Agencies and marketing departments have long used machine learning algorithms to sift through data, spot trends and steer creative campaigns.

According to HR tech expert Soumyasanto Sen, there are three distinct phases on your HR team's journey towards applying AI: automation, augmentation and amplification. Within my area of expertise, talent acquisition, I'd like to focus on the all-important first step. Automation provides the most opportunity for HR and talent acquisition teams today since the technology is easier to implement than machine learning or full AI. You can tell matching tools what you're looking for and they will then report back almost instantly, with a list of candidates who precisely match that criteria. Smarter tools like HireTual and Pocket Recruiter may interpret what you've requested and use machine learning to suggest candidates, based on synonyms and other intelligent search criteria they have learned over time For example, if you already have a large candidate database of software engineers, Candidate.ID will allow you to automatically rank them according to their real-time interest in your organisation.

Recently, I had the pleasure of presenting at SMX London on Supercharging your SEO with AI and thought I would share some of the insights with Search Engine Land readers. Google made global headlines with the demonstration of its new Duplex at this year's I/O developers conference. This artificial intelligence (AI) system can "converse" in natural language with people to schedule an appointment at a hair salon or book a table at a restaurant, for example. To pass the Turing Test, AI must behave in a manner indistinguishable from that of a human. To many, Google Duplex has proven that it can pass this test, but in truth, we are only seeing the beginnings of its future potential.

Recently, I had the pleasure of presenting at SMX London on Supercharging your SEO with AI and thought I would share some of the insights with Search Engine Land readers. Google made global headlines with the demonstration of its new Duplex at this year's I/O developers conference. This artificial intelligence (AI) system can "converse" in natural language with people to schedule an appointment at a hair salon or book a table at a restaurant, for example. To pass the Turing Test, AI must behave in a manner indistinguishable from that of a human. To many, Google Duplex has proven that it can pass this test, but in truth, we are only seeing the beginnings of its future potential.

AI technology can bring down the drug discovery cost by analyzing huge data points in a fraction of the time as compared to humans.By Ashu Kajekar, CEO, 7EDGE Internet Imagine a doctor who can predict a patient's illnesses in advance and prescribe preventive medication in the blink of an eye. Or a computer in a research facility, that ingests and analyzes complex drug chemistries using deep learning algorithms to discover new medications. For that matter, an integrated neural network in an eye hospital that scrapes patient data for signs of eye diseases. Or even better, imagine a chat bot app in your smartphone asking you if you still have the stomach ache from yesterday and if you would like to consult a doctor on a particular day. While all may seem far-fetched, this vision of healthcare is not too far off.

Nintendo's new home-and-away console has been unveiled in Japan. While we haven't got to touch those unusual controllers just yet (that'll be later today), we've got prices, launch titles, and a bunch of features that sound like a Nintendo fan's wish list fulfilled. We also have HTC's newest phone, the possibility of smartphones with folding screens, and a digital camera that leaves photo curation to AI. When our supercut of the press launch weighs in at 12 minutes, you know Nintendo had a lot to tell us about its new console. We've already told you the price and the date, but how about no more region-locking (a Nintendo'tradition'), a proper touchscreen and more.

As we move into 2017 there is probably a long list of items that you are looking forward to tackling next year. In the past few months, we have witnessed some fascinating shifts in our national and global priorities and we are beginning to plan - as individual professionals, teams, leaders, organizations, and communities – how we will navigate the changing economic, social and political landscapes. Beyond the widely discussed political changes, there is also a host of technology trends and drivers that are working to redefine nearly every aspect of our lives. As we approach 2017, I wanted to share a few thought-provoking resources that I consider to be must-reads. Although there are many subjects worth exploring over the next few months, I wanted to highlight one area that is becoming exceedingly important.