We propose a new approach that enables end users to directly solve the cold start problem by themselves. The cold start problem is a common issue in recommender systems, and many methods have been proposed to address the problem on the service provider's side. However, when the service provider does not take action, users are left with poor recommendations and no means to improve their experience. We propose an algorithm, Pretender, that allows end users to proactively solve the cold start problem on their own. Pretender does not require any special support from the service provider and can be deployed independently by users. We formulate the problem as minimizing the distance between the source and target distributions and optimize item selection from the target service accordingly. Furthermore, we establish theoretical guarantees for Pretender based on a discrete quadrature problem. We conduct experiments on real-world datasets to demonstrate the effectiveness of Pretender.

Predicting when to initiate speech in real-world environments remains a fundamental challenge for conversational agents. We introduce EgoSpeak, a novel framework for real-time speech initiation prediction in egocentric streaming video. By modeling the conversation from the speaker's first-person viewpoint, EgoSpeak is tailored for human-like interactions in which a conversational agent must continuously observe its environment and dynamically decide when to talk. Our approach bridges the gap between simplified experimental setups and complex natural conversations by integrating four key capabilities: (1) first-person perspective, (2) RGB processing, (3) online processing, and (4) untrimmed video processing. We also present YT-Conversation, a diverse collection of in-the-wild conversational videos from YouTube, as a resource for large-scale pretraining. Experiments on EasyCom and Ego4D demonstrate that EgoSpeak outperforms random and silence-based baselines in real time. Our results also highlight the importance of multimodal input and context length in effectively deciding when to speak.

Recommender systems (RS) serve as a fundamental tool for navigating the vast expanse of online information, with deep learning advancements playing an increasingly important role in improving ranking accuracy. Among these, graph neural networks (GNNs) excel at extracting higher-order structural information, while large language models (LLMs) are designed to process and comprehend natural language, making both approaches highly effective and widely adopted. Recent research has focused on graph foundation models (GFMs), which integrate the strengths of GNNs and LLMs to model complex RS problems more efficiently by leveraging the graph-based structure of user-item relationships alongside textual understanding. In this survey, we provide a comprehensive overview of GFM-based RS technologies by introducing a clear taxonomy of current approaches, diving into methodological details, and highlighting key challenges and future directions. By synthesizing recent advancements, we aim to offer valuable insights into the evolving landscape of GFM-based recommender systems.

To advance personalized applications such as recommendation systems and user behavior prediction, recent research increasingly adopts large language models (LLMs) for human -readable persona modeling. In dynamic real -world scenarios, effective persona modeling necessitates leveraging streaming behavior data to continually optimize user personas. However, existing methods -whether regenerating personas or incrementally extending them with new behaviors -often fail to achieve sustained improvements in persona quality or future behavior prediction accuracy. To address this, we propose DEEPER, a novel approach for dynamic persona modeling that enables continual persona optimization. Specifically, we enhance the model's direction -search capability through an iterative reinforcement learning framework, allowing it to automatically identify effective update directions and optimize personas using discrepancies between user behaviors and model predictions. Extensive experiments on dynamic persona modeling involving 4800 users across 10 domains highlight the superior persona optimization capabilities of DEEPER, delivering an impressive 32.2% average reduction in user behavior prediction error over four update rounds -outperforming the best baseline by a remarkable 22.92%.

This paper proposes that Artificial Intelligence (AI) progresses through several overlapping generations: AI 1.0 (Information AI), AI 2.0 (Agentic AI), AI 3.0 (Physical AI), and now a speculative AI 4.0 (Conscious AI). Each of these AI generations is driven by shifting priorities among algorithms, computing power, and data. AI 1.0 ushered in breakthroughs in pattern recognition and information processing, fueling advances in computer vision, natural language processing, and recommendation systems. AI 2.0 built on these foundations through real-time decision-making in digital environments, leveraging reinforcement learning and adaptive planning for agentic AI applications. AI 3.0 extended intelligence into physical contexts, integrating robotics, autonomous vehicles, and sensor-fused control systems to act in uncertain real-world settings. Building on these developments, AI 4.0 puts forward the bold vision of self-directed AI capable of setting its own goals, orchestrating complex training regimens, and possibly exhibiting elements of machine consciousness. This paper traces the historical foundations of AI across roughly seventy years, mapping how changes in technological bottlenecks from algorithmic innovation to high-performance computing to specialized data, have spurred each generational leap. It further highlights the ongoing synergies among AI 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0, and explores the profound ethical, regulatory, and philosophical challenges that arise when artificial systems approach (or aspire to) human-like autonomy. Ultimately, understanding these evolutions and their interdependencies is pivotal for guiding future research, crafting responsible governance, and ensuring that AI transformative potential benefits society as a whole.

