This start-up wants to make smart devices even more intelligent and tougher to hack

Artificial intelligence is well on the way to powering everyday functions and devices, and transforming how society lives. Now, a Boston-based start-up is trying to conquer the next frontier of machine learning -- by making a range of products even smarter and more autonomous. Neurala, which recently raised a whopping $14 million in funding, is a software company looking to bring the AI phenomenon to consumer devices and influence how they operate in real time. According to the company, Neurala's efforts are focused on four major markets: drones, smart cars, cameras and toys. Founded in 2006 by Heather Ames, Anatoly Gorshechnikov and CEO Massimiliano "Max" Versace, Neurala's flagship product is the Neurala Brain, which utilizes deep learning neural networks to allow objects like drones to recognize and identify things in their environment and take the appropriate action depending on what they see.