Job interviews are rarely fun for anyone on either side of the table. For candidates, there's the pressure to perform, to walk the tightrope between doing and saying the right things and being enough of "themselves" to give the recruiter or the team leader a true sense of what they'll bring to the team. And for recruiters and managers, they involve taking time out from their other duties, matching resumes with actual candidates, and getting a sense for who fits which role – if they do at all. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been used in recruitment for some time, usually as a first-stage filter for potentially hundreds of resumes – though it's had a very checkered history, which has included imposing a kind of'digital bigotry' or'digital misogyny.' But both AI and virtual reality could have an increasing role to play in making sure your company gets the staff it needs – in a recruitment process that stands a chance of equalizing the playing field and erasing some ingrained prejudices.

Mental health professionals and entrepreneurs have a message for those suffering from anxiety and depression: You are not alone. That message seems especially relevant in 2018. Both Spade and Bourdain are reported to have taken their own lives, with the former having struggled with depression for a long period of time, according to her husband, Andy Spade. They were 55 and 61, respectively. Indeed, roughly 18 percent of American adults suffer from some form of mental illness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, and yet only a fraction of those access the treatment that they need or could benefit from.

Watching elite athletes run, leap and score, it's hard to imagine there's much room for improvement, but the Internet of Things, Big Data and virtual reality are shaving milliseconds from sprinters, extending the jumps of Olympians – and helping your favourite striker put the ball in the net. That's before bionics change sports forever, with predictions that the sprinters at the next summer Olympics could be outperformed by an athlete at the Paralympics. It all starts with data collection, which shouldn't be a shock. The film Moneyball was based on the true story of Oakland Athletics' team manager outwitting rivals with data science – and that was in 2002. Fast forward to 2018 and the combination of always-on sensors and connectivity takes the idea several leaps forward.

Seventy-three percent admit they'd be more excited about a new offering from Apple, Google or Amazon than from their own Financial Services Provider (FSP). Thirty-five percent of millennials don't even believe they'll need a bank five years from now. In a new age of intelligent, connected capabilities, consumers expect nothing short of a sophisticated banking experience that meets their evolving needs. They desire a deep level of personalization and anticipatory engagement. They want contextual, multi-touch experiences that span the entire organization.

Artificial intelligence, augmented reality and virtual reality are here to stay, but what impact will they have on jobs and training? A new study by Pew Research Center and Elon University's Imagining the Internet Center asked more than 1,400 technologists, futurists and scholars whether well-prepared workers be able to keep up in the race with artificial intelligence tools, and what impact this development will have on market capitalism. According to Elon University, most of the experts said they hope to see education and jobs-training ecosystems shift in the next decade to exploit liberal arts-based critical-thinking-driven curriculums; online courses and training amped up by artificial intelligence, augmented reality and virtual reality; and scaled-up apprenticeships and job mentoring. However, some expressed fears that education will not meet new challenges or -- even if it does -- businesses will implement algorithm-driven solutions to replace people in many millions of jobs, leading to a widening of economic divides and capitalism undermining itself. "The vast majority of these experts wrestled with a foundational question: What is special about human beings that cannot be overtaken by robots and artificial intelligence?" said Lee Rainie, director of internet, science and technology research at Pew Research Center and co-author of the report.

Taking a look into the future, Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) ConsumerLab presents the sixth edition of its annual trend report The 10 Hot Consumer Trends for 2017 and beyond. AI is an important theme this year and consumers see it playing a much more prominent role than before - both in society and at work. In fact, 35 percent of advanced internet users want an AI advisor at work, and one in four would like an AI as their manager. At the same time, almost half are concerned that AI robots will soon make a lot of people lose their jobs. Two in five believe smartphones will learn their habits and perform activities on their behalf automatically.