Throwing down the gauntlet: Google Assistant software is being built into new Pixel handsets to outdo Siri.
SAN FRANCISCO: Major technology firms are racing to infuse smartphones and other Internet-linked devices with software smarts that help them think like people.
The effort is seen as an evolution in computing that allows users to interact with machines in natural conversation style, telling devices to tend to tasks such as ordering goods, checking traffic, making restaurant reservations or searching for information.
