M6 Publicité and M6 Web Select Accenture's New Advertising Offering, Powered by Artificial Intelligence, To Target Ads More Effectively NEW YORK; Dec. 13, 2016 – M6 Publicité and M6 Web, Group M6 subsidiaries, have chosen Accenture's (NYSE: ACN) new Advanced Video Analytics offering that uses artificial intelligence to more accurately predict customer advertising preferences and serve targeted ads more effectively. M6 Group is the second largest private TV Group in France with major traditional TV channels such as M6, W9, and 6ter, as well as 6play, a free digital TV platform. M6 Publicité and M6 Web chose Accenture to implement a powerful data-driven advertising optimization tool run by a team of data scientists, analysts and developers. This data tool integrates several Accenture offerings including artificial intelligence that increases the number of users reached with targeted ads. Processing large amounts of historical user data, artificial intelligence can predict with more precision users' interests, behaviors, and purchasing actions.

The Toronto researchers relied on a pair of neural networks to create the AI. The first network was trained in the art of carolling with a hundred hours of online music. This enabled it to generate a basic 120 BPM melody -- complete with chords and drums -- based on a musical scale and melodic profile. To write the lyrics, a second neural net was shown a picture of a Christmas tree, which served as the song's subject. Put those elements together and you've got yourself a cheerful holiday ditty perfect for listening to while waiting out Robot Santa Claus' annual reign of terror.

Content: A key element for connectivity The proposed USD 85.4 billion AT&T-Time Warner mega-merger highlights the value of content for telco growth, and it could have regulatory and business implications for connectivity in emerging markets. Meanwhile, Hooq's 2017 expansion into Malaysia and Vietnam highlights the power of locally relevant content as Netflix continues to face tough competition in the region. Maybe Netflix's new content strategy will help? And Canada is leading a local content charge of its own. The rapidly growing Chinese Internet giant Tencent's entrance into the global AI race comes as China's top search engine, Baidu recently reaffirmed that AI will be key to its future growth. Meanwhile, a new study finds China to be a close second to the U.S. in terms of the number of AI studies presented at top academic conferences in 2015.

After attending this year's IBM World of Watson event in Las Vegas a few weeks ago, I was both stunned and overwhelmed by the advancements in artificial intelligence and cognitive. I have written about IBM and Watson several times over the last few years, but this year seems to be it's coming out party. I remember when Watson was a contestant on the TV game show "Jeopardy." It has grown leap years in the last five years. What we think we know about AI mostly comes from the movies, TV and sci-fi, and it has been with us for quite a while.

How does Santa get around the world? Research says Einstein'stheory of relativity means Santa would shrinks in size Also calculated that Father Christmas's cruising speed is 10million KM per hour Santa's speed means he could appear as a green flash as his sleigh flies by Research says Einstein'stheory of relativity means Santa would shrinks in size Also calculated that Father Christmas's cruising speed is 10million KM per hour Santa's speed means he could appear as a green flash as his sleigh flies by Two Secret Santas pay off more than $166,000 in layaway... Santa's little helpers! Two Secret Santas pay off more than $166,000 in layaway... Santa's little helpers! Dr Katy Sheen, from Exeter University, explains that Einstein's theory of relativity could be used to explain Santa Claus's trip to the home of every child on Christmas Eve According to Einstein's theory (E MC2), pictured here, objects travelling at high speed become compressed in size Watch woman get dragged off jet by police in Detroit'Scumbag unions': Chants outside Brighton rail station'We talked about life': Trump and Kanye discuss surprise meet Impressive fireball lights up Spain's Costa del Sol night sky Drag race ends in Lamborghini crashing into other cars Feliks Zemdegs breaks Rubik's cube speed-solving world record Trash is dumped on woman's door step after she fails to pay Brave 12-year-old punches armed robber in the stomach Syria: Footage emerges of Russian special forces'fighting ISIS' Horrifying moment woman is kicked down the stairs by stranger Documentary director attacked by gang of immigrants in Stockholm Hunters forced to shoot a wild bear dead as it charges towards them'We talked about life': Trump and Kanye discuss surprise meet Trash is dumped on woman's door step after she fails to pay Syria: Footage emerges of Russian special forces'fighting ISIS' Kanye 2024: Rapper makes VIP trip to Trump Tower to meet... Growing Pains star Alan Thicke, 69, dies suddenly after... Shocking moment a woman was physically dragged off a Delta... 'I can't feel anything Meg. I love you so much': Groom is... Prince Harry and Meghan Markle buy £60 Christmas tree in... Mother-of-two who let her paralyzed husband get eaten alive... Bill Cosby's lawyer gets in a screaming match with the DA...

The social media company has been embroiled in a number of content moderation controversies this year, from facing international outcry after removing an iconic Vietnam War photo due to nudity, to allowing the spread of fake news on its site. Facebook has historically relied mostly on users to report offensive posts, which are then checked by Facebook employees against company "community standards." Decisions on especially thorny content issues that might require policy changes are made by top executives at the company. Candela told reporters that Facebook increasingly was using artificial intelligence to find offensive material. It is "an algorithm that detects nudity, violence, or any of the things that are not according to our policies," he said.

This is computer-generated wordplay and an example of how the boundaries of artificial intelligence are shifting. If a computer can crack jokes, what other human activities could they start to replicate? What jobs could it take? Artificial intelligence has become an increasingly big issue for education - not least because many tech companies and publishers are circling around the huge commercial opportunities. But could students really get their answers from a robot rather than a teacher?

Software developer and cartoonist Andy Herd wondered what would happen if he tasked an AI with writing new episodes of the TV sitcom, Friends. Utilizing Google's open source machine-learning toolbox, TensorFlow, Herd fed the system every script from nine seasons of the show. The results mostly bordered on gibberish but Herd managed to isolate several "scenes" that came close to a sublime form of inanity by placing Chandler "in a muffin" and having Monica randomly yell out, "Chicken Bob!" for some unknown yet oddly perfect reason.

In a behind-the-scenes look, the man who created the robot for the big screen, electronic engineer Matt Denton, reveals how the character appeared in many different forms. There are the puppet and robotic versions, and, yes, even a robot needs a stunt double. In PBS/NOVA's Secret Life of Scientists episode, see how many forms of BB-8 it took for filmmakers to bring the robot into last year's The Force Awakens. A new Star Wars installment, Episode VIII, with BB-8 returning comes out at the end of next year.

It was penned by an AI developed at the University of Toronto, which builds on deep learning capabilities like those of Google's DeepDream. Instead of turning images into hallucination nightmare dogs, this project took seasonal inputs and kicked out its best approximation of a real human carol. It's called "Neural Karaoke," because good science is unnerving science. To prepare, the AI was given 100 hours of Christmas music, 50 hours of song lyrics, and video feed from the game Just Dance. So the thing can dance too.