Most of the tools in the Humphrey suite are generative AI models - in this case, technology which takes large amounts of information and summarises it in a more digestible format - to be used by the civil service. Among them is Consult, which summarises people's responses to public calls for information. The government says this is currently done by expensive external consultants who bill the taxpayer "around 100,000 every time." Parlex, which the government says helps policymakers search through previous parliamentary debates on a certain topic, is described by The Times as "designed to avoid catastrophic political rows by predicting how MPs will respond". Other changes announced include more efficient data sharing between departments.

I then saw the tool generate a multiple-slide Powerpoint presentation in around 43 seconds, based on the contents of a Word document. It can use images embedded within the document, if there are any, or it can search its own royalty-free collection. It created a simple but effective presentation - and it also wrote a suggested narrative to read out alongside it.

Yesterday, California-based AI firm Adept announced Action Transformer (ACT-1), an AI model that can perform actions in software like a human assistant when given high-level written or verbal commands. It can reportedly operate web apps and perform intelligent searches on websites while clicking, scrolling, and typing in the right fields as if it were a person using the computer. In a demo video tweeted by Adept, the company shows someone typing, "Find me a house in Houston that works for a family of 4. My budget is 600K" into a text entry box. Upon submitting the task, ACT-1 automatically browses Redfin.com in a web browser, clicking the proper regions of the website, typing a search entry, and changing the search parameters until a matching house appears on the screen. It's called Action Transformer (ACT-1) and we taught it to use a bunch of software tools.

Footwear retailers are becoming more intelligent -- with artificial intelligence, that is. Independents and department stores can now apply conversational AI technology to all stages of their business using Oracle Digital Assistant, which was integrated with Oracle Retail solutions earlier this month. The Digital Assistant, originally launched in October at Oracle OpenWorld 2018, supports analysts by sourcing important data on demand so that employees can more effectively use their time. Conversational AI is frequently used on the front-end of retail, assisting customers online or aiding employees in-store. Simple chatbots that can answer direct questions are increasingly common across e-commerce platforms.

Many might not realize it but artificial intelligence (AI) has ubiquitously made its way into our daily lives. For instance, digital assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Apple Siri handle everyday tasks including scheduling reminders or playing your favorite morning jam. Support channels are being taken over by chatbots and you're none the wiser. Impressive as these applications may be, AI is entering its so-called third wave, which is set to create more interesting applications for the technology itself, as reported by Top500.org. Third-wave AI is supposed to be truly intelligent and most similar to human thinking, meaning it will make sense of the independent world and its varying contexts.

Amazon has just unveiled the Echo Look, the latest addition to its range of voice-enabled assistants. Unlike its predecessors, the Look is equipped with a camera, which means it can watch, as well as listen to, its users. It sounds potentially creepy, but the company is marketing the Echo Look as a sort of fashion assistant, and says the device can be used to help you choose an outfit. "Get a live view in the Echo Look app or ask Alexa to take a short video so you can see yourself from every angle," says Amazon. You can also get it to take a full-body picture of you by saying "Alexa, take a picture".

Startup Intuition Robotics emerged from stealth on January 11, 2017, announcing a social robot aimed at keeping older adults active and engaged. The design and actions of the artificial intelligence-based device, ElliQ, make it look and feel less like a traditional robot and more as a friendly and approachable digital companion. It is unveiled this week as part of the exhibition New Old: Designing for our Future Selves at The Design Museum in London and was developed in collaboration with famed industrial designer Yves Béhar and his studio, fuseproject. The world's advanced economies are facing today the challenge of responding to the needs of a rapidly aging population (about 15% of people in the United States and 26% in Japan are older than 65). Loneliness and social isolation are serious issues that sometimes accelerate specific health conditions and worsen the physical disabilities of older adults.

Google just debuted a digital assistant, which it hopes to place inside smartphones, watches, cars and every other imaginable internet-connected device. It's already hit a snag. The Alphabet division launched new smartphones last week with the artificially intelligent assistant deeply embedded. It also rolled out a speaker with the feature at its core and announced plans to let other companies tie their apps and services to the assistant. A day later, Samsung, which just announced it was ending production of its problematic Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, said it was acquiring Viv Labs, a startup building its own AI voice-based assistant.

From Siri creator Dag Kittlaus comes Viv, a product that aims to be the next generation personal assistant. Kittlaus sat down with USA TODAY's Ed Baig to talk about Viv and where he thinks its headed. BROOKLYN, NEW YORK-- Siri's cofounder gave the public its first look at Viv, his artificial intelligence-powered digital assistant that aims to lap rivals with its understanding of human conversation. Dag Kittlaus took the stage at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference here to demonstrate his latest creation. Viv aims to go beyond -- and take on -- Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, Microsoft's Cortana and the voice inside Google.