Artificial Intelligence

A new coffee shop is open in San Francisco. The blend of the day: artisan coffee and automated technology.   Taking a page from the AmazonGo experience, Cafe X is an automated coffee shop that opened in San Francisco’s Metreon mall on Jan. 30, according to the Los Angeles Times.   

Twitter is taking a new approach to “humanize” its business partners’ customer service-based “Direct Messages.”   Twitter’s new feature – “Custom Profiles in Direct Messages” – allows businesses to better emphasize the human element in private conversations, as well as more clearly indicate when a bot is speaking, according to Twitter.   

Visa and IBM have a vision — that any device connected to the Internet of Things can securely process payments. And this means “any device.”  

UPS is the latest company to try its hand at drone deliveries.   The delivery company has successfully tested a drone on Monday, Feb. 20, in Lithia, Florida. Called an octocopter drone, the device launches from atop of a UPS package car, autonomously delivers a package to a home, and then returns to the vehicle while the driver continues along the route to make a separate delivery.   

Amazon’s new convenience store may not have cashiers, but a new product category will require someone to check shopper IDs.   Along with its sandwiches, salads and snacks, Amazon plans to sell beer and wine from its AmazonGo store in Seattle, Recode said.   

In a move that could attract more tech start-ups, New York City will be the home to one of the newest innovation labs.   The 250,000-sq.-ft. “Union Square Tech Hub,” which was announced in December, will include 58,000 sq. ft. of “fluid space” for startups, and a 36,500 sq.-ft. tech training center, reported TechCrunch.   

Google Home is giving Amazon’s Echo a run for its (shopping) money.   On Thursday, Google announced that shoppers can use Google Home to order everyday basics from Google Express retailers, including Costco, Whole Foods Market, Walgreens, PetSmart, Bed Bath & Beyond and others, reported GeekWire.   

IBM is taking the next step in its IoT journey.   The technology provider has opened the doors of its new $200 million global headquarters for its Watson Internet of Things (IoT) business in Munich, Germany. The space will also serve as an innovation space for the European IoT standards organization, EEBus.   "We have reached a tipping point with IoT innovation,” said Harriet Green, general manager, IBM Watson IoT, cognitive engagement and education.