The first three entries in my "2020: A consumer electronics forecast for the year(s) ahead" piece, published back in January, all had to do with deep learning. Why? Here's part of what I wrote back then: The ability to pattern-match and extrapolate from already-identified data ("training") to not-yet-identified data ("inference") has transformed the means by which many algorithms are developed nowadays, with impact on numerous applications. This transformation is already well underway, as even a casual perusal of the titles and coverage topics of content published at EDN, EE Times, and elsewhere will make clear. Don't panic: there's still time to "catch the wave," especially if your focus is on resource-constrained implementations. But you don't want to wait too long lest you end up stuck bobbing around in the water while more foresighted colleagues are already at the beach enjoying the AI "party."

Editor's note: This post is the result of a collaboration with PredictX, a decision automation platform. Author Joni Lindes is a content writer at PredictX. AI is set to disrupt our current society on a major scale. According to Indeed, the number of roles in AI has risen by 485% in the UK since 2014, but the digital skills gap continues to hold back innovation. In 2017, companies spent around $22 billion on AI-related mergers and acquisitions -- 26 times more than 2015.

We learn about Google's AIY voice and vision kits at this year's Maker Faire, and check out a few projects that make use of the kits' artificial intelligence capabilities. The vision kit, in particular, impressed us with its ability to recognize objects, faces, and even emotions.

This is a transcript of the talk I gave at Crowd Supply's Teardown Conference. Growing up, the free toys on the covers of magazines were made of plastic. They were cheap, and cheerful. Yet the last thirty years has reduced the price of computing to the point where cheap and cheerful plastic toys have been replaced by other things. Around this time last year Google and Raspberry Pi did something rather intriguing.

We've created a new version of our original kits that make classroom use easier with the AIY Vision Kit 2 and the AIY Voice Kit 2. Each one now includes everything you need to get going right in the box. We've also released a new Android App that greatly simplifies configuration of the device. To help students learn more about AI we're introducing a new AIY Models area to our site that showcases a collection of pre-built AI models designed to work with AIY kits. Now students can load up new models to explore different facets of AI, like a new smile detector model that lets you instantly tell whether someone looking into a Vision Kit is smiling. Over time we'll be adding new models that explore new functionality and content about each model.

If you've been wanting to dig into artificial intelligence on a personal level, then you have probably been considering one of Google's AIY kits. These allow STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) audiences to engage in simple projects with a relatively low investment. Now, Google has made things even easier by creating bundles that include the requisite Raspberry Pi single-board computers. The AIY products have two versions aimed at two A.I. applications. There is the AIY Vision Kit that allows experimenting with image recognition and neural networks and the AIY Voice Kit that combines voice recognition and the Google Assistant.

Launched last year, Google's AIY Projects are simple hardware kits for building AI-powered devices like an Assistant speaker and a camera with image recognition capabilities. With a clear use case in schools and STEM, Google is releasing updated 2018 kits that are easier to assemble and more widely available. Since launching in 2017, Google notes that they've seen "continued demand" for the Voice and Vision Kits "especially from the STEM audience where parents and teachers alike have found the products to be great tools for the classroom." We're taking the first of many steps to help educators integrate AIY into STEM lesson plans and help prepare students for the challenges of the future by launching a new version of our AIY kits. With "Made by you with Google" branding on the slick packaging, the AIY Voice Kit v2 includes a new Raspberry Pi Zero WH, USB connector cables, and a pre-provisioned SD card.

The "technology of the future" is constantly changing. Remember when Google Glass was the future and venture capitalists launched huge funds dedicated to financial Glass app developers? Remember when chat bots were the future and every tech company on the planet burned time and money developing Facebook Messenger bots? Yeah, most "technologies of the future" end up being little more than silly trends that vanish almost as quickly as they arrived. This time around, however, things feel like the might be a bit different when it comes to the latest "technology of the future."

Google's AIY Projects (a clever play on "DIY" and "AI" that makes no sense when you actually think about it) pair a Raspberry Pi with the accessories, software, and requisite cardboard to make your own Google Assistant smart speaker or object-recognizing smart camera. They only launched last year, but Google is already back with new and improved versions of both the AIY Vision Kit and AIY Voice Kit (as spotted by 9to5 Google). The new kits now include a fresh Raspberry Pi Zero in the box and a preloaded SD card to make it easier to get started. Google is also now providing an AIY companion app for Android (and soon iOS and Chrome) to help with wireless setup and configuration of your new DIY smart speaker or camera -- though you can still use the Pi as a standard Linux computer with a monitor, keyboard, and mouse if that's more your style. The Vision Kit also includes the Pi Camera Module V2.

Back in May, Google announced AIY Projects -- do-it-yourself hardware kits for experimenting with artificial intelligence. Today, Google followed up the first Voice Kit with a new Vision Kit for image recognition and TensorFlow development. These AIY Kits are crude speakers -- and now cameras -- housed in simple cardboard boxes. Builders also need to supply their own Raspberry Pi Zero W and a Raspberry Pi Camera 2 for this latest project. Otherwise, the kit includes everything needed from lenses, wires, and a VisionBonnet board with an Intel Movidius MA2450 that connects to the Raspberry Pi.