Regression models, Monte Carlo simulations, and other methods for predicting what’s around the corner have been in use for decades. It’s only recently, though, that advances in information technology have made it possible for predictive tools to access and manipulate big data, and to do so continuously — accelerating the generation of insights, and opening up opportunities to anticipate issues with unprecedented precision. Think of the colleges that are increasingly able to identify students at risk of dropping out and intervene before they do. Or lenders’ enhanced abilities to gauge credit risk. Energy, agriculture, insurance, retail, human resources — no industry is unaffected.

Online customer support agents aren’t always human these days, and that’s generally frustrating for customers. But Xerox’s WDS division is announcing a customer support technology today with what it says is a higher level of artificial intelligence.

The WDS Virtual Agent taps into intelligence gleaned from terabytes of data that the company keeps about real customer interactions. Armed with this info, the virtual agent can more reliably solve problems itself, as it learns through experience. The more customer care data it is exposed to, the more effective it becomes in delivering relevant responses to real customer questions.

The high cost of batteries has made them impractical for storing energy from wind and solar or providing back-up power on the electricity grid. Now, though, several battery startups are claiming price reductions that make energy storage on the grid look more feasible.

Fremont, CA-based Imergy Power Systems today said it’s developed a shipping container-size battery that will cost under $300 per kilowatt-hour, $200 less per kilowatt-hour than its last product. That price doesn’t mean that giant batteries will replace natural gas or coal power plants en masse, but it does make energy storage more attractive for specific uses, such as microgrids or providing power at peak hours of the day.

A major Chinese company is investing Israel’s Check-Cap, developer of a new technology to allow for non-invasive colon cancer screening that could save millions of lives. The company claims its little pill-like gadget avoids the extremely unpleasant laxative-enema colon “cleaning” process and the uncomfortable colonoscopy, too. The device is still in the testing stage, but if all this pans out, the hope is that many more people will go for a checkup that can catch deadly colon cancer before it’s too late.