Amazon's brightest star doesn't appear on any of its high-profile TV shows. Rather, it's Alexa, the voice-controlled "brain" at the center of the cylindrical Amazon Echo device that gets smarter the more often users engage with her. Alexa has moved the battle for the most helpful digital assistant from portable smartphones and watches to our homes, where consumers want the hands-off experience that decades of sci-fi movies have promised. Echo has sold an estimated 3 million units since it debuted 18 months ago. Later this year, Google will challenge Amazon with Google Home, an Echo-style device that will manage schedules, play music, and perform routine tasks like ordering an Uber.

It is no secret that artificial intelligence is one of the hottest tech trends of today, but there is a wide range of research fields that falls under the umbrella of AI. According to data from Venture Scanner, machine learning research is the clear leader in the industry by a wide margin, despite the fact that it is also one of the newest avenues of AI research. Machine learning is essentially the ability for a computer program to learn from new data and improve its functionality over time. For example, Google's AlphaGo AI learned how to play Go by evaluating millions of moves from real games, and as it continues to play more matches, it is constantly getting better and better. This allowed AlphaGo to defeat one of the top Go players in the world earlier this year, a landmark feat in the field of AI research.

The intelligence exhibited by machine also known as Artificial Intelligence is an area that very many large technology companies are investing into these days. Apple made its mark in artificial intelligence by introducing its digital assistant Siri, google and Microsoft also followed. Social media giants; Facebook and amazon have shown indications of investing in Artificial Intelligence. The interest of these companies in this field of computer science is an indicator that Artificial Intelligence is an area that offers a lot of promise. The country has tried to use AI in some areas for example KCCA introduced the smart traffic lights at Wandegeya.

Machine learning is at the top of the "hype curve" for emerging technologies and is one of the top 10 strategic technology trends for 2016 according to Gartner. A method of data analysis that automates analytical model building, machine learning can benefit almost any business that gathers data with the intention of acting upon it. It's safe to say that most of us are already interacting with machine learning applications on a daily basis, whether it's Apple's Siri, Facebook's face detection, Amazon and Netflix personalized recommendations, or iOS's autocorrect. What can we learn from this growing trend? What can we do with such a widely applicable technology and how can we maximize its potential?

Burner numbers might seem like a plot device best left to the writers on cheesy cop shows, but a fast-growing startup--aptly named Burner--is proving there are everyday use cases for a secondary set of digits that you can access through your existing phone via app. Online Dating: In an era when people might swipe right and swap numbers before they meet, having a secondary number can offer daters a sense of control and privacy. "We say if you give your number to someone on Tinder, they shouldn't be able to figure out who you are," says Burner CEO Greg Cohn. On Tuesday, the company announced a new feature for these users: a text bot that will ghost unwanted wooers through their burner line. Craigslisting: Phone numbers, relative to the phones they're associated with, are pretty dumb, Cohn says.

Ultimate Ears's UE Boom 2 and UE Megaboom, two of the most popular portable Bluetooth speakers around, are getting an upgrade to make them more like Amazon's Alexa-equipped Tap. A new software update for the speakers' apps (free on iOS and Android) adds Siri and Google Now, allowing push-to-talk voice commands just like on Amazon's new portable bluetooth speaker. SEE ALSO: Ultimate Ears' Boom 2 speaker cranks the volume up to eleven After downloading the new app update, users will be able to press the Bluetooth button and ask either Siri or Google Now to play a song according to Ultimate Ears. In addition to songs, users will also be able to ask Siri and Google Now (with the "OK, Google" command) for anything they can do on their iOS or Android devices, such as getting restaurant suggestions and directions. We haven't tried the new voice assistant integration ourselves yet, but early reports indicate there are some quirks.

Unlike Google, Facebook, and Amazon, Apple appears to be sitting out the massive data suck revolution. Marco Arment, bless him, has the ability to distill popular sentiment down to it's essence and post it in a way that makes every sensationalist site on the web attention-link it with self-serving abandon. Unfortunately, his point often gets lost in the pile-on that follows. This time, his point is about Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and whether companies unfettered by concerns over privacy and security have a lead Apple will find tough to follow. Today, Amazon, Facebook, and Google are placing large bets on advanced AI, ubiquitous assistants, and voice interfaces, hoping that these will become the next thing that our devices are for.

Nowadays, recommender systems are used to personalize your experience on the web, telling you what to buy, where to eat or even who you should be friends with. People's tastes vary, but generally follow patterns. People tend to like things that are similar to other things they like, and they tend to have similar taste as other people they are close with. Recommender systems try to capture these patterns to help predict what else you might like. E-commerce, social media, video and online news platforms have been actively deploying their own recommender systems to help their customers to choose products more efficiently, which serves win-win strategy.

For this test, I was using a Nexus 5X running Android Marshmallow 6.0.1 and the first step is making sure the speaker is connected through the respective UE Boom or Megaboom apps. These speakers are Bluetooth LE, so the phone should detect the speaker and allow you to remotely power up if needed. This doesn't always work the first time out even if the speaker is already connected to the phone, so if you run into trouble, I'd recommend turning Bluetooth off and on again, which usually gets things sorted. There aren't currently any indications of this new feature in the UE app's "how to" section or settings, but the next step should confirm that things are working properly. Just do a quick press of the small Bluetooth button on the top of the speaker and wait to hear the audible prompt, which is the same as when you say "OK Google" or press the microphone icon for voice control on your phone.

From TechCrunch: "NEW YORK, NY - MAY 09: CEO and co-founder of Viv Dag Kittlaus speaks onstage during TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2016 at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal on May 9, 2016 in New York City." Dag Kittlaus co-created Apple's Siri, and now he's looking to disrupt the personal assistant market again--this time with Viv. While Siri may only respond to certain commands and doesn't remember the last thing you ask, you can make extremely specific requests of Viv, like "Will it be hotter than 70 degrees after 5PM tomorrow in San Francisco" or "pay David 20 dollars," and Viv can answer follow up questions. We caught up with Kittlaus to ask a few questions about how he's disrupting the virtual personal assistant market. Popular Science: You helped start Siri and you've got a deep understanding of how most assistants work.