TL;DR: Windows 11 Pro is on sale for 17.97 through March 30 (reg. Imagine having an AI assistant that doesn't live in your browser but in your computer. Yeah, ChatGPT is kind for helping you with those basic prompts, but Copilot AI will transform your workflow with its custom version of GPT that's like having an OpenAI subscription at no additional cost. Simply upgrade to Windows 11 Pro to get this intelligent assistant--plus a design makeover, new productivity tools, security improvements, and exclusive Professional features--installed on your PC. Today (March 30) only, you can save 90%. When you have Windows Copilot, just tap the icon on your taskbar to make a request.

Personalized item recommendation typically suffers from data sparsity, which is most often addressed by learning vector representations of users and items via low-rank matrix factorization. While this effectively densifies the matrix by assuming users and movies can be represented by linearly dependent latent features, it does not capture more complicated interactions. For example, vector representations struggle with set-theoretic relationships, such as negation and intersection, e.g. recommending a movie that is "comedy and action, but not romance". In this work, we formulate the problem of personalized item recommendation as matrix completion where rows are set-theoretically dependent. To capture this set-theoretic dependence we represent each user and attribute by a hyper-rectangle or box (i.e. a Cartesian product of intervals). Box embeddings can intuitively be understood as trainable Venn diagrams, and thus not only inherently represent similarity (via the Jaccard index), but also naturally and faithfully support arbitrary set-theoretic relationships. Queries involving set-theoretic constraints can be efficiently computed directly on the embedding space by performing geometric operations on the representations. We empirically demonstrate the superiority of box embeddings over vector-based neural methods on both simple and complex item recommendation queries by up to 30 \% overall.

This study presents the development and testing of a conversational speech system designed for robots to detect speech biomarkers indicative of cognitive impairments in people living with dementia (PLwD). The system integrates a backend Python WebSocket server and a central core module with a large language model (LLM) fine-tuned for dementia to process user input and generate robotic conversation responses in real-time in less than 1.5 seconds. The frontend user interface, a Progressive Web App (PWA), displays information and biomarker score graphs on a smartphone in real-time to human users (PLwD, caregivers, clinicians). Six speech biomarkers based on the existing literature - Altered Grammar, Pragmatic Impairments, Anomia, Disrupted Turn-Taking, Slurred Pronunciation, and Prosody Changes - were developed for the robot conversation system using two datasets, one that included conversations of PLwD with a human clinician (DementiaBank dataset) and one that included conversations of PLwD with a robot (Indiana dataset). We also created a composite speech biomarker that combined all six individual biomarkers into a single score. The speech system's performance was first evaluated on the DementiaBank dataset showing moderate correlation with MMSE scores, with the composite biomarker score outperforming individual biomarkers. Analysis of the Indiana dataset revealed higher and more variable biomarker scores, suggesting potential differences due to study populations (e.g. severity of dementia) and the conversational scenario (human-robot conversations are different from human-human). The findings underscore the need for further research on the impact of conversational scenarios on speech biomarkers and the potential clinical applications of robotic speech systems.

Kurt "The Cyberguy" Knutsson explains how facial recognition technology can help you find your perfect match. From a poisonous date to finding love with a serial killer, these six chilling cases show how unsuspecting dating app users on the quest for romance led them into the clutches of danger. Dating apps – from Tinder to Grindr – are the modern way for people to connect with potential partners from the comfort of their own space. Brace yourself for stories that blur the line between love and terror. Here is Fox News Digital's list of some recent cases where love went wrong.

Dating apps promised to make finding love easier. For many users, though, they've just made it more exhausting. Swiping, ghosting, and endless conversations that rarely materialize into real-life dates have left people burned out and disillusioned. A cultural shift is underway as singles ditch the apps in favor of real-world connections. WIRED went looking for love and found that modern romance is a web of scams, AI boyfriends, and Tinder burnout.