Artificial intelligence (AI) is the practice of simulating of human intelligence in machines that are coded to think like people with the help of software tools. The concept is applicable to any type of machine that demonstrates skills related to human mind. Simply put, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a way of associating features such as learning, motion, creativity, reasoning, social intelligence, etc. that human beings possess with a computer or a computer-controlled robot. Designing a computer, robots, and computer software are the outcomes of the term "Artificial Intelligence". It is achieved by working on the human brain and examining the process of brain cognition.

AI-enabled smart toys come in an exponentially growing diversity and inhibit the most known social environments of children. The Market Research Future group, for instance, projects that the global market share of such toys will grow by 26% and reach 107.02 billion USD by 2030. Smart toys, as highlighted by the Generation AI Initiative of the World Economic Forum, can exhibit highly positive effects on children's development when designed responsibly. Complaints received by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as well as an investigation of the Norwegian Consumer Organisation and rich scholarly research however also point to the severe impacts that smart toys can have on children's development. The non-transparent ways in which some smart toys exchange data for algorithmic analysis with other AI-enabled devices, e.g., through Bluetooth connection, demonstrate how weak cyber security features can violate children's privacy and jeopardize safety.

Bitcoin and blockchain entered the consumer lexicon in a media frenzy that saw it hit $19,000 USD per coin (albeit for only 20 minutes) and led thousands of new hopefuls to Google'what is bitcoin and how will it make me rich?' And the WannaCry cyberattack saw consumers' cherished photos and documents held to ransom, crippling Britain's NHS and reminding everyone that cybersecurity isn't just for big corporations or spy agencies. With all of that in mind, along with Niels Bohr's observation that prediction is very difficult (especially about the future), here are our six predictions about how these key themes -- AI and Machine Learning (ML), IoT, security, blockchain -- are likely to begin to make a real difference in the way all of us interact with technology in 2018… Ever tried to use Siri offline? Suddenly, your knowledgeable little friend becomes rather dumb. In 2017, AI fed consumers content on Facebook or Netflix while assistants such as Siri, Alexa or Google Assistant identified what song was playing or what the weather would be like tomorrow.

Someone made a lot of new friends over the holidays. Her name is Alexa, and along with her acquaintances (perhaps frenemies?) Cortana and Siri, she's about to become as much a part of the daily life of American households as Alfred the butler is at Wayne Manor. Except that Alfred, for all his talents, can't tell Batman exactly what time the cable repairman will arrive this afternoon, or the current balance in his bank account (not that billionaire Bruce Wayne would care). The implications of 2017, the year virtual assistants really arrived, will be immense for business.