You've heard of smart phones which, with their growing power and technology, allow us to to open a universe beyond calling and messaging. You've probably also heard of smart televisions, which can connect to the internet and even messaging services, alongside catering to your daily television needs. The first big shock was maybe the smart watch which, while telling the time, can also tell you the weather forecast and to send simple messages. Now there's something new; the smart home.

Smart homes harness the power of handsfree technology to assist the user with day to day tasks. Rooms can be fitted with microphones which receive verbal instructions which are then digitally perceived and carried out. Instructions can be something simple such as "lights on" or "dim lights", or they can be more complex such as requesting a particular song to be played on a speaker setup which is wired to the system. Instructions can be room specific, or apply to the whole house, for example, when playing a song, you can ask for it to be played in just one room, or throughout every room that the smart home technology is set up in.

The main functions include controlling media, moderating the temperature, adjusting the lights, and also security. These components create the basis on which the smart home is built, however there are new advances within these systems being developed. One example is the smart plug, which can be programmed to turn on and off, for example, after your phone is finished charging, and also to make it look like you're still home while you're travelling. There are also smart smoke and carbon dioxide detectors that can be programmed to detect a hazard, to alert the inhabitants of the home of the hazard and in which room it is in, and to turn on the lights in case of an emergency. The level of detail can potentially give you life saving information if a fire were to strike your home.

This technology not only makes day to day life considerably easier, but also can be a substantial help to those with disabilities who find simple movements difficult or tiring. While this is all very impressive, there are obviously a few concerns over the new technology. Firstly, when technology does half the work for you, owners of smart homes could potentially become lazy and reliant on the system. There is also the issue of security as, in this day and age, it is always a case of when the systems will be compromised and not if. While listening to your conversations through the microphone is terrifying enough, if you rely on digital technology to let you in and out of the house, naturally you want to be certain that nobody else can compromise the security of the system and to access your personal property. While we may be excited by all the new gadgetry and unique systems, we should focus more on how to keep it secure from digital threats as we develop it into the future.

There is huge potential to develop this further in the future. If your smart home can anticipate your arrival, it can potentially idealise the atmosphere by amending the lights and thermostat before you've opened the door. As more people are ordering their groceries on the internet, perhaps your refrigerator can detect what is missing and automatically order what you need. When developers factor in the data that we share with digital devices, even something as small as a location marker on a smartphone, they can develop technology that automates everything around our needs. Artificial intelligence is already being introduced to our daily lives, and, as it becomes more efficient, less manual labour will be needed in every aspect of our lives. Imagine coming home to an opening door which has detected your arrival, to a house that has been set with music, lights, and temperature to your favourite settings, to have a meal automatically cooked for you as you sit down to watch your favourite television show without lifting a finger. While it's not quite a reality yet, the smart home is the beginning of this movement, and has the potential to change the world as we know it.

Times they are a-changin', and with developments in AI technology happening every day, it's just a matter of time before our jobs are taken over by robots who are cheaper to run than the cost of manual labour. Right?

Well, it is safe to say that a large number of jobs will be able to be automated by these advancements. If employers can save money on labour costs, why would they not? But there will (probably) always be jobs that require a human input. If anything, while some jobs will be replaced, most will just be altered to work alongside the algorithms and machinery that will take out a lot of the manpower and allow companies to focus on developing their products and work while the robots do all the hard work.

Any work that is repetitive and data heavy will be the first to be replaced. Telemarketing and data input are likely to be heavily AI operational in the coming years, however this doesn't mean that telemarketers and data inputters will lose their work. Telemarketing is a form of sales in which there will always be work, and so telemarketers will maybe have to make a sideways step to continue working in a similar field. Data inputters might have to readjust as data analysts, as we will still require people to interpret all of the data otherwise it is pointless to possess data in the first place. The repetitive part of the job will be replaced, and the human input will revolve around more strategic roles that require interpreting, analysing, and creativity, which is harder to automate.

The key to retaining your job is looking at how human touch can compliment the work. This is particularly obvious in creative roles, such as music and art. While there were attempts to create a fully automated song using algorithms to create melody and lyrics, the results were deracinating, alienating, and nothing like the music we hear on the radio today. Work that requires negotiation and persuasion (such as working as a lawyer), community building and empathy is difficult to automate as it requires so heavily on human input. Also, work creating AI technology is not yet automated, and if it becomes so, results could be potentially dire, so the human input is vital and the demand for AI development is very high.

Another point worth mentioning is that candidate sourcing and interview scheduling work is likely to be automated quickly. Human decision making is easily reduced to a computer algorithm, which means that when you are applying for work, you will not only have to think about how the employer will look at your resume, but also how a computer would read and interpret it and whether or not you are well represented from both perspectives.

From the bottom of the ladder, the thought of a robot taking your job is quite scary, but there are plenty of benefits to AI technology in the workplace from a larger perspective. Working with robots and algorithms reduces the human error margin substantially, and accuracy levels are likely to be much higher (particularly good for roles such as surgery). Demeaning and repetitive work can be automated so minds can be better stimulated working on challenging decisions and development that would otherwise not happen due to a heavy workload requirement. While initial startup costs are high, companies can potentially save thousands, even millions of dollars over time. Even by replacing simple tasks in your day to day life, such as cooking and cleaning, with automated systems, will save time and energy which can be focussed on living a happier, healthier lifestyle with less to worry about, or even on work and development.

While the world is changing and we are advancing quicker into the future than ever before, we will always require a need for human interaction, for empathy, sympathy and creativity which are qualities that we are yet to be able to teach to robots and computers. By being open to change and accepting it, we can work alongside the new technology to also advance our businesses and work faster than ever before, and to reach possibilities that ten years ago were absurd to even dream of.

If you are looking for some inspiration to start your business, then look no further. These quotes detail Indian entrepreneurs' stories of success, struggles, challenges and failures and how they made it.

"As a company, you have to look at growth both vertically and horizontally." - Rajesh Prasad, Innoviti

"There is a rich heritage behind khadi, and it also contributes to the livelihoods of many." - Siddharth Mohan Nair, DesiTude

"Reputation is an ongoing process." - Tamanna Mishra

"Companies with paperless technology platforms are well-positioned to leverage the latest trends in consumer technology." - Ben Elliott, Experian

"Most people fall in the trap of solving problems all the time and not thinking enough about how to not have them at first place." - Vasan Subramanian, Accel Partners

"Consumers are juggling today with less time available for cooking, lack of healthy options, tasteless frozen foods — the joy of cooking is dying." - Prayank Swaroop, Accel Partners

"You constantly think about what next and build things that work. You must learn constantly." - Amar Chokhawala, Reflektion

"Collecting customer satisfaction score is an easy and cost-effective method to gauge consumer sentiments." - JD Pawar, Wheelstreet

"You need to have a good education. It serves as a fallback if things don't work out. It opens up many doors and people take you more seriously." - Ujval Nanavati

"A lot of companies focus only on the new customers coming in and forget about their existing customer base." - Prabhakar Reddy, Accel Partners

"Art is both universal and personal at the same time." - Giridhar Khasnis, Gallery Manora

"We need bias free organisations with diverse and inclusive cultures to create happier workplaces." - Viji Hari, KelpHR

"The way to construct online learning content is to sequence learning much the same way as a TV soap." - Abhijit Bhaduri, ‘The Digital Tsunami'

"SMEs are vital for the economic growth and competitiveness of the country. But absence of digitised data has forced them to face a lot of challenges." - Atul Banga

"A composting revolution – no food waste to landfill – should become the mantra." - Pink Chandran, Solid Waste Management Roundtable

"We have till date created less than $35 billion market cap for all tech startups combined in India. In the next decade, this number can become $500 billion." - Rahul Chowdhri, Stellaris Venture Partners

"India's service-centric and fragmented healthcare industry is plagued with a reactive care, curative mindset." - Hari Thalapalli, CallHealth

"The government should support startups that create solutions right from soil analysis to produce marketing. Such startups must look at farming in a holistic way." - Sathya Raghu V. Mokkapati, Kheyti

"Every third Indian still lacks access to amenities such as nutrition, education, healthcare, electricity, and safe drinking water." -Raj Janagam, Surge Impact

"Use of wetland for agriculture and fisheries would change the face of rural Bihar." - Mangala Rai, ICAR

"The biggest real estate available in the city was on rooftops." - Sriram Aravamudan, My Sunny Balcony

"The story of fintech in India will not be the story of David vs Goliath. It will be the story of Goliath vs Goliath. And the smarter Goliath will win." - Pranay Bhardwaj, SlicePay

"Scale is always a barrier to entry. Who can compete with an Ola or an Uber?" - Raja Lahiri, Grant Thornton

"The barrier to enter consumer internet businesses doesn't exist anymore." - Rahul Chari, PhonePe

"If you don't bring different marketing channels together, competitors will take advantage of your silo approach." - Deepak Kanakaraju, Razorpay

"It is ultimately the market that proves everyone right or wrong." - Sartaj Anand, egomonk

"Consumers are increasingly looking for such quirky merchandise." - Arvind Singhal, Technopak

"It is not services that will make you money, it is software with Machine Learning and AI that makes money." - Vishal Sikka, ex-Infosys

"Co-working spaces are better than business centres." - Shiv prasad Singh, RICSSBE l Sikka, ex-Infosys

You might think you know where you want to and what you want to do when you travel, but new technology is seeking to tap into you subconscious to uncover where you want to go.

Thanks to a prototype created by UK travel company TUI - formerly Thomson - you don't have to be torn two or three great destinations anymore. This prototype takes soul-searching out of the equation and uses emotionally intelligent technology to discover travellers‘ true holiday desires and develop a personalised travel itinerary based on subconscious thoughts.

It sounds like Minority Report, doesn't it? You are probably wondering how this works as it sounds like an invention from the future but the idea is fairly simple. While viewers watch a rapid series of moving images of different travel destinations and experiences, the device measures their facial response and uses the data to create a "perfect holiday" based on their natural reaction to what they are viewing.

The prototype, named "Destination U", is undergoing consumer testing with plans for public retail trials in "the near future." According to the company, in just a matter of time, the prototype could be using facial coding and emotion measurement to help their customers "choose a trip that matches their emotional needs."

The prototype, developed by the company Realeyes, directs cameras at 149 different points on the face to track subtle facial reactions while the person watches a two-minute video, showing a series of people engaged in different travel activities, such as skiing, relaxing on the beach, trekking through greenery, bungee jumping, surfing, and so on.

Destination U is founded on the notion that viewers will have subtle facial reactions to the videos that will uncover their true, subconscious thoughts and feelings about each destination. At the end of the video, Destination U will reveal which activity/destination your face responded to most positively.

Its founder, Mikhel Jaatma, explained that 90 percent of human decision-making is done subconsciously. He said that the current method many companies have to find out what customers want is through verbal or written questionnaires, which can be rather tedious.

He added: "Emotion measure measurement technology captures and delivers unfiltered emotional responses in real-time, delving much deeper and detecting non-conscious signals to stimuli. People aren't considering their responses, they are organically reacting, giving a far more intuitive and raw response."

According to the company, the prototype is now "well into testing." UK managing director Nick Longman explained that the "Destination U prototype enables holidaymakers to intuitively unlock different travel possibilities and think about options they may not have considered before."

He explained: "After taking more than 100 million customers on holiday over the last six decades as Thomson we understand that one size no longer fits all when it comes to travel. People are looking beyond the traditional package holiday, they want a holiday that is handpicked just for them and the next evolution in mass market travel is personalisation and customisation."

He added: "It is our ambition to create holidays so personalised that they ‘choose you'. Or to put it another way, take customers to their perfect ‘Destination U'.

The software is still in prototype and not widely available to customers, but once TUI launches the product on the market, it could be implemented on a webcam, allowing anyone where uncover the secret travel desires of their subconscious from the comfort of their homes.

If this software sounds familiar to you, that's because this is not the first prototype that uses facial recognition and scanning for feelings to reveal your travel desires. Indeed, Expedia released in 2016 a web campaign called "Discover Your Aloha" which recognised facial reactions to different activities in Hawaii with a webcam and a series of videos.

Martin Salo, Co-Founder of Realeyes, said, "what's special about Destination U is that it really takes facial expression data and creates personalised experiences, so it learns whether you like beaches or city breaks and then creates a unique destination recommendation specially for you."

Nick Longman added, "Thompson is a great heritage business, but TUI is much more modern, much more contemporary business. We've been introducing virtual reality into stores and that has had a great reception. This is now taking it to the next level. I think customers are definitely ready to come in and be inspired."