With 79% of Brits rarely or never clicking online ads, brands are wasting huge sums of money on ineffective advertising. So how can companies entice consumers to voluntarily eyeball their content? Canvas8 sat down with 15 British men and women to find out what they think about online ads.

The day when your phone can automatically comfort you when you’re down is a long way off. But emotionally intelligent tech is on the rise, with Affectiva’s Affdex helping the likes of Unilever and CBS to gauge reactions to shows and adverts. Can algorithms judge emotions better than humans?

Shoppers today are faced with so much choice that it can cause decision paralysis. But what if you could call on an AI personal shopper for help? That’s exactly what outdoor brand The North Face is providing with XPS, an AI-powered shopping tool that makes it easier to find the right item.

The number of people using messaging apps is set to hit two billion by 2018, so it’s no wonder brands want to get in on the action. Major tech players are touting chatbots as the next big thing, but can they really revolutionise online interactions, or are they just part of an industry-driven pipe dream?