The sounds came out of my mouth with an unexpected urgency. The cadence was deliberate--more befitting of an incantation than an order: one large strawberry-lemon-mint Charged Lemonade. The words hung in the air for a moment, giving way to a stillness punctuated only by the soft whir of distant fluorescent lights and the gentle hum of a Muzak cover of Bruce Hornsby's "Mandolin Rain." The time was 9:03 a.m.; the sun had been up for only one hour. I watched the kind woman behind the counter stifle an eye roll, a small mercy for which I will be eternally grateful.

Monster Train has one hell of a premise. Harpies, warlocks, and abyssal knights are constantly breaching the walls, and players have to muster their own infernal forces to consign the interlopers back to the pits. In the hands of a gigantic studio like Blizzard or Ubisoft or EA, it'd be easy to imagine Monster Train as a sprawling, open-world adventure. We'd explore every nook and cranny of perdition--following waypoints, climbing watch towers, maxing out talent trees. But Shiny Shoe, the developer behind the game, chose a different direction entirely.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are increasingly embraced by U.S. carriers as they seek to remain competitive and modernize their operations, a new LexisNexis Risk Solutions study has found. Struggles remain, however, in terms of figuring out staffing and proper use of the technology to optimize its benefits. LexisNexis' look at how the top 100 U.S. carriers are using and benefiting from artificial intelligence and machine learning found a robust adoption of the technology and a strong belief in the benefits it will bring. Approximately 62 percent of respondents said they worked for insurance carriers that have already adopted artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) initiatives. About 75 percent said they believe AI and ML can provide carriers with a competitive advantage through better decision-making.

As global experts continue to refine the technology behind artificial intelligence (AI), many also continue to debate whether that technology will help--or hurt--human society. For the last few decades, we've seen tons of movies outlining the ways giant, weaponized robots can outsmart humankind--potentially wiping us out altogether. Last year, Hawking went on record saying AI could be the last major event in our history--unless we learn to avoid the risks. But what exactly are those risks? And how can we avoid them?

Having started my career in the pre-technology era, I am very accustomed to talking rather than texting. Plus, being from New York City, I frequently use my hands to communicate, gesturing to add emphasis or other emotions. All of this means that this new era of intelligent devices--objects you can speak to and wave at--is a very comfortable one for me. Voice-recognition technologies are among the top trends of 2018. Most of us are familiar with Siri, Google Home, and Alexa.

As global experts continue to refine the technology behind artificial intelligence (AI), many also continue to debate whether that technology will help -- or hurt -- human society. For the last few decades, we've seen tons of movies outlining the ways giant, weaponized robots can outsmart humankind -- potentially wiping us out altogether. Last year, Hawking went on record saying AI could be the last major event in our history -- unless we learn to avoid the risks. But what exactly are those risks? And how can we avoid them?