In its relentless search for ways to weave digital products into people's lives, Big Tech has achieved some big wins. Apple Watch users talk to their wrists. Artificial intelligence-powered assistants are everywhere. But convincing people to wear computers on their faces has been a dud. Tech giants have been focused in the last decade on developing eye glasses that project digital screens in front of a user's eyes.

Thank you to the Stanford Center of Digital Health for their continued collaboration on this work, with special gratitude to Natasha Din, MD, Clark Seninger, MBA, Sravya Rallapalli, Ashish Sarraju, MD, James Tooley, MD, Krishna Pundi, MD, Mario Funes-Hernandez, MD, and Mintu Turakhia, MD. Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, more consumers have used telemedicine than ever before. Venture investment in telemedicine is up, and big and small players are making land grabs for their share of the market, with many rolling out virtual–first care offerings. So with these accelerants--balanced with the full return of in-person care--what's the state of telemedicine? To answer this question and many more, we have surveyed U.S. adults every year since 2015 to check in with consumers and their relationship to digital health.

Few banks are disclosing the number of AI users that engage with their chatbots. Bank of America reported about 20 million or about 30% of their customers arere using ERICA – their chatbot. ERICA has been in use for about 4 years, So, Foresight Research wondered about consumer resistance to AI and chatbots and surveyed 400 consumers of banking products and services to find out the resistance to AI in Georgia. To start with, about 85% of all consumers are comfortable with asking banking questions or gathering advice on investments, loans or retirement planning in-person. But when asked about call center text message engagement that number drops to about 2 of 3 customers.

How each of us sees the world is about to change dramatically. For all of human history, the experience of looking at the world was roughly the same for everyone. But boundaries between the digital and physical are beginning to fade. The world around us is gaining layer upon layer of digitized, virtually overlaid information--making it rich, meaningful, and interactive. As a result, our respective experiences of the same environment are becoming vastly different, personalized to our goals, dreams, and desires.

GM's Chevrolet Bolt was named North American Car of the Year. It's the first U.S. made, mass-market, fully electric car and has a range-per-charge of 238 miles. GM has said that the latest version of its self-driving Chevrolet Bolt EV is "mass-producible." We may learn next week when that production will start. SAN FRANCISCO – General Motors plans to roll out a driverless ride-hailing fleet by 2019 that eventually could become a core part of the automaker's business.

With millions of Echo and Echo Dot devices sold last holiday season, and a projected 10 million units in homes by the end of 2017, it's clear that Amazon's voice-activated personal assistant, Alexa, is rapidly gaining widespread consumer adoption. Alexa is an illustration of Amazon's ability to meet consumer demand for speed, convenience and ease, while pioneering a new way to shop. Alexa can play music, make appointments, change TV channels and more, but the most valuable feature for Amazon is that the software enables consumers to shop directly by voice. This is great news for Amazon, but it will also inevitably change the way retailers market and sell their products. Most retailers and brands will have to act fast to prepare for ecommerce via digital assistant, and their biggest hurdle will be providing a voice-controlled shopping experience that is both intuitive and valuable for consumers.

VR/AR and Voice-Activated AI are hot topics at 2017 DEW! The panel will focus on what is available in the market today. What are the available apps, content, devices, and head gear? What is the current state of consumer adoption? Mr. Lelyveld will present an overview and update on the state of art, technology, and business of AR.

We are constantly bombarded by numerous travel sites that claim that they hold the key to planning a wonderful trip. Needless to say, it can be stressful figuring out exactly which service provides the best outcome. Amidst the noise, Hipmunk has come out as one of the leaders in the travel industry. It constantly researches and implements new technology that makes it easy for anyone to utilize its services. What's more, the company successfully implements artificial intelligence to provide you with the best travel information your itinerary can find.