In this series we'll build our own AI Assistant, like Siri, Alexa, or even Jarvis from Ironman. It will listen to spoken commands, perform actions from an expandable set of skill and talk back to us. I created a popular video series on YouTube, which goes over each of the steps below. The playlist is featured below. This series has 7 parts and 2 bonus video, 3 parts have been released so far, with more parts will be added soon, so check back!

A quarter of voice technology users say they've had a sexual fantasy about their voice assistant, a new study has revealed. Even more users, 37 per cent, say that they love their voice assistant so much that they wish it were a real person. The findings could have an impact on how brands such as Google and Amazon design their voice technologies for human interaction. Pictured is Theodore Twombly, played by Joaquin Phoenix in the movie Her. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has recently cited two studies that investigate these allegations, which have discovered that'both women and men find the female voice welcoming and warm,' reports Joanna Stern with WSJ.

Just when you thought HTC might be ready to hang up on its smartphone efforts, the Android underdog is turning up the volume and announcing what it describes as a "new direction" -- in the form of a series of smartphones preloaded with its own AI assistant. While mobile phones were originally a device for talking to other humans, before smartphones plus touchscreens turned devices (and people) into texting machines, analysts are spying signs of a renaissance for voice -- as a control mechanism to speed up interacting with increasingly complex devices. Every major smartphone device and OS maker has their own AI these days, from Apple's Siri, to Microsoft's Cortana, to Samsung's Viv, to Amazon's Alexa, to Google's Assistant. HTC is finally following suit, unveiling what it's calling the "HTC Sense companion" at a launch event today. The company teased the launch of the new U series smartphones last month, hinting at the "For U" personalization it had in the pipeline.

It seems that just about everyone wants to get into the AI assistant game. Nokia (the networking giant, not HMD Global's brand) has applied for a trademark on "Viki," a chat- and voice-based helper for smartphones and the web. Details are scarce -- this is a trademark, not a patent -- but there's little doubt as to what it's for. The question is, what will Nokia do with it? "Nokia registers trademarks from time to time," a spokesperson tells us, "but we don't comment on how, whether or when they may be used for Nokia products or services."

Is Nokia the latest tech company to join the growing niche of companies investing in AI voice assistants? By the looks of things, it could be so. The Finnish company has even filed for a trademark that would name its own virtual assistant as "Viki." Just this Sunday, GSMinfo revealed that Nokia has applied for a trademark in the European Union for its very own AI assistant. The EU reportedly received the application a few days ago and per the document, Nokia described its new technology as a "software for the creation and monitoring of mobile and web assistants working with digital knowledge and combining all data sources into a single chat and voice-based interface."

Samsung needs something big next year. After all, it's precisely that line that put the company in its current position, up against the ropes during the time of year that ought be its most profitable. In a number of ways, the Note 7 fiasco couldn't have come at a less opportune time, heading into the holidays, just prior to the launch of a new iPhone, and as countless newcomers are vying for the public's attention/affection with low price/high-speced takes on Android. And then it went and recalled 2.8 million washing machines. But the company has clearly been thinking big for the next generation.

Samsung needs something big next year. After all, it's precisely that line that put the company in its current position, up against the ropes during the time of year that ought be its most profitable. In a number of ways, the Note 7 fiasco couldn't have come at a less opportune time, heading into the holidays, just prior to the launch of a new iPhone, and as countless newcomers are vying for the public's attention/affection with low price/high-speced takes on Android. And then it went and recalled 2.8 million washing machines. But the company has clearly been thinking big for the next generation.

Samsung is turning its attention to personal assistants--the company has acquired Viv Labs, a startup founded by Dag Kittlaus, Adam Cheyer, and Chris Brigham, all of whom were part of the original Siri team that Apple bought in 2010. The three departed Apple shortly after the acquisition to start Viv Labs, which recently showed off its AI personal assistant at Disrupt NY. While pricing has not been disclosed, the deal has been confirmed by Kittlaus in a post on Medium. Viv Labs will continue to operate independently from Samsung, but it will share intelligence with the hardware manufacturer with the intent of integrating Viv into products. "Samsung will drastically accelerate our vision," Kittlaus writes.

Samsung is turning its attention to personal assistants--the company has acquired Viv Labs, a startup founded by Dag Kittlaus, Adam Cheyer, and Chris Brigham, all of whom were part of the original Siri team that Apple bought in 2010. The three departed Apple shortly after the acquisition to start Viv Labs, which recently showed off its AI personal assistant at Disrupt NY. While pricing has not been disclosed, the deal has been confirmed by Kittlaus in a post on Medium. Viv Labs will continue to operate independently from Samsung, but it will share intelligence with the hardware manufacturer with the intent of integrating Viv into products. "Samsung will drastically accelerate our vision," Kittlaus writes.