SIRTE, Libya Suicide bombings against Libyan forces battling to oust Islamic State from their former North African stronghold of Sirte killed at least 12 fighters and wounded about 60 there on Thursday, a hospital spokesman said.

BOSTON – An executive from American Apparel at eTail East 2016 detailed how the brand is using an artificial intelligence and Internet of Things solution in which real-world displays interact with shoppers' phones to start a purchase-enabled thread with a chatbot. During the session, The Future Of Retail and the Convergence of Customer Centricity, IoT and Omnichannel, the executive also explained that American Apparel wanted to expand its mobile footprint but without having to immediately make an application, so it partnered with Postmates to introduce a delivery service that saw significant early adoption. The retailer's digital displays are leveraging beacon technology and chatbots to make it easier on customers to instantly purchase and find information about products featured in display ads in an attempt to expand its mobile reach. "I am a firm believe that native apps are being disrupted right now and they are being disruptive by chatbots," said Thoryn Stephens, chief digital officer at American Apparel. "We were actually already on that path before Zuckerberg and Facebook really made that push.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been around for a long time and people are still waiting for the first C-3PO (a talking robot from Star Trek) to be released. Looking at the money big tech companies and venture capitalists are pouring into the sector, AI is making huge progress, although the investors are looking for different things than a talking robot. "In the long run, I think we will evolve in computing from a mobile-first to an AI-first world. And I do think we're at the forefront of developments," said Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, Inc. on an earnings call with investors in April. Google is the most active investor in AI with 9 acquisitions completed since 2011.

Whether you understand it or not -- or, like Elon Musk you even fear it -- artificial intelligence promises to become one of the most important areas of technology in coming years. Though certainly far from creating anything bordering on Skynet, tech giants including Alphabet, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, and many others have plowed headlong into the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence. Following suit, tech giant Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) recently demonstrated its own interest in the space by acquiring AI start-up Turi for a reported 200 million. As a number of major publications have noted, Apple purportedly purchased the Seattle-based Turi in early August for an alleged, but unconfirmed, 200 million. When asked about the buyout, Apple predictably responded with the same boilerplate statement it offers for virtually all acquisitions: "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A new technique using artificial intelligence to read satellite images could aid efforts to eradicate global poverty by indicating where help is needed most, a team of U.S. researchers said on Thursday. The method would assist governments and charities trying to fight poverty but lacking precise and reliable information on where poor people are living and what they need, the researchers based at Stanford University in California said. Eradicating extreme poverty, measured as people living on less than 1.25 U.S. a day, by 2030 is among the sustainable development goals adopted by United Nations member states last year. A team of computer scientists and satellite experts created a self-updating world map to locate poverty, said Marshall Burke, assistant professor in Stanford's Department of Earth System Science. It uses a computer algorithm that recognizes signs of poverty through a process called machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence, he said.

Both outside, in the 90 F air that's settled into North Hollywood, and inside, where liquid elastomer and PVC are being heated to 300 F in large ovens, then hand-poured into copper molds of dildos. You think your bedroom is where the magic happens? Try this 215,000-square-foot behemoth of an operation where, every day, 15,000 toys roll down the production line, ready to supply millions of orgasms. I see no smirks or giggles from the nearly 300 employees working the line as they inspect freshly made nine-inch Ballsy Super C--s or smooth the ends of fake-vagina sleeves. Because producing pleasure is no laughing matter: This is a 15 billion dollar industry that's expected to reach 52 billion by 2020 -- a growth that's due, in part, to more normalizing toy talk in media (think Broad City's episode about pegging).

And that includes understanding their livelihoods in terms of their sources of income, how their agriculture is performing, how different sectors of the economy perform, and, more specifically, what actually is effective at improving conditions," co-author of the study David Lobell told Mashable in an interview. Therefore, the scientists mapped those dimmer parts of the map at night with daytime photos of the same areas, allowing the computer to pick out patterns -- like road conditions or metal roofs versus thatched roofs -- that indicate a less-developed and possibly poorer region. "The study demonstrates the power of combining multiple data streams to measure things that matter. "The study demonstrates the power of combining multiple data streams to measure things that matter."

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Satellites staring down at Earth can see a lot from their posts in space. Powerful eyes in the sky can pick out homes, natural formations, the pyramids and even small cars driving on roads. And now, scientists are using the wealth of data collected by these satellites to solve major problems on Earth. A new study published in the journal Science this week uses machine learning -- a type of artificial intelligence that lets computer algorithms change when given new data -- coupled with satellite imagery to map poverty in Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Malawi. This new technique could help revolutionize the way groups find impoverished areas and eventually get relief to people living in those specific parts of the world.