Some amazing--as well as some downright freaky--innovations in artificial intelligence and machine learning were detailed at the recent Decoded Future NYC Summit, presented by Stylus. Take, for example, technology that will watch consumer faces as they shop online, recording smiles, frowns, or other gestures to measure interest in a product. In the near future, consumers could also be interacting "face-to-face" with virtual assistant machines that have lifelike personalities, emotional responses and character. While those advances may be a few years away, AI and machine learning have already become customary among brands and retailers who are looking to track the right trends in style, color, and pricing. The major players have been taking advantage of this technology for years.

Nationwide Building Society, a finance firm based in the United Kingdom, has just announced they will be investing in a "behavioral analytics startup," known as Scaled Insights. According to Nationwide, Scaled Insight's speech analysis AI will be used to build individual profiles for their clientele, in order to tailor the bank's communications to fit each customer's needs -- or "linguistic personality," as they're calling it. The mainstream media is reporting on how a hospital in Leeds is already using this technology to help patients, perhaps in order to present this new AI technology as benevolent. But the truth is that no large corporation ever makes a large investment without expecting an even larger return. Nationwide is expected to pump $5.31 billion into new technologies over the next five years.

Now that Siri and Alexa have moved from guest to family member at home, the next frontier for artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistants is the office. KPMG analyst Traci Gusher thinks that these assistants will soon move out of the basic "What's the weather going to be?" phase to take on more work-specific tasks. In the next stage of artificial intelligence (AI) development, humans will be able to use virtual assistants as notetakers. These assistants will need coaching along the way just like any junior employee. Gusher predicts the technology will reach the ideal state of "virtual keepers of wisdom" by 2030.

A new iOS update may be quietly patching up a software flaw that sent some of Apple's smart speakers spiraling out of commission. As reported by MacRumors, Apple has introduced yet another update to its iOS - the third update since it was release in September. Notably, however, the only change appears to be relating to software for the its Homepod, the company's only smart speaker. Apple hasn't said outright that this new software will correct the issue, but as noted by The Verge, it's unlikely the company would roll out any updates without correcting flaws in previous software. Apple's Homepod encountered an update issue that rendered the device unusable.

Commerce moved beyond brick-and-mortar stores, seized the online space, and is steadily crippling into mobile. Modern online shopping offers unparalleled flexibility of access and selection of available interfaces. You can shop away while on a bus. You can buy your next favorite gadget while relaxing on a lawn on a beautiful sunny day. That's why mobile commerce is such a fast-growing niche that caters specifically to smartphone users and their respective app ecosystems.

Homes and cars are two major everyday spaces undergoing digital disruption. Smart home digital platforms will soon be a standard feature of most houses. Major advancements in the internet of things make it not just possible but affordable to control security, heating, cooking and lighting remotely. The Google Home Mini and Amazon Echo also answer questions and order products, all operated easily by voice. Cars are becoming just as easy to control with smart devices.

Protesters and activists from UltraViolet stormed the NBC headquarters in New York City demanding Comcast and NBC executives take action and responsibility for allegations made in Ronan Farrow's book'Catch and Kill.' NBC News Digital employees have formed a union, accusing management of mishandling "serious incidents of sexual misconduct" that have created an onslaught of negative attention for the Peacock Network. "We love working at NBC News Digital. But no organization is perfect, and there are serious issues that keep the company from being as great as it can be," the NBC News Digital employees said in a statement Wednesday announcing their partnering with the NewsGuild of New York. But the digital employees aren't solely fed up with management botching sexual misconduct scandals. "A company with such incredible resources can and should do more to close gender and race wage gaps, address chronic understaffing, meaningfully prioritize diversity, promote transparency, and offer job protections," the statement continued.

In 2018 smart speaker ownership has doubled in the UK. The most popular voice assistant is Amazon Alexa which is part of the Alexa Echo device, followed by Google Assistant which powers Google Home and Google Home Mini, Apple's Home Pod and Sonos One. At the moment people mainly use voice assistants to play music, answer questions, set alarm and reminders. Is there an opportunity there for marketers? Alexa provides a set of built-in capabilities, called skills.

How close have we really come to the world in the movie Blade Runner, Rick Deckard, replicants and off-world colonies? Incessant rain deluges LA, creating mirrored surfaces on every street and decaying building. CRISPR technology has now entered human trial phase and could begin to re-code and improve human DNA in 2019. Flying cars: Several designs have entered production Police in Dubai started trials in 2018. Autonomous vehicles: Tesla is probably the best known example of US-based vehicles.

Artificial intelligence has been heralded as a revolutionary technology. The finance, healthcare, HR, and marketing industries are the first ones that will be disrupted by AI. Artificial intelligence and its accompanying technologies, such as machine learning and deep learning, have ushered in an era of intelligent automation and human-level recognition. Long-standing fields, such as finance, healthcare, human resources (HR), and marketing have begun to feel the disruptive effect of AI. Artificial intelligence has taken up the mantle of the most used buzzword in modern solutions, being billed as a revolutionary method of providing labor. These technologies have enabled a new level of low-cost and accurate labor for companies all over the world. In addition to this, they are also able to create new value opportunities for enterprises through analytics.