Google Assistant is essentially the next generation of Google Now. It performs all of the same tasks as Google Now, such as scheduling events and web searching, but has a better, more conversational interface. For a crash course in some of Google’s best AI-powered voice-commands, take a look at five of our favorites.

Artificial intelligence (AI) or “machine learning” has quickly transformed from science fiction to reality, and is currently on track to become an integral part of the corporate business environment. According to experts, by 2020 85% of all customer interactions with businesses will occur via machine learning programs.

How would you search the internet for an item you didn’t know the name of? Throwing together a few descriptive words probably isn’t enough to find what you’re looking for, but what if you could search using just an image? Microsoft’s Bing lets you do exactly that and it’s receiving some big upgrades.

High-quality products and services can make a business successful, but exceptional customer service is what makes customers come back. This is why companies constantly try to innovate their customer service strategy -- and some do it by adding artificial intelligence (AI) into the mix.

Google's major conference has come and gone. Its keynote speech gives consumers a sneak peek at Google Assistant and the next version of Android. This will help developers get their integrations, services and apps ready before the search engine giant releases its new stuff.

Google brought their “voice-activated insanity” as a feature of their Google Assistant Fun House at the South by Southwest (SXSW) expo in Austin this year. The limited product exhibit showcased the unique capabilities of their AI assistant platform, such as a sock-folding robot and a system to order beer from your sofa.

“Fad” is a dirty word for many small-business owners. Whether it’s what they’re selling or what they’re investing in, business owners need long-term and reliable investments to secure their future. With 2017 in the rearview mirror, we finally know what was a fad and what was a smart investment.

Voice-powered AI systems are enjoying a resurgence. With improved bandwidth, both on desktops and on mobile devices, software vendors can easily relay complex voice commands to the cloud to be analyzed by more powerful computing software. Everyone has seen Siri do it on Apple phones, but how many realize that Android has its own AI, Google Now? If you’ve got an Android phone, pick it up and give a few of our favorite voice commands a whirl!

Before you can start playing with Google’s AI, you need to turn on the service.