The age-old debate on technology versus human capability remains inconclusive. But in this time of artificial intelligence (AI), analytics, and cloud, we're seeing more opportunities to think of how humans and machines can come together as a team, rather than acting against each other. From diagnosing diseases and delivering effortless customer experiences to understanding human preferences and providing new customer insights, the human and AI partnership is evolving -- and more in sync than ever. Gartner predicts that context-driven analytics and AI models will replace 60% of existing models built on traditional data by 2025. We will see new types of data -- including unstructured data, such as audio, video, and images -- being leveraged to give organizations a competitive advantage, get more value, and develop new use cases to set the stage for a new customer-driven era. This offers a glimpse into a future of close human and AI partnerships, where we think, collaborate, and create augmented by technology and business intelligence.

Forward-thinking financial institutions already understand that properly deployed AI can yield worthy benefits – not just when it comes to making the sector more efficient, but in providing a more intuitive, engaging user experience. According to a Business Insider report, 80% of banks understand that AI technology is fast becoming standard-operating-procedure. A similar number are already investing in research and acquisition programs designed to adapt to the obvious future. The centrality of AI technologies to the financial sector today is also forcing developers and business managers alike to re-think the way they refer to new developments in the industry. A decade ago, any consumer-facing application that dealt with finance was referred to as part of the "fintech landscape."

AI is integrating ever deeper into even small companies. So much so that there are new Artificial Intelligence Tools coming to market seemingly daily. You can use it to streamline your B2B sales processes in real-time. Although big corporations first embraced the concept of AI, it's becoming a trend used by many small businesses to prospect, get leads, understand user behaviors and customer needs, and of course, grow revenue. Research by Marketing Interactive shows that by the end of 2020, 30% of all B2B companies will leverage Artificial Intelligence systems to augment one or many sales processes that can result in more conversions.

Throughout the expansion of blockchain into enterprise usage, there has been a steady'arms' race developing between vehicle manufacturers looking to integrate the technology for better efficiencies. Automobile production has long been at the forefront of technological advances, and thus, it makes sense that brands like Mercedes, BMW, Daimler, GM, and a host of others would be driving adoption. The ability of the blockchain to be applied in so many different sectors and the reliance on automobile production on an array of niches means that this match has a lot of potentials that are just starting to be tapped. The likes of BMW and Ford are backing the blockchain to ensure responsible sourcing of cobalt for their manufacturing; Daimler is piloting machine-to-machine payments using a blockchain platform without any human interaction; GM has a patent out for a blockchain-powered solution to manage data from autonomous vehicles; the list goes on, and is very broad. The drive from car manufacturers into the blockchain space may not grab the same headlines as when Google, Facebook, IBM, and other tech giants delve into the new space, but this ongoing push to integrate the technology is essential and vital for growth.

The robots are taking over – or so they say. Smart devices are seemingly everywhere we look, we've accepted artificially intelligent machines into our homes and workplaces and there are even self-driving cars on the roads. It's starting to seem like it won't be long until the world is entirely automated, and we humans are merely passengers going along for the ride. The benchmark is for a machine to pass the Turing test, and although it was claimed that the Eugene Goostman chatbot did so in 2014, many have refuted the claims saying that the test was weighted in the machine's favour. The challenge in beating the 68-year-old test is for someone to talk simultaneously to a robot and a human, and if they are unable to identify which is which then the test has been passed.

Just like its founders Artificial Intelligence, Integral Records' spirit is defined by collaboration. Whether it's the early collaborations of Technicolour & Komatic (now Technimatic), the recent Philip fusion with Phil:osophy or the ongoing mystery moves of Dawn Wall and Mohican Sun, there's always been a strong collective energy to the label. Glenn Herweijer, one half of Artificial Intelligence, puts much of this spirit down to D.O.P.E, a Leeds-based night he was resident at with Marcus Intalex and Ant TC1. It's here where Glenn road-tested plenty of his production partner-to-be, Zula Warner's, early creations and initiated a trend of creativity from connection that seems key to understanding how both Artificial Intelligence and Integral have developed. With the label now celebrating its 10th anniversary, Glenn and Zula are hosting a massive event this Friday and releasing a 10 Years Of Integral album next month.