Investors looking to diversify their portfolios and coin collectors looking to add a new treasure to their collection are familiar with the benefits and value that precious metals can offer. To help make the purchasing process easier, IBM worked with TD Securities to launch an AI-based virtual assistant powered by IBM Watson Assistant that can help customers with inquiries on the TD Precious Metals digital store, including frequently asked questions. The TD Precious Metals digital store allows customers to buy physical gold, silver and platinum bullion and coins online from the comfort of their home. The new virtual assistant, now available as a feature on the TD Precious Metals digital store, provides customers with a convenient self-service option, available 24/7, for frequently asked questions about TD Precious Metals. Customers type their questions into the virtual assistant and receive an instant written response, along with links to help further assist them.

The rise of technology has given way to reliance on virtual assistants, such as Alexa and Siri, for tasks like playing music, setting alarm clocks, and scheduling appointments. Currently, the Airbus company is engineering a similar mission assistant to help astronauts finish everyday tasks on the International Space Station. Airbus is working on the Crew Interactive MObile CompanioN (known as CIMON for short) in partnership with Space Administration at the German Aerospace Center and will be the first time artificial intelligence (AI) is used on the ISS in this way. CIMON is designed as a spherical, free-flying robot that can move independently around the station. It's about the size of a medicine ball, and weighs approximately 11 pounds.

How many virtual assistants can you fit in one smartphone? European network operator Orange is hoping there's room to squeeze in one more. With the right apps, you can already talk to Alexa, Cortana and Google through your smartphone -- and maybe also to Siri or Bixby if you went with one of the big brands. Djingo will be able to answer questions, send text messages, place calls, play music and video from Orange's set-top box, and control smart home devices. It draws on the company's research into linguistics and artificial intelligence, and will even offer financial advice in conjunction with a new banking service Orange is launching, the company said.

Starbucks is putting its own spin on the virtual assistant. The popular coffee franchise has rolled out a Siri-like assistant app for mobile that lets you skip baristas and place orders by chatting or speaking directly to your phone. The feature essentially works as an extension of the Mobile and Pay functionality Starbucks launched back in 2015, which allowed customers to avoid annoying queues by ordering in advance online. Last year, Facebook's VP of Design thought the TNW Conference main stage was the best she'd ever been on. Much like Google Assistant and Apple's Siri, My Starbucks Barista has the capacity to function both as a voice-enabled assistant and a chatbot – and also maintains the ability to customize your orders according to your personal preference.

Six months after Microsoft announced plans to bring Cortana to iOS, the digital concierge has officially started beta testing on Apple's platform. The software company has selected 2,000 iPhone users to participate in the testing of Cortana, which combines features from Siri and Google Now into one package. Six months after Microsoft announced plans to bring Cortana to iOS, the digital concierge has officially started beta testing on Apple's platform. The software company has selected 2,000 iPhone users to participate in the testing of Cortana, which combines features from Siri and Google Now into one package. There are two ways to use Cortana: you can use voice commands, or you can type out your commands in the Start Menu.

Virtual assistant technology is rapidly spreading on smartphones and other devices, but there's a new player in the field that has caught the attention of Silicon Valley. Dag Kittlaus, one of the masterminds behind Siri, now the ubiquitous helper available on Apple products, is looking to push the boundaries of what a virtual assistant can do with his new product, dubbed "Viv" and powered by artificial intelligence. For eight months, a CNET team tested more than 40 smart home products in a first-of-its-kind "living laboratory." "So at its essence, most of the assistants that we use today do a few dozen things, so we want to open the system up and let developers build hundreds and thousands of times the number of capabilities," Kittlaus said. "So really it's an opening up of the system and letting the world teach it."

Siri may be able to find restaurants and make witty remarks, but she's got nothing on'Viv.' The creators behind Apple's virtual assistant have now developed a next-generation AI that's said to be capable of much more than Siri and current competitors. The team will be unveiling Viv publicly for the first time at a'major industry conference' this coming Monday, according to The Washington Post. The creators behind Apple's virtual assistant have now developed a next-generation AI called Viv, that's said to be capable of much more than Siri and current competitors. The team will be unveiling Viv publicly for the first time at a'major industry conference' this coming Monday Viv analyses the nouns in a sentence when a person speaks into a smartphone. For example, if someone told Siri that they are on their way to their brother's house and need to pick up cheap wine to go with lasagne, they would probably get no response, or at best would see one useful place marked on a map.