OpenTable now uses AI-assisted tags to track diners' habits including drink preferences, spending levels and dining patterns across restaurants.

This article is from Big Technology, a newsletter by Alex Kantrowitz. Now that chatbots from OpenAI and Microsoft have demonstrated generative A.I.'s value, companies are running to build on their APIs. Soon you'll be able to generate recipes within ChatGPT and have it add the ingredients to Instacart. Or have it find restaurant reservations with help from OpenTable. Or discover flights with Kayak.

ChatGPT is trained till 2021, and that was a big bummer. With the latest update from OpenAI, it can access the internet, upload images, videos, audio, and CSV files, and connect to your website for enhanced functionality. Well, that world is here! OpenAI has just announced a game-changing upgrade to ChatGPT that will revolutionize how you interact with AI. OpenAI recently announced a massive upgrade to ChatGPT, which now supports plugins that extend its functionality.

Analysis OpenAI this week introduced ChatGPT plugins, a way to extend the scope of its chatbot language model beyond the slurry of internet training data to bespoke business information. So wary is OpenAI of all the ways that ChatGPT and its other models can misfire that the company begins its announcement by reassuring readers that its cautious rollout follows from its desire to address "safety and alignment challenges." It does so with good reason – large language models (LLMs), referred to euphemistically as artificial intelligence or just AI, are seen by some to be venomous constructs that must be contained. LLMs are also limited to whatever information can be accessed or derived from their training data. As OpenAI puts it, "This information can be out-of-date and is one-size fits all across applications. Furthermore, the only thing language models can do out-of-the-box is emit text. This text can contain useful instructions, but to actually follow these instructions you need another process."

We know OpenTable as the restaurant reservation system, but OpenTable has revolutionized the entire restaurant industry. By compiling a comprehensive database of dates, names, places, check size and so on, OpenTable creates operational advantages for its food and beverage customers. It provides the infrastructure to manage those reservations, assign tables, recognize repeat diners and remember diner preferences. It also allows restaurants to better manage costs by staffing correctly and minimizing food waste.

The Echo Show is the first of Amazon's Alexa-enabled devices to feature a screen, and to be honest, it's pretty darn cool. While the Show may be the most expensive* of the Echo lineup, ringing in at $229.99, it includes a slew of features and skills you can't get from the other Echo devices, thanks to the 7-inch touchscreen and camera. So why would you want to choose the more expensive Show over the new Echo ($99.99) or the more affordable Dot (on sale for $29.99)? There are several Show-specific skills that are both fun and functional. From watching HD movie trailers to making video calls, these are our picks for the top 10 skills you definitely need to try with your Amazon Echo Show.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST – Are you ready to entrust your retirement savings to a robot? Investment advice is increasingly coming to clients from nonhuman sources, whether they realize it or not, as more money-management firms look to automated services to augment their team of human advisers and deepen the science behind stock-picking. Some firms are adopting hybrid services that couple algorithmic services with human advisers, creating a less-actively managed fund, often with a lower fee structure. But, at the same time, there is also a more deliberate move toward so-called robo-advisors, with some clients entrusting their savings to fully automated investment tools, replacing human advisers altogether. Alberto Rossi, assistant professor of finance at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, has been studying the rise of robo-advice and its role in the financial industry.

When restaurant reservation service OpenTable recruited him from dating app EHarmony, Joseph Essas received assurances that he could keep living in Los Angeles. Essas wasn't sure how, but OpenTable's then-Chief Executive Matt Roberts said, "Trust me, we're going to make this work." But after getting his bearings, he saw an easy way to persuade the company to cut his commute. Hiring software developers in San Francisco is cumbersome and expensive. In Los Angeles, it's easier -- and Essas could pull from his network of contacts developed in four prior executive roles in the region.

The pixels have settled after another WWDC keynote, meaning we now know exactly what's coming to iOS 10 . Siri's the big star, but there are plenty of other features to look forward to. Here's all the tricks your iPhone will learn this this fall. As expected, Apple has created a Siri SDK, which means that developers will now be able to incorporate it into their apps at will. That specific news isn't nearly as important as what it will enable.

The pixels have settled after another WWDC keynote, meaning we now know exactly what's coming to iOS 10. Siri's the big star, but there are plenty of other features to look forward to. Here's all the tricks your iPhone will learn this this fall. As expected, Apple has created a Siri SDK, which means that developers will now be able to incorporate it into their apps at will. That specific news isn't nearly as important as what it will enable.