Facebook's recent chatbot announcement about delivering ecommerce to the service's extensive user base has put artificial intelligence into the spotlight again. For years, software design has traditionally consisted of three fields, but there may soon be a fourth. Joining UX, UI, and graphic and interaction design is an idea known as "consciousness design" that will emerge as A.I. assistants grow in popularity. Amazon Echo and other A.I. assistants are among the pioneers of virtually "interface-less" experiences that make consciousness design central to product success. The idea is not so much to offer a simple search that delivers less-than-desired results, which is what Facebook bots basically do, but rather to offer a real customized experience that harnesses artificial intelligence to power the coming revolution.

The Roll is a new smart app that can help you organize the thousands of photos you take with your mobile phone. The app scans a photo library, analyzes each image and tries to detect the ones that are similar. It then sorts the images into groups so copies can be deleted. The app also gives each image a score as a measure of its quality. It doesn't always get it right: a professional fashion image taken in a studio obtained a quality score of 50%, although it may help the user to know which photos are better or worse before sharing them.

Amazon's voice activated digital assistant Alexa appears to know more about Prime Day than she's letting on. All she'll do at this point is recite a cryptic poem pointing to a possible deal on July 8, 2016. SAN FRANCISCO -- The off-season sale Amazon calls Prime Day hits July 12. If you're thinking of taking part, you'll save money and time by planning ahead. Here's how to prepare yourself ahead of the marketing bonanza, from apps that alert on price drops to asking Alexa.

Want to know how much you spent on Uber rides last month? A new banking bot called MyKAI can give you some answers. Kasisto's new banking smart bot, which works with messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger and Slack to make financial transactions and answer questions, is part of a broader trend towards using AI to enrich customers' interactions with companies. You can make payments, ask the bot things like how much money is in your account, and even ask general questions like "What is a CD?" It can even provide an answer if you want to know if you have a gambling problem. But how does MyKAI fit into the bigger bot world? How is it using AI to enable meaningful conversations with customers?

Amazon's voice activated digital assistant Alexa appears to know more about Prime Day than she's letting on. All she'll do at this point is recite a cryptic poem pointing to a possible deal on July 8, 2016. The Tap is similar to Echo, but requires you to press a button to speak to Alexa. SAN FRANCISCO -- The meaning behind a cryptic poem recited by Amazon's voice-command digital assistant Alexa on Wednesday became clear Friday with the announcement that Amazon customers who order by voice will get exclusive deals during the online retailer's Prime Day sale. Alexa users will receive a 10 discount on their first Amazon order using Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, or Amazon Tap, July 8 through July 12. Amazon created the shopping holiday for its Prime customers last year as a sort of Christmas in July event to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae -- or dark patches -- on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" display

Want to know how much you spent on Uber rides last month? A new banking bot called MyKAI can give you some answers. Kasisto's new banking smart bot, which works with messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger and Slack to make financial transactions and answer questions, is part of a broader trend towards using AI to enrich customers' interactions with companies. You can make payments, ask the bot things like how much money is in your account, and even ask general questions like "What is a CD?" It can even provide an answer if you want to know if you have a gambling problem. Why Dick's Sporting Goods decided to play its own game in e commerce Dick's Sporting Goods has long partnered with eBay Enterprise on its e -commerce platform. Learn the benefits and risks of this multi -million dollar IT bet.

For many years, effective voice-based search technologies have eluded businesses that have tried to bring next-generation input methods to customers. Confined to basic navigation and so-called'magic words', command-based speech systems have been ineffective and hard for consumers to use. The widespread adoption of smartphones and tablets, and their minimised keyboards, has led to a renewed interest in this genre of technology however, with Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa and Google Now's'OK Google' progressing beyond basic menu navigation functions and striking a chord with consumers and businesses alike. In fact, any device with a microphone has potential for speech based commands, and can become an intelligent discovery system that uses a sophisticated entertainment brain to understand customer desires. This technology is important and under-explored by the TV industry, which often appears to have been left behind in terms of intuitive discovery functionality.

In 2012, Dennis Mortensen had 1,019 meetings, each of which required an average of roughly eight back-and-forth emails to schedule. Every time Mortensen comes across a contact interested in meeting with him, the CEO and founder of New York City-based artificial intelligence firm x.ai simply sends them a return email copying Amy, who takes care of the rest. "In raw numbers, I've saved about an hour every day -- an hour which I would otherwise have to use in really rudimentary work where I add not much value," Mortensen said of Amy's help scheduling meetings. Virtual assistants like Amy are becoming more common. Just as household technology platforms like Apple's "Siri" and Microsoft's "Cortana" has helped consumers navigate their lives more easily, other forms of rudimentary artificial intelligence platforms are starting to proliferate the market, many of them upending traditional business roles.

I became highly confused the first time I used the Amazon Echo, a voice-activated "smart home assistant" that sits in the corner and responds to the name Alexa – as in "Alexa, play some music!" or "Alexa, how many ounces in a kilogram?" Partly, this was because the only person I know who owns an Echo is herself called Alexa, and she was home at the time. That is, unless you start young. "We love our Amazon Echo… but I fear it's also turning our daughter into a raging asshole," the Silicon Valley investor Hunter Walk fretted recently. Alexa doesn't need you to say please or thank you; indeed, she responds better to brusque commands.