In recent years, the notion of true artificial intelligence (AI) has undoubtedly surpassed merely a scientific abstraction. From driverless cars to healthcare, the technology is now more prevalent in our lives than ever before. It is therefore of the utmost importance that not only those driving progress in the field, but also those responsible for regulating it are able to grapple with the ethical implications of its development. A number of weeks ago, the European Commission announced plans to investigate the ethics of AI via the launch of a new group. Tasked with assessing the benefits of the technology and its potential impact on the future of work, the group's ultimate goal will be to make informed policy recommendations to facilitate the right kind of deployment.

Most salespeople will tell you the same thing – no amount of preparation, banter, or efforts can ever match the absolute luck involved in catching a customer at the precise point that they are looking to make a purchase. Finding a person who is a potential customer is simply one part of a company's acquisition process; like the salespeople, companies want to talk to the person, precisely when the time is right and get the right deal at the right time. However, this is very rare – those very salesmen will tell you many stories about the many hundreds and thousands of customers whom they've spoken to and ended up wasting ridiculous amounts of time on, but just never made a purchase. Companies have long known that each customer goes through different stages before actually buying a product and different stages post-purchase as well. Knowing which stage a customer is in helps companies phrase and frame their communications to them, and this customer life-cycle is a very important part of any company's sales strategy.