In this paper, we design and analyze a new zeroth-order online algorithm, namely, the zeroth-order online alternating direction method of multipliers (ZOO-ADMM), which enjoys dual advantages of being gradient-free operation and employing the ADMM to accommodate complex structured regularizers. Compared to the first-order gradient-based online algorithm, we show that ZOO-ADMM requires $\sqrt{m}$ times more iterations, leading to a convergence rate of $O(\sqrt{m}/\sqrt{T})$, where $m$ is the number of optimization variables, and $T$ is the number of iterations. To accelerate ZOO-ADMM, we propose two minibatch strategies: gradient sample averaging and observation averaging, resulting in an improved convergence rate of $O(\sqrt{1+q^{-1}m}/\sqrt{T})$, where $q$ is the minibatch size. In addition to convergence analysis, we also demonstrate ZOO-ADMM to applications in signal processing, statistics, and machine learning.

On February 8, we released the Amazon Polly plugin for WordPress, which enables you to easily voice content and publish podcasts directly from your website. By leveraging audio, you can provide your readers with an alternative way to consume your content and meet the needs of a larger audience. Today, we're excited to announce that the Amazon Polly plugin is now available on the popular Bitnami Amazon Machine Images (AMIs). On the AWS Marketplace, you can find the up-to-date WordPress image packaged by Bitnami and WordPress Multisite image packaged by Bitnami, which come preinstalled with the Amazon Polly WordPress plugin. Other Bitnami solutions, such as WordPress for Production or WordPress Multi-Tier, will also include the plugin soon.

Yet for many companies they remain vitally important as the epicenter of occupational fraud detection. So what are the most common tactics of employees looking to defraud companies on their expense reports, and how is the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence already helping stop them? For most of us, when we purchase, say, pillowcases at Walmart, we rightly expect to see the word "Walmart" spelled out clearly on our bank statements. To monitor these transgressions for employers, today's AI systems can automatically cross-check each expense report receipt with data from review sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor. For example, one machine learning program detected employee meals reimbursed at "K-Kel, Inc," which, it turns out, was actually a receipt for the Spearmint Rhino strip club in Las Vegas.

New Zealand-based artificial intelligence company IMAGR announced today that it's upping the grocery game by launching its innovative solution SMARTCART to a Four Square store in the Auckland suburb of Ellerslie. The move comes as retailers around the globe look for ways to give consumers more streamlined methods and checkout-less options for shopping, including the recent launch of Amazon Go in Seattle. The New Zealand store will be the flagship Foodstuffs retail outlet to trail SMARTCART, a computer vision technology retrofitted to shopping baskets and carts that recognises products as soon as they are placed inside, eliminating the need for barcode scanning, checkouts and queueing. "We're delighted Foodstuffs is the first retailer in the world that we're partnering with to make this happen This is the first significant step in enhancing the way we do our grocery shopping here in New Zealand and abroad," said IMAGR founder William Chomley. "It's great to see Foodstuffs embracing technology like this to empower customer experiences."

For some folks, President's Day is a time to honor U.S. presidents of old, like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. But for tech companies and online retailers, it's another opportunity to lay out some discounts and rake in some sales. We hope you're able to enjoy the weekend. If you happen to be in the mood to peruse, we've hand-picked some of our favorite tech deals from around the web. At the bottom of this article we've also included links to some of the more notable sales going on, in case you want to browse for yourself.

The toy company celebrates 30th Anniversary of the classic Q&A game with three party-ready offerings. TCG, under a licence from Irwin Toy, is launching the 20Q artificial intelligence (AI) game with a new range that marks the 30th anniversary of the brand's debut. Sporting a fresh new look and enhanced technology that builds on the original iconic interactive electronic game, 20Q has been updated for today's inquisitive minds. The all-new line-up, featuring 20Q Classic Edition, 20Q Rock & Roll Edition and 20Q Sports Edition, will be available this autumn at major retailers across the US and Canada. Jessica Gavin, VP marketing & licensing, TCG, commented: "We're thrilled to have 20Q in our line-up for 2018, and excited to introduce three different versions of the standout game to appeal to a wide range of players.

Today, deep learning techniques are poised to disrupt the retail industry. As artificial neural networks become more and more efficient, and as graphics processing units (GPUs) get more and more powerful, so does their influence on retail. Imagine a world in which deep learning-based systems know precisely what a customer wants. In such a scenario, retailers would cater to their customers more quickly and more efficiently. Imagine further a world in which deep learning techniques predict future preferences and needs.

Seattle is one of my favorite tech-friendly cities and I always look forward to heading out to the Pacific Northwest for a conference. Sometimes I take off on foot from my favorite downtown hotel to take in the feel of the city. Yes, Seattle is that cool. This time, I stumbled upon a real gem – the new Amazon Go store located at 2131 7th Ave., just a few blocks from my hotel. I soon found out this experimental retail outlet is a bold new move to transform retail that's powered by deep learning technology, specifically image recognition algorithms.

UK-based Dixons Carphone - a multinational electrical and telecommunications retailer and services company - uses artificial intelligence in the form of a bot named Cami to connect online and in-store shopping experiences. Cami is a product expert who can recommend items, give advice, and anticipate customer's needs and future purchases. If someone buys a new mobile device, Cami can automatically recommend cases or insurance. Cami can also easily check inventory, so in-store associates can stay with the customers. Employees can spend more time interacting with customers in the front of the store instead of sorting through inventory in the back of the store.

When you have millions of choices, shopping isn't easy. That's why Trendage is using artificial intelligence, visual search, and crowdfunded fashion expertise to help retailers make the right recommendations for shoppers. Trendage is a data-driven style platform that is coming out of stealth today with Automated Product Recommendations for retailers. The company has raised $1.5 million in angel funding. It draws on a combination of AI, visual search, and a community of trendsetters to generate more than 10 million style recommendations a month for apparel, accessories, and footwear retailers.