From in-store iPads and beacons to augmented reality changing rooms and digital shopping, retailers are upping the ante on the shopping experience. Now, in a bid to draw in – and keep – shoppers, 45% of US retailers are planning on using AI in the shopping journey.

Futurologists – those allegedly able to predict the future – are in high demand from newspapers and major companies keen to see into the coming years. Yet the vast majority of predictions are wrong. What's the appeal of future-gazing? And what might mobilise our visions into the present?

Whether in entertainment or the news, robots have a history of bad press in the media that hasn’t let up in recent years. In response, a Japanese robotics team has made an artificially intelligent dance teacher, giving people exposure to bots in a situation that’s vulnerable, rather than threatening.

As our lives become more automated, the consumer robotics industry is only set to grow. But something is holding the market back – people find it difficult to trust these machines, especially in their homes and offices. Why do they make us uneasy, and what will convince people to trust robots?