AN ALGORITHM that analyses facial expressions and head movements could help doctors diagnose autism-like conditions and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. There is no simple test for autism or ADHD, but clinicians usually observe someone's behaviour as part of the assessment. "These are frequently co-occurring conditions and the visual behaviours that come with them are similar," says Michel Valstar at the University of Nottingham, UK. His team used machine learning to identify some of these behaviours. The group captured video of 55 adults as they read and listened to stories and answered questions about them.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is touching every technology sector around the world, and it's having a significant impact on how enterprises and consumers interact with machines and devices. TechRepublic talked to IoT experts in a range of disciplines to find out what they think the biggest trends will be in 2017. Participants were Kevin Curran, IEEE senior member and senior lecturer in computer science at Ulster University; Francesco Cetraro, head of registrations, .cloud; Artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality, healthcare IoT, industrial IoT, and wearables are some of the topics of conversation about where the Internet of Things is headed in 2017. Diabetics have been waiting for years for better technology to manage their condition. Some got tired of waiting and hacked together an open source hardware and software solution.

The wealth management industry is facing a wave of digital disruption. Developments in finance, science and technology have led to a new generation of financial technology start-ups. Most "fin-techs" focus on automated investment services, or so-called'robo-advisers'. Betterment, the pioneer of automated investing, recently surpassed $5 billion in assets under management, only 8 years after it was founded. And what can we expect from the automated advisers of the future?

Now with pillows, dog beds and even luxury pool floats, Casper is pushing itself as a business based around the entire culture of sleep rather than just a mattress startup. And for its latest project, Casper has even tapped into artificial intelligence to help us, well, stay awake. Casper recently launched insomnobot3000, a bot you can text to keep you entertained when you can't sleep. The project is the result of months of secretive development by a 10-person team spanning Casper's tech, design, data and creative departments, which actually looked to SmartChild, the infamous bot popular with tweens in the AOL Instant Messenger days, for inspiration. It's been a few months since insomnobot3000 officially launched, and while it doesn't use machine learning to grow smarter on its own, the development team is supposed to be constantly updating it based on the conversations it's having.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicks off in Las Vegas this week, with technology companies from around the globe descending on "Sin City" to showcase their latest gadgets and offer a glimpse into our digital future. From the camcorder and the CD player to the Xbox and the plasma TV, some of the best-known technologies of all time have debuted at CES, and some of the most famous industry figures have given keynotes, including Bill Gates, Michael Dell and Elon Musk. This year marks the show's 50th annivarsary. The first CES kicked off in 1967, with 250 exhibitors and 17,500 attendees gathered in New York City. Since then, CES has grown by more than 10-fold, and now encompasses both traditional and non-traditional tech industries.

Google Assistant and the smart speaker Google Home have some opinions on how to be a better person in 2017. Ask "What should my New Year's resolution be?" and the AI assistant will tell you to do things like write a novel or pick up calligraphy. Here are the five answers to the question Google Assistant gave VentureBeat when we asked earlier today. Nothing earth-shattering or controversial about this ability, but it's not a question Alexa or Siri attempt to answer. You could write a novel or keep a journal.

When it comes to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automation, there is no debate that advances in these areas will engender profound changes in our world. Rather, the debate centers on what these changes might look like. There are many who express concern or even outright fear about the impact of AI on our future, and with good reason. A recent report from Forrester predicts that by 2021, intelligent agents and related robots will have eliminated 6% of a net jobs. A widely noted study, "The Future of Employment: How susceptible are jobs to computerisation?", estimates that 47% of all US jobs are at risk. The Luddites were textiles workers who protested automation, eventually attacking and burning factories because, "they feared that unskilled machine operators were robbing them of their livelihood".

Testosterone has long been associated with aggression and competition in men. But the versatile sex hormone can also impact a range of emotional states including empathy, generosity, of corruption, and risk taking. Experts speculate that there may be more to the hormone than first thought, and that testosterone could be just as useful for cooperation as competition. Testosterone has long been associated with aggression and competition in men. It seems that for every question scientists answer on testosterone, more are raised in its place.

The gold rush for artificial intelligence (AI) is officially in full swing. Big players like Google and Facebook and small teams alike are in an all-out sprint toward the goal of creating the next generation of AI assistants that will fundamentally change how we live and work. I am in awe at the pace of progress, because every week it feels like a new barrier is breached, a tool grows more robust, or a new startup is launched with the ability to transform an industry. However, the most surprising observation continues to be people's underestimation of AI. Specifically how the general population seems so unable, or unwilling, to imagine that a machine could ever match a human's ability in any job -- particularly their own.

A year ago, a researcher tested Samsung's S Voice digital assistant by telling it he was depressed. "Maybe it's time for you to take a break and get a change of scenery." Researchers found Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana couldn't understand queries involving abuse or sexual assault, according to a study published in March in JAMA Internal Medicine. Next week's Consumer Electronics Show will show off digital assistants' abilities to make our lives a little easier by adding more voice-powered smarts into our lights, appliances and door locks. While these smart-home ideas are likely to gain plenty of attention at CES, the JAMA study highlights the need to improve digital helpers' responses to more critical health and wellness issues, as well.