The concept of artificial intelligence began as pure fiction, something to be imagined but never actually existing. Today, we know that that's no longer the case. Artificial Intelligence is real and there are already real-world applications where artificial intelligence is helping us solve some of the biggest problems facing humanity. Here's a look at how artificial intelligence has developed through the years. Greek myths The earliest known reference to something we could term artificial intelligence dates back to the ancient Greeks.

The concept of artificial intelligence began as pure fiction, something to be imagined but never actually existing. Today, we know that that's no longer the case. Artificial Intelligence is real and there are already real-world applications where artificial intelligence is helping us solve some of the biggest problems facing humanity. Here's a look at how artificial intelligence has developed through the years. The earliest known reference to something we could term artificial intelligence dates back to the ancient Greeks.

A brief history of artificial intelligence The concept of artificial intelligence began as pure fiction, something to be imagined but never actually existing. Today, we know that that's no longer the case. Artificial Intelligence is real and there are already real-world applications where artificial intelligence is helping us solve some of the biggest problems facing humanity. Here's a look at how artificial intelligence has developed through the years. Greek myths The earliest known reference to something we could term artificial intelligence dates back to the ancient Greeks.

Dating is hard, online dating is its own hell, and opening lines can make you want to cease human contact altogether. But panic no more: new research by Dr. Jess Carbino, a sociologist at Tinder suggests that users are 30 percent more likely to get a response from matches if they open with a GIF. "Instead of searching for the ultimate opening line, sending a GIF lets you show your personality and sense of humor," Carbino told Mashable via email. GIFs immediately lighten up the tone of a conversation and are a great way to push past the small talk." Conversations with GIFs also last twice as long as those that don't have them. That maybe explains the 100 million GIFs that have been sent so far since the app introduced support for the file.

Smart thermostat maker Ecobee announced that it's raised 35 million in funding from Amazon's Alexa Fund, Thomvest, and Relay Ventures. This is largest single Alexa Fund investment to date, Amazon said in a statement. Ecobee said it plans to use the latest cash injection to develop more connected home technologies "that make people's lives simpler and better". Like other smart thermostats, Ecobee's Wi-Fi connected device is designed to help users conserve energy and save money on their utility bills. The device was the first Wi-Fi thermostat to be directly compatible with Amazon Echo through the Alexa Smart Home Skill API, which allows Echo users to control room temperature with their voice.

From picking our favorite restaurants to predicting weather and correcting global food shortages, artificial intelligence is already augmenting everyday life. Firmly rooted in the realm of science fiction, artificial intelligence (AI) has often felt external – something happening out there. In reality, AI is a huge part of our everyday lives. We just don't recognize it. Bank alerts of suspected fraudulent charges, smartphone notifications to exercise, Siri or Cortana's ability to recognize voices – are all examples of AI. "Artificial intelligence is basically where machines make sense, learn, interface with the external world, without human beings having to specifically program it," said Nidhi Chappell, director of machine learning at Intel. AI improves lives in many other areas too.

This year, chatbots and virtual assistants have made their entrance into our lives. And many experts are convinced that they're here to stay. These technologies take ecommerce to a new, much more conversational level that is "conversational commerce". It's a term coined by Uber's Chris Messina (by the way, he's the inventor of the Twitter hashtag) and describes the step towards more personalized interactions between people and brands utilizing chat, messaging, or other natural language interfaces (i.e. Chatbots and Virtual Assistants are artificial intelligence systems that can communicate with users on a more personal level.

Amazon's Alexa can now handle commands for the Hyundai G90 luxury car (Photo: Genesis) Hyundai announced Thursday that it has partnered with Amazon to let motorists use their home digital assistant Alexa to boss around their new Genesis luxury car. From inside their homes, owners of Hyundai's Genesis G90 sedan will able to use voice commands through their Amazon Echo speakers to command the Alexa system to have their cars perform certain basic functions, Hyundai says. So, for instance, the customer who wants the car running and air conditioning blasting for a daily commute need only say something like, "Alexa, tell Genesis to start my car at 70 degrees." Or an owner might bark, "Alexa, tell Genesis to lock my car" from the comfort of their living room. In addition, Alexa can flash the car's headlights, honk the horn or turn off a running engine.

It's worth wondering if we'd be further along in our quest for the ultimate smart home if we had never called it a Smart Home. The idea that an entire dwelling could achieve something approaching sentience in one-fell swoop was always ludicrous. While our homes represent a singular idea, they're comprised of a million competing ones. We buy what we like and what we think will fill a utility gap. The refrigerator is purchased for one reason, while the electric stove is for another.

I joined Spotify in 2008 to focus on machine learning and music recommendations. It's easy to forget, but Spotify's key differentiator back then was the low-latency playback. People would say that it felt like they had the music on their own hard drive. In 2009 after a crazy amount of negotiation the music labels agreed to try it out as an experiment. Music distribution is a trivial problem now.