We're witnessing an explosion of applications that no longer have a graphical user interface (GUI). They've actually been around for a while, but they've only recently started spreading into the mainstream. They are called bots, virtual assistants, invisible apps. They can run on Slack, WeChat, Facebook Messenger, plain SMS, or Amazon Echo. They can be entirely driven by artificial intelligence, or there can be a human behind the curtain.

Everyday virtual assistants – like Siri, or Google Now's voice feature – are well-trained to respond to your queries about weather, directions and other basic information. Now a new crop of artificial intelligence assistants with names like Tara and Amy are jockeying for a job at your company. San Francisco-based TARA, created by Iba Masood and Syed Ahmad as part of Y Combinator, is a chatbot designed to help startups and small businesses offload the work of sourcing, contacting and hiring freelancers to build and redesign websites and applications. "Our customers do not have to be technical," adds Masood, noting that the assistant has helped non-technical business owners to add functionality like apps of payments to their existing products. "Through simple commands such as'build me a VR app for Android,' TARA assigns the contractor and helps build the entire platform."

The AI chat bot Tay in action, as imagined by Microsoft. Microsoft is testing a new chat bot, Tay.ai, that is aimed primarily at 18- to 24-year-olds in the US. Tay was built by the Microsoft Technology and Research and Bing teams as a way to conduct research on conversational understanding. The Bing team developed a similar conversational bot, XiaoIce, for the Chinese market, back in 2014. Microsoft execs dubbed XiaoIce "Cortana's little sister," after the Redmond, Washington, company's voice-activated Cortana personal assistant software.

Google and Nest reportedly have a bunch of new smart home products in the works, but there may not be much collaboration happening between the two Alphabet subsidiaries. On the Google side, the search giant may be working on a competitor to Amazon's Echo connected speaker, according to The Information (via The Verge). The story reveals no details about the product, but it seems like an obvious fit for Google, which has already made voice controls a centerpiece of its Android Wear smartwatch platform. A device that answers Internet queries and controls other smart home products could very well tie into Google's broader efforts to create a new platform for the Internet of Things. Earlier this month, Recode reported that Nest had explored its own Echo-like product.

Apparently, Nest might only have itself to blame for that absence. The insiders say that Nest has had to delay numerous products in recent times, including Flintstone (an unannounced security system hub), Pinna (the sensors for that system) and Project Goose (its thermostat's new location-based temperature adjustments). Why would Google or its parent Alphabet rely on Nest when its technology frequently isn't ready? It's supposedly a mixture of frequent design changes and organizational issues that are to blame. Flintstone has been under constant revision, and Nest's rapid expansion (especially following the Dropcam acquisition) has forced it to shift from an executive-focused culture to one where everyone is encouraged to take the initiative.

I use the Amazon website nearly every day in Japanese; the company probably has a pretty good idea by now of who I am and what I'm into. Last month I even used an Amazon service that offers expert wine advice over the phone, which is quite understandably not available in English. But if the Echo came out here, I would likely have two choices at best: use it in English and miss out on the deepest integration with Amazon's fast-growing ecosystem -- I wouldn't be able to ask about most Japanese products or services in English, for example -- or use it in my second language and miss out on the ability to interact with Alexa as naturally as possible. Granted, the Echo sounds cool enough that I'd still probably buy one even if I could only use it in Japanese. But its functionality is one-way and focused on the home; it's not a mobile communications device.

A new dating app wants to use Watson's artificial intelligence to improve your dating experience. Called Connectidy, the app aims to help users figure out what they are looking for in a partner and how to best communicate with them. Those who download the app can choose to have it filter through any or all of your social media accounts -- LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Gmail -- to create a personality profile. Dineen Tallering, co-founder and president of Connectidy, told Tech Insider that the app doesn't store data, but analyzes the text to give you your Big Five personality traits. The Big Five is one of the most common, preferred ways psychologists use to measure personality.

I am sure a number of you have heard about machine learning. A dozen of you might even know what it is. And a couple of you might have worked with machine learning algorithms too. You see where this is going? Not a lot of people are familiar with the technology that will be absolutely essential 5 years from now.

Swiping left or right has become Tinder's signature move for finding a romantic match and now it can be used to find a presidential match. Instead of seeing good-looking faces of singles, users will see hot political issues for its'Swipe the Vote' campaign. Simply swipe left to disagree or right to agree and the app will display a percentage showing your primary and secondary matches. Instead of seeing good-looking faces, users will see hot political issues for its'Swipe the Vote' campaign. Click'TAKE THE POLL' on campaign card and begin your search for a nominee If the'Swipe the Vote' card appears while you're searching for a date, click'TAKE THE POLL' and begin your search for a nominee.

We all have memories of high school. Most of them, like the time spent with our friends, are great memories that we will always cherish. However, other memories, like the stress of taking the SAT's, are ones we try not to think about. In fact, just thinking about it now makes me sweat. Being a teenager is stressful enough, but the idea that so much of your future depends on this one test is beyond nerve wracking. That is why so many parents try to help by paying for their kids to take test prep courses, so they will walk in on test day feeling prepared.