Hollywood may have warned about the perils of striking up relationships with artificial intelligence, but one computer scientist says we may be missing a trick if we do not embrace the positives that human-machine relationships have to offer. Despite the travails of Joaquin Phoenix's introverted and soon-to-be-divorced protagonist in the 2013 movie Her, one professor says we should be open to the comforts that chatbots can provide. Tony Prescott, professor of cognitive robotics at the University of Sheffield, argues that AI has an important role to play in preventing human loneliness. Just as we develop meaningful bonds with pets, and have no qualms about children playing with dolls, so should we be open to the value of AI to adults, he says. "In an age when many people describe their lives as lonely, there may be value in having AI companionship as a form of reciprocal social interaction that is stimulating and personalised," Prescott writes in a new book, The Psychology of Artificial Intelligence.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way we work across industries. From back-office finance departments to front-facing customer support, AI's power lies in its ability to discover and introduce efficiencies. In unison with human experts, its potential knows no bounds. This is exactly where Sidney Madison Prescott, global head of intelligent automation at Spotify, and her team of engineers and solution architects come in. In our TELUS International Studios interview with Prescott, she explains how her team seeks out Spotify's most mundane, repetitive tasks with the express purpose of establishing new efficiencies.

One in 5 Americans surveyed say they own an Amazon Echo smart speaker (from $39), supported by new data published by Trading Platforms, a leading education and comparison platform for online traders. This is consistent with Edison Research and NPR's Smart Audio Report findings. Google Nest is its next closest competitor with roughly 8 percent of the U.S. market share, according to Trading Platforms. Considering how many of us are confined to our homes because of COVID-19, we may be using these devices more, too. "Before the pandemic, most people used their smart speakers for getting the weather and listening to music. But over the past year, they've become our meditation guides and yoga teachers, our homework helpers and bedtime story readers, the way we discover new recipes and local takeout spots – and so much more," says Katherine Prescott, Founder and Editor of VoiceBrew, which distributes an email newsletter devoted to smart speakers, Monday through Thursday.

An estimated 4 billion people in the world lack a physical address. Without one, residents lose access to important services like package deliveries, medical care, and disaster relief, as well as the ability to register to vote or obtain a driver's license. Cities also have trouble planning new infrastructure, such as schools, water pipes, and electricity lines. "As you move into a more global economy and more people order and get goods delivered at a distance, you need a more specific address than'the house with the red door across from the cathedral,'" says Merry Law, the president of a company that provides international addressing information. Researchers at the MIT Media Lab and Facebook are now proposing a new way to address the unaddressed: with machine learning.

Hi, I am a humanoid robot, and I am 1.2m [4ft] tall. I was born at Aldebaran in Paris. You can keep on asking me questions if you want.

From techno-sheepdogs to android bedfellows, the promise of robotics and the lure of artificial intelligence appears to know no bounds. But will we ever be able to have a proper natter with a robot? And just what will they look like? Now is your chance to find out. Experts will be sharing the latest news in a series of talks and demos under the banner of the New Age of Robotics as part of Sheffield's wide-ranging Festival of the Mind, which starts on 18 September.

Some reach too far, some do not reach far enough. No, humanoid robots will not achieve world domination tomorrow. Yes, it is within the realms of possibility that one day, the'machine' that stands in front of us will be a'person'. Or, as the philosopher and AI expert, Klaus Mainzer, describes it: He considers it possible that the crucial leap towards superintelligence is at a point where we are combining evolutionary and technical strategies and creating a'neuromorphic computer', which links technical efficiency with evolutionary benefits. Technical progress goes hand in hand with computer speed and an increase in memory capacity.