When we first started hearing about machine learning in the early 2010s, it seemed scary at first. Machine learning is essentially using algorithms to calculate trends, value, or other characteristics of specific things based on historical data. Google has even declared itself a machine learning-first company. If you want to learn more about the tactical side of this technology, Eric Enge has a great write-up on Moz explaining how machine learning impacts SEO from a mathematical standpoint. Search engines like to always experiment with how they can use this evolving technology, but here are nine ways we know that they are currently using machine learning and how it relates to SEO or digital marketing.

The companys research operation, OLabs, sits directly outside the chief executives office. If you want to understand the priorities of a technology company, first look at the seating chart.

Security leaders are increasingly depending on machine learning and artificial intelligence to defend their assets against threats as malware sophistication rises with hackers trying to weaponise cloud services and evade detection via encryption, according to a report by Cisco. While encryption is meant to enhance security, the expanded volume of encrypted web traffic (50% as of 31 October 2017) -- both legitimate and malicious -- has created more challenges for defenders trying to identify and monitor potential threats, the report said. "Last year's evolution of malware demonstrates that our adversaries continue to learn," said John N Stewart, senior vice president and chief security and trust officer, Cisco. "We have to raise the bar now – top-down leadership, technology investments, and effective security – there is too much risk and it is up to us to reduce it," Stewart said. As per the report, security professionals are investing in automation, AI and ML -- nearly 39% of organisations are relying on automation and about 34% are relying on ML alongside 32% of organisations that are betting on AI. "Applying machine learning can help enhance network security defenses and, over time, 'learn' how to automatically detect unusual patterns in encrypted web traffic, cloud, and IoT environments," the report said.

Adapted insights from a CXOTalk episode with Michael Krigsman and Dr. Michael Chui Artificial intelligence (AI) has become part of the daily vocabulary of a customer experience professional. But exactly what is artificial intelligence? Michael Krigsman, Industry Analyst, CXOTalk recently interviewed Dr. Michael Chui, Partner, McKinsey & Company on the topic of "AI Research" for the popular CXOTalk show. Here are 10 takeaways from Dr. Chui and his research in AI. Generally speaking, the definition of artificial intelligence is the use of machines to do cognitive work such as problem solving, pattern matching, and creating new patterns.

One of the great ironies of playing sport is that when you are older your experience is a great advantage, but your body no longer operates at its peak. Thanks to experience, game situations seem to slow down for you mentally and you can almost see what is happening before it happens. This is why older players are often better at making others look good than at making themselves look good. The problem they run into is that the great value of their experience is often overlooked. With high-level sports that makes sense, because the body needs to be in optimum state.

Nissan's self-driving taxi service is ready for its first passengers. The firm will begin testing the service, dubbed'Easy Ride', in Japan next week ahead of launching it commercially in 2020. Working alongside Tokyo-based mobile developer DeNA, the service will ferry passengers around a 2.8 mile stretch of Yokohama. Nissan has admitted the technology is not perfect and the cars would crash without occasional human intervention. However, the latest development is a challenge to ride-hailing companies such as Uber who are hoping to develop their own driverless taxi service.

Google Assistant had its coming out party at Mobile World Congress 2017 with the announcement that it was expanding beyond Google's own Pixel phones, and now it's ready to take on the world. Google has announced it will be expanding Assistant to nearly two dozen more languages this year as it expands its influence to some "95 percent of all eligible Android phones worldwide." Google Assistant already speaks English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Portuguese (Brazil), but its linguist capabilities will be greatly expanded over the next 10 months as Google plans to add support for more than 30 languages. First up will be Danish, Dutch, Hindi, Indonesian, Norwegian, Swedish and Thai, all of which should arrive by summer. Along with the new languages comes support for multilingual speakers.

In advance of the Mobile World Congress, Google has announced some exciting new language features for Assistant. Later this year, Google Assistant will have multilingual features. This means that people who speak different languages over the course of their day can switch seamlessly between languages. Google Assistant will be able to identify the language you are speaking and follow along. The feature will be available first in English, German and French, but support for more languages is planned.

Today's Google Assistant is much, much more capable than the version that first debuted on the original Pixel and Pixel XL. Don't expect that progress to slow anytime soon, either: Google laid out some new plans to improve the Assistant just in time for Mobile World Congress, and they extend far beyond just teaching it more languages. Most importantly, Google confirmed it has been working with smartphone makers on ways to weave Assistant more elegantly into our smartphones. That work is being formalized in the new Assistant Mobile OEM program, and Google's list of accomplishments with its partners is nothing to sneeze at: it helped make Assistant compatible with certain kinds of mobile AI coprocessor and worked to make sure devices can listen for the right wake-words even when their screens are off. It won't be long before you start to see device-specific Google Assistant commands, either -- LG touted a list of 23 new commands for its updated V30, and Google also cited close working relationships with companies like Sony and Xiaomi.

Netflix is the place where dreams come true. Or, in the case of Duncan Jones' Mute, where they go to die. Jones has been working on the film, a noir-inflected science-fiction thriller set in a dystopian future Berlin, since even before he made his feature debut with 2009's Moon--and talking it up ever since. But it seemed destined to be one of those projects that was forever just around the corner, always the movie Jones was making after the next one. Even an attempt to more cost-effectively turn the story into a graphic novel fizzled, although Jones released an image from the illustrated work in progress in 2013.