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An artificial intelligence battle is coming between the U.S. and China

Mar 6, 2019
And sooner than you think, futurist Amy Webb says.
Josep Lago/AFP/Getty Images

Amazon's Alexa was a surprise hit, but what's its next play?

Dec 18, 2018
As its popularity increases, so do questions about privacy and security.
“We take privacy and security very seriously," Toni Reid, right, of Amazon, told Molly Wood last week at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Next Gen conference in Laguna Niguel, California.
Stuart Isett/Fortune

Hey, kids! Robots aren't people

Jul 24, 2018
We need to work with designers so children don't think of digital assistants as buddies, one expert says.
“There actually is a sort of pent-up demand for robot conversation because people are lonely,” says MIT researcher Sherry Turkle. Above, a Tanscorp UU smart robot at CES 2017 in Las Vegas.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Should a machine have to tell you if it's a machine?

May 23, 2018
Can a robot make a dinner reservation? Google is working on it, but should they?
The Shadow Robot company's dextrous hand robot holds an Apple at the Streetwise Robots event held at the Science Museum's Dana Centre on May 6, 2008 in London, England. 
Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Amazon moving into Best Buy with built-in Alexa smart TVs

Apr 19, 2018
Amazon and Best Buy are partnering to sell televisions. As part of the deal, Best Buy will sell Amazon smart TVs in their stores and on Amazon as a third-party merchant. What’s bringing two apparent rivals together to sell expensive gadgets to consumers? Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 

Amazon’s Alexa wants to be your office assistant, too

Nov 30, 2017
Amazon announced plans to bring its Echo devices into conference rooms and cubicles through a platform called Alexa for Business. The new feature comes through Amazon’s cloud computing business, Amazon Web Services, not its retail side, and it’s the company’s latest move in the competitive voice assistant space. To start, Alexa for Business will let […]

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Amazon pushes into Wi-Fi communication space with latest Echo version

May 9, 2017
In addition to everything else Amazon can do for you — recommend books, stream movies, let you shop for appliances and clothes and gourmet food, and get it all by overnight delivery — the company also wants to put a video-equipped digital assistant in your house. This is the latest iteration of Amazon’s Echo speaker […]