An automated world The National

In the 2013 film Her, Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with a computer operating system voiced by Scarlett Johansson. The relationship embodies a shared vision of a future when human connections are radically changed by interactions with computers powered by artificial intelligence (AI). That reality is actually not far away. Amazon's Echo listening device has transformed the market. The device is controlled by a user's voice and is always listening for commands such as questions about the weather or the latest sport scores.