We compare the fast training and decoding speed of RETURNN of attention models for translation, due to fast CUDA LSTM kernels, and a fast pure TensorFlow beam search decoder. We show that a layer-wise pretraining scheme for recurrent attention models gives over 1% BLEU improvement absolute and it allows to train deeper recurrent encoder networks. Promising preliminary results on max. expected BLEU training are presented. We are able to train state-of-the-art models for translation and end-to-end models for speech recognition and show results on WMT 2017 and Switchboard. The flexibility of RETURNN allows a fast research feedback loop to experiment with alternative architectures, and its generality allows to use it on a wide range of applications.

From the sprawling open world Western Red Dead Redemption 2, to the co-op dinosaur hunting Monster Hunter World; from major remakes like Shadow of the Colossus to brand new IPs like Days Gone; from charming JRPGs like Ni No Kuni II, to terrifying horror games like Agony, 2018 is shaping up to be an incredible year for games and gamers. The following list is long but not exhaustive. It doesn't cover games that haven't been announced (like the inevitable Call of Duty from Treyarch) or that don't have titles yet (like the Fire Emblem game coming to Switch.) I've also left mobile games out almost entirely. These probably deserve their own list. Likewise, PC games release in such abundance (thousands on Steam each month!) that many indie PC titles have been left out. If I've missed anything you think ought to be included, please let me know on Twitter or Facebook. Now, without further ado, let's get to the games. The first proper fighting game in the Dragon Ball Z series, Dragon Ball FighterZ brings 3 vs 3 matches similar to Marvel vs Capcom with the ability to swap out characters during a fight. The first current-gen Monster Hunter entry, this also marks the series' biggest world wide release. The franchise is much more popular in Japan, but hopefully break into the West with Monster Hunter World's giant, seamless environments and online co-op. Whether or not you played the original Shadow of the Colossus, this remake (not remaster) looks absolutely gorgeous.

Chinese superstar Jacky Cheung performs onstage during his "A Classical Tour" concert at Hong Kong Coliseum on Dec. 4, 2016. Chinese superstar Jacky Cheung performs onstage during his "A Classical Tour" concert at Hong Kong Coliseum on Dec. 4, 2016. As people continue to feed more and more of their interior selves -- our likes, dislikes, wants, needs, social cartographies -- into digital networks that harvest and parse that information into profiles used to make money, a new frontier of monitoring that hones in on our physical features is ascendant. In Jiaxing, China, on Sunday evening, a man -- one of some 20,000 people attending a concert by pop star Jacky Cheung -- was arrested after being identified by an artificial intelligence-powered facial recognition system, which China built after announcing in 2015 that it was creating a facial database. "A few minutes after he passed through the security checkpoint, our system issued a warning that he was a wanted person," an official with the Nanhu District Public Security Bureau told the Qianjiang Evening News.

The Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department, in close collaboration with the Dubai Future Foundation, has developed two artificial intelligence (AI) projects namely: 'Virtual Charity Foundation' and'Virtual Ifta'. The projects are in line with the Dubai '10X' initiative that sets the Government of Dubai on a mission to be 10 years ahead of all other cities. The Department intends to create a flexible and intelligent environment to enhance charitable activities, strengthen the Department's efforts to deliver and document'fatwas', and serve the community through innovative services, through these two projects.

China is on the verge of a robotics revolution. In 2014 it has the lowest robot to worker ratio compared to that of its peers – South Korea, Germany and the United States. Today, that is changing as China is pivoting towards robotics. The Chinese government has laid out a 5-year plan that included robotics to steer economic and social development. It is estimated that the number of industrial robots in China has been growing at an unprecedented rate of 40% per year as the government plans to triple its number to 100,000 by 2020 to promote high-end manufacturing.

China has set an ambitious target of becoming the leader in this field by 2030 and transform AI work into an industry worth $150 billion. Beijing already recognizes that will take work. By 2020 the central government says the country will need to develop new AI theories and technologies in a fast-changing field, according to the Chinese State Council. By 2025, China's industries should be transformed by breakthroughs in AI, while the following five years will seal the country's status as a world leader in the technology.

Coping with harsh conditions, rather than social challenges, was chiefly responsible for boosting the size of our brains, a new study has found. The research found'ecological' challenges like finding food and lighting fires boosted the capacity of our ancestors to think ahead. The finding may settle a decades-long debate on the origins of human intelligence and our social relationships, scientists said. The human brain got so big because life was tough on the African savannah around two million years ago, according to new research. The human brain has tripled in size compared to the white matter of our ancestor Australopithecus afarensis, which roamed the Earth more than 3 million years ago.

Nielsen-owned Gracenote has announced the launch of an artificial intelligence service called Sonic Style that will sort massive catalogs of music by style for the first time ever. Sonic Style will classify 90 million songs not by the genre of music the artist is known for, but rather the actual style of each individual recording. Music has typically categorized by artist genres, such as rock or hip hop. However, artist genres alone do not always tell the full story of an artist's full catalog or career. Gracenote has developed nearly 450 Sonic Style descriptor values.

Let's get started with knowing what exactly a neural network is- A neural network is an abstract concept which is derived from the neurons from our brain. So, before diving further into details let's step back and take a look at what the neurons in our brain do and how do the artificial neural network resemble the natural neurons in our brain. But wait a second, why are we even doing this? Why do we need a neural network? We have come far as a species but we still face a lot of issues which are yet to be solved.