Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered marketing technologies communicate with consumers and know what they want long before marketers do. The mathematical calculations wrapped in a bunch of data will become more important to marketers as technology advances. There is not enough information on how AI supports advertising -- just that it does, Google CEO Sundar Pichai told investors and analysts during Alphabet's Q4 2021 and year-end earnings call. He said extensive AI investments continue to help the company lead in Search quality, as well as powering innovations beyond Search. Those innovations span hardware and software.

Self-driving cars promise to make driving a far safer activity, and they'll let occupants use their transportation time for leisure or work tasks. The first company to break through the last remaining barriers to self-driving vehicles stands to benefit tremendously, but who's currently winning? Here are a few of the companies leading the way and some factors that will decide which one wins. Although Google is often credited with advances in self-driving cars, the project is being run by Waymo, which is owned by Google's parent company, Alphabet. Name issues aside, Waymo is widely viewed as the current leader in developing self-driving cars, and for good reason.

BANGKOK – Household product maker Lion Corp. has opened the first movie theater for children in Thailand, in collaboration with the largest local cinema complex operator, naming it after Lion's own "Kodomo" brand for kids' products to boost name recognition. Lion recently launched Kodomo Kids Cinema with Major Cineplex Group Public Co. at Mega Bangna Shopping Mall in Bangna, in the east of Bangkok, aiming to attract children aged 5 to 12 along with their parents, according to the Japanese company. The cinema offers 84 candy-colored seats, ranging in type from single seats to double sofa-beds, and also houses entertainment facilities such as a long slide and an indoor playground. Ticket prices are between 200 baht and 500 baht ($6.20-$15.50). The cinema, located in a district with 31 international and elementary schools, is scheduled to show 20 movies this year -- including one featuring Doraemon, the robotic cat from Japan's popular cartoon series -- while various events like fashion shows and drawing workshops are held, according to the local partner.

As the uses of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology expand into every industry, companies like yours might be looking to hire experienced AI and, more specifically, machine learning (ML) talent from a small pool of available candidates stateside. But how can you find, entice, and recruit ML talent when you're competing with major tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft? The answer lies in getting creative with your recruitment and hiring strategies. The first thing to know when reevaluating recruitment strategies for high-end machine learning (ML) or other AI roles is that you'll need to adapt strategies based on the experience level you're looking for. What works for a Jr. ML Engineer won't work for recruiting Sr. AI Researcher. To access the talent you're looking to hire, you need to go where they'll be found.

More than 90% of companies with world-leading brand recognition and high levels of customer satisfaction use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to increase customer satisfaction, compared to 42% of companies in their fields overall, according to a new report from MIT Technology Review and Genesys. The report refers to these companies--including Alibaba, BT Global Services, Lexus, Nubank, Uber, and Zurich Insurance--as "iconic" firms. These firms are more likely to recognize that automated AI tools are most effective when they "supplement and extend" the capabilities of their customer support team, rather than replace human workers, according to the report. Some 60% of iconic company respondents felt they had the right mix of human and automated customer communication channels, compared to only 26% of poor performers, and 40% of companies overall. "The leaders of iconic companies know that they also have to be leaders in customer experience technology investment," said Elizabeth Bramson-Boudreau, CEO and Publisher at MIT Technology Review, in a press release.