Artificial intelligence (AI) assistants, like Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana, can help internet users with a variety of activities, especially when they're on the go. According to June 2016 research, nearly two-thirds of AI users in the US use these personal assistants to answer general questions. San Francisco, CA–based AYTM Market Research surveyed 1,000 US internet users about their dealings with an AI assistant. Overall, 58% had never used one, while about a quarter used AI assistants on at least a monthly basis. According to the survey, the majority (64.5%) of AI users said they used AI assistants to ask general questions, followed by getting directions while driving (39.7%) and making calls (25.2%). Other research confirms, though, that few mobile phone owners in the US actually use a voice-controlled personal assistant regularly.

WASHINGTON – Congress passed an aviation bill Wednesday that attempts to close gaps in airport security and shorten screening lines, but leaves thornier issues unresolved. The bill also extends the Federal Aviation Administration's programs for 14 months at current funding levels. It was approved in the Senate by a vote of 89 to 4. The House had passed the measure earlier in the week and it now goes to President Barack Obama, who must sign the bill by Friday when the FAA's current operating authority expires to avoid a partial agency shutdown. Responding to attacks by violent extremists associated with the Islamic State group on airports in Brussels and Istanbul, the bill includes an array of provisions aimed at protecting "soft targets" outside security perimeters. Other provisions designed to address potential "insider threats" would toughen vetting of airport workers and other employees with access to secure areas, expand random employee inspections and require reviews of perimeter security.

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This entry was posted in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and tagged AI, Algorithms, Machine Learning.

Chat bots have ballooned in popularity in recent months, and now we're seeing some interesting examples of how that technology, where computers interact and respond to human requests, is being used to solve other problems. Today, Zendesk is taking the wraps off "Automatic Answers", a service for businesses to reply to emails from customers without ever having a human employee get involved. Automatic Answers is not your average, run-of-the mill email autoresponder. The service was built using a machine learning platform that Zendesk's in-house teams of data scientists and engineers, which are based out of Melbourne, Australia, have been developing on for a while now. That machine learning platform was first announced last year and it also powers a service Zendesk announced last October, Satisfaction Prediction, which is able to monitor customer-company interactions to -- as its name implies -- determine whether the customer is getting what she or he needs. The machine learning/AI element means that the responses in Automatic Answers are not only reading and responding specifically to what you the customer is asking, but it is technically getting smarter with each response (and presumably using a bit of Satisfaction Prediction to figure out if it's getting it right).

In the previous post in our Machine Learning series, we dived into the inner workings of deep learning. Given deep learning's unparalleled power, it's not surprising that technology companies are competing with one another to collect deep learning experts and apply the techniques to their own operations. How are companies using deep learning to drive business goals? The tech giants have been using the technique for improved image and video recognition, audio recognition, and language understanding and are actively contributing to open-source research tools. Meanwhile, start-ups are serving boutique needs.

Skoolbot has been chosen winner of the first-ever international botathon, organized by VentureBeat. The bot, which helps students using Google Classroom monitor grades, homework, and communication, was made by Liam McKinley of Great Falls, Virginia. McKinley was not physically onstage, but did join a crowd of more than 150 in San Francisco through a roving video robot. Other members of Team Skoolbot include family friend Miko Borys and father John. Hugh Cameron of Melbourne, creator of a bot that quickly responds to emails, won the popular vote.

You don't have to sit through a lot of pitches before your will-to-live-o-meter points to "kill me now." Imagine you're a VC, sitting through your fifteenth pitch that day -- are you still going to be enthusiastic? So what happens if you could instead feed your pitch deck into a chatbot that gives you feedback, suggestions and eventually invests some money into your fledgling idea? Going through the automated pitch process is surprisingly fun, but -- spoiler alert -- at some point very early on in the process you'll realize it's a joke. A joke, sure, but like all good comedians, it does make a rather splendid point: It is harder for founders who don't fit the standard patterns to raise money -- and that's a discussion we ought to be having.

Artificial Intelligence for Sysadmins Artificial intelligence (AI) is on a roll. It's happening through developments spurred on by 800 pound tech gorillas like Amazon and IBM, and big brands in transportation like Uber and Jaguar. Before we ponder that further, if you haven't had the time to keep up here are seven recent notches on the artificial intelligence belt…er, chipset. Back in 2011, IBM's Watson blew away the human "Jeopardy" champions. IBM is now betting big on Watson once again and cognitive computing opportunities in the health care industry and beyond. Following the success of Apple's intelligent agent Siri, Microsoft's Cortana and Google Now, Amazon's Alexa has garnered a loyal following and is… Link to Full Article: Artificial Intelligence for Sysadmins

TrueCare24 is pleased to unveil Baymax, an artificial intelligence messenger bot that quickly arranges medical services for users. According to Leo Popov, "We all struggle with balancing our busy lives and the things that matter the most: family, friends, and professional passions, and wasted time is especially frustrating. When you or a family member get sick, you've got to go through the hurdles of traditional healthcare, and it's just not practical for working professionals who also have families. Baymax is a personal healthcare companion that saves users precious time and money. It chooses and arranges a doctor's appointment that fits your schedule and budget. Baymax is superbly convenient for the '140 characters' lifestyle of today."