By combining the roles of software development and IT operations, DevOps (opens in new tab) often encompasses so many tools and skills that too many of us get stuck working in a complex and time-consuming environment. Time that could be spent solving problems gets wasted on mundane tasks. By using artificial intelligence (AI), DevOps can automate complicated tasks that are easy for computers but hard (or boring) for humans. AI can also help streamline processes across the software development lifecycle (SDLC), allowing DevOps to focus on the work itself. In this guide, we cover how AI can be used throughout the DevOps cycle to improve productivity and security.

Previously, search results have relied on things like chips, filters, and operators to help you find that elusive email, but machine learning is soon …

The Lipstick Index, as it's known, was a phrase coined by Leonard Lauder, chairman of the board at Estee Lauder, in the early noughties when it became clear in times of economic crisis, sales of color cosmetics - in particular lipstick - soar as an affordable way to treat yourself. Last year, sales of cosmetics plummeted. With bustling make-up counters in department stores closed for much of 2020, sales of designer brand cosmetics were down by more than 40% according to market research firm NPD, which equates to a loss of £500 million (around $689 million and AU$902 million). Meanwhile, sales of more affordable cosmetics in supermarkets fell by 22% in the UK, according to the Top Products survey from retail trade magazine, The Grocer, adding a further £183 million loss (around $256 million / AU$218 million). A combination of the rise of working from home and mandatory masks meant thousands of us, including this writer, ditched our make-up bags altogether.

Many businesses are experimenting with artificial intelligence but lack an understanding of the use cases that deliver real business value. That's according to a new study from digital transformation firm Mindtree, which surveyed 650 global IT leaders on their use of AI in the workplace. It found that 85% of organizations have implemented a data strategy and 77% have invested in some AI-related technologies, with only 31% achieving a return on investment. The research shows that businesses can do more to gain increased value from their investments, although they need to focus on use cases that drive ROI. Suman Nambiar, head of strategy, partners and offering for digital at Mindtree, said: "Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the way businesses across the world are operating, for instance, helping them deliver much more personalized experiences and services to their customers. "AI is delivering measurable business benefits to enterprises which experiment using agile, fast, value-driven innovation models, which can then be rolled out for wider use.

Last week, Anki, creator of adorable robots that are part toy, part virtual assistant and part pet, went out of business. "It is with a heavy heart to inform you that Anki has ceased product development and we are no longer manufacturing robots," the company said in a statement, which promised to help owners keep enjoying their little mechanical pals for as long as possible. Why did Anki – a company that had attracted a huge amount of funding and interest in its earlier days – find itself so strapped for cash that it had to pull the plug? Vector's expressions were designed by a professional character artist (Image credit: Anki) Robot vacuum cleaners are one thing – we might feel a little affection towards them, but they're very utilitarian. When it comes to robots for fun and companionship, we're much more hesitant.

Last week, Anki, creator of adorable robots that are part toy, part virtual assistant and part pet, went out of business. "It is with a heavy heart to inform you that Anki has ceased product development and we are no longer manufacturing robots," the company said in a statement, which promised to help owners keep enjoying their little mechanical pals for as long as possible. Why did Anki – a company that had attracted a huge amount of funding and interest in its earlier days – find itself so strapped for cash that it had to pull the plug? Vector's expressions were designed by a professional character artist (Image credit: Anki) Robot vacuum cleaners are one thing – we might feel a little affection towards them, but they're very utilitarian. When it comes to robots for fun and companionship, we're much more hesitant.

Finding the best way to get around a busy city is no easy task. Unless you know the place like the back of your hand, choosing between cars, public transport, bike and even scooter shares can be a daunting prospect – but IBM's Watson might be able to help. At MWC 2019, Seat and IBM announced Mobility Advisor, which uses Watson artificial intelligence (AI) to work out the best way to reach your destination – whether it's a train, ride-hailing service or an electric scooter. The tool's suggestions will take into account traffic reports, weather forecasts, and any events happening in the city that day, so you won't get caught in the rain riding a hire bike, or reach a train station at the same time as a crowd of sports fans. Mobility Advisor is currently in development, and is intended to run as a mobile app on 4G and 5G networks.

The graph represents a network of 3,658 Twitter users whose tweets in the requested range contained "ibm watson", or who were replied to or mentioned in those tweets. The network was obtained from the NodeXL Graph Server on Monday, 23 July 2018 at 10:31 UTC. The requested start date was Monday, 23 July 2018 at 00:01 UTC and the maximum number of days (going backward) was 14. The maximum number of tweets collected was 5,000. The tweets in the network were tweeted over the 11-day, 2-hour, 17-minute period from Wednesday, 11 July 2018 at 11:44 UTC to Sunday, 22 July 2018 at 14:01 UTC.

Netflix has reportedly signed a deal with Telltale Games to bring simplified versions of its popular titles to the streaming service. The company confirmed to TechRadar that the first of these will be Minecraft: Story Mode, which will appear on the platform, followed at some point by a new Telltale game based on the Stranger Things series. These might not be'games' as we think of them. Sources told TechRadar that Minecraft: Story Mode will appear in a five-part episodic form and Netflix confirmed to them that the game will appear "in an adapted form." It may appear on the platform as early as later this year, and will be playable using any remote control with directional and select buttons -- ideally, users won't need any more hardware to enjoy.

Welcome to TechRadar's AI week! Over the next few days we'll be bringing you a raft of content dedicated to offering a better understanding as to what artificial intelligence is and how it has permeated the our daily lives. Once the work of science fiction and blockbuster movies, you can now find artificial intelligence embedded in any number of household objects - from your phone, to your speaker... even to your fridge. So this week we've set out to reveal just how powerful AI is, the gadgets you can find the technology working in right now and what the future actually holds for artificial intelligence. To deepen your sense of what artificial intelligence is, head to our AI Week hub now, where you'll find a whole host of exciting articles to read.