There was no shortage of news about machine learning and artificial intelligence in 2016. But while some of the stories showed how far the technology has come, others showed how far it still has to go. Google's AlphaGo game-playing AI algorithm checked in on the positive side. It was able to beat the world's best players of the game Go, which is often compared to chess, but is in fact exponentially more complicated due to the large number of possible moves and the strategies that develop from managing so many potential moves. Then, there was Microsoft's Tay Twitter chatbot.

This year delivered a whole host of body blows to the UK's thriving startup sector. There has been an investor slowdown, few notable IPOs, increased market volatility and shining lights sold abroad. Then there was the biggest punch of them all, the Brexit vote to leave the European Union and all of the issues this brings up for a sector reliant on foreign talent. So what can the UK tech startup scene expect in 2017? It will no doubt be a year of further turmoil, and startups will need to be prepared for the worst, but there are also green shoots of hope for smart founders and investors who are focusing on the right areas.

The Amazon Echo might be sold out everywhere this holiday season, but those who've picked one of the smart speakers up prior have a treat in store. From now through January 3rd, saying "Alexa, read A Christmas Carol from Audible" will do exactly as the command suggests -- for free. And not only that, the Dickens classic is read by none other than Tim Curry -- the dastardly hotel manager from Home Alone 2 and voice of Ebeneezer Scrooge in the animated version of the story, from 1997. Pair this with the Eye of Sauron yule log, a glass of (boozy) egg nog and you'll be all ready for the big day. From now until Jan. 3, 2017, Alexa customers can listen to a holiday classic for free.

FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2016, file photo, Mark Zuckerberg, chairman and CEO of Facebook, speaks at the CEO summit during the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Lima, Peru. Zuckerberg unveiled his new artificial intelligence assistant named "Jarvis" in a Facebook post on Dec. 19, 2016. FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2016, file photo, Mark Zuckerberg, chairman and CEO of Facebook, speaks at the CEO summit during the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Lima, Peru.

Why Samsung May Release A Foldable Smartphone Next Year -- Even If It Won't Make Them Any Money By all accounts, 2016 has been an extraordinary year for Silicon Valley. Not only have the technology behemoths mustered a growing influence on Capitol Hill, their sheer market capitalization also testifies to one undeniable fact: They are the ones who change the world. The tech industry's missions are unapologetic and filled with passion. Their corporate myths are often wrapped up in their early days as startups. That some awkward twenty-year-old could turn their social ineptness into their biggest advantage and build a global enterprise from their garage is the highest expression of the American dream.

If you're still stymied about what gift to get, here are 10 gift ideas -- from Amazon's Echo Dot to battery chargers and drones. This is the smaller version of Amazon's popular Echo, a smart speaker. The interactive device -- that responds to the name "Alexa" -- can answer fact queries, playback music, provide real-time traffic, and lots of other things. It has a 3.5mm output jack and Bluetooth connectivity. "The Jackery Bolt packs a lot of value into a battery the size of a bar of soap," according to review site The Wirecutter, adding that The Bolt has "enough capacity to charge most smartphones twice over."

In the last few years, commercial organizations have relied heavily on immersive technology, effectively transforming operations and even market competition. The internet makes cross-device integration increasingly common, particularly as more devices become connected. As it becomes easier to connect with one another, the lines between reality and digital world become increasingly blurred. Although Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning were huge buzzwords in 2016, in the coming year we expect to see even more cloud users become accustomed to dealing with bots, and synchronizing their lives and operations to include digital assistants. Last year, Google and Microsoft added more powerful AI services to their cloud platforms.

AI is more present in our daily lives than many people realize. The world is on the cusp of an AI revolution. Companies around the world are already using the technology to help do everything from parse medical records to teach cars to drive themselves. At home, digital assistants like Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri and Google Now, have put a conversational gloss on the burgeoning tech. In 2017, AI is likely to not only get smarter (natch) but also more humanlike.

It's almost Christmas and you still haven't gotten gifts for everyone. In a world that's increasingly wired and well connected, a great tech gift might be the perfect fix for your Christmas gift woes. Here are some items you can get in stores this week at the last second, all of which will be sure to please this Christmas. The Google Home could be a perfect product for any techie. It's essentially like living in a long-imagined future where you speak commands -- such as "Play a favorite song" or ask a random question -- and the little, oblong speaker calmly answers.

By now, everyone's familiar with the tale: Artificial intelligence achieves consciousness, judges that humans are extraneous, and then enslaves or destroys us all. Think 2015's Ex Machina, 2004's I, Robot, 1984's Terminator. The other side of the coin, though, tends to make fewer headlines. Spike Jonze's 2013 film Her offers a sweeter narrative about conscious A.I.: A future in which a lonely writer can fall in love with an A.I. assistant named Samantha. Her eventual transition from conscious to superintelligent does not signal the demise of our species -- it just breaks Joaquin Phoenix's heart.