Network Mind facilitates the management of millions of network elements with millisecond response time and automatic adaptation and optimization based on service changes. Network Mind is therefore capable of helping telecom operators and enterprises achieve differentiated, self-adaptive control of complex services in ultra-large networks. The amount of network elements, data traffic, and types of service in communication networks is soaring as new technologies continue to emerge, including 5G, the Internet of Things, Software-Defined Networking, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Reality. This results in a level of network complexity that is impossible to manually control through defined rules. How automatic modeling can be used to realize intelligent network control and management is a major topic of study at many research institutions.

Google's Pixel is apparently a hit over at Verizon. That's a high number for a premium priced, first-time phone that isn't from Apple or Samsung. It indicates that the $15 million Google spent on advertising and $12 million from Verizon during a campaign from Oct. 27 to Nov. 2 is paying off. Google's ad campaign has played up the Pixel's photo prowess, while Verizon has regularly run an ad where a group on a train uses the Google Assistant (which has awakened my phone and Google Home more than once). However, the effort to lure Pixel owners over to T-Mobile may not be going so hot.

AI technologies have clear value paths in marketing, including sales and enhancing customer experience. When most companies think about artificial intelligence (AI)--and its many sub-categories, such as machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), or cognitive computing--they think about applications such as IBM's Watson technology being used to diagnose patients. What they often miss, according to Fern Halper, VP and senior research director of advanced analytics at TDWI, is that "marketing is often one of the first departments in an organization to use advanced analytics." In a recent webinar, Halper discussed the current potential and future pathways for marketing analytics with David Stodder, senior research director of business intelligence at TDWI, and Wilson Raj, the global director of customer intelligence with SAS. They all agreed that among all the different business departments, applying AI to marketing could provide the most immediate, recognizable return on investment .

Mobile internet applications are evolving rapidly. Cognitive computing technologies will inspire telecom service providers to profoundly change their business model in new creative ways. Deploying intelligent voice control apps on smartphones was just the beginning of this trend. As an example, mobile network operators are increasing their investment in big data analytics and machine learning technologies as they transform into digital application developers and cognitive service providers. With a long history of handling huge datasets, and with their path now led by the IT ecosystem, mobile operators will devote more than $50 billion to big data analytics and machine learning technologies through 2021, according to the latest global market study by ABI Research. "Machine learning-based predictive analytics are applicable to all aspects of the telecom business," said Joe Hoffman, vice president at ABI Research.

Founded by two of the creators of Siri, Apple's signature digital assistant, Viv Labs said its technology represents a "new paradigm" for how people interact with computers. The Viv AI uses something called dynamic program generation that creates software on the fly based on the intent of the request given to it. In a briefing reported yesterday by Reuters, Samsung said the addition of Viv's technology to the Galaxy S8 will enable a wide variety of new services for its customers. The more services that developers integrate with Viv, the smarter the AI will become, according to Samsung Mobile Business CTO Injong Rhee. "Even if Samsung doesn't do anything on its own, the more services that get attached the smarter this agent will get, learn more new services and provide them to end-users with ease," Rhee told Reuters.

AT&T announced on Thursday it's launching a new skill on Amazon's Alexa-enabled devices that lets you send hands-free text messages. Starting today, Amazon's Alexa-powered device can send messages for you and send them to a list of contacts that have been pre-programmed. To get started, all you need to do is say "Alexa, ask AT&T to text (name), and the assistant will create your message. "Amazon Echo is ahead of the curve in terms of voice recognition technology and functionality," said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, Device and Network Services Marketing. "AT&T is the first carrier to bring this unique skill to a product already known for innovation.

When the engineers had at last finished their work, Eugenia Kuyda opened a console on her laptop and began to type. "This is your digital monument." It had been three months since Roman Mazurenko, Kuyda's closest friend, had died. Kuyda had spent that time gathering up his old text messages, setting aside the ones that felt too personal, and feeding the rest into a neural network built by developers at her artificial intelligence startup. She had struggled with whether she was doing the right thing by bringing him back this way. At times it had even given her nightmares. But ever since Mazurenko's death, Kuyda had wanted one more chance to speak with him. A message blinked onto the screen. "You have one of the most interesting puzzles in the world in your hands," it said. Born in Belarus in 1981, Roman Mazurenko was the only child of Sergei, an engineer, and Victoria, a landscape architect. They remember him as an unusually serious child; when he was 8 he wrote a letter to his descendents declaring his most cherished values: wisdom and justice. In family photos, Mazurenko roller-skates, sails a boat, and climbs trees. Average in height, with a mop of chestnut hair, he is almost always smiling.

Apple's iPhones and iPads are losing the battle against Android devices. That's according to a new study by mobile diagnostics firms Blancco Technology Group (BTG), which claims that Apple's devices are less reliable and experienced a bigger failure rate than their Android counterpart, driven by bugs in the iOS 10 update. For the purposes of the report the word "failure" refers to any number of problem including instances of apps crashing, connection difficulties and overheating. About 62 per cent of iOS devices suffered performance failures in the third quarter of 2016 compared with 47 per cent of Android devices, the report found. The iPhone 6 was the main culprit with the highest failure rate of 13 per cent.

With the backing of supporters as varied as the CIA, Samsung, Intel, and one of the biggest wireless carriers in the world, MindMeld launched its conversational AI platform today. MindMeld's AI, which has been referred to as "Siri on steroids," is sometimes considered more advanced than other voice-enabled intelligent assistants. The first generation of AI-powered assistants failed to live up to the hype, according to the company. "Deep-Domain Conversational AI promises to power a new generation of AI assistants which can streamline common daily tasks such as placing a take-out order at a local restaurant, booking a flight or hotel reservation, creating a service appointment at an auto repair shop or doctor's office, or finding retail store and product information," the company said in a statement shared with VentureBeat. Voice-enabled intelligent assistants and chatbots made with the platform can go virtually anywhere, from websites, apps, and devices to messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger, Skype, and Slack.

Trim touts itself as a "fast-learning, software-driven assistant that takes care of your money so you don't have to." Basically, Trim's A.I. looks through your finances (credit card statements, bank statements, etc.) and reminds you of all the recurring payments you're making. You can then send Trim a message through email or Facebook and begin an automated process to cancel those services--and save yourself a few extra bucks each month. Trim's A.I. can also challenge overdraft fees from your bank, which Trim co-founder/CEO Thomas Smyth says works nearly 50 percent of the time. Trim users eventually wanted to know if the A.I. could help with one of the most bothersome cancellations of all: internet from Comcast.