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Apple Finally Put Siri Where It Belongs

TIME - Tech

Many aspects of my life are neat and organized. My computer is not one of them. I rarely purge my system of old files and photos. I forget to uninstall software I don't need anymore. My desktop is a mess of thumbnails and documents.


First hints of the new Google Assistant appear in update to the Google app beta

PCWorld

The beta version of the Google app is usually the first to spill the goods on upcoming features. That's what appears to be the case in version 6.1, as we finally catch a glimpse of how the new Google Assistant may work when it comes time to take over as your new best friend. In a dig into the APK, Android Police found several code strings that reference the assistant being ready to help when summoned. It's not available now, but Google often does a lot of the pre-work before features go live. Expect to see more before the Google Assistant debuts, which should occur alongside Android Nougat.


Facebook's beefing up its huge army of Messenger bots as Google and Amazon catch up

PCWorld

The bot revolution is happening fast for Facebook. After launching third-party bots in April offering everything from forecasts to your boarding pass, the social network says there are now more than 11,000 bots active on Facebook. To celebrate, Facebook is adding a bunch of new features that could show up on your favorite bots soon--if developers enable them, that is. One big problem with bots is they feel a little antiquated. Many of them will only respond to certain commands, which can make the whole experience kind of tedious. You try a certain command.


How to ban the sites you hate from Cortana's top headlines

PCWorld

Cortana in Windows 10 is a great tool to take a quick look at news headlines on your PC, but compared to competitors like Google Now I sometimes find Microsoft's choice of news sites lacking. Recently, Microsoft added a new capability to fix that--at least a little bit. Cortana now lets you banish news sites you don't like from your feed?. There are some reports that this is a U.S.-only feature for now. First, if you're not using Cortana to deliver news open the personal digital assistant on your PC.


Microsoft CEO aims to build artificial intelligence capable of empathy, emotion

#artificialintelligence

Humans have a lot to contribute even in the face of artificial intelligence, Microsoft (MSFT) CEO Satya Nadella said Wednesday on CNBC's " Power Lunch ." "I definitely fall into the camp of thinking of AI as augmenting human capability and capacity," Nadella said. Algorithmically, for example, how can AI be programmed to care for humans -- not have bias built in? How can it be trustworthy? How can it be transparent?


Have a question at work? Ask the AI assistant

#artificialintelligence

Artificial intelligence that can understand and answer any work-related question it is asked has been made available in the UK for the first time. The computer software, called Starmind, uses machine learning to understand queries, then source answers from previous staff conversations on a subject or track down experts within the company who are able to help. Its creators refer to it as'brain technology', adding its aim is to become a central knowledge bank within any company, an instant database of information that can be accessed by anyone. AI software which understands and answers work-related questions has been made available in the UK. Starmind is an artificial intelligence software for the workplace, designed in Switzerland.


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#artificialintelligence

Though still at its infancy stage, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is eliciting much enthusiasm from many people. He believes that although Artificial Intelligence is currently disguised as a helpful digital assistant and helping us with autonomous works like self-driving car and all. Hawking warns that AI and robotics could evolve faster than human beings could, and their goals and mission for existence will be unpredictable. Artificial Intelligence has the potential to evolve faster that the human race.


Have a question at work? Ask the AI assistant

#artificialintelligence

Artificial intelligence that can understand and answer any work-related question it is asked has been made available in the UK for the first time. The computer software, called Starmind, uses machine learning to understand queries, then source answers from previous staff conversations on a subject or track down experts within the company who are able to help. Its creators refer to it as'brain technology', adding its aim is to become a central knowledge bank within any company, an instant database of information that can be accessed by anyone. Artificial intelligence software which understands and answers work-related questions has been made available in the UK. Starmind co-founder Pascal Kaufmann said of the technology: 'Thousands of human brains connected can outsmart any machine today.


Microsoft's Satya Nadella: 6 Must-Have AI Design Principles - InformationWeek

#artificialintelligence

Despite some predictions that artificial intelligence will one day take over the world, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says AI should be embraced and not feared, as he outlined design principles and goals that should be considered when creating the technology. In his essay published in Slate Tuesday, Nadella discussed the great promise of AI, or advanced machine learning, and how in an AI world, "productivity and communication tools will be written for an entirely new platform, one that doesn't just manage information but also learns from information and interacts with the physical world." Nadella added that "there are'musts' for humans too -- particularly when it comes to thinking clearly about the skills future generations must prioritize and cultivate." Those "musts" include empathy, education, creativity, judgment, and accountability. "Ultimately, humans and machines will work together -- not against one another. Computers may win at games, but imagine what's possible when human and machine work together to solve society's greatest challenges like beating disease, ignorance, and poverty," Nadella said in his essay.


Tinder, But for Brexit

The Atlantic - Technology

Better Together is slightly tongue-in-cheek, too, but Kershaw said it's a way to support the Remain cause, though it's probably too late. The morning after the referendum, Kershaw and his team of about six had woken up feeling "miserable." "We've got Europe in our DNA; half my family are French, we've got staff here on an EU visa, and some of us are the children of immigrants," Kershaw told me over email. "I wanted something to cheer us up."' The Android app launched Thursday morning, and Kershaw hopes an iOS app will become available next week.