Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2018. In 2017, the rapid growth and uptake of machine learning within enterprise software was impressive to say the least, with adoption accelerating in speed from initial research to implementation. Even as machine learning was predicted by many to be impactful this year, the speed of innovation is what was surprising. As we move into 2018, we will continue to see rapid growth in machine learning and AI as well as bigger investments in big data and analytics, with voice-activated digital assistants surfacing as a core user front-end for these technologies. IDC says that by 2019, 40 percent of digital transformation initiatives will use Artificial Intelligence (AI) services.

We hear a lot about artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and digital assistants these days. But what does it all mean? Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook and others are aggressively imbuing their products and services with "intelligence." We're told that computer systems will become smarter, will anticipate our needs, proactively serve us, and understand us in various contexts and via multiple methods including voice, text, inking and motion. The digital "face" of this promising tech comes in the form of assistants like Cortana, Assistant, Siri, Alexa, and Bixby.