iron Man' character Jarvis as a virtual butler managing his household. The Facebook founder's dream is about artificial intelligence, which is slowly but surely creeping into our daily lives, no longer just science fiction. Artificial intelligence or AI is getting a foothold in people's homes, starting with the Amazon devices like its Echo speaker which links to a personal assistant'Alexa' to answer questions and control connected devices such as appliances or light bulbs. Analyst Carolina Milanesi of the research firm Creative Strategies said "2016 was the year about raising awareness, and exposing consumers to the idea of AI in a more mass market way." Milanesi said it may take time for the technology to fulfill its potential, noting that companies need "a strong hook" to bring large numbers of consumers into this world.

Perhaps you saw the recent story about Mark Zuckerberg's new housemate: Jarvis, an artificial intelligence assistant that the Facebook founder created to control appliances, play music, recognize faces, and even entertain his toddler. Apparently Zuckerberg spent 100 hours creating his virtual helper -- it's name is taken from the artificial intelligence system in the movie ''Iron Man'' -- and Jarvis's skills include adjusting the thermostat, turning on the lights, and operating the toaster. It's also able to text Zuckerberg pictures of people who stop by the house, and it can open the front door for anyone it recognizes. Talking about it on -- where else? -- Facebook, Zuckerberg said Jarvis can tell when Zuckerberg's 1-year-old daughter, Max, wakes up ''so it can start playing music or a Mandarin lesson.'' This is all very interesting, but it's not exactly new. Indeed, Brookline-based software engineer Chad Barraford created a digital life assistant several years ago -- and his is also named Jarvis.