Sci-fi has been predicting autonomous systems for decades. One example is Tony Stark's J.A.R.V.I.S. from the Avengers: Tony Stark: "J.A.R.V.I.S., are you up?" Tony: "I'd like to open a new project file, index as: Mark II." J: "Shall I store this on the Stark Industries' central database?" Tony: "I don't know who to trust right now. 'Til further notice, why don't we just keep everything on my private server." J: "Working on a secret project, are we, sir?" Tony: "I don't want this winding up in the wrong hands. Maybe in mine, it could actually do some good."

Natural Language Processing (NLP) is one of the most exciting fields of artificial intelligence that enables computers to understand human languages. NLP techniques are constantly evolving and promising applications are increasingly implemented by organizations to solve a wide range of problems. What exactly are companies using NLP for? What are exciting NLP techniques in a practical context and what are the challenges when applying them? We talked to thought leaders applying NLP in different industries about their favorite NLP techniques, the biggest trends, as well as opportunities and challenges of NLP in 2020.

ServiceNow, based in Santa Clara, California, and led by former SAP SE Chief Executive Officer Bill McDermott, makes software used by large companies to handle requests for help to their information technology departments, among other uses. The newest version of its software, called "Orlando," aims to use artificial intelligence to ease common tasks, company officials said. For example, if an employee needs to reset a password to access human resources software, the person can talk to a virtual assistant in the ServiceNow system that can ask a few questions and reset the password automatically. The system uses a technology called natural language processing to understand the request, said Dave Wright, ServiceNow's chief innovation officer. "You only need to have that one conversation - you don't need to know how to change your password for 20 different systems," Wright told Reuters in an interview.

An impressive level of technological progress and wealth characterize modern economies nowadays. While in the early period of human history, the pace of technological progress was relatively slow, the success of today's companies is strongly defined by time-to-market and state-of-the-artness. Key factors for competitiveness are therefore the capability of reacting quickly and predicting successfully the development of new and old technologies. A look into the landscape of technological trends 2018 reveals that innovativeness seems to be driven by data, cloud, intelligence and algorithm. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is thereby rapidly moving from theory to reality. The simulation of human intelligence processes, as can be defined AI, has become an omnipresent buzzword and is undoubtfully shaping the direction of technological progress.

When one hears the term "artificial intelligence" or AI, the mind goes quickly to robots and talking computers that will one day take over the world. That's great for Hollywood, and there is applicability in manufacturing and other areas of business where intelligent machines or robots can effectively automate what were once manual processes. But when it comes to the business software we use every day at work, the application is slightly less daunting but equally as powerful. As a software salesman for over 30 years, I'm constantly crafting my elevator pitch, which is a statement that describes what my product can do in two minutes or less. The best description for business or ERP (enterprise resource planning) software is that of an application that can efficiently automate manual processes.

Yes, the quotes are intentional. I'm a marketer, so I understand that rebranding might drive up the price, so some programmers and analysts are calling themselves data scientists. What that means is that business people, from executives to HR to line managers, should have a better understanding of the claim and reality. The entire purpose of business software systems has always been to provide business decision makers the KPI's they need to make informed decisions. That was the goal with mainframes and reports on ribbon paper, and it remains the goal on today's smartphones.

In the previous blogs, I have been talking about what artificial intelligence (AI) is and some of the hype and myths behind it. One of the observations was that for me, for IFS, AI is very much a means to a goal. It's about applying to a very specific use case to deliver better results. One of these use cases is about workforce optimization. For more than 12 years, IFS has been using machine learning algorithms and other smart techniques inside IFS Planning & Scheduling Optimization (PSO) to provide optimized schedules for our customers.

Investing in start-ups trying to make video games has fallen out of favor in much of the venture capital community. They're difficult-to-predict businesses, driven more by characters and animation than by novel technology and often have limited potential buyers if they don't work out as well as expected. But Xsolla, a Sherman Oaks company that helps game makers offer virtual goods and process payments, needs more developers to thrive to keep its own business healthy. So its founder is stepping in to help fund small gaming companies. Alex Agapitov and two business partners pooled their personal money along with cash from other wealthy individuals to form Xsolla Capital. None of the money is from Xsolla's profits, Agapitov said.

Companies like Google, IBM and SAP are making massive investments in artificial intelligence. German software maker SAP is investing heavily in artificial intelligence, or AI, especially for business software. AI is expected to fundamentally change our lives in the near future. Cars that navigate autonomously through traffic. Digital assistants that provide doctors with key information needed to make a diagnosis.

Companies like Google, IBM and SAP are making massive investments in artificial intelligence. German software maker SAP is investing heavily in artificial intelligence, or AI, especially for business software. AI is expected to fundamentally change our lives in the near future. Cars that navigate autonomously through traffic. Digital assistants that provide doctors with key information needed to make a diagnosis.