You can't just assume that when an application reads each letter of a sentence that the output will make sense. Amazon Polly provides speech synthesis functionality that overcomes those challenges, allowing you to focus on building applications that use text-to-speech instead of addressing interpretation challenges. Amazon Polly turns text into lifelike speech. It lets you create applications that talk naturally, enabling you to build entirely new categories of speech-enabled products. Amazon Polly is an Amazon AI service that uses advanced deep learning technologies to synthesize speech that sounds like a human voice.

I was looking for a good use case of Xanadu, a big data platform technology that I'm now commercializing, in Machine Learning. Distributed deep learning exploiting large-scale datasets that is explained in this book in detail will be one of best use cases of Xanadu, which can show Xanadu's excellent functionality in deep learning applications. This book is an excellent reference to anyone who wants to explore the distributed deep learning for big data applications.

This book has been called "The best book on programming ever written". I'd have to agree--it is certainly the best that I've ever read. William Zinsser said, "The essence of writing is rewriting" and the same can be said for writing computer programs. Norvig's book presents this process--how the limitations of a program are overcome by revision and rewriting. What sets Norvig apart as a writer is that, amazingly enough, he can write about debugging (the most dreaded part of computer programming) and make it a fascinating read!

Artificial intelligence has seeped into the lives of everyone with an internet connection. Binge-watching television shows and online shopping carts full of suggested add-ons are commonplace, even though most consumers aren't aware of what's powering the recommendations. Algorithms are constantly hard at work, learning in real-time while users are sitting on the couch watching their favorite streaming shows or as they are adding items to their wish list at a favorite online retailer. Predictive analytics is permeating all industries as organizations start to harness the power of data collection to enable smart decisions. Artificial intelligence or AI, has become pervasive in business in every industry where decision making is being fundamentally transformed by Thinking Machines.

Jeff Bezos captured even more attention than usual when the Amazon CEO donned a giant robot suit (see below) called the Method-2. The suit made Bezos look even larger than his fortune, his foresightedness, his massive company and his ambitions already do. So who helped enlarge and empower Bezos in this case? It was a company called Hankook Mirae Technology -- and the makers of the Method-2 are awesome. It's hard to be declared the outright winner at Amazon's super cool MARS conference in Palm Springs, but Hankook Mirae was the winner this year clearly -- because Jeff Bezos in their robot suit.

Best-selling author Calum Chace writes fiction and non-fiction books about artificial intelligence. He is a regular speaker on AI and related technologies and runs a blog on the subject at www.pandoras-brain.com. Prior to becoming a full-time writer and speaker, Calum had a 30-year career in business, as a marketer, strategy consultant and CEO. He maintains his interest in business by serving as chairman and coach for growing companies. Calum studied philosophy at Oxford University, where he discovered that the science fiction he had been reading since boyhood was actually philosophy in fancy dress.

Over the next 12 months, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) look set to make a huge explosion into the mainstream. We've already seen the mass adoption of AR apps like Pokémon GO. After its launch in the UK on 14 July 2016, a staggering 6.1 million adults had downloaded the app just a month later. Businesses across a whole host of sectors are now exploring how AR and AI could revolutionise the way they operate. The retail sector is one industry that is leading the way in this technology revolution.

Retail chain giant Wal-Mart is launching a tech incubator in Silicon Valley, focused on robotics, virtual and augmented reality, machine learning and artificial intelligence. Dubbed as "Store 8", the new incubator's name is a reference to a Wal-Mart location in Arkansas, where the company experimented with new store layouts. The new initiative was announced by Marc Lore, CEO of Walmart's U.S. e-commerce business at the Shoptalk conference in Las Vegas. Marc Lore is also the co-founder of Jet.com, the e-commerce startup that was acquired by Wal-Mart in 2016, for a sum of $3 billion USD in cash and $300 million USD in stock. According to Lore's statement, Walmart will invest in the startup businesses like a VC company and grow the group as a portfolio.

Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your Automaton bloggers. We'll also be posting a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next two months; here's what we have so far (send us your events!): Let us know if you have suggestions for next week, and enjoy today's videos. Japan recently announced a major robotics event for next year. The World Robot Summit will feature a series of competitions, talks, and exhibits.

The use of artificial intelligence has given Charlotte Russe an important competitive edge. With its online and mobile shopping communities growing larger and their expectations for flawless services increasing, the apparel retailer turned to IBM to prepare for the busy and critical 2016, five-day holiday shopping season kick-off. To get a jump start, Charlotte Russe launched IBM's Watson Customer Engagement solutions in seven months. And the technology immediately gave the retailer a wake-up call. Following deployment, the Charlotte Russe team analyzed its initial sales and transactions projections for the holidays with output from Watson